WA 1911's

Never fear, Minky is here! ;D

Anyway, on to the topic at hand. The two guns you listed are kind of similar, but different enough that it will effect the qualities you listed.

Performance wise, they should be similar in terms of distance and accuracy, since they have similar barrel lengths. The major difference is in the magazines, since the Para uses double stacker mags, and the IED is a single stacker. That means the Para will hold more gas and ammo, and will probably offer more stable performance thanks to its larger gas reservoir. There might also be a slight difference in muzzle velocity, but I'm not sure.

Durability should be comparable as well, as long as you use the WA standard HFC134a or "Duster" gas. WA has said that all their guns are made for this weaker gas, and offers no assurances for performance on higher pressure gas such as Taiwanese "Green" gas. Of course, many people will make the blanket statement that certain WA guns, or certain gas guns in general will work fine on green gas, but this isn't the case. WA guns are made for HFC134a, so using higher pressure gas will add to the wear and tear on the gun. Do many people use green gas in WA guns? Sure, but they mostly do so with the knowledge of the risks they are taking, and are willing to shell out cash to replace broken parts. Anway, enough of that little rant. Durability in gas guns is always hard to judge, since they are self destructive by the very way they work, and there are so many variables involved during use. Overall, the guns should be "durable enough" under normal use. Now, one big variable is the plastic material used in the slides, as WA uses both heavyweight and lightweight plastics for their slides, depending on the model. I'm not sure if the same plastic is used for the Para and IED slides, so that could be a major difference. The other big difference is internal parts, but I believe they are pretty similar in that regard.

Now, the fun stuff...upgrades! ;D Since the Para is based on the SVI/Hicap models internally, many of the upgrade parts made for the double stacker SVIs will fit. Things like magazine valves, rocket valves, loading nozzles and mainsprings should all fit, but you'll want to make sure before diving in. There are also quite a few slide and frame options for the Para already, so you should be covered there too. The IED is a little more tricky and/or expensive. Again, I'm not too sure about the internals of the IED guns, so you'll have to look into that. Externally though, you'll probably be spending more on slides and frames (since I'm pretty sure the IED frames are plastic, compared to the double stacker SVI metal frames) for these guns compared to the Para. There are fewer choices for the IED guns, especially compared to their hicap SVI brothers, and the IED frames/slides are usually more expensive and in shorter supply, with less diverse options.

Overall, unless you really like the feel of the single stacker frame and the look of the IED, I'd go with the Para. If you want the most choices for all types of upgrades, and want to keep a similar look to the IED, go with a 5" SVI double stacker. They're proven performers, and the possibilities for customizing them are pretty much limitless.

BTW Sick and jdl, yep I have a Railed 4.3 SVI, as well as a ParaOrdnance Combat (or Compact depending on which Engrish you believe) Plus. Both excellent guns.

*edit* Here's a link to DumboRat's response to this topic over at the AO forums: www.airsoftohio.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=8969&forum=3&1