Hi Jim, thanks for the info. As I said before I'm not all that good with the workings of auto pistols. When I mention extractor I am talking about the part that physically grips the rim of the case and pulls it out of the chamber. I don't know if the correct term for this is ejector or what. I don't feel comfortable enough with the mechanisim to work on this part any way. I do a lot of custom gunwork, but a majority of it is leaning towards muzzleloaders and black powder revolvers. I feel quite capable of reworking the Llama as far as dehorning it and refinishing it, even to the point of modifying the ejector port slightly to see if it improves the brass problem. As far as the action goes, It is quite smooth and the gun is reliable. I like to find things out for myself as far as durability goes so I have ordered a case of 1050 .380 acps to run through this gun and see what happens. The steel on it is soft, I don't think it would be time or cost effective to try and correct this problem, I don't even know what alloy they have used so it would be a guessing game at best to do anything at all. On the other hand, I have a Kimber which is machined out of aluminum and even though some of the newer alloys of aluminum, such as Fortal, are capable of being surface hardened into the low 60's I don't think much of their durability either, they certainly aren't any better than the steel frame on the Llama. I guess what it comes down to in the end is how much work people are willing to do, or pay for on a gun. In the case of the Llama, I figure I can do most of the work myself and my time isn't costing me anything, I agree if I was going to send the gun off and have the work done I would probably have second thoughts about sending a pistol like the Llama and investing too much money in it. Many of the things I do are done just to see what happens. I won't mess around with anything on the pistol that could harm the safety of the piece and in the end I think it will probably turn out to be a nice looking, and reliable piece. If I eventually shoot it so much that it does become worn out, their only $250, I can buy a new one. Once again thanks for your advice, I value it and will definitely take it all into consideration. Have a Happy New Year.
Alex Johnson
NRA, Life Member