Reliability/Confidence Llama .32 ACP, baby 1911
I purchased a Llama Especial here on GB that was a baby 1911A1 in .32 ACP. First ammo thru was Federal Eagle (bird on the box?) and I had several stove pipes and it would jam on the 7th round. Next time out was with Blazers and had the same results along with several (9) missfires.
I showed the pistol to the range owner - a qualified gunsmith and he said that the pistol was about 30 - 35 years old and produced when Llama was a high quality pistol. He suggested an "action job"; cost $40. I agreed and picked up my pistol the following week.
Upon p/u I put 50 rounds of Winchester USA ammo with no jams or miss fires. This weekend I put another 50 rounds through it and again no jams or miss fires.
I figure I will purchase some good personal defence rounds - Corbon, Hydro Chock or ?? and if all goes well should I "bet the farm" so to speak for personal defense?? I really like the pistol as it is accurate and points well and the recoil is negligable but IS IT RELIABLE - ie no jams??
I showed the pistol to the range owner - a qualified gunsmith and he said that the pistol was about 30 - 35 years old and produced when Llama was a high quality pistol. He suggested an "action job"; cost $40. I agreed and picked up my pistol the following week.
Upon p/u I put 50 rounds of Winchester USA ammo with no jams or miss fires. This weekend I put another 50 rounds through it and again no jams or miss fires.
I figure I will purchase some good personal defence rounds - Corbon, Hydro Chock or ?? and if all goes well should I "bet the farm" so to speak for personal defense?? I really like the pistol as it is accurate and points well and the recoil is negligable but IS IT RELIABLE - ie no jams??
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The question is whether or not you want to entrust your life to a 35 year old .32acp pistol? Llama's were good pistols and your model, which sounds to me like an XA .32 was well made. It retailed for about $52 back in the late sixties and was just big enough to beat the GCA-68 imported pistol size ban. You must remember that even though it looks like a 1911 it is a blow back operated pistol (.380's used a different action) and very sensitive to ammunition choice. If it is as old as you say, it was probably built to European specs and their .32 ammo was loaded much hotter than most of what we find on the shelves on this side of the pond. I'm sure the action job did it a world of good but if the Winchester works fine I'd stick with that brand. If that Blazer ammo was aluminum cased I'm sure the gun found it non digestable. No way the designers in Espania saw that coming. These are fun little pistols, but I think that there are many more modern self defence choices available today. Just my opinon.
Mark T. Christian
Edited by - mark christian on 10/07/2002 19:54:470 -
I would run about 500 round through it. Maybe do 250 rounds, clean it. Go out again run 250 rounds clean it. After those 500 rounds. Inspect the gun. See what the firing pins and other components look like. If you are not good at accessing the parts....have a gun smith do the job. After all is said and done, and if the gun did not jam during those 500 rounds.... run atleast 20 rounds of your caryy ammo through it. If you does not jam with that stuff either...then your good to go.
But remember the gun is old....components, springs, metal fatigue...they can all lead to a failure. Like Christian said, the gun is old.
I used to carry a Glock, but the mags used to pop loose when I carried. So I got a Springfield Ultra Compact V-10 stainless .45, but that wasn't accurate enough.
So I bought an H&K USP Compact .45 I never had a jam, shoots well, and shoots accurately. I probably have 700 round through it, I feel confident with my HK. Definitely worth the money.
Hopefully, none of use will have to use our ccw, but if I do, I would rather not bet my life on a "maybe gun".
I haven't has any experience with the Sigs, but My first choice would be an HK, then probably a SIG, then a Glock for a ccw.
Edited by - Diablo on 10/06/2002 23:02:340 -
I have had one for about fifteen years.I shoot it a couple times a year.I clean my guns after every range session and never any reliability trouble.Would I stake my life on it?No,caliber is to light for me to think about it,but it sure is fun to shoot.CW
1.Before I got married I spent half my money on women and guns,THE REST I WASTED!
