Para Ordnance 14-40 LDA

[the45er]

I bought some weapons at an estate sale today and am interested in learning more about one of the pistols I bought. It is a cherry-mint Para Ordnance 14-40 LDA (Light Double Action) 40 S&W. Nice piece, but I don't know much about this gun and would appreciate any help I could get on such things as when it was made and does it have any particular premium value due to the fact that it is not a common weapon?

Any insights on this gun would be appreciated.
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[Aguila Blanca]

Para-Ordnance introduced the LDA (Light Double Action) action system in 2000, IIRC. It remained in production until Remington (which had bought out ParaUSA) killed off Para in 2015 or 2016.

There's no way to know when it was made without a serial number, and even then it's only approximate as I don't think anyone has created a definitive serial number look-up for Para-Ordnance pistols. If it says "Para-Ordnance," not "ParaUSA," on the slide, it was made in Canada before Para moved production to North Carolina and renamed the brand ParaUSA. That would have been around 2009. The Para-Ordnance name would make it a fairly early LDA.

I think they are good pistols, but virtually none of the fire control parts interchange with a standard 1911. I don't think there's any premium for them. If anything, especially the .40 S&W models, are probably worth less than a comparable Para-Ordnance single action of the same age and condition.

Remington does not have any parts for it -- they sold them all to Sarco and Numrich. Last I knew, Sarco still had for sale kits of "essential" LDA parts. I would advise you to grab one of those kits. If you keep the gun, it will be invaluable. Even if you sell it, the spare parts kit will probably at least pay for itself and could be used as a selling point.

I bought a Para 12.45 LDA new in 2001, the second year they were available. The 12.45 has a 3-1/2-inch barrel and the thing was scary accurate for a compact pistol.

Does yours have an 'X' in the serial number? If so, that would indicate that it has Para's proprietary "Power eXtractor," which came out around 2004. So the presence or absence of the Power eXtractor would also help to narrow down the production date.

[the45er]

Thank you White Eagle! Mine does not have an "X" in the serial number. This is the one gun I might keep from the eight I bought in the estate sale. I like 40's and have three others I shoot.

I'll ponder getting that $60 "LDA kit", but in reality, this gun has hardly ever been shot and I probably won't shoot it much either. Not likely to break with use it will see!

[Aguila Blanca]

That looks like my 12.45 LDA -- it has a 3-1/2" barrel, right? (The 15.40 was a Commander-length pistol, so I'm guessing the 14.40 was Officers ACP length.) I'll go out on a limb and guess that yours was made between 2001 and 2004. It should have a conventional 1911 extractor, not the Power eXtractor. To me, that's an advantage. The Power eXtractor was an interesting idea, but it had reliability issues and ParaUSA had given up on it by the time Remington bought the brand and killed it off.

For recoil springs, I believe you would use a Wolff #49024.

When the LDAs came out in 2000, they had a Commander-style rounded hammer spur. But ... you are NOT supposed to cock the hammer manually, and I guess a lot of people didn't read the owners manual and broke their guns by doing that. So in 2001 the LDAs were changed to the bobbed, flush hammer as seen on your pistol.

Your gun shouldn't break, but the LDA parts aren't being made again. You may keep the gun for a long time, even hand it down to a son or a grandson. There are a number of proprietary and very small parts lurking inside there. Having the right part on the shelf when it isn't available anywhere in the world is priceless.

[the45er]

I will rethink that parts kit!

[the45er]

My 180 grain lead bullets fed beautifully and wow, were they accurate! Soft recoil too. This gun may get more use than I thought!