Llama Mini-max .45 troubles

Lone Wolf · January 18, 2005, 10:08 AM

I have a Llama Mini-max .45 that refuses to function properly. I've put about 300 rounds through it, and it will eject the empty, but will not feed the next round from the magazine. It goes about halfway and hangs up. I received the weapon as a gift from my best friend, so it holds some sentimental value, but I'm uneasy trying to use it as a CCW. Any thoughts on making this gun function properly or recommendations concerning alternate .45 compacts? I'm a new member...great website and forums!

woodland · January 18, 2005, 12:07 PM

Have you tried different mags? Sounds like a magazine problem to me. I have a high cap .45 full size, and it is actually the one gun I have NEVER had a single jam in. Go figure!
I would try a different mag and see what that does.

Doug242ti · January 18, 2005, 12:45 PM

if you do try different magazines I highly recommend Wilson Combat's mag's. I've been using them in my Kimber Ultra Carry and they feed much better than the OEM mag.

rkc · January 18, 2005, 01:01 PM

try firing the gun with the left hand or one hand, assuming you are right handed-switch hands. I bet the slide lock is hanging up. In recoil, you may be letting the slide lock contact your support hand and there you go. Some heavy slide locks tend to spring into the lock slot in recoil. Also, yours is the high cap and will not accept normal 1911 mags-correct? Try full power 230 grain ball ammo such as WW 230 grain and one hand, hand away from the slide lock and see what happens. Also, lube the gun.

Let me know

michael t · January 18, 2005, 02:49 PM

Mine does the same thing These things will not work for CCW I now use mine for malfuntion drills. that and boat anchor all their good for. Before anybody says anything this pistol has been worked on several times and have tried a different mag and mag spring Go find a Star Firestar in 40 or 45 they work.

rkc · January 18, 2005, 03:13 PM

With Michael's comments in mind, I think the thing to do is to ditch the pistol and find something that works. A .38 snub that works is better than something more powerful that may work. Llama is not renowned for reliability. That is simply the truth.
rkc

Dave Sample · January 18, 2005, 03:20 PM

They need help bad. They can be made to run with a reliablity tune up if you can find a good smith that will work on them. The barrel throat and feed ramp are causing your problems along with several other factors like a rough breechface, improper extractor tension, etc. Short slide guns are not a good choice for CCW unless they are tuned by a very good pistolsmith. Good Luck!

omegapd · January 18, 2005, 05:35 PM

I've got an old Llama chambered in .38 Super and carry it often. Guess I got one of the lucky ones. If all else fails (try a new mag- check gunbroker) bend the magazine lips a bit wider and see if that helps any.
Good luck!
EW

warhammer357 · January 18, 2005, 08:53 PM

One of my shooting friends who is super finicky carries one for a self defense peice and he has had no problems.
Of course, he also polishes up the internals of all his magazines and downloads them by one round.

Sir William · January 18, 2005, 09:27 PM

Is this the widebody? The barrel needs a little polishing. Replace the magazine. What kind of ammunition are you attempting to use? Winchester Silvertips do not work. The Llamas I have had only needed cleaning up and polishing. 100% reliable for me, NIB.

Handy · January 18, 2005, 09:34 PM

You know, I have never heard anything complimentary about any Llama product. Why do these things keep selling?

41special · January 19, 2005, 12:48 AM

As far as Llama goes, I have a Widebody that I'd put against any other .45

They seem to have a bad rep now, but if you can find an older one maybe early 90's, they're very reliable.

Or maybe I just got the one good one, who knows.

__________________________________

An old west lawman once said when asked why he carried a .45, "because they don't make a .46"

woodland · January 19, 2005, 12:17 PM

I must have got a good one too. Got it in the early 90's. It is a model IX-C
I got it NIB, and have not had one single jam or ftf. and it is also very accurate. I have put all kinds of ammo through it too. I admit it is not the most finely finished pistol for sure. Inside the slide there were burs on a few of the edges of machined areas. But for function, it has been 100% reliable. I carry with it, and would have no problem trusting my life to it.
All that being said, it is the only one I have ever shot. I realise the reputation must come from somewhere. Guess I got lucky.

old_ironsights · January 19, 2005, 01:35 PM

Lone Wolf, are you a tinkerer? My son's Mini-Max SubCompact .45 had a few problems like you describe. Here are some of the "modifications" he and I have made that you might consider:

(1)Increase your recoil spring to 22#. We got a full size from Wolff and cut it to fit.

(2)Yep, polish the breech face - couldn't hurt. Just make damn sure you clean it thoroughly when you finish. Debris in your extractor or firing pin port will excerbate your problems.

