PARA FOR LIFE? NOT SO MUCH. Remington kills off PARA USA

The incredibly shrinking PARA USA logo.  PARA…  For Life.

Eh, not so much.

Remington has announced they are killing off PARA in the coming few months.  The Freedom Group bought PARA USA a while back, and like many of the brands they buy, they fold them in with other companies.

Here’s the press release, with some of our commentary.

At Remington Outdoor Company (“ROC”) we develop, manufacture and market the highest quality firearms, ammunition, and related products.

Like the R51 piece of crap that was SO bad that you quit selling it, pulled any mention of it from your website and marketing materials, asked existing customers to send the guns back for refurbishment and now have re-introduced it once more.  Oy.

We have built ROC by acquiring and cultivating great brands and products, such as the Remington 870 and 700, DPMS rifles, AAC suppressors, Barnes Bullets ammunition, Para USA handguns, and more while continuously investing in our people and facilities. In 2011 Remington re-entered the handgun market with the critically acclaimed R1 1911, an updated version of the 1911 Remington made for the US government in World War I. Most of ROC’s new product launches and acquisitions have gone well, but they aren’t always perfect and, candidly, we did a poor job with the Marlin factory relocation and the R51 launch. These were expensive but valuable lessons.

Expensive goat fornications they were.

In 2012, with a goal of expanding its handgun line, ROC acquired Para USA (“Para”), a company that specialized in the production of competition, high capacity, and double action 1911-style pistols. Following Remington’s acquisition, Para, which had been experiencing quality control issues, saw a steep decline in warranty claims.

The only PARA I’ve had the pleasure of shooting was and remains a dream.  It’s a double-action only 1911 of sorts.  While normally I turn my nose up at DAO semi-autos, this one has got the smoothest, lightest double-action pistol trigger I’ve ever fired (and nearly *all* of my handguns have had action jobs).  It shoots one hole groups at four yards all day long for me.  It belongs to one of my fellow GSL Defense Training instructors – a man far too youthful to appreciate such a fine precision instrument.  If PARA was having issues with recent production, maybe this one was was made back when PARA had their stuff together.

In 2014, ROC announced its new, world-class firearms center of excellence in Huntsville, Alabama. Here, Remington is integrating product development, engineering, production, and quality control – a first in Remington’s 200-year history. The integration of modern sporting rifles, suppressors, and Remington pistols commenced immediately, and Para is scheduled to move to Huntsville next month.

Bye bye New York and your anti-gun laws.

Para’s products have a strong following due to their key technical and performance features, which are different than many 1911s, including Remington’s own R1 line. ROC intends to keep these features and benefits that our customers have come to trust, while transferring Para’s operations to Huntsville and rebranding Para to Remington. We have learned from our mistakes, listened to our customers, and have a clear plan to smoothly integrate Para. This includes keeping popular Para products, characteristics, and names such as the “Warthog,” while improving quality with state-of-the art machining and engineering in Huntsville, AL.

Further, ROC will recognize and continue to support Para’s Lifetime Warranty promise on all Para handguns.

For assistance with Para warranty inquires, please call 888-999-9386 or email us at contact@para-usa.com