Llama 45 Acp

-E- · 10-31-2003, 04:01 PM

I am thinking about buying a Llama Max-I Government Model 45 ACP. Does anyone have one of these? Is Llama a good manufacturer?

JAMES · 10-31-2003, 04:28 PM

I have one of those. It is a decent pistol and the price was very reasonable when I bought it. Reliability and accuracy are very good. Function and fit are good; not as tough as a real 1911 or some of the other clones. It has a good "feel", but I would rate the factory trigger as fair, at best. The only "problem" that I recall having is that the rear sight blade flew off on about the 3rd or 4th round or so; certainly not a big problem.

JAMES · 10-31-2003, 09:51 PM

Good point, Tc300mag1. I doubt if the cost of a Rock Island is much more than a LLAMA. I've never fired a Rock Island, but if I had the choice, I'd probably go that route instead. The Springfield Armory models feel pretty good too!

BattleRifleG3 · 11-01-2003, 06:16 PM

Llamas are not mil spec interchangeable. Rock Islands ARE. Everything about RIA is better thal Llama, but Llama is cheaper. Many of them work fine, but there is a good reason RIAs cost more.

11-25-2003, 11:11 AM

I had Llama Max I and sold it a month ago. The serrated trigger would chew my finger up. When taking it to a smith he said he refused to work on those guns. It was in a "snobby" gun store so maybe he was hoping I'd just buy one of their thousand dollar guns. I don't know. But I had one other smith refise to work on it. He told me to buy a quality .45 and he'll mod it any way I want him to. Said something about the mteal being too soft to make reliable adjustments or something like that.

PAPA G · 11-25-2003, 11:34 AM

especially when they try to talk you into a "snob" gun. a few years back after reading good reports of the Firestorms, i found a local dealer that handled them, but i was broke at the time. i finally got the coins together, and went to get one, the dealer dropped them. not because they were bad or anything, they weren't selling. he kept one for himself and loved the dickens out of it!!! 1911forums.com in their "other 1911" board. some clown gets on there tellings RIA, Armscorp, S.A.M., and Llama owners how they wasted their money and should get a Kimber. the man has a problem, has never even tried one.

i go to a smithy with a particular request, and he tries to sell me something else, i don't go their no more.

JAMES · 11-25-2003, 01:51 PM

Sounds like good advice to me, PapaG.

The statement about the metal in the Llama being too soft is not far off the mark, though. It really isn't as hard as most, but it seems to hold up fairly well. Sounds like the Smith doesn't have much faith in his expertise in this particular make and wants to make a sale (on something he likes to work on).

If I were offered another .45 auto today and had to chose between a RIA and a Llama, I'd chose the RIA; however, I still have faith in my Llama, particularly since it is clearly more accurate and reliable than any of the Colts that I was ever issued.

Cyrano · 10-01-2007, 09:23 PM

Hello, all:

New member, first time poster here. I'm in the process of obtaining a pistol permit in New York, the type of which varies from county to county. When I went for the required NRA Pistol course the county requires before they will even accept your application, I happened on a curious Llama.

It looks like a Llama .45 pistol that got taken to a hot rod speed shop. (And yes, I know how idiotic that sounds, but I can't explain it any clearer than that.) It seems to be a M1911A1 variant, although I can't say I ever saw one with a two tone finish and finger grooves milled into the frame before. I like the feel of it despite the checkered reputation Llamas seem to have in the pistol-shooting community.

What I'd like to know is if any of you have a recommendation concerning what make of magazines to buy for it. It's a used (lightly/gently used, by the look of it) pistol, and while it comes with its box and manual, it has only one magazine. Any advice folks can offer me - apart from the old "Don't buy a Llama, they're all junkers" argument - will be gratefully received. It seems to fit my hand well, and I like the sights. This is the first large-bore pistol I've ever found that does not look clapped out at a price I can afford, and I figure it will serve well enough for me to learn the .45 ACP.

Thanks for your attention.

Big Dog · 10-03-2007, 05:02 AM

Welcome to G&G!
As to magazines, I like the Mec-Gar brand - as good as McCormick's or Wilson but half the price - I have several and they have NEVER let me down in ten years of use. The only problem is if the gun is fitted with a magwell extension, the MecGar wide baseplate may not fit. Then I'd go with Wilson Combat mags.

gunney_m · 10-03-2007, 07:14 AM

LLama is a good gun but, if you get one get a newer model, mine was pre 1945 and all I could find for it was a magazine at bobs gun shop for $30, no parts so traded for ruger, but as far as the LLama it was very accurate, good grip, never jamed and was remember, pre 1945 and extremely used almost no finish left, the only problem I had was, I was going to take the safety off because every 2 or 3 rounds the safety would bump up to on but, then again it was very old.

ezearln · 10-03-2007, 10:17 AM

I had one of them an early 80's model, they had just shifted to the short extractor which caused some angst, but I repaired that my self, I found some (very few) 1911 mags would work acceptably in but not well enough to bet my life on. Wish I still had it one of the many things sacrificed in my divorce. Sigh

10-31-2003, 04:01 PM	#1
-E- Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 31	Llama 45 Acp I am thinking about buying a Llama Max-I Government Model 45 ACP. Does anyone have one of these? Is Llama a good manufacturer? __________________ "Admit nothing ... Deny everything ... Demand proof"

