The Para GI Expert is a full-size, all-steel gun that offers some pretty high-end features at a very economical price.

In the early 1980s, we were not in some golden age of gunsmithing or IPSC shooting--we were struggling with the surplus 1911s that were available. They were often well worn, and almost all of them were in need of improvements to be suitable for "combat" shooting.

Going to a Colt was little help. I won a brand-new Colt in 1981, and it wouldn't work at all without a whole lot of gunsmithing. However, that turned out to be a good thing, as I did a lot of the work myself and ended up on the path that led me here.

Fast-forward to 2009, and the woods are full of 1911s, built by companies from one end of the globe to another. From basic to tricked-out, you can get a 1911 pretty much any way you want. So why get excited about this new Para? I mean, its "just another GI gun" right?

Wrong. To put it bluntly, had Para USA been up and running in 1981 and offered this pistol, it would have put Colt out of business. For a "basic" gun, it has everything the aspiring combat shooter ca. 1981 could have wanted--and pretty much everything you need today.

First, it is an all-steel, single-stack Government model in .45 ACP. Up top, it has fixed three-dot sights that are large enough to be seen but small enough to be concealable. If you are not partial to white-filled three-dot sights, they are easy enough to blacken.

The ejection port is lowered and sculpted, something shooters paid a lot of money for back in the old days (and, I might add, paid for two or three times occasionally, as not all gunsmiths back then knew what they were doing).

The thumb safety is also large enough to be useful and compact enough to be comfortable. In fact, it is pretty much the contour of the Colt Series 70 safety that we all found entirely acceptable back then. It wasn't until later that we all "had" to have the bigger safeties, but truth be told the Series 70 is plenty big enough. Unless you have thumbs like an orangutan, the thumb safety will be perfect for you.

The trigger pull is as clean as a good gunsmith back then could make a trigger pull. Today, some gunsmiths can do a lot better, but for a carry or beginner's gun, you don't want a super-light competition trigger pull. You want something light enough, crisp and clean. Which is what the GI Expert delivers.

As part of that trigger pull, this new Para uses a lightened aluminum trigger of medium length and a Commander-style hammer--another aspect of the good old days now-forgotten. We used to toss the old GI hammers (many of them "tuned" to a "combat" trigger pull of six to seven pounds) and put in a Commander hammer as a replacement. To make it clear the grip safety when cycling we'd sculpt the top surface of the tang so the Commander hammer's rowel would clear. That is what Para has done here. So you have a crisp, clean trigger pull, a Commander hammer and less bulk in the grip safety. Again, a basic pistol set up very well for concealed carry.

As it takes standard single-stack 1911 magazines, you have your choice from the vast panoply of aftermarket mags or you can use the Para USA mags, which hold eight rounds each. That, too, is a big improvement as we used to have to depend on either crappy USGI mags or expensive and crappy Colts.

ACCURACY RESULTS | Para USA GI Expert
.45 ACP	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Muzzle Velocity (fps)	Standard Deviation	Avg. Group (in.)
Fiocchi XTP	230	848	25.7	2.0
Black Hills Blue JHP	185	971	34.1	3.0
Cor-bon FMJ	230	732	10.3	2.0
HornadyTAP + P	200	940	11.7	2.0
Speer Gold Dot HP	230	826	4.0	2.5
Remington Golden Saber JHP	230	750	14.3	3.0
Magtech SCHP + P	165	1,040	28.7	3.0
Notes: Accuracy test at 25 yards from a bench rest over sandbags, and results are average of three five-shot groups. Velocities are averages of five shots recorded on a PACT Mk IV chronograph 15 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: JHP, jacketed hollowpoint; FMJ, full metal jacket; HP, hollowpoint; SCHP, solid copper hollowpoint