Need opinions on .380 Llamas

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Oatka

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This might have been covered before, but I am getting ready to purchase a home defense gun with an eye towards eventual CCW. I know the .380 isn't held in high esteem as a man-stopper, but the larger calibers feel ungainly (i have a small hand). The Llama fits like a glove. At age 66 I don't need a gun to last a lifetime, so I can't see a major dollar layout. I'm mainly interested in reliability. I like the M1911 features,
which attracted me to it.
 
66? You've got fourty more years to make this gun last! :)

A good friend of mine bought a Llama .380 ("small frame" 1911) as his first handgun several years ago. It seemed to be a strange combination of high quality and low quality. The fit and finish were very nice... much more than you would expect from a low priced firearm. When I first handled it I was very impressed for what he paid for it. However, the gun shot itself apart after about 100 rounds. Mostly little annoying things like the sights comming loose and retaining pins working their way out after just a few rounds. When the pin that held the extractor bar worked out the extractor was lost to the sand. No gunsmith in town could find a replacement and it became a "dead" gun.

I think a few more dollars could buy you a much better gun that would still fit your hands. Often, a used high quality revolver can be found for the price of a low quality auto. Good luck.
 
Oatka,

You might get lucky and buy a Llama .380 that will shoot well, or you might not. From what I've heard about other Llama pistols it's a risky proposition.

If you're sold on a small, single action .380, the Colt Government Model .380 is worth a look. It usually retails for about $180 more than the Llama but you might be able to find a used pistol in good condition (I did :D). My Colt has been reliable, reasonably accurate and fun to shoot. Unlike the Llama and almost all other .380s it has a locked breech which softens recoil.

Another decent .380 is the Smith & Wesson Sigma, sometimes called the "Baby Sigma". It's ugly and it compromises a good deal (sights, magazine release, slide lock) for concealability but it does carry well and it's covered by S&W's excellent warranty service. It's not terribly expensive, either -- under $300.
 
Buy a makarov. They are cheaper ($170) , more powerfull(9mmMAK), better quality and fit small hands perfectly. Your lifetime might get a lot shorter if the stupid thing doesn't work!!
 
I agree. Go with the Makarov. I have small hands also and find that the gun fits my hand to a "T". They are totally reliable, the felt recoil is not harsh at all and imported ammo is so cheap that you can afford lots and lots of practice. The only thing I caution against is that being a fixed barrel auto, the recoil spring is slightly stiff. I have seen some people have trouble racking the slide. Other than that one caution, they are great guns for the money!
 
Thank you gentlemen, points taken. There's a gun show in Elko, NV I will hit this weekend and check out the Makarovs. I had stayed away from them for lack of soft-nosed ammo, but I guess it's just a matter of time before somebody starts making that. Also, a bit of a surprise that it was more powerful than the .380 (altho not by much I expect). I thought they were equal.
 
Let me ring in with Aticus and company and advise you to get a Makarov. I haven't shot the Llama .380 but my experiences with their big bores are all negative. Poorly designed, poorly executed pistols.

I owned a Makarov and was 100% satisfied. I traded it off and wish I had it back. Makaroves are inexpensive, robust and reliable. If you don't like the cheesy plastic grips, Pearce make a soft finger groove Mak grip that is very comfortable.


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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
 
Just a brief note. The Sigma 380
is a hideous gun. Too bad the 380
Glocks aren't importable. They
are supposedly great for the recoil
sensitive.
 
Oatka

Fully concur with the preponderance of feedback. I have an old nickle-plated Llama .380acp that I acquired in a previous life. It was crap from inception... still is. It now sits in a box of other such ilk, to be broken into parts and traded someday. The Makarov, in contrast, is an excellent firearm. Consider the East German version over the PRC version if available.

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Mykl
~~~~~
"If you really want to know what's going on;
then, you have to follow the money trail."
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
Oatka: Back in '88, I first got to handle and test a Makarov for the first time (it was the first one I'd ever seen), and did some comparison testing with it, a M-39(9 mm), and a PPK (.380). The testing was pretty informal. Mostly, we were shooting steel plates with the respective FMJ loads, and noting the peening that resulted. The .380 would barely do more than put a splash and a small indentation into the 3/16" steel. The 9mm put a healty peen, more of a crater, really, into the steel. The Makarov was CLEARLY a deeper dent than the .380, but we all agreed that it was not quite midway between the .380 and the 9mm; it was more of a .380 ++P.

SCamp is right, there are some manufacturers of HP and SP rounds for 9 Mak.
 
I agree with Atticus. Get a Makarov. Great little gun! Forget about the Llama......JUNK!

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DAH BIG DAWG'S ON DUTY
 
I don't care what anybody says - I still say 260 camels will kick 380 llamas' butts any day of the week - that's my opinion on the subject.

In my granddad's later years, he'd say that a lifetime guarantee just didn't mean the same as it used to.
 
Others have said it: Good design, poor materials and execution. A coworker bought one for off duty, and the gun would not hold up. Save your money.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
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