americanrifleman.org reports that PARA-USA has KO’ed its AR. “PARA has some exciting new projects in development that will continue the innovation that we started with the high capacity P14-45 pistol,” CEO Thanos Polyzos said, changing the subject. “We want to bring these exciting new major caliber handguns to the firearms market and we need to focus our attention on them.” Well fair enough. Despite winning the Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year, PARA’s Target Tactical Rifle didn’t exactly set the AR world alight (tracer rounds might have helped). The developer of the clean-running DIGS (Delayed Impingement Gas System) action will seek another champion. Meanwhile, memo to PARA: when you kill a product you need to do so on your website.
I blame the price point.
They tried to reinvent the wheel, and then stick that wheel inside another already existing wheel.
Everything sells at a price. But not necessarily a profit.
Para has been “rationalizing” its product line for some time now. Which makes me believe that the company is having some, oh, let’s call it difficulties.
Did the world really need a new AR to begin with?
First and foremost, the ‘clean running’ gas system isn’t needed. People always say carbon fouling caused by the direct impingement gas system will cause the rifles to malfunction. I ask them how this happens, they never have an answer. This is because they are wrong.
Metal on metal contact clears carbon away from the areas of the weapon that are critical to function. You need only lube these areas and an AR will run fine for thousands of rounds without cleaning.
The only real weakness of the system is using it with a suppressor. It can be done, obviously, but I think a piston system is a better choice. That’s where LWRC and HK and their piston guns come in.
If their quality control was as bad as on their pistols, good riddance.
Al Zitta’s LR 300 rifles were a revolution. The delayed gas system was not intended to run “cleaner” (as Para USA marketed it) but to delay movement of the action until after the bullet leaves the barrel, for maximum accuracy. It worked, and it had an advantage over standard AR’s with short gas systems in competition. Additionally, its forward return spring meant that it was the first AR that didn’t need a receiver extension, and could incorporate a folding stock as consequence.
Para’s price on the TTR’s are about a $130 premium over their Z-M counterparts. Not too bad considering the licensing “royalty” paid back to Zitta for use of his designs and patents. The rights for producing the firearm revering back to Al Zitta will likely mean that consumers will pay about $100 less for the rifle in the future; so that’s nice. And folks who don’t like Para USA’s reputation will be glad to get their laser-etched logo off of the rifle. Oh, and Zitta sells “kits” for folks that don’t need a new lower receiver; so that is a big bonus. (I was actually looking into one of these kits just before Para licensed the rights to the firearm. That killed my chances at getting one, and I moved on to other projects.)
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