(3)Put an expended casing in your magazine and insert the mag with the slide locked back. Release the slide and let it creep forward 'til you see the hangup. Chances are it'll be that the casing lip doesn't match the extractor
gap. A small rattail file used sparingly on the extractor 'til the casing slides in smoothly mayl solve the problem.

(4)Using a dummy round, repeat #3 and watch how the round feeds. You may need to tweak the magazine lips for more a more nose-up profile.

(5)If you polish the barrel, check it's proximity to the frame shelf directly underneath. Again, check how the dummy round feeds, making sure that it isn't hanging up on that gap between the barrel and frame.

(6)Failing all else, save your money and buy a Warthog!

Lone Wolf · January 20, 2005, 09:25 AM

Thank you all for your input. Yes, Old Ironsights, I am a tinkerer, I've just never "tinkered" much on firearms. I will try out some of your ideas and post the results. If only I could fool around with guns all day instead of having to work for a living...! Again, thank you all very much. I'll let you know what happens.

Lone Wolf · February 21, 2005, 11:36 PM

Hello, all. Thanks for all the advice. Just got my Mini-max back from the shop after a throat job and some extractor work. I've only run one magazine through it so far, but it fed that mag beautifully. Now I can actually see how accurate it's gonna shoot. Fun, fun....

joecad · May 3, 2005, 09:55 PM

with some work they can be made to work. i had the same problem and this is what i did....polished the ramp...but i think even more productive was taking the mags apart and polishing the edges of the follower as well as the burs on the inside of the ears. since that i put winchester silver tips remington jhp cci , winchester, umc hardball.
just work with it. feed a lot of hardball thru it after trying the fixes that everyone has mentioned. it will break in....you can use metalformmagazines colt officers mag as well as mec-gar. they are both quality mags and they work well. mine works fine...but it did take some work.
good luck

January 18, 2005, 10:08 AM	#1
Lone Wolf Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2005 Posts: 13	Llama Mini-max .45 troubles I have a Llama Mini-max .45 that refuses to function properly. I've put about 300 rounds through it, and it will eject the empty, but will not feed the next round from the magazine. It goes about halfway and hangs up. I received the weapon as a gift from my best friend, so it holds some sentimental value, but I'm uneasy trying to use it as a CCW. Any thoughts on making this gun function properly or recommendations concerning alternate .45 compacts? I'm a new member...great website and forums!

January 19, 2005, 01:35 PM	#14
old_ironsights Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2004 Location: ~ OKLAHOMA CITY ~ Posts: 380	Advice Worth What It Costs... ;<) Lone Wolf, are you a tinkerer? My son's Mini-Max SubCompact .45 had a few problems like you describe. Here are some of the "modifications" he and I have made that you might consider: (1)Increase your recoil spring to 22#. We got a full size from Wolff and cut it to fit. (2)Yep, polish the breech face - couldn't hurt. Just make damn sure you clean it thoroughly when you finish. Debris in your extractor or firing pin port will excerbate your problems. (3)Put an expended casing in your magazine and insert the mag with the slide locked back. Release the slide and let it creep forward 'til you see the hangup. Chances are it'll be that the casing lip doesn't match the extractor gap. A small rattail file used sparingly on the extractor 'til the casing slides in smoothly mayl solve the problem. (4)Using a dummy round, repeat #3 and watch how the round feeds. You may need to tweak the magazine lips for more a more nose-up profile. (5)If you polish the barrel, check it's proximity to the frame shelf directly underneath. Again, check how the dummy round feeds, making sure that it isn't hanging up on that gap between the barrel and frame. (6)Failing all else, save your money and buy a Warthog!

February 21, 2005, 11:36 PM	#16
Lone Wolf Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2005 Posts: 13	Follow-up Hello, all. Thanks for all the advice. Just got my Mini-max back from the shop after a throat job and some extractor work. I've only run one magazine through it so far, but it fed that mag beautifully. Now I can actually see how accurate it's gonna shoot. Fun, fun....

May 3, 2005, 09:55 PM	#17
joecad Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 2005 Location: nky Posts: 263	with some work with some work they can be made to work. i had the same problem and this is what i did....polished the ramp...but i think even more productive was taking the mags apart and polishing the edges of the follower as well as the burs on the inside of the ears. since that i put winchester silver tips remington jhp cci , winchester, umc hardball. just work with it. feed a lot of hardball thru it after trying the fixes that everyone has mentioned. it will break in....you can use metalformmagazines colt officers mag as well as mec-gar. they are both quality mags and they work well. mine works fine...but it did take some work. good luck

January 18, 2005, 12:07 PM	#2
woodland Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2001 Location: western wa. Posts: 564	Have you tried different mags? Sounds like a magazine problem to me. I have a high cap .45 full size, and it is actually the one gun I have NEVER had a single jam in. Go figure! I would try a different mag and see what that does.

