someone got their pistol, tried to shoot them and perhaps other officers with it, and were unable to do so because the criminal who snatched the gun didn't know how to operate the safety. This has been seen in some armed citizen encounters as well.

The 1911 pistol's frame-mounted safety is generally considered the easiest and most ergonomic to operate swiftly and reflexively when in the hands of a trained and competent user. It is just as likely to foil a criminal gun-grabber as an on-safe Beretta, Ruger, or S&W, whose safety is mounted on the slide in a position some legitimate users find more difficult to get at. While the LDA licenses the Colt Series '80 passive firing pin safety system, and is therefore "drop-safe" and technically safe to carry with the manual safety disengaged, every single person I know who carries an LDA carries it with the thumb safety "on." This gives a significant margin of survival in a gun grab attempt. Para-Ordnance offers the LDA with an ambidextrous safety catch as an option.

A unique element of the LDA design is that the grip safety must be depressed before the slide can be activated. I think this is a good thing. It forces the shooter to have a proper, safe, firm grasp of the grip-frame while operating the mechanism. And, in line with what we were just talking about, it may tend to confuse and slow down a dangerous person who has obtained unauthorized access to such a pistol.

Liked by Defense Aces

Walk Rauch has this to say: "The Para-Ordnance LDA pistol is a bad news-good news situation. The bad news is that by simply dry firing the gun you won't appreciate the LDA design. The good news is that if you have the opportunity to put some rounds down range, you'll probably want to buy the gun. Initially, I was a skeptic of the LDA but now I do, on occasion, carry one for self-defense."

Gary Paul Johnson tested the Para-Ordnance Carry LDA for the December 2003 Combat Handguns. Black Hills' hot 185-grain JHP ran at 1114 feet per second (fps) out of this gun's stubby 3.63-inch barrel, and delivered five-shot, 25-yard groups with that ammo ranging from 2.49 to 2.78 inches and averaging 2.62 inches, the best of his test. The retired police supervisor and SWAT cop observed, "Although I am well acquainted with the LDA system, I still like my Novak Para-Ordnance P-14. However, I must admit that the LDA is the more user-friendly of the two systems, and is also just as accurate. It also grows on you in a hurry."

Gila Hayes is one of the best defensive firearms instructors of either gender in the world, and a superb combat pistol shot. She and her husband, Marty, run the famous Firearms Academy of Seattle in Onalaska, Washington. I was there when she beat about 25 people in a hard-fought contest on a very fast course. in fact, I was one of those she trounced. My gun that day was a $2,400 big name custom 1911 single-action with three pound trigger pull that shot an inch at 25 yards, and some of the others were similarly equipped. Gila's gun when she took first place? An out of the box Para-Ordnance LDA.

Another top firearms instructor in the Northwest is Jim Jacobe. He switched to the 7-45 LDA a couple of years ago because he recognized his duty as a role model to the large number of concealed carry students he teaches each year. He feels a cocked and locked gun just isn't for beginners. He shoots his LDA as well as he always did his single-action 1911, which is to say, very well indeed.

Last but far from least, consider Todd Jarrett, the World Champion IPSC shooter. Todd shot his way to fame with single-action Para-Ordnance pistols, but these days he spends more time with the LDA. This is what he shoots in the Stock Service Pistol class of IDPA, and in the (double-action) Production class of IPSC. And he's kicking butt, proving the soundness of this user-friendly design. I was match director at the IDPA Mid-Winter National Championships a couple of