You all probably know the name Llama, because they made a lot of poor quality firearms, and exported them out of Spain.

Well, I am here to say that the only thing in common the new Llama (Metro Arms Corporation) has in common is just the name.
All of their pistols from high end (MAC, SPS) down to middle and entry level (Bersa, Llama, American Classic II, and Firestorm) are hand fitted. The quality of workmanship is amazing.
I used to have an older American Classic II, and didn't appreciate it. I traded it off, and shoukdn't have.
Well, I've been looking for a 1911 style pistol, and had been looking at getting another American Classic II, but didn't have all the funds to get one, but went with the same manufacturer, and decided on the new Llama Max-1 .45 Auto.
I have to say, there isn't much difference, except for the sights. It´s very tight, and no rattling. It's slide opens and closes very smoothly.
Needless to say, I'm extremely impressed.
I have attached photos so you can see somewhat of what it's like.


Hawk

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But does it take 1911 MAGA or Llama proprietary mags? Had one 40 years ago and sold it because of the proprietary mag issue... great gun very similar to a Colt...

Mags...spell ck!

But the MAGA error was definitely funny!!!!!

Who are these folks and where do they make their guns?

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Come and take it!!

The old Spanish corporation Llama went completely out of business in 2016.
Metro Arms Corporation, bought the name only after that.
It's the same company that owns Bersa, MAC, S.P.S.

They are hand fitted in the Philippines, and Bersa out of Argentina is the parent company, with the conglomeration name Metro Arms Corporation.

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Here's a good article I found about 1911's.

5 Best 1911 Pistols for the Money in 2019 (on Any Budget)

Hawk

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That assessment of Llama is a little harsh. I have owned the large frame .45 Auto (ca. early 1980s) and the S&W knockoff .38 Special revolver (ca. late 1960s). Both were fairly decent guns and I never had issues with either. I also once had an older Llama Extra 9mm Largo (I used .38 Super in it), and it's one I wish I had never sold, even though it had been refinished in a somewhat haphazard manner.

There was certainly some ****** pieces of steel that came out of Spain in the '30 and after but I've seen and shot a few Llamas and Astras and while not on the same level of Colts and S&Ws,they were good guns.
You probably were referring to these other guns manufactured in Spain.Luckily,they don't exist anymore.

Not sure if it's a trick of the camera, but rear sight dovetail appears to have rust.

I tried to get as close as possible with my phone camera, and it is a trick of the lighting. There isn't any rust on her at all.

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Yeah, it's a catch 22. If I say they were good pistols, then someone will come along and call them horse excrement, or the such.
Sorry if I offended you.
Llama brought those criticisms upon themselves, though.
I had an early 90's Model IX, and it was beautiful, and worked very well.
By the time they brought their QC back up to par, it was too late for them, unfortunately.
I thought they turned out a decent product.
At that time, as well, they did have a lot of proprietary items on the firearms, and that helped drive another nail in their coffin as well.
Oh well!
But, I can say this, the new pistols that are under the new owners, and Llama name are way better than even the good Llama firearms of old.

Hawk

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Just curious if you might know. Is the current Lama 1911’s built the same as their 1970’s production. Is it closer to the currently manufactured 1911’s from Turkey and the Philippines with most parts being interchangeable with Colt or US GI??

I had a Lama 38 Super in the early 70’s. Wish I never let it go. Cost me 90 and change out the door new in the box. There were no parts including the mag and grips that were interchangeable with the then abundant GI parts.

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Dave

The new Llama's are being made by the Metro Arms Corporation out of the Philippines. The new ones are milspec, which means their parts will interchange with Colt, etc...not proprietary out of Spain.

Hawk

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I have one in .38 Super. It is an excellent piece. 0 complaints. Runs like it should, high quality machine work, and finished out very nicely. Would purchase another without reservation.

You have the new Llama?
I thought about getting the .38 Super, and I like the ballistics, but here, there isn't a lot of ammo around for it. Now, the .45 acp is a different story. Plenty of it, and inexpensive. I went with practicality.


Hawk

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Most modern 1911s are very good pistols, thanks to modern production methods. RIA makes a very good affordable 1911 and so does just about everyone else. Thank you, Philippines! The OP's photos are rough in my computer, and probably the pistols look better in the flesh....uh, steel.

I carried a Llama 1911 for about a week back in the 80s because it didn't look like a cop gun and I couldn't afford a Colt, which were the only choices available back then. It had a rib, looked like a Colt, sort of, but jammed at qualification. Thankfully, it was not my gun so I returned it to the owner and shed no tears to see it go.

If I was the Head Guy at Metro Arms, I'd change the name of the baby. There's a lot of negativity, either real or imagined, with the name Llama.

Is the slide stop/thumb safety housing made of plastic like the original Lamas I loved the mini-max i had but let it go because the plastic part broke and could not find a replacement

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age is just a number

everything's made of metal on the new ones.

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I have to agree with you. They should maybe think about using American Classic GI 1911 .
Yes, people do get very heated when they hear the name Llama. But, too, I think it's the gun snobs who helped create that as well.

Hawk

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OP, don't be so quick to talk down the old Llama guns. For the price point they were good guns. I have had four different ones each in a different caliber over the years. At the time the price point was all I could afford. Once I made more money, and could afford Colt's and S&W's they got traded off for better pieces. Never had one fail to operate for me or break down. Always wanted to see the Llama Omni, but could never find one........

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I totally agree with this sentiment.
I bet Ford never comes out with another Edsel.

Also—I can’t be the only person who as a kid poured over the old Shooter’s Bible and loved the Llama spread with all the “fancy” engraved models!

Attached Images

239DAFCD-CEE1-4437-AC92-7BCFEAC5EE29.jpg (91.1 KB, 12 views)

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Possum—The other white meat!

It's all a matter of experience. I had a full sized Llama 1911 quite some years ago and it shot fine BUT it sent empty cases straight back at me. If they flipped over I got half moon cuts on my forehead and if they didn't I got little welts and bruises. The results were (1) I learned to always shoot with a cap on and (2) I sold that puppy as soon as I could.

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Come and take it!!

A little file work on the ejector would probably have fixed it.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I do agree with you. The one 9mm that was a 1911 I had in the early 90's was well done. It had a really nice polish, and a great blueing job. The wood grips needed a little more attention.
I bought the pistol for a song from Walmart, because they said it was broken. It wouldn't hold a magazine, and wouldn't stay open after the last shot.
I saw that the problem was just to tighten the screw on the ejector button. It ran perfectly after that.


Hawk

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A buddy in my company section got tired of the Chicken****, and put in a 1049 for Nam. A sure thing. He bought one of those 1911 copies to take along. First I ever heard of them. Hope he came back. He had zippers on his stripes.

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It's what I do, not what I am.

Yep, I have a new one. My local gunshop ordered it for me. If it weren't for the Llama name on the slide, you'd think it was a much more expensive pistol. Very nice machine work and slick.