Spanish Blue Steel

 Llama

Gabilondo y Uresti had been producing the Radium seven shot 6.35 since 1910. The patent of the "Radium" was in the name of Don Guillermo Echeverria and of Don Valentin Vallejo.  The patent was a weird form of loading the gun by sliding the right grip and inserting a magazine which I am not totally sure about.  The one I have seen had Spanish proofs and that is not consistant with there not being a proof house in Ebiar at that time.  It also had the encircled EU with a crown which I have never seen before.  Production ceased in 1915.

Pic isnt very good but the best I can do at the time

They started making a gun in 1914 based on the Browning 1903 and the modifications of the design by earlier guns like the Astra Victoria 1911 and called it the Ruby.  It was a well made gun with fair tolerances, so parts were interchangeable within its own brand.  It was the first to have a 9 round magazine because Gabilondo had built it to be used by the Military or Police.  At the beginning of WW.I Gabilondo presented the gun to France for trials and it was accepted in 1915 with orders for 10,000 a month.  My understanding is that at this time Gabilondo had 5 employees.  Four months later orders would be increased to 30,000 a month.  This was far more than Gabilando could produce so he contracted with others to produce for him.

Four smaller companies contracted with Gabilondo to produce 5000 pistols a month each and along with the 10,000 he could produce, he was able to fulfill the 30,000 needed.  The pistols these 4 companies, Armera Elgoibaressa y Cia, Echealasa y Vincinai y Cia, Iraola Salaverria y Cia, Hijos de Angel Echeverria y Cia, produced were not of the Gabilondo quality but were accepted by the French government.  All of the guns supplied were blue, 9 shot with checkered wood grips and accompanied by three magazines along with a holster supplied by the French.  By the end of the war it is thought that Gabilondo alone produced from 250,000 to 300,000 pistols.  Archivo Municipal de Eibar records show that Iraola Salaverria y Cia only produced 10,000 guns total and Hijos de Angel Echeverria y Cia produced 154,000.
 

The 1914 Ruby in 7.65 - 9 shot  with checkered wood grips as made for  the French in WWI. 

Beristain y Cia of Eibar, between the years of 1916 and 1920 received patents for improvements to the Browning 1910, patent No. 62,004 and No. 67,567.  Beristain contracted with Gobilondo to make the gun and production started in 1920. The Logo on the grips is BC not GB for Gregorio Bolumburu  as some report it to be.  Browning filed a law suit against Beristain for patent infringement but lost the suit in 1925 . Spanish law more or less says if you do not make it in Spain the patent is no good, so Browning lost.  Beristain cancelled the contract even though he won.

7.65 Bufalo

6.35 

Gabilondo also made the Bufalo design in a gun he labeled as Manufactured by "Ruby" Arms Co.   I think this was a product of 1927 as it has an A which is rather fancy with a crown above it by the pv proof.  On the right side is the serial number and there is an oval with AG in it on the trigger guard.  The ovals with letters in them stood for the manufacturer at one time but they were on the left side tang.  The right side of the slide also has "made in Spain" on it so they were made for export to the US or other European countries.  There is normally no grip safety on it as the grip safety was a patent of Beristain but this one has it..

This gun does not have the grip safety and has a serial number lower than any Bufalo I have ever seen making me wonder if it was actually a  forerunner to the Bufalo instead of being made afterward.  At the time serial numbers were not controlled by the Spanish government so it could have been either way.  This gun has no proof marks whatsoever.

This a Ruby 7 shot 7.65 mm made in 1928 with a B date code.  Very similar to the Astra Victoria from earlier years

Ruby Ultra Plus 22 shot.  These guns were used by Japanese pilots, Army and Navy and purchased through their "union".  The union was called Kaikosha  for the Army and  Suikosha for the Navy.  I think this was like a PX for our military as it was on base. They came in semi and full auto.  Reported to have been a favorite of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade of the Republican Army. Production ended about 1931

 

Danton - 7.65mm - 9 shot.  Produced from 1925 until 1931.  The gun came with and without a grip safety.  In a later model it was also in .380acp.

 

Very rare .45 Ruby.  Late 1920 production and was the basis for the later 
Llama.  Not really noticable is the fact that the grip is extra long to hold a mag capacity of 9.  I have read that this gun was also marked Llama but I have never seen proof of that.  To my knowledge the model IV was the first to have Llama on it.

