Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasShooter1
I have a chrome Llama 1911 9mm/38 acp that belonged to my uncle who served at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, Guadalcanal and other points in WW II's Pacific Theatre. Aside from the various good & bad Llama reviews I have seen, it obviously has sentimental value but I would still like to run rounds thorugh it at the range now and again.
I can either find some Largo ammo for it (as I only have a box of .38 acp now) or change out the barrel to shoot standard 9mm Lugers. Any suggestions?
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Spanish mfg surplus 9mm Largo is still available from time to time. Comes in 25rd boxes. Some is corrosive,,some not. Most of it that I've had and seen is dated in the late 40's and all fired w/o any problems.
Sarco used to sell alot of it. Even Dillion listed it for sale in a small ad in the back pages of the Blue Press as recently as a year or so ago. Might still be in there.
A bbl switch to 9mmLuger would make life easier in the shooting dept., but where you may find such a bbl I don't know. So many different models of the Llama auto around, you'd really have to have gun and bbl in hand for a comparison before buying. Even then a bit of fitting is most likely needed.
The 9mmLargo magazine, if they are anything like the Astra and Star mags of the same cal., have feed lips shorter than the comparable mag in 9mmLuger cal.
Calber changes in the Astra and Star pistols from 9mmLargo to Luger often work fine with the Largo mag, but once in a while the Largo magazine will release the shorter Luger cartridge too soon and fail to feeds result.
There was a somewhat popular conversion method in the 50's and 60's to take cal 9mmLargo pistols and 'short sleeve' the chamber.
Largo caliber pistols and even some carbines were imported in great numbers and sold for $10 to $15 back then,,but ammo has always been scarce.
A short section or ring of the correct diameter is press fit into the forward part of the 9mmLargo chamber. It is then carefully rechambered w/a 9mmLuger reamer to re-establish correct headspace for the new cartridge using the 'ring' as the new front edge of the chamber.
Thousands were done that way.
Conversions were also done to 7.62 French Long caliber pistols to convert to 32acp,,and 9mmBrowning Long caliber Swede M07 pistols to convert to .380.
Some of the work was done in a less than spectacular fashon by small basement operators. But done carefully, it works fine and there's no damage to the exterior of the pistol.
The 'ring' can actually be removed is you ever want to by making a chamber cast around it and tapping it out with the casting.
Just some thoughts,,