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Shots Fired! Llama MicroMax ~ VIDEO

Shots Fired! Llama MicroMax ~ VIDEO

August 16, 2018 by Graham Baates Leave a Comment

The Llama MicroMax is a 1911ish pistol scaled down for a different Bronwing cartidge, the .380acp.  We first took a look at this compact firearms in an earlier article.  Like most guns chambered in .380acp the Micromax is blowback-operated which requires a careful balance of slide weight, spring rate, and calculation of the expected energy generated from the ammunition used.  Most .380acp ammo is around 92-96gr.  That is exactly why we tested it with more than one dozen different loads ranging from 56gr to 102gr.  We wanted to know if they would all cycle and would they all be controllable.

We were impressed with the results.  The MicroMax is comfortable in both large and small hands.  Thin enough for smaller hands, and those of us with banana-hands can comfortably wield the MicroMax thanks to a rounded heel, finger extension on the magazine, and generous beaver tail.  No slide-bite of hammer-bite with this gun!  While not as compact as the Bersa Thunder .380, it offers a different sort of classic styling.  Fit and finish were excellent which isn’t suprising considering the Llama is actually manufactured by the smiths at Metro Arms.  Those are the same craftsmen who brought us the Bobcut.

In case you missed the tabletop article, here are the specifications as taken directly from Eagle Import’s product page:

Caliber .380 ACP
Action SA
Capacity 7+1
Barrel Length 3.75″
Front Sight Dovetail
Rear Sight Novak-Style
Finishes Matte Blue
Grips Contoured for comfort
Construction 4140 Steel Frame / 4140 Hammer Forged Steel Slide
Safety Ambidextrous Thumb Safety / Beavertail
Weight 22.9000
Length 6.3″
Height 4.5″
Width 1.2″

Nay-sayers may question why such a gun exists.  For me it’s the beauty of 1911 styling combined with the ease of shooting .380 ammunition.  The gun has a great feel in the hand and is an absolute joy on the range.  As proven by the NRA several years ago, modern .380 ammo is 78% as effective as modern .45acp ammo.  Shot placement is king, so why not shoot what you can hit as quickly and accurately as possible?

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Filed Under: Pistol Tagged With: arms guide, best 380, best small gun, Graham Baates, Graham Baates Video, gun test, Llama MicroMax, small handgun, TAG, thearmsguide

About the Author

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Graham Baates “Graham Baates” is a pen name used by a 15-year active Army veteran who spent most of his time in the tactical side of the Intelligence community including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Post-Army Graham spent some time in the 3-Gun circuit before becoming a full-time NRA Certified defensive handgun instructor. After more than 1,900 hours instructing he now works as an industry writer while curating a YouTube channel on the side.

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