January 18, 2005, 12:45 PM	#3
Doug242ti Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 316	if you do try different magazines I highly recommend Wilson Combat's mag's. I've been using them in my Kimber Ultra Carry and they feed much better than the OEM mag.

January 18, 2005, 01:01 PM	#4
rkc Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2001 Location: South Posts: 295	try firing the gun with the left hand or one hand, assuming you are right handed-switch hands. I bet the slide lock is hanging up. In recoil, you may be letting the slide lock contact your support hand and there you go. Some heavy slide locks tend to spring into the lock slot in recoil. Also, yours is the high cap and will not accept normal 1911 mags-correct? Try full power 230 grain ball ammo such as WW 230 grain and one hand, hand away from the slide lock and see what happens. Also, lube the gun. Let me know

January 18, 2005, 02:49 PM	#5
michael t Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2004 Location: Out back Ky Posts: 4,044	Mine does the same thing These things will not work for CCW I now use mine for malfuntion drills. that and boat anchor all their good for. Before anybody says anything this pistol has been worked on several times and have tried a different mag and mag spring Go find a Star Firestar in 40 or 45 they work.

January 18, 2005, 03:13 PM	#6
rkc Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2001 Location: South Posts: 295	With Michael's comments in mind, I think the thing to do is to ditch the pistol and find something that works. A .38 snub that works is better than something more powerful that may work. Llama is not renowned for reliability. That is simply the truth. rkc

January 18, 2005, 03:20 PM	#7
Dave Sample Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2004 Location: Prescott, AZ Posts: 1,002	They need help bad. They can be made to run with a reliablity tune up if you can find a good smith that will work on them. The barrel throat and feed ramp are causing your problems along with several other factors like a rough breechface, improper extractor tension, etc. Short slide guns are not a good choice for CCW unless they are tuned by a very good pistolsmith. Good Luck!

January 18, 2005, 05:35 PM	#8
omegapd Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2004 Location: GA Posts: 670	I've got an old Llama chambered in .38 Super and carry it often. Guess I got one of the lucky ones. If all else fails (try a new mag- check gunbroker) bend the magazine lips a bit wider and see if that helps any. Good luck! EW

January 18, 2005, 08:53 PM	#9
warhammer357 Junior member Join Date: April 1, 2002 Location: the boonies, west virginia Posts: 362	One of my shooting friends who is super finicky carries one for a self defense peice and he has had no problems. Of course, he also polishes up the internals of all his magazines and downloads them by one round.

January 18, 2005, 09:27 PM	#10
Sir William Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2004 Posts: 3,261	Is this the widebody? The barrel needs a little polishing. Replace the magazine. What kind of ammunition are you attempting to use? Winchester Silvertips do not work. The Llamas I have had only needed cleaning up and polishing. 100% reliable for me, NIB.

January 18, 2005, 09:34 PM	#11
Handy Junior member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Posts: 8,785	You know, I have never heard anything complimentary about any Llama product. Why do these things keep selling?

January 19, 2005, 12:48 AM	#12
41special Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2005 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 263	As far as Llama goes, I have a Widebody that I'd put against any other .45 They seem to have a bad rep now, but if you can find an older one maybe early 90's, they're very reliable. Or maybe I just got the one good one, who knows. __________________________________ An old west lawman once said when asked why he carried a .45, "because they don't make a .46"

January 19, 2005, 12:17 PM	#13
woodland Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2001 Location: western wa. Posts: 564	I must have got a good one too. Got it in the early 90's. It is a model IX-C I got it NIB, and have not had one single jam or ftf. and it is also very accurate. I have put all kinds of ammo through it too. I admit it is not the most finely finished pistol for sure. Inside the slide there were burs on a few of the edges of machined areas. But for function, it has been 100% reliable. I carry with it, and would have no problem trusting my life to it. All that being said, it is the only one I have ever shot. I realise the reputation must come from somewhere. Guess I got lucky.

January 20, 2005, 09:25 AM	#15
Lone Wolf Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2005 Posts: 13	Thank you all for your input. Yes, Old Ironsights, I am a tinkerer, I've just never "tinkered" much on firearms. I will try out some of your ideas and post the results. If only I could fool around with guns all day instead of having to work for a living...! Again, thank you all very much. I'll let you know what happens.