 In 1933 to 1935 Gabilondo made two other groups of pistols called the Tauler and the Mugica that were exported to the rest of the world.  I also believe that one of them may have been used by the Spanish Secret Service but at this time I cannot confirm.  I have never seen either one of the names on a pistol although they look the same as any other Llama made during that period.

Llama Model I - 7.65mm.  Production started in 1933 and lasted thru 1954.  This model was the first production of the small frame Llamas and was also produced in the name Tauler and Mugica.   Blow back operated, 161 mm overall length , 94mm barrel, 9 round magazine.

Llama Model II - .380mm  Production started in 1935 and lasted thru 1954.
161mm overall length, 94mm barrel and 8 round magazine. 

 

Llama III .380 acp - Locked Breech, 166mm overall length.  Production lasted through 1954

Llama IIIA - 380 acp, Locked breech,161 mm overal length,  three vents in the rib,1955 thru 1970.  Grips of this type were used on the Especial only and were made of bakelite not the later plastic.  Gun also came with wood checkered grips or the normal cheap plastic grips. 

 
  This model was also sent to Mexico to “FABRICA DE ARMAS LLAMA” – COL. INDUSTRIAL VALLEJO – MEXICO L5, D.F.” where they marked it PISTOLA AUTOMATICA  “LLAMA”  ESPECIAL   CAL 380 along with HECHO EN MEXICO on the bottom of the hammer spring arch. 

Llama IIIA - .380 acp, locked breech, 165mm overall length with two vents in the rib.

Llama IIIA , blowback operated, 162mm overal length with two vents in the rib

Llama  IIIA, blowback operated, 162mm overall length with no vents in the rib.  These are custom grips and they should be like the grips above except for the longer slide release which was introduced on this series.  They are the first guns to be marked with their model number. 

Ecuadorian Air Force Contract Llama .380 Micro Max.  This model was the last of the small frame guns.  Blowback operated.

Ecuador Airforce wings

Llama model IV - 9mm largo - 38 acp.  With N date code manufactured in 1942.  Production of this gun started in 1933 and was an exact copy of the Colt 1911 except it has no grip safety. This was the first of the Llama pistols made and for some reason was later given the designation of model IV. These were produced for the European market only and are not readily found in the USA. According to Spanish Law serial numbers had to run in consecutive order so they will jump from one model to another usually in batches as they were made.  Do not remember when this actually became law but it was in the 20's at some point, so it started in the  Danton years.  Possible the same year they started date coding. 

 

Llama Model V - 9mm Largo, 228mm overall length, has no grip safety.  This was manufactured for the export market only. 

Unusual W detent spring on Model  V which is also on the model I and II. 

Model VI was made in .380 acp only with a grip safety and I do not have a pic of it.   The gun had the locked breech design of the Colt 1911, overall length of 150mm, 80mm barrel and a 6 round magazine.  They will usually be found with the marking Model Super Police on the right of the slide but are also not marked.  Not sure any of these guns made it to the USA.

Model VII is chambered in 9mm  Bergman and marked 9mm /38.  Known as a Modelo Extra.  This gun is often mistaken for a Super .38 because of the marking but it is not.  The gun was also made with a  5" barrel and marked Military and Police as well as one not marked at all.  I have records of this gun being made as early as 1934 and as late as 1944.

Model VIII is chambered for the  .38 Super.   The slide on all Super .38's is marked that way on the left side.  The gun had a grip safety.  If you notice the magazine on these guns have a wide base.  The base is below the frame.  The early version looked exactly like the model VII .  Some later models were marked by Stoeger as 38 Super on the right side of the slide and are marked 9mm/38 on the left side by Llama.  What model this makes them is not clear as they started life as a Model VII and became an VIII.

.38 Super

Llama IX
 

Llama IXA was produced as a replacement for the IX .45cal - large base mag.  Three vent  first series starting in 1955 at the same time as the IIIA and being made thru 1970.

Two vent Rib second series

Slab sided slide two vent rib  third series

Small base mag

Pic to follow

Llama IX B  - .45 Cal.  This gun is a Colt Commander size gun with a 4 1/4" barrel.   This gun is, satin Chrome and not stainless as most people think they are.  Custom 4S Brand grips as normally they would have a funky plastic grip that falls apart in the screw holes.

 Small base mag

Llama IX C - .45 Cal.   This is a full size gun with a double stack magazine.

