The new gun from Para USA seems to be made for me. It combines a pair of my favorite elements in a defensive handgun. A 1911 pistol that fits my hand well, and a 9mm, a cartridge that is low-cost for practice and doesn’t punish the shooter. Add to the mix an aluminum alloy frame, which trims the weight, a 4.25-inch barrel with a Commander length slide, it seemed like there wouldn’t be a single thing I wouldn’t like.

Gun Details
This is a light pistol. The alloy frame brings the weight down to 28 ounces. It’s 7.75 inches long and 5.75 inches high. The rowel hammer is skeletonized to further save weight. (What is a rowel? It’s a “wheel or disk with radiating points; burr.”) The Para USA LTC is a single-action, single-stack pistol.