In 1999, Para-Ordnance of Canada introduced the first truly successful double-action 1911 pistol, the LDA, and it's been a hit ever since. With every shot double-action- only, and a trigger pull nothing less than astonishingly light, the LDA instantly established itself as a gun that could give the shooter the much-appreciated feel of the time-proven 1911. At the same time, it eliminated the need for cocked and locked carry, which for generations had troubled police and military commanders, novices, and even a handful of genuine experts.

The LDA was not without its growing pains. Few radical new firearms concepts ever had been. I was teaching a class in Illinois with one of the first ones when the gun broke on the firing line. It turned out that the straddle, a small connecting part in the ingenious design, had let go. I switched to a Glock 21 for the rest of the week, and the LDA went back to Para-Ordnance. Mine turned out not to be the only one with the problem. Para's in-house design genius Ted Szabo beefed up the connecting part, and his re-design of the little stirrup cured the problem.

Over the years, older generation magazines from Para-Ordnance have been known to take a set in the springs. This could cause malfunctions in single-action and double-action models alike. Of late, I'm told, Wolff extra-strength springs have become standard in all high-cap Paras, and pistolsmiths I know who specialize in these guns retrofit the Wolff springs into all older Para magazines. This seems to cure the problem. When in doubt, get the 7-45 LDA variation, which uses your favorite single-stack 1911 magazines. Other than these two concerns, both already addressed by the factory, the LDA has matured into a trouble-free design. "LDA" has always been presumed to stand for Light Double Action. The factory to my knowledge has never actually made that official. Certainly, it would be truth in packaging if they did. The trigger pull is factory specified at five to six pounds, and I know of one police armorer who measured a test LDA at four pounds trigger pull weight out of the box. This is what makes the gun so extremely controllable, and makes a friend out of most every serious shooter who fires one.

But when you start carrying and shooting one a lot, you start to realize that LDA might just stand for something else

Luxurious, Delicious Accuracy

Going back through the files, I'm impressed with the accuracy I've gotten from Para-Ordnance LDA pistols. Most of mine have been full size guns with 5-inch barrels, which as with most 1911 designs tend to be most accurate than shorter models.

My first one, a high-capacity .45 tested in 1999, delivered five shots into 2 inches from 25 yards with Remington 185-grain standard velocity jacketed hollowpoints. My first single stack LDA, tested in 2000, delivered the following five-shot 25-yard groups. Pro-Load Tactical 200-grain JHP: 1.9 inches. CCI Gold Dot 200-grain JHP: 2.4 inches. Black Hills 185-grain JHP: 2.1 inches. Remington +P 185-grain JHP: 2.1 inches. Remington 230-grain Golden Saber JHP: 2.65 inches. Federal Match 230-grain hardball: 2.2 inches.

In 2002, I flew to Nebraska to test a 7-45 LDA turned by Bill Laughridge, the famed pistolsmith.