|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 21, 2018 9:36:12 GMT -5
Well folks, I picked up my new Llama Max-1 1911 in 38 Super a few days ago, and yesterday I finally had a chance to work with it and check it out. It has some nice characteristics, but we hit a snag on the range. Take a look at the video, and be sure to let me know your thoughts!
Howard
|
|
|
Post by CXM on Jan 21, 2018 14:50:13 GMT -5
Nice review... please keep us posted...
Good luck with getting a quick fix...
V/r
Chuck
|
|
|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 21, 2018 15:06:09 GMT -5
Nice review... please keep us posted... Good luck with getting a quick fix... V/r Chuck Update.....Update.....Update.....Update..... Thanks Chuck! I have an update to brighten things up a bit! Howard
|
|
|
Post by CXM on Jan 21, 2018 15:24:11 GMT -5
That is certainly good news... looks you have a handle on it...
V/r
Chuck
|
|
|
Post by Carolinaman on Jan 21, 2018 16:27:11 GMT -5
Hello Howard,
Well, the first video was excellent! I am happy to hear that a little out of the box maintenance got your pistol running on the second go round! I think that you have a "winner" on your hands!
Chris
|
|
|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 21, 2018 19:06:35 GMT -5
Hello Howard, Well, the first video was excellent! I am happy to hear that a little out of the box maintenance got your pistol running on the second go round! I think that you have a "winner" on your hands! Chris The accuracy looks promising, the recoil impulse is negligible, and the ballistics are in the mid-range .357 Magnum range. What's not to like? Howard
|
|
|
Post by Mister Coffee on Jan 21, 2018 22:15:13 GMT -5
Saw the videos. Gee, Howard, why don't you clean and lube your guns?
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reed on Jan 22, 2018 7:50:23 GMT -5
That's a Nice Lookin' Super, Howard.
I really like how Llama retained the traditional styling on that model - even though they did get a bit carried away lowering the ejection port.
|
|
|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 22, 2018 12:59:39 GMT -5
Saw the videos. Gee, Howard, why don't you clean and lube your guns? I like to see them run right out of the box. This is th first one in quite some time that stumbled out of the gate. I’m still wondering if there might be an underlying magazine issue that is being mitigated by the cleaning\lube. I need to run some more ammo through the Max-1 to see if the problem resurfaces when the pistol gets dirty. Oh, no! I have been o spend more time on the range. Howard
|
|
|
Post by Carolinaman on Jan 22, 2018 17:04:13 GMT -5
Hello Howard, Well sir, I would be definitely interested in the follow up on the Llama! Chris
|
|
|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 23, 2018 9:21:38 GMT -5
Yesterday afternoon, when I got off work, I headed back to the range to further test the Max-1 with the other brands of ammunition I still had on hand. I didn't have time to take video, this was one of those rush to the range - set things up - shoot - then pack up and get myself to a council meeting kind of events. In the end, I had some mixed results.
The shooting this time was from a bench (another reason not to take video, because watching someone shoot from a bench isn't too exciting). The targets were the same bullseye type you saw in the video, and the range was 25 yards. I had my chronograph set up because I wanted to get some idea of the actual velocity I was getting with the 38 Super loads. I intentionally did not clean the pistol after Sunday's session. I only fired 35 rounds on that occasion, and I wanted to see if the pistol would continue to run after it built up some firing residue.
As I said, I had to hurry, so I loaded the first magazine with 4 rounds of the 130 grain Magtech (and had one in the chamber) the remaining 5 rounds in the magazine were the Remington 130 gr. FMJs. All four rounds of the Magtech ran fine. They clocked 1175 fps, and grouped about 4" at 25 yards. When the last round of the Magtech ammo fired, the slide cycled and the first round of Remington ammo failed to feed. I cleared the malfunction, and then fired out the 5 Remington cartridges with no further issues. The Remington ammo clocked 1201 fps. 4 of the 5 rounds clustered into 2" dead center in the target. a single round opened the group to 4". I'm fairly certain that was my fault, although the less-than-spectactular-trigger doesn't help matters. Then I switched to the 125 gr. Winchester Silvertips. The pistol really hates that ammo. Of the 5 rounds I loaded, I couldn't get two in a row to feed. I managed to drive one of the bullets into the casing by trying to force it, so I removed that one to prevent an over-pressure problem. Of the 4 Silvertips I managed to fire, three of them grouped into 1.75" dead center in the target, one bullet actually blew the X out of the center. Again, a single round opened the group to just under 4".
I still think the functioning problem is the result of a magazine issue. I'm planning to call Eagle Imports today to see if they are aware of any problems with the 38 Super mags. On the upside, I really like the cartridge. The recoil is quite manageable, the accuracy looks very good, and the velocity/power is better than the 9mm by a measurable margin (when I start to hand load for it, I'll see if I can do a bit better than the factory fodder).
Interestingly, I also had my Remington R1 pistol with me to try out some recent .45 ACP hand-loads. The loads were 230 grain Noslers, and they clocked an average velocity of 815 fps. What caught my attention, though was the recoil. I'm not a particularly recoil sensitive person, but shooting the .45s right after the 38 Supers felt like I was shooting a cannon! I was kind of amazed by that (By the way, if anyone is interested, my 45s grouped into 3.5" all in the black. I was pretty happy with that!)
So all this to say, the Max-1 is not cured yet. I think it IS curable, and I think the factory supplied magazine is the culprit for my issues. When I start loading, I will try the competition brass, just to see if that helps things too.
Thats all for now. I'll report back when there's more to tell.
Howard
|
|
|
Post by CXM on Jan 24, 2018 9:16:59 GMT -5
I think you may well be on the right track with looking at the magazine for the problem...
The offer of a Chip McCormick 38 Super mag is still open if you want to try a different mag...
V/r
Chuck
|
|
|
Post by HRFunk on Jan 24, 2018 9:49:33 GMT -5
I think you may well be on the right track with looking at the magazine for the problem... The offer of a Chip McCormick 38 Super mag is still open if you want to try a different mag... V/r Chuck Thanks Chuck! A appreciate the offer. I actually just ordered 2 CMC mags from Brownell's yesterday, so I'll see how it runs when they get here. Thanks again, Howard
|
|
|
Post by huntershooter on Jan 27, 2018 6:28:39 GMT -5
Hello Howard, Well, the first video was excellent! I am happy to hear that a little out of the box maintenance got your pistol running on the second go round! I think that you have a "winner" on your hands! Chris The accuracy looks promising, the recoil impulse is negligible, and the ballistics are in the mid-range .357 Magnum range. What's not to like? Howard Indeed. Nothing wrong with a 10 (or 11) rd., low end ,357 mag. I run a handload of 147 gr. Speer Gold Dot at 1250+ FPS from mine. It's a thumper of a "carry" load.
|
|
|
Post by craig on Jan 28, 2018 12:12:39 GMT -5
Glad you got it sorted out. I ALWAYS clean & inspect any pistol before firing, so difficulties can be found before a range trip. I tried to own a LLAMA MIMI MAX 45 acp Sub Compact. Of the 2 the LLama Service Center sent me, after several warrantee returns, due to repeated failures, none functioned correctly out of the box, & until I lost patience with them. This was a few years ago, but the service center advised me to try another of the Llama products they had in stock, stating that Llama was in the process of going out of business. Even with the so called "Lifetime Warrantee" they would only offer me another of their products as a replacement- None of which I wanted. Needless to say, I did not even come close to breaking even disposing of the POS. Call me bitter, but I wouldn't accept any Llama firearm as a gift. Sounds like they didn't really go out of business, or perhaps they just reorganized.
|
|