Quote:
Originally Posted by Arik
My Llama dates to the 30s. When i bought it some guy was using it as a trunk gun and had it inside an Astra 600 holster. He kept spray painting it every time he saw rust. I paid $80 for it.
I have yet to blue it. All i did was to take off the spray paint and oxidation. There was about 1% bluing left under all the crud and most of it is on the internals.
From what i've been able to find the pinky grove on the frame, those specific grips and a few other specific parts make it a domestic gun ment for and used in the Spanish civil war. Supposedly it has an original match grade barrel. The barrel itself is frosted but here are my groupings at about 12 feet.
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Your's is a Llama Model XI-A in 9mm Parabellum w/a 5" Bbl
A shorter bbl version in 9mmP had the Model XI-B designation.
Right at the end of production it was made in 40S&W and was labeled the
Model XII-B
I think they made the model in 45acp too (late production) but don't recall the model#,,maybe XII-A(?)
It was made from the mid 30's till at least the late 1990's.
The grooved wooden grips are earliest production.
Then checkered wood,,then plastic.
It looks like a 'Q' proof date code on the frame over the trigger ,,it was proofed (mfg'd) in 1946.
If it's a 'G' then 1934,,and a good bet for use in the SCW.
That 'W' shaped detent power spring on the left side of the frame was only used on a couple of other Llama models. I'm not sure it was even used on the later production XI.
Many in the Llama and Star line do have a small bit of the bottom front gripstrap project forward as a grip aid, AFAIK the XI was the only Llama semi auto to have the actual finger grip grooves in the front strap.
When first made, it was Llama's first cal 9mmP production pistol I believe.
It's been sold all over the world and used by police and security. If the proof code/date is 'Q' (1946),,it's a bit late to have been used in the SCW. But many no doubt were.
Very nice clean up of the pistol. Early Llama & Star semiautos are not as common as they once were. Shoots good too!
Added: re: xtra mag,,This model used to be called a '9mm Especial'.
'Especial' was a common model designation term used on most Llama early semiautos.
The caliber being the difference between them.
There's a later production 9mmP also commonly called the 'Especial' but I don't know if the mags are the same.
I think these XI pistols mags hold 8.
The Roman Numeral Model designations came on later after this pistol was already in production. Model names were dropped and the Numeral designations began in an attempt to straighten out the confusion .
Perhaps an extra magazine might be listed under that early '9mm Especial' designation.
They almost look like an early (narrow base plate) STAR Model B magazine would fit. But that's really a guess. The frames are nearly the same in size/width. Even if it locked into place, there'd probably be fitting & trimming to the bottom as the angle looks more acute.
Just thinkin'....