The Para Carry wasn’t the first pistol from Para USA that I’d tested with their “Light Double Action” trigger system, but it was definitely the smallest. A .45ACP fabricated entirely of stainless steel, this little pistol sported a barrel just 3 inches in length, riding atop one of the shortest frames I’d ever seen on a factory-produced pistol. With its frame measuring some 0.25 of an inch shorter than a Colt Officer’s Model, the Para Carry held some six rounds in its magazine, making it a seven-shooter with one up the spout.

Having previously tested several other LDA-equipped pistols from Para USA, I was already a fan of this innovative trigger system and found it, when combined with the diminutive size of the “Carry,” a nifty package to pack. So nifty, in fact, that I bought that .45ACP. I just knew, however, that it would only be a matter of time before a lightweight version of the “Carry” would be offered.