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Thread: Para Ordnance P14-45 Full Metal by KJ Works

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    2nd June 2004
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    Para Ordnance P14-45 Full Metal by KJ Works

    Description

    In order to reduce international shipping costs, as well as to convey the impression that he didn’t wish to have all the fun himself, John assigned me to shoot and to evaluate some of the many airsoft pistols he has assembled for reviews. John himself received a Para Ordnance P14 airsoft pistol in Greece, directly from Ted Szabo, the president of Para Ordnance. That pistol was manufactured in Japan and is a fully licensed copy, right down to wearing genuine Para Ordnance grip panels.



    We also received another P14, from forum sponsor Airsoft Extreme. Because John already had one, he assigned testing of the second pistol to me. The P14 I received is manufactured by KJ Works in Taiwan.

    The pistol is finished overall in a matte black that is very close to the matte black on the older Para pistols. In fact, the only major visual differences between this pistol and an early 90’s vintage Para Ordnance P13 are the lightened trigger (stock trigger is solid);



    a beavertail grip safety; an ambidextrous thumb safety; and the pseudo Novak-style rear sight (the stock sights were similar to the older Colt combat sights).



    It appears to be styled after the older P14 Limited series rather than the more basic P14 series pistols.

    The pistol arrived in a Styrofoam box with a cardboard cover. Inside I found the pistol, a box of 100 6mm plastic BBs; a magazine loading tube and pusher stick; a chrome(like) plastic tube; a very small target; and a rudimentary but adequate instruction pamphlet. The instructions take up only ten pages, three of which are exploded isometric views of the barrel and slide assembly; the frame assembly and grips; and the magazine. The instructions are written in English, but text is minimal and each instruction consists of a cartoon panel with a text caption. It is a minimalist approach, but it conveys the information.



    The unidentified chrome(like) tube puzzled me for several minutes. It is not mentioned or shown in the instruction pamphlet. Then I noticed that the pistol came out of the box equipped with a barrel that is about ½” (12mm) longer than the slide, which left a bright red tip protruding from the barrel bushing. A quick field strip, which I was pleased to discover proceeds exactly like field stripping a real 1911, led to the happy realization that the chrome tube was a replacement barrel, without the red tip and of the correct length for the slide. I don’t know if I am breaking any laws by not having a red muzzle on this pistol, but I happily reassembled the pistol with the chrome barrel and put the ugly red tube in the box. Now I had something that looked like a real 1911 (well … like a real Para Ordnance double stack 1911, at any rate).

    Detailing on this pistol is superb. With the red barrel replaced it looks exactly like the real thing. Everything works like a real 1911, too. It is correct even down to details such as the thumb safety cannot be engaged unless the action is cocked. Racking the slide to cock the action, of course, requires considerably less effort than a real 1911, but the movement is the same. However, I am getting ahead of myself.



    The magazine on the left is a real PO magazine, while the one on the right is the Airsoft one. The Airsoft one holds 22-23 BBs, so you can definitely call it a high capacity magazine.

    This pistol also has realistic heft. I weighed it on a postage scale and the weight (with magazine) is 32 ounces (900 grams). Para’s web site lists the weight of their current P14 pistols as 40 ounces (1.14 kg). The heaviest part of this pistol is the magazine assembly, which results in a more rearward-biased balance than the real thing, but despite this there is sufficient mass that it feels as if you are holding a real pistol, not a lightweight toy.




    The pistol on top is the KJW P14-45, while the one on the bottom is a real P13-45.



    To load the pistol, the magazine is removed just as on a real 1911: depress the magazine release button, and the magazine drops out into your hand. The magazine is shaped and contoured exactly like a genuine Para double-stack magazine. Naturally, the details are different. The nose has a small orifice for 6mm BBs, and a hole in the baseplate provides a nozzle for filling the gas chamber. This pistol uses green gas. It isn’t included in the box with the pistol, but Airsoft Extreme thoughtfully sent along two canisters of green gas for the five pistols they supplied for review.

