The Warthog is just the old Para P11 in new clothes. The P11 has a reasonably good reputation. Short 1911s do tend toward more functional problems than bigger versions, however.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

The Warthog is just the old Para P11 in new clothes. The P11 has a reasonably good reputation. Short 1911s do tend toward more functional problems than bigger versions, however.

what? No frame comments?

Originally Posted by Old Padawan

what? No frame comments?

What, about it being a cast gun?

I looked at a Para, and shied away from the Warthog due to some issues a good friend had with a Para-Carry .45, and online comments about a good number of FTF issues... specifically w/ the Warthog. But to be fair, when you pack a stubby 45 case into a shorty gun, they all have more issues.

I think that most FTF issues with compact autos come from the shooter's inability to grip the gun firmly enough to allow the recoil system to work. 1911 style guns (and polymers for that matter) send a heavy slide to the rear (heavy vs total gun weight), driven by recoil, to eject the empty.

The shooter has to provide the resistance to this rearward reaction for the slide to eject a case fully. If the gun is "limp-wristed", or allowed to "roll" like a big revolver, it may fail to eject perfectly... and shorter slides are the worst.

With a 3-finger grip, it's hard to create enough leverage to resist the recoil flip that you can with a full 4-finger grip.

Add a "slow" slide form a .45ACP at around 800-900fps, to a fat case with more brass to clear, and a "less than firm" grip on the gun, and you're bound to get FTFs with almost any auto.

With a 1100-1200fps 9mm, clearing a skinny 9mm case, there's less limp-wrist issues for a small gun. The case comes out fine, no matter the brand.

Just a theory, but based in sound principles...


My answer:
Compact (3-finger) gun... 9mm
Full Size gun... .45ACP

My understanding of the functioning issues with 3" 1911s is that they are mainly related to dwell time/slide cycling speed.

Like the others, I've heard of issues with 3" 1911 style pistols. Mainly like Mike says regarding cycling speed, etc. Some guns do fine and some don't. My Colt Defender works flawlessly so maybe I got lucky. The Para is a pretty good gun and I've heard customer service is pretty good. You could check out the 1911 forum and go to the Para sub-forum for more specific information. A three inch barrel will do it but everything's got to be just right.

WHATEVER you do, buy something else! I bought one, and it has proven to be the most expensive, unreliable piece of JUNK ever to come off the shelf. I went with a Glock 36 and am COMPLETELY satisfied. I am currently in a discussion with Para about how they are going to make this right. JUNK JUNK JUNK!

BTW, Para's customer service SUCKS