Mid Corona acquisitions

[ithacaartist]

We're part way into the re-opening process here in NYS, which seems to have inspired amnesia in many residents. The basic guidelines for mitigating the virus' spread are in many cases being flouted in noticeable ways, to the extent that the Governor has said, "What are you doing?" The guidelines are what accomplished the current decline in the numbers of new cases, and disregarding them seriously risks another spike in contagion and death.

Gun dealers are open again, and practicing social distancing, masks, etc. as they should. But I was able to have three pistols transferred to me before this relaxation began, under basically the same guidelines, and by doing the paperwork via mail and email.

I now have two examples of the latest iteration of the Llama Micromax .380, and I thought I'd give a brief review.

The first one I received was satisfying. The new sights are easy to see/use, with a fiber optic element on the front and a nice notch on the back that is flanked by two white dots. The trigger is crisp and on the lighter side, so you don't feel like you're trying to move a piano with your finger. This setup made using it on my back yard range seem easy, with very acceptable recoil and good function, to boot...and I got decent accuracy right out of the box. It has very nice fit, far from being a rattle-trap as some 1911-style renditions can be. Its finish is the current standard satin. The extension at the bottom of the mag works well for my hand, and it's comfortable to grip with all four fingers.

The second example, not quite as successful. On the positive side, this auction lot came with two factory mags, an owner's manual, and a factory plastic case for only $30 more than the first one. The ambidextrous thumb safety lever on this one, however, doesn't maintain its position very well, and while firing a shot, it's influenced by my hand on its right side to come up out of "fire" position just enough to behave like it's on "safe," which is pretty damned annoying. I may have to deepen the detentes for more positive action. It's so floppy, in fact, that the left side of the lever found its way to its removal position and popped off the gun during a shot, allowing the plungers and spring to jump out as well. Fortunately, I was able to recover all the parts from the ground.

Factory mags are a big issue with this gun. I have three between the two, and want at least another couple spares. They've been unavailable for quite some time, and the importer has no idea when they will be available again.

In correspondence with the importer, I've found that these "new" Micromax pistols are now out of production and considered obsolete. It's only been on the market for a couple of years... Only a handful of replacement parts are currently available. This is ironic, indeed. I was interested in these because I liked the older Spanish-made originals, and anticipated parts and/or service to be more available. Alas, they're in the same category as most of my other pistols--Parabellum, Erma, original Llama, Whitney Wolverine, etc. Further irony is that parts for all the others are generally more available than for these "new' guns.

I have a replacement right-side safety lever on the way, with intent to modify one in hopes of eliminating most of its presence on that side of the gun and thus avoid the interference with my hand.