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Thread: Step-by-step tear down and reassembly of P.O. LDA pistols

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  1. #1
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    Step-by-step tear down and reassembly of P.O. LDA pistols

    I've located an article, by Linkless John, on how to completely strip and reassemble your Para Ordnance LDA.

    You may read it in our "Technical Issues" Forum.

    Rgds
    John Caradimas SV1CEC
    The M1911 Pistols Organization
    http://www.m1911.org
    Last edited by John; 10th November 2006 at 04:37.


  2. #2
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    Thumbs up

    Hey!

    That's what I'm talking about! Finally the mystery has been solved! I've made it far enough to replace my mainspring housing and thumb safety. Since the hammer cannot be cocked manually (without possible damage) I would like to replace it with a spurless hammer (as shown in the pics).

    Thanks!!!
    Last edited by LDA45; 28th July 2004 at 10:04.


  3. #3
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    Don't thank me, thank John who wrote this article.

    Rgds
    John Caradimas SV1CEC
    The M1911 Pistols Organization
    http://www.m1911.org

  4. #4
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    Question ...

    John and John:

    Thanks for the strip-down article.

    I don't plan on doing a lot of stripping down, but I am going to swap a mainspring housing next week if I get lucky.

    (Looks downright trivial....)

    However, before taking the trusty 10# sledge loose on the Tac-Four, I have a question.

    The pin on the frame that's holding the mainspring housing is round on one end, and concave on the other end.

    Which end do I bash to get the pin out?

    My feeble brain says that the convex end would be it because you want the rounded end to go in first when assembling the gun in the factory. The concave end allows for a much less precisely formed punch (or, perhaps, a really well-formed punch) and minimal risk of the punch slipping off the pin.

    But I've been wrong before. Seems to me I made a mistake in 1975....

    Regards,

    Stu.

  5. #5
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    Stu,

    I have to assume that the PO part is the same as the 1911 one. On the 1911 one, you punch on the hollow end, now I still haven't had more than two sips from my coffee, so I am not sure if that is convex or concave, but it's the one in which looks like that:

    punch here,

    this is the hollow end -> )EE) <- this is the rounded edge

    Does it make sense?
    John Caradimas SV1CEC
    The M1911 Pistols Organization
    http://www.m1911.org

  6. #6
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    Thumbs up

    John:

    Hm.... That'd be nice - I don't have to dig for a better tool .

    The goodies should be here Tuesday - I'll just give it a try and see what happens. There's supposed to be a slight taper in those things to help keep it in, _I think_, which is why I asked.

    I quit drinking coffee. Makes my brain work all too well....

    Regards,

    Stu.

  7. #7
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    Exclamation Better never than late....

    John:

    Following up on my August posting in this topic.... I'm still waiting for Brownells to send the right mainspring housing - should be here tomorrow.

    However, you were absolutely correct on how to drift that pin out - just tap on the concavity and it works right out. However, it's better if the weapon is de-cocked, which is to say to do the removal (or at least get it clear of the detent in the pin - there is one) with the gun uncocked, and dont' start trying to get the slide off until later.

    When re-assembling, I found that applying enough pressure to the hammer strut (or whatever that bar is that contacts the mainspring plunger) to de-cock the weapon yet again made re-inserting the pin (just bang the concavity again) very simple.

    Once the pin is removed, it's easy to remove the mainspring housing, but if you manage to pop that flat spring loose, you have to put it back. Getting that little bitty coil spring back onto the flat spring and the pointy thing (highly technical term) it rides on seems to require pulling the safety lever in order to pop the beavertail grip safety out of the way. Getting the safety lever back in was a little dicey. I'm not sure what I did.... There are things in there that no man should see.....

    Now I have to figure out how to swap the spring and other goodies between mainspring housing without launching them across the room. I have a local gunsmith who I may call....

    In the meantime, I came up with a set of Pearce grips for the thing. The finger grooves are BIG, and the thing (especially with the arched housing that's coming) wants a BIG hand, but it should shoot even better for me. (Right now it wants to shoot a couple inches low at 25' unless I'm really paying attention. Not good for "instinctive" shooting since I want it to "match" three other guns in terms of hold & such. The arched housing should do the job.)

