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Para USA Big Hawg

Wheelgunner

Regular Member
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Oct 8, 2007
Messages
426
Location
Kingston, Washington, USA
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Buy a good revolver and quietly shoot round after round at whatever power level you feel like, not spray brass all over (and have to pick it up after) and forget these items forever:

what a feeding jam is, a failure to eject, a stovepipe, a double feed, a dinged magazine, a too weak recoil spring, a too strong recoil spring, a set magazine spring, a limp wrist jam, an incompatible ammo problem, an ejector problem, an extractor problem, Tap-rack-Bang, etc.

Just a thought.
 

45acpForMe

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Nov 21, 2008
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Yorktown, Virginia, USA
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I actually may get some wheelguns in the future but for a daily carry gun I wanted something with higher capacity. My first choice for a revolver would be a S&W 629 but 6 shots doesn't sound that great in this day in age where people are carrying 19+1 (XDm).

I will have to admit that this Big Hawg has needed more breakin than any of my other pistols and is sensitive to Blaser ammo which none of my other pistols are. I will need to put a couple hundred more (non-blaser)rounds through it to be more comfortable with it but I can't find anything that beats it capacity wise in 45acp! The gun is actually very light, the grip is barely bigger than a normal 1911 so the added capacity is a great plus.

Wheelgunner wrote:
Buy a good revolver and quietly shoot round after round at whatever power level you feel like, not spray brass all over (and have to pick it up after) and forget these items forever:

what a feeding jam is, a failure to eject, a stovepipe, a double feed, a dinged magazine, a too weak recoil spring, a too strong recoil spring, a set magazine spring, a limp wrist jam, an incompatible ammo problem, an ejector problem, an extractor problem, Tap-rack-Bang, etc.

Just a thought.

BTW: This is the 629 I am drooling over and can't afford:
 

Hawkflyer

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Feb 21, 2007
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3,309
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Prince William County, Virginia, USA
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Wheelgunner wrote:
Buy a good revolver and quietly shoot round after round at whatever power level you feel like, not spray brass all over (and have to pick it up after) and forget these items forever:

 what a feeding jam is, a failure to eject, a stovepipe, a double feed, a dinged magazine, a too weak recoil spring, a too strong recoil spring, a set magazine spring, a limp wrist jam, an incompatible ammo problem, an ejector problem, an extractor problem, Tap-rack-Bang, etc.

Just a thought.

Yea, and after erasing all those things from your memory you will have room to store all of the new information on, bullet back-out jams, Broken hand failures, revolver timing, Weak hammer spring misfire, inter-cylinder gap gas issues, forcing cone erosion, bullet shaving, reloader and moon clip carry methods, bent moon clips, reloader premature dump problems, and having six different chambers that all shoot just a little different. Yea, revolvers solve all the problems of handgun shooting.

The fact is that any technology used to launch a pellet at high speed toward a target of aggravation will have limitations and compromises. It does not matter if the parts revolve or slide, each has merits and drawbacks. Pick what you are comfortable with, learn it, and carry it.

Depending on the need I carry a revolver or a semi-auto as required. Sometimes both at once. I like my .45, but sometimes you just need to have a .500 Mag handy. Ain't life a bitch?

Regards
 

Wheelgunner

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Messages
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Kingston, Washington, USA
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Yea, and after erasing all those things from your memory you will have room to store all of the new information on, bullet back-out jams, Broken hand failures, revolver timing, Weak hammer spring misfire, inter-cylinder gap gas issues, forcing cone erosion, bullet shaving, reloader and moon clip carry methods, bent moon clips, reloader premature dump problems, and having six different chambers that all shoot just a little different. Yea, revolvers solve all the problems of handgun shooting.

This is funny!

"Forcing cone erosions" (like erosion of the forcing cone would jam the weapon in the middle of a fight.

Bent moonclips? Who uses moon clips? Oh you mean for the Reload! After you have already fired 6 times reliability!

Bullet shaving? You mean using lead bullets in you carry piece?

"Cylinder timing" You mean you went out with a broken weapon?

Everyone acknowledges the inherent reliability of a revolver over an auto. The advent of an 8 shot 357 Mag S&W simply means that the launcher in question is more reliable and has equal capacity to a 1911 with greater power and that bullet shape is irrelevant.

Please note I did not say that that revolvers "solve all the problems associated with handgunning" , you are trying to twist the argument. Leather, training, weapons size and weight and a thousand other difficulties are all factors that plague handgunners. But a revolver can deliver more power per shot, more reliability with less weight than any other weapon with equal if not better accuracy than nearly any auto. Plus its accuracy does not cause a drop in reliability as it does in a tight "Match" auto weapon.

Nor will I delve into the operator techniques necessary to make the auto more reliable such as the "two handed" shooting techniques necessary to allow recoil to operate the mechanism that are difficult or fatal at very close combat ranges like the "isosceles". The limp wristed, awkward angle, "just pull from the holster and bang is the worst situation for an auto, the most likely to jam and the situation most common in defense shootings.

