Disassembly-reassembly of Para P12-45 monumental pain in posterior

Thanks to a friend who has Kimbers, I finally managed something Saturday I haven't been able to do since I bought a used Para-Ord P12-45 several months ago -- get the cussed recoil-spring/guide-rod assembly out.

I bought a pair of barrel-bushing wrenches. No joy.

I was talking to my friend about it and mentioned that the guide rod has a hole in it like the Ultra and Pro-size Kimber models and he suggested we try the Kimber slide-tool removal method.

So we bent a paper clip to improvise the slide tool and after about five minutes of fidding and a modicum of cussing with it, we had it apart. After cleaning and lube, it took us a half an hour and a lot of cussing to get it back together. Barrel bushing has got to be just so, the recoil-spring rear bushing has to be just so, the spring has to be just so and getting all three of those just so was a monumental pain in the posterior.

I've heard that having Para install their PXT power extractor will solve the jam problems I've had so I think that's my next step. I've contacted Para in Pineville to see what PXT installation will cost and if it's not too horrendous, I'll do it for the P12 and my P14, though I've had no problems with it. No way can I put up with what it took two of us to just to take the spring-rod assembly out of the P12 and then get it back in.

And every procedure or manual I've found to follow says nothing about a P-12 with a hole in the guide rod. We've got another one just like it at the gun shop with the same set-up, so it must be factory and not custom.

But unless I can get something done to make the P-12 more reliable than it has been, it's destined to be sold.