I came by a Llama that didn't have a magazine. It's a .380, III A I believe. I got a magazine for it online and it fits great, but it doesn't latch into the gun. Which is probably why it didn't have a mag when I bought it.

What's cool is that it is a 1911 design. The mag release seems to work very well with good motion and a strong spring. How do I approach this? Is there good video or something that covers it? I believe I have an exploded diagram of a 1911 in a book I have. Any help with 1911s in general would be appreciated.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Have you checked the shape of the magazine catch against the hole in the magazine? Is the catch and hole in the same side?

Take the grip panels off and see what's going on. Might just need to open up the latching hole in the mag a little - or relocate it.

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Oderint dum Metuant

First make sure you have the correct style magazine AND Floor Plate for the pistol.
Some used a narrow floor plate as on Colt 1911 magazines where the floor plate of the magazine sat down in a cut in the magazine well in the butt of the frame when the magazine was seated all the way.
Some later used a wide floor plate as some S&W style and the BHP pistols use.
This style leaves the floor plate sitting on the surface of the edge of the butt of the mag well.
These had no cutout in the frame especially at the front of the mag well for the nose of the floor plate.
**If the pistol is designed for the first type of magazine with narrow floor plate, but you have the magazine with the later wide floor plate,,the magazine cannot seat deep enough for the magazine catch to secure it and 'click' closed.
Even if you do alter the mag catch hole far enough for it to latch into position, the top of the magazine will be too far down in the frame for the pistol to function.

If you have the right magazine for the frame , it may just need a small amt of adj to make it fit and secure,,,
Take the grips off, it's easier to work on the gun. Segregate the grip screws.
Take the mag latch right out of the frame.
They come out just like a Colt 1911.
With the magazine out of the pistol.,Push the mag catch in and hold it there.
Then on the right side use a small screw driver to reach down inside the now extended latch to turn the small slotted screw. Turn it approx 1/4 turn CW.
** The parts are generally soft,,use care in doing this and a well fitted screwdriver. Don't force it. You may have to carefully adjust the level of the latch from the left side to get it in just the right position for the small screw to be able to turn into it's small cut.

That will capture and hold the magazine latch spring and also release the mag latch from the frame itself.
Push the latch out of the frame from the left.

Now put the new magazine back in the frame and see where the catch cut out on the mag body lines up with the latch cutout in the frame from the right side.

The mag body most likely will be just slightly low in the window of the frame,,meaning the mag will be hanging down into the window in the frame from the top of the opening. The latch can't close on it.

Carefully look over the latch itself and see the slight wedge shape effect that it uses to close on the mag body in the cut and push it upwards to hold it secure. Too much and the mag will be loose,,too little and the latch can't close.

It's a cut and try fit process. Do it with the mag latch in the spring tension captured position as it now is. It's easier to handle and easier to get a feel for the fit.
Don't alter the area on the mag latch that engages the mag body. It's already at a very slight angle to give locking effect to the magazine in position.
Adding more draft to the surface on the latch may seem like an easy way to make the stubborn magazine to lock into position,,and it may.
But it can also leave you with a magazine that unlatches itself under heavy spring pressure of a fully loaded magazine under a closed slide, or the recoil of firing the pistol.

Thank you. i will check the aspects described here. It would be nice if a little adjustment is all that's needed. The hole in the mag seems to be in the right place, but I will take off the grips and see what's going on. It's probably on the gun than on the mag. The gun didn't have a mag, and I suppose that's because it dropped out somewhere.

The mag was clearly marked for the model and it slaps home just find, no overlap and the floorplate fits just right, but I will double check.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

...and was able to see the magazine catch was there, but the nub that stuck out to catch the notch in the mag was sheared off. I bought a $27 mag for it. Now I've got an $18 part into it (blued, not nickel, but I don't give a rip). It only shows on the outside of the gun as very tiny piece that comes out of the side of the pistol when you push the mag release button. I don't think the gun is worth all that, but I learn a little something. Well, it IS a nice 1911 style .380 and I don't have a 1911 or a .380 in my collection.

Now if we can only get that part in, it SHOULD be good to go.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

...at least for tonight. I got the replacement part and watched a youtube video on how to replace it. I'm glad I did because the little screw on the outside doesn't unscrew. It turns 1/4 turn and a locking pin moves and it comes right out.

I didn't see any difference between the old part and the new one, I thought, "Uh oh, I wasted some more bucks". I installed the new one and the magazine went in, hit some friction, then snapped in TIGHT. I was very pleased. Now I should have a working gun. The mag was labeled as being for that gun, so I was pretty confident that the problem was elsewhere.

I like that it's 1911 design even though .308. Gives me some practice on 1911s in general.

Thanks for the help!

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"