The adoption of the auto by police was a step backwards for police, surrendering power and reliability for "more bullets" that were never really necessary. The "double tap" (shooting two rounds close together") is an acknowledgment that auto rounds (in this case 45 FMJ) lack stopping power and require multiple hits, a charge never leveled against the 357 Mag, the 41 Mag, or the 44 Mag.

It's one factor where it is outclassed by the auto is total ammo load, which statistics show is a nearly irrelevant factor*. The study on auto vs revolver shootings found that auto wielders fired more and hit less and when they did hit, they hit more on the periphery than revolver shooters in actual gunfights**. (After reading that, I guess it IS good that Auto hold more bullets!)

But I digress.


*NYPD-SOP-9 Analysis of Police Combat


**Impact of handgun types on gun assault outcomes: a comparison of gun assaults involving semiautomatic pistols and revolvers, D C Reedy[sup]1[/sup] and C S Koper[sup]2[/sup]
 

45acpForMe

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Theguy wrote:
you know, I've been thinking about gettin' one of these, so I have a question:

how much wider is the grip compared to a regular 1911?

The grip really isn't that much larger than a normal 1911. If your hands are large enough to hold a 1911 you probably are ok with it. The best bet is to find some local dealer that has the 14.45 or Big Hawg in stock and simply hold it and see how it feels. My local gun store had one that they special ordered for a customer and I was able to hold it. Once I held it and realized that the grip wasn't too large I went looking and found a Big Hawg on Gunbroker.com. I have seen them going for between $775 and $900.

The frame is made from alloy so it is actually very light compared to an all steel 1911. The additional bullets add the weight back but as they are shot the weight lightens up noticeably. I really like mine but realize it will take around 300 rounds to break-in. You can also find the 15 round magazines (which I got two). So mine is 15+1 now. :)
 

Theguy

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Oct 13, 2008
Messages
58
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Randolph County, Alabama, USA
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that's good to know, unfortunately gun dealers are few and far between out here (going to one takes an hour ton an hour-and-a-half drive) and their selection is typically lacking in unusual guns (like the big hawg)
 

45acpForMe

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One thing I didn't like about the Big Hawg (as well as my springfield) was the full length guiderod. So I ordered some Colt parts, GI guiderod, spring & spring cap. This way I don't kill my fingers or have to use a tool to break down the gun. I can simply push in the springcap and break it down.

For the springfield I got stainless springcap and for the Big Hawg "blued" which looks black. It looks sharp on both.

As far as hi capacity 45acp you can't beat the Big Hawg (unless you go with some 30-round mags for glock21 or 20 round mags for the HK USP both would be unruly) For a carry gun the Big Hawg is great. One other gun in my stable that you could consider is the H&K USP. While only being 12+1 it is still a great gun. While I was breaking in the Big Hawg I was also shooting the USP and the USP needed zero breakin and handled all and any ammo I threw at it.
 

45acpForMe

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Theguy wrote:
you know, I've been thinking about gettin' one of these, so I have a question:
how much wider is the grip compared to a regular 1911?

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/combat-handguns/para-usa-big-hawg-45-acp/

Here is a review of the Big Hawg. It gives glowing remarks about it which I think need to be taken with a grain of salt. I want to know did the Big Hawg he tested get broken in first before they sent it to him?

Since I replaced the full length guide rod with a GI guide rod I have had some FTF again and am upping the spring to an 18lbs to see if it will help. I really like this gun and want it to function properly but haven't had any other gun have this many problems. If I have to I will go back to the original parts but really prefer to be able to break it down with just my fingers.
 

thekunk47

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Aug 14, 2008
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Clinton Township, Michigan, USA
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I also had feeding problems with that firearm with ball ammo. After trying everything I sent it back to Para. They had it for 3 months but when it came back all was fine.No explanantion of problems though.
 

Theguy

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Oct 13, 2008
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Location
Randolph County, Alabama, USA
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45acpForMe wrote:
Theguy wrote:
you know, I've been thinking about gettin' one of these, so I have a question:
how much wider is the grip compared to a regular 1911?

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/combat-handguns/para-usa-big-hawg-45-acp/

Here is a review of the Big Hawg. It gives glowing remarks about it which I think need to be taken with a grain of salt. I want to know did the Big Hawg he tested get broken in first before they sent it to him?

Since I replaced the full length guide rod with a GI guide rod I have had some FTF again and am upping the spring to an 18lbs to see if it will help. I really like this gun and want it to function properly but haven't had any other gun have this many problems. If I have to I will go back to the original parts but really prefer to be able to break it down with just my fingers.
be sure and let me know how that goes

still, it looks like I might just have to get one of these the next time I can scrounge up the spare cash for a new gun.
 

45acpForMe

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Nov 21, 2008
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Good news! I popped in the 18lb spring and ran 50 rounds of Remmington ammo through it this evening without any FTF problems!!!

That is a load off my mind as I didn't know what next to try. So my recommendation to people that prefer the GI guide rod is to get an 18lb spring to go with it. The spring that came with it didn't have a tight end for the GI guide rod so I had ordered a different 16lb spring.

I did notice a difference in felt recoil though and will have to get used to it. I am just happy the gun cycles properly now.
 
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