11-01-2003, 06:16 PM	#4
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	Llamas are not mil spec interchangeable. Rock Islands ARE. Everything about RIA is better thal Llama, but Llama is cheaper. Many of them work fine, but there is a good reason RIAs cost more. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

11-25-2003, 11:34 AM	#6
PAPA G Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somerset, kentucky Posts: 12	THATS THE TROUBLE WITH SOME 'SMITHS especially when they try to talk you into a "snob" gun. a few years back after reading good reports of the Firestorms, i found a local dealer that handled them, but i was broke at the time. i finally got the coins together, and went to get one, the dealer dropped them. not because they were bad or anything, they weren't selling. he kept one for himself and loved the dickens out of it!!! 1911forums.com in their "other 1911" board. some clown gets on there tellings RIA, Armscorp, S.A.M., and Llama owners how they wasted their money and should get a Kimber. the man has a problem, has never even tried one. i go to a smithy with a particular request, and he tries to sell me something else, i don't go their no more.

10-03-2007, 05:02 AM	#9
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,219	Welcome to G&G! As to magazines, I like the Mec-Gar brand - as good as McCormick's or Wilson but half the price - I have several and they have NEVER let me down in ten years of use. The only problem is if the gun is fitted with a magwell extension, the MecGar wide baseplate may not fit. Then I'd go with Wilson Combat mags. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

10-03-2007, 10:17 AM	#11
ezearln Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 3,175	I had one of them an early 80's model, they had just shifted to the short extractor which caused some angst, but I repaired that my self, I found some (very few) 1911 mags would work acceptably in but not well enough to bet my life on. Wish I still had it one of the many things sacrificed in my divorce. Sigh __________________ "You can have my Freedom when I'm done with it!"

10-31-2003, 04:28 PM	#2
JAMES Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: OKLAHOMA Posts: 575	I have one of those. It is a decent pistol and the price was very reasonable when I bought it. Reliability and accuracy are very good. Function and fit are good; not as tough as a real 1911 or some of the other clones. It has a good "feel", but I would rate the factory trigger as fair, at best. The only "problem" that I recall having is that the rear sight blade flew off on about the 3rd or 4th round or so; certainly not a big problem.

10-31-2003, 09:51 PM	#3
JAMES Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: OKLAHOMA Posts: 575	Good point, Tc300mag1. I doubt if the cost of a Rock Island is much more than a LLAMA. I've never fired a Rock Island, but if I had the choice, I'd probably go that route instead. The Springfield Armory models feel pretty good too!

11-25-2003, 11:11 AM	#5
Lenny2 Guest Posts: n/a	I had Llama Max I and sold it a month ago. The serrated trigger would chew my finger up. When taking it to a smith he said he refused to work on those guns. It was in a "snobby" gun store so maybe he was hoping I'd just buy one of their thousand dollar guns. I don't know. But I had one other smith refise to work on it. He told me to buy a quality .45 and he'll mod it any way I want him to. Said something about the mteal being too soft to make reliable adjustments or something like that.

11-25-2003, 01:51 PM	#7
JAMES Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: OKLAHOMA Posts: 575	Sounds like good advice to me, PapaG. The statement about the metal in the Llama being too soft is not far off the mark, though. It really isn't as hard as most, but it seems to hold up fairly well. Sounds like the Smith doesn't have much faith in his expertise in this particular make and wants to make a sale (on something he likes to work on). If I were offered another .45 auto today and had to chose between a RIA and a Llama, I'd chose the RIA; however, I still have faith in my Llama, particularly since it is clearly more accurate and reliable than any of the Colts that I was ever issued.

10-01-2007, 09:23 PM	#8
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 2,358	Hello, all: New member, first time poster here. I'm in the process of obtaining a pistol permit in New York, the type of which varies from county to county. When I went for the required NRA Pistol course the county requires before they will even accept your application, I happened on a curious Llama. It looks like a Llama .45 pistol that got taken to a hot rod speed shop. (And yes, I know how idiotic that sounds, but I can't explain it any clearer than that.) It seems to be a M1911A1 variant, although I can't say I ever saw one with a two tone finish and finger grooves milled into the frame before. I like the feel of it despite the checkered reputation Llamas seem to have in the pistol-shooting community. What I'd like to know is if any of you have a recommendation concerning what make of magazines to buy for it. It's a used (lightly/gently used, by the look of it) pistol, and while it comes with its box and manual, it has only one magazine. Any advice folks can offer me - apart from the old "Don't buy a Llama, they're all junkers" argument - will be gratefully received. It seems to fit my hand well, and I like the sights. This is the first large-bore pistol I've ever found that does not look clapped out at a price I can afford, and I figure it will serve well enough for me to learn the .45 ACP. Thanks for your attention.

10-03-2007, 07:14 AM	#10
gunney_m Banned Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Muskogee,Ok Posts: 1,931	LLama is a good gun but, if you get one get a newer model, mine was pre 1945 and all I could find for it was a magazine at bobs gun shop for $30, no parts so traded for ruger, but as far as the LLama it was very accurate, good grip, never jamed and was remember, pre 1945 and extremely used almost no finish left, the only problem I had was, I was going to take the safety off because every 2 or 3 rounds the safety would bump up to on but, then again it was very old.