Llama IX D - .45 Cal.  This is a Commander size with a double stack magazine.

Llama X - 7.65 blow back, 166mm overall length, no rib on the slide, grip safety, 8 shot magazine, Manufactured thru 1950.

Llama XA - 7.65 blow back, manufactured starting in 1951.  The XA looks much like the IIIA and was the first gun to have a rib, which was solid until 1955. 

Llama XI - 9mm P - 9 shot.  This was the fourth model made and the first 9mm P that was made.  The early model had vertically grooved Walnut grips and the later version had either wood checkered or plastic grips and a slide rib.  The gun is smaller than the other large frame Llama guns in fact it is the size of a Star model A or B, being only .750 wide. This gun was produced in 1976.  The XI was used in the Spanish Civil War, although I dont suppose there were many Spanish guns not used in the Civil War, and adopted by several countries for use.  This is the only gun that deviates from the Colt outward design in the large frame guns made by Gabilondo.  This gun was also produced as the Tauler and Mugica.

Llama XI A - 9mm P - full size gun with 5" barrel

Llama XI B - 9mm P _ Commander size with 4.340" barrel

XII B - .40 caliber

Max I L/F - Deluxe  .45 cal. with a 5.25 inch barrel - Custom 4S Brand grips. Normally they have soft checkered rubber grips that do not last. The LF which stands for long frame came in a variety of finishes.

Max I C/F  - .45 cal  compact frame  4 .340" barrel, parkerized, blue or tutone satin chrome frame and blue slide

Max II L/F   large frame large capacity, parkerized, blue or tutone satin chrome frame and blue slide

MaxII C/F  compact frame large capacity, parkerized ,blue or tutone satin chrome frame and blue slide
 
 

Mini Max - 9mm, .40 cal, .45 cal.  Officers size  with a 7 shot capacity. 
3.50" barrel.  Introduced in 1996.  Custom Grips and trigger.

Mini Max II -  Large capacity double stack magazine

Mini Max sub compact -  .45 caliber 10 shot double stack magazine

Omni .45 cal and 9mm double single action.  Large uncomfortable grip for a small hand because of double stack 13 round mag in 9mm.  This was the most original and sophisticated pistol Llama ever designed, incorporating such unique features as ball bearings for the hammer pivot, separate drawbars for the single and double action sears, a deeply undercut trigger guard to allow high hand positioning for recoil control, a 13-round double-column magazine that tapered to a single column at the top for feed reliability and ease of insertion into the magazine well, and "buttressed" rifling, which used a 2-stage "step-down" from the lands to the grooves, for less bullet deformation and a better gas seal  Most of these features have never been found all together in any other single design, and provide this pistol with an extremely smooth and reliable action. The Omni was written up very favorably in the gun press when introduced in the early 1980's, but it was not a commercial success, primarily because the sophistication of the piece led to production costs, and retail price, that far exceeded many of its more conventional rivals  The list price of the Omni 9mm in the 1983 Gun Digest was $599.99, at a time when the S&W Model 59 listed for only $371.50. While this doomed the commercial prospects of the Omni, it is still a ground-breaking design that deserved more success, and is a very interesting and impressive collectible, not to mention a first-class weapon. 

 

Model 82.  This pistol was developed by Llama in 1986 and was adopted by the Spanish military in 1988.  It is a recoil operated, locked breech semi automatic pistol.  It uses a short recoiling barrel with tilting block, barrel-to-slide locking, much like the Walther P38 or Beretta 92.  The Llama M82 is hammer fired, double action pistol.  Safety is mounted on the slide and when activated, it moves the firing pin out of the reach of the hammer and locks it, then decocks the hammer and also disconnects the trigger bar. The safety does not affect the slide, so it can be cycled and the cartridge chambered with the safety on, but the hammer will not stay in the cocked position.  After that, when the safety is disengaged , the gun will be ready to fire the first shot in Double Action.  All consequent shots will be fired in single action mode.  If so desired, you can also  manually cock the hammer for the first shot, to improve accuracy. The frame and slide of the M82 is made from steel, so the gun is relatively heavy, but strong. The trigger guard is shaped for a better two-hand hold, and the sights are fixed. The double stack magazine hold 15 rounds plus one in the chamber.

Llama model 87 Competition 9mm.  This gun is much the same as the model 82 but was built under contract by Beretta for Llama.