Llama Martial .38 Special Double-Action Wheelgun

Llama firearms were no strangers to American shores for nearly 100 years. Llama Gabilondo y Cia SA is best known for self-loading pistols, beginning with the Ruby .32 ACP types built for the French military.

Llama is less well-known for revolvers. There were various early models produced in Spain under the Llama name. The Martial .38 Special—produced 1969-78—was a well-made and reliable wheelgun based on the Smith & Wesson K-frame revolver.

While based on the K-frame, it also had some unique features. As an example, rather than using the Smith & Wesson leaf spring, many Llama Martial revolvers used a more modern coil spring. While catalogs list the revolvers as being offered with two, four- and six-inch barrels, I have never seen anything other than the four-inch barrel.

After a great deal of research—which is like searching a wasteland—my revolver appears to be a Model 13. All models seem to have been manufactured at more than one plant.

Some are marked “Martial Police.” They will be marked “Acero de Alta Resistencia” or high-strength steel. Interestingly my example is not marked “Martial” as many were. This led to some digging and a mass of contradictions.

For example, when I removed the grips I found the revolver had a leaf spring rather than the aforementioned coil spring. The action is a transfer bar type. According to some reports, this action was adopted by Llama before any other maker.

It features a four-screw sideplate, with the screw in front of the trigger guard that Smith & Wesson used until 1957. The integral ventilated rib mates well to the receiver. There is a positioning mark on both the barrel and the frame to ensure the barrel is properly aligned.

Its fully adjustable rear sight is robust and seems more Colt-like than Smith & Wesson. The front sight is a standard serrated ramp. The hammer is a wide checkered target type. The trigger is also a wide target type with a serrated face.

I believe the trigger and hammer had been polished out to a natural finish at some point. When new, the blue finish would have been quite attractive. The Llama displays more tool marks than comparable American revolvers, but it was not strictly an economy revolver. The grips are not original but well made and nicely checkered with a perfect fit.

Some research into old editions of Gun Digest put the list price of adjustable-sight Llama revolvers at $139 at a time when a new Smith & Wesson Model Ten revolver was $114 (1976). The Ruger Security Six was a little less expensive as well. No wonder the Llama did not prosper as it went against proven competition without a price advantage.

I have fired the revolver a bit and found it reliable. The double-action trigger is smooth but heavy at about 14 pounds. The single-action trigger breaks at a clean 5.0 pounds.

I shot it with  Remington’s 158-grain lead roundnose and Federal’s 148-grain wadcutter. Firing the revolver double action at seven yards, it wasn’t any problem