    Brownells: I ordered the wrong thing the first go-around, based on their tech guy's suggestion. Second time I told them what I wanted but didn't give them a stock number, and they sent me the wrong thing anyway. This time _might_ be what I ordered.... I sent the order in late on last Thursday, hoping (and paying) for Saturday delivery, but it's still in Indianapolis or something.... The Holiday screwed some of that up, too, I'm sure....
    Last edited by SMMAssociates; 7th September 2004 at 16:05.


  8. #8
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    Smile Following up yet again....

    I'm still fighting the magazine spring issue a bit, but the gunsmith replaced the mainspring housing Wednesday evening, and I managed to get out this afternoon.

    A curse on Para for not shipping the things this way! Might be just me - my hands are kinda big, but between the Pearce grips and the arched mainspring housing, it now shoots where I want it to. (Well, a little to the left. I didn't have time to test that enough. I had the rear sight off while trying out a Pachmayr "adjustable" sight that didn't fit at all, and I may have not quite gotten it back on right. That's an easy one....)

    As mentioned, I did this because I've got three other semi-auto's with arched mainspring housings or the equivalent, and the "hold" for the Para was a bit "different". Doesn't work well for "instinctive hold". Well, that's fixed....

    Thanks to all!

    Stu.

    Saving a slot.... I don't known where I talked about this, but I had some problems with Brownells in getting the right housing. Finally did get it, as well as a $9 credit for postage on the two others I'd returned. They're back on my "A" list!

    Here's (kinda crude - I just got the camera) what it looks like now: (the stuff that looks like oil is; just cleaned it)



    The Pearce grips came with little plastic "ears" - pointy things - right about where the safety lever is on this side, and the same spot on the other side. Bit me. I cut 'em off. I _think_ they helped bow out the main grip area, and I left the "base" of the ears in place to maintain the bow.
    Last edited by SMMAssociates; 21st September 2004 at 22:45.


  9. #9
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    I bought a houge grip for p-14 and also had that same peace to it and i took it back to the gun shop where i bought it and it took them a good 10 min. to say hay lets cut this peace off and see if it fits and it did . I hope IT STAYS IN PLACE hay thanks for your info.

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    Thumbs up

    rgarc:

    I really don't know what those "ears" are for. Originally, I thought that they were steel, and part of the "stiffening" inside the main grip area, but when I decided that they had to go, the Dremel tool told me that they're not steel....

    (Besides being a rent-a-cop since before the invention of fire, I spent 30+ years in the Plastics industry. You'd think I'd notice....)

    About all that's happened is that it doesn't bite my hand up there anymore....

    The rest of the "ears" are still there - they sort of offset the side of the grips away from the frame a bit at the top - say 0.030" - but it doesn't seem to matter. Guess I'll get around to trimming those off, too.

    My best guess is that there are models of this grip that have a backstrap cover (such as the Pachmayr grips on my PPK/S) and the "ears" help hold it in place.

    Or not....

    Pearce doesn't answer their e-mail....

    (If I had it to do over again, I think I'd go with a smooth or vertically serrated mainspring housing instead of a checkered one. Aluminum might have been a good choice, too. This thing doesn't need the extra weight.)

    Guess the moral of the story is that any modification that's reversable, or involves parts that can be replaced for very little, that doesn't compromise safety, is worth a try if you feel the need. I could have lived without the Pearce grips (but I _like_ them), but think the mainspring housing change was a necessity. Definite YMMV thing here. (IOW, disabling the grip safety is a no-no, but changing it for one with a better "beavertail" is fine....)

    There are, I think, three reasons to buy a gun:

    1. Collection. Put those under glass or in a bank vault.

    2. Target/Range. Trick those out any way that you feel good with. A friend sent me a URL for an outfit that will make a target gun out of a new S&W Walther PPK/S for about the price of a high-end 1911. Why is anybody's guess.

    3. Carry. Modify these, if desired, for increased safety, comfort, controllability, reliability, etc. Just don't do the "hair trigger" games, disable safety features, and such. Pretty much what I did to the Tac-Four....

    Just IMHO....
    Stu.
    (Why write a quick note when you can write a novel?)
    ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE
    יזכר לא עד פעם

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