    The loading procedure is to first charge the magazine with gas, then load the BBs. Charging is simple. Insert the tip of the gas canister nozzle into the valve on the magazine base plate (being careful to align the nozzle perpendicular to the valve), and press the nozzle against the valve to release the flow of gas. Hold until you no longer hear the hissing of gas transfer. I didn’t bother to use the pellet loader. I found it easy enough to drop a handful of BBs into the palm of one hand, depress the magazine follower, and simply pour the BBs into the loading orifice. Using the magazine loader would probably be beneficial for someone who is shooting a lot, however.

    One final note here, the pistol (according to the box) is equipped with a hop-up mechanism, which however is not adjustable.

    In the next page, you can read how to disassemble the pistol and our shooting tests results.

    [BREAK]

    Shooting

    With that out of the way, we were ready to shoot. I set up a test range in my basement. I wasn’t able to achieve the full 10 meters (32-1/2 feet) that John used, but I was able to set a target 25 feet away from the firing station. As a backstop I used a large corrugated cardboard box with the flaps cut off, and several additional layers of corrugated cardboard at the bottom of the box (which was oriented as the back of my target stand) to stop the pellets. And the several layers are necessary. This pistol will punch through two to three layers of corrugated cardboard.

    At the firing station, I racked the slide and noted that I was then able to activate the thumb safety, which moved with a reasonable imitation of the metallic “snick” of a true 1911 safety being applied. I first fired a test target using some old BBs, just to function check the pistol and get some idea of point-of-aim vs. point-of-impact. The grip safety functions normally, blocking the trigger unless properly depressed. I was pleased to note that the slide locked back after the last shot. Recoil was rather light, but the slide actually functions and thus there is some sensation of recoil and “something happening up front” when you shoot this pistol. The sights are 3-dot, and the white dots are easy to see. The lighting in my basement is (to be charitable) less than optimal, and the white dots made sight acquisition much easier for my aging eyes. The rear sight is not fully adjustable. There is no adjustment for elevation, and windage adjustment is accomplished by loosening a recessed hex screw in the top of the sight to allow drifting the entire one-piece unit. The instructions suggest checking the rear sight periodically to ensure that it hasn’t become loose.

    Having fired a couple of magazines for familiarization, it was time to see how the pistol shoots. I don’t have anything like a Black & Decker workmate, which would have made an excellent shooting stand, so I sat in a chair and rested the butt of the pistol on the backrest of a kitchen stool in front of me. I fired groups of 6 shots, with the intent of discarding the worst shot and measuring 5-round groups. My targets were fairly lightweight paper, and I was somewhat disappointed to find that the paper usually seemed to close up the hole after the BB had gone through, making it difficult to see where I was hitting. On the other hand, that eliminated any subconscious urge to apply “Kentucky windage,” so perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing after all.

    My best group, shot using a 6:00 o’clock hold and using the tops of the sights rather than the white dots, was 1-1/4” with two 2-shot oblong holes and one single. If I include the sixth round, though, this group opened out to 2-1/2”. I did not measure the trigger pull, but I estimate it at around four to five pounds, and the trigger was not terrible by any means. Take-up is approximately 1/16”, and it broke cleanly after that.

    In fact, this pistol is a joy to shoot. I had not shot a BB gun of any kind since I was an adolescent (shortly after the signing of the Magna Carta), and I have no experience with airsoft pistols. My introduction was a happy one. This is not a “toy,” by any stretch of the imagination. As well as I can determine, the frame and slide are made of metal, although since they are painted I cannot determine what metal or alloy is used. If it is zinc or “pot metal” it is well crafted, because I can see none of the usual mold parting lines and dribbles that are usually present in pot metal castings. This pistol is a good quality training pistol. Since the range where I shoot is almost an hour’s drive from home (each way), this pistol will be useful in helping to maintain muscle memory during the winter months when nobody wants to drive an hour across town in the dark and the cold. Except for the significantly reduced recoil, shooting this pistol is almost exactly like shooting a real Para Ordnance single action, double stack pistol.


    Rating

    Accuracy: 4
    Upgradeability: 1
    Training Capability: 5
    Realism: 5
    Quality: 4
    Power:

    Overall: 19
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside


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