Todd Jarrett sets world record

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In an unbelievable display of speed shooting and reliability, Todd Jarrett set a world record shooting 1,000 rounds of .45 ACP through a ParaOrdnance USA PXT 1911 SSP model pistol in 10 minutes, 44 seconds in a new benchmark for firearms torture tests last January 16. The record was set on the ranges at Blackwater USA's Moyock, North Carolina, facility.

Jarrett, who holds several world and national pistol titles, used a stock, out-of-the-box Para pistol to shoot the 1,000 rounds at a rate equivalent to one shot every .644 seconds. Despite being supported by a team of loaders and a pile of 10-round Chip McCormick and 8-round Para PXT 1911 magazines, Jarrett outpaced the loaders and found himself waiting for loaded mags.

"Once I got into a shooting rhythm I quickly shot through the pre-loaded magazines and the loaders had problems keeping up. Add to that the natural difficulty of reloading a single-stack 1911, the reloads I bobbled and the mix of 10-round and 8-round magazines and I could have easily broken 10 minutes," said Todd Jarrett.

However, heat was the biggest obstacle and the true test of both shooter and gun. Shooting 93 rounds a minute, Jarrett estimates the pistol's match-grade ramped barrel reached temperatures in excess of 550 degrees.

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"Even though the outside temperature was under 50 degrees, the gun's temperature quickly rose to a point where it became hard to hold. I ended up with first-degree burns on the pad of my trigger finger which forced me to shoot even faster towards the end of the test," explained Jarrett. "If the gun had gotten 50 degrees hotter I wouldn't have been able to make it through the full 1,000 rounds."

Jarrett and other shooters put a combined 5,000 rounds through the pistol in a 24-hour period without any failures. Jarrett attributed this solid performance under stress to Para's focus on constant improvement and the development of the Power Extractor to deliver improved feeding and positive extraction.

"We put 1,000 rounds through the pistol on Friday and cleaned the gun in preparation for the torture test. Then, after completing the 1,000 round high-speed torture test, we shot an additional 3,000 rounds. This is where having the more durable design of the Power Extractor really shines," said Jarrett.

Afterwards, it took Todd five hours to get the carbon out of the gun. Once it was clean he took it to the range and shot a 10-shot group from a bench measuring 1.92" center to center. Seven of those rounds tore a ragged hole in the target measuring 1.02" center to center.--Courtesy Paul Erhardt & Associates

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