2.KILL EM' ALL AND LET ALLAH SORT EM' OUT!0 -
I have the same pistol in .380. Cute, fun to shoot, reliable, but I wouldn't use it as a CCW. Not because of it's age (over 30 years old) or design, but because of caliber. .380 is just not a man-stopper (and .32 acp is even less so).
If my life were on the line, I would consider .38 Special (+P) to be a minimum caliber, and .45acp, ideal.0 -
Had one in 380. It was well made, thinner than most pocket autos and certainly thinner than todays'automatics. For concealability it was tops.
The pistol was pre import ban. It had a locked breech and operated the same as the 1911.
What I didn't like about it was that the grip angle was more vertical than the 1911 so in snap shooting it would point too low.
The gun was in perfect shape but was very inaccurate. It never malfunctioned with ball ammo. I owned it in the days before hollow point pistol ammo so ball ammo was all it got.
If you are happy with how the gun shoots I'd say use it with Magtech, Glaser Safety or Silvertip ammo to maximize its' effectiveness.
While that LLama was very well made, I wouldnt trust keeping the magazines loaded for long periods untill I've proved them out.
Spanish weapons have a bad reputation with me but this one is an exception.0 -
HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH TO U???
If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.
The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !0 -
Check the pin that holds the extractor in place frequently. They can walk out and replacement extractors are hard to come by. 0 -
I own one in .32 cal. Although inconsistently accurate it just loves Sellier and Bellot hardball ammo. No fuss, no muss, shoots everytime.
If your gonna be stupid you better be tough !!0 -
Llamas are just mini gov'ts and need the same care and tuning. If your micro 32 (blowback) or 380 (locked breach) malfunctions, it is usually either bad mags or bad recoil springs. I have both and they work perfectly. I prefer the full size, but 32 with MagSafe or Speer HP is better than a jab in the eye with a sharp stick. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by leeblackman
HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH TO U???
If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.
The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !
If you have ever been awakened at 2 am with an intruder in black standing 10 feet from your bed, it is far easier to swing a 1911 than a shotgun or M4. Been there, had the 45.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Gordon Shumway
Llamas are just mini gov'ts and need the same care and tuning. If your micro 32 (blowback) or 380 (locked breach) malfunctions, it is usually either bad mags or bad recoil springs. I have both and they work perfectly. I prefer the full size, but 32 with MagSafe or Speer HP is better than a jab in the eye with a sharp stick.
Epic fail Gordon your responding to a 8 year old thread. Doubtful if the original poster would even care at this late date, if he's even still alive.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Gordon Shumway
quote:Originally posted by leeblackman
HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH TO U???
If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.
The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !
If you have ever been awakened at 2 am with an intruder in black standing 10 feet from your bed, it is far easier to swing a 1911 than a shotgun or M4. Been there, had the 45.
added=
12 ga or 45, either sounds intimidating in the dark and EVERYBODY knows something is UP.
BUT......What the heck would you be doing with an unloaded gun anyhow? Do you have a death wish?0 -
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
quote:Originally posted by Gordon Shumway
Llamas are just mini gov'ts and need the same care and tuning. If your micro 32 (blowback) or 380 (locked breach) malfunctions, it is usually either bad mags or bad recoil springs. I have both and they work perfectly. I prefer the full size, but 32 with MagSafe or Speer HP is better than a jab in the eye with a sharp stick.
Epic fail Gordon your responding to a 8 year old thread. Doubtful if the original poster would even care at this late date, if he's even still alive.
Thank you.
Obviously only you and I read these things. NObody else would could possibly be so inept as to run google and read other people's opinions. Just thought I might actually be using my actual experience to help some dip-wad out there in cyber land.
Sorry for my stupidity. :-)0 -
I had one in 380 if I loaded the clip all the way it would jam every time if I left out one road it worked perfectly 0
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