Llama Omni
Forgotten Weapons
•
16m
Llama was never the most prestigious of the three major Spanish pistol makers, and in the 1980s they decided to have a try at an upscale new pistol. The design was done by an American, Gary Wilhelm, who worked with the Stoeger company (which was Llama’s US importer). The gun was offered in both .45 ACP and 9mm Parabellum, with the 9mm version offering a semi-double-stack 12 round magazine. The gun has a very complex fire control system, with rollers, ball bearings, and dual trigger bars for single and double action. It was also very expensive, costing some $600 when new (nearly double the price of many comparable pistols, like the S&W Model 39). It was only in production from 1982 until 1986, and was by all definitions a commercial flop. The less-than-elegant lines, cost, complexity, and Llama’s generally poor reputation combined to quickly sink it.
Up Next in Forgotten Weapons
-
Origins of the Lee Enfield Rifle: Lee...
The Lee Metford MkI had scarcely been introduced when it was modified into the MkI* pattern, This was quickly followed by the MkII and MkII*, the Lee Enfield MkI, and Lee Enfield MkI*. In essence, the changes were:
Lee Metford MkI*: Change of sights to traditional barleycorn and V-notch, and r...
-
Lee Metford MkI: Great Britain's Firs...
The British went into the 1880s with plans to adopt the Enfield-Martini as its new rifle, a single shot Martini-action rifle with essentially a sidesaddle of ready-access cartridges on the side of the receiver. It would be chambered for a new .402 caliber black powder cartridge. However, the Smal...
-
Lee Metford and Lee Enfield Carbines ...
When the Lee magazine rifle was adopted for British military service, it was initially produced as a long rifle for the infantry. To accommodate the cavalry on horseback, a much more compact carbine version was produced. These were initially Lee Metford pattern, but changed to Lee Enfield pattern...
