As I mentioned on the podcast this AM, I'm de-evolving the Para GI Expert I plan to shoot int he End of Trail Wild Bunch match in New Mexico in June. Wild Bunch shooting has 2 classes, Traditional and Modern, and the GI Expert falls easily inot the Modern category, which allows bells and whistles. I thought it'd be cool. however, to make the GI Expert over into a WW1/WW2 version.
That means a spur hammer, appropriate grip safety, nubby safety, arched mainspring housing with lanyard ring, short steel trigger and diamond pattern walnut grips (could have gone plastic, but though the retro wood was nicer). All the parts are available from Sarco for kibbles and bits. I'm keeping the Para fixed sights, but I'll probably black out the white dots.
I'm also replacing the Para recoil spring plug with one of the new mil-specs from Cylinder & Slide. Essentially, Bill Laughridge reinvented the wheel. Old recoil spring plugs had a flange on the front so the recoil spring could be wound onto the plug...preventing the dread "plug launch" (I have dents in the ceiling fo the gun room). The GI Expert already has the plain old GI recoil spring set-up...no recoil guide rod, no buffers, nothing that JB didn't want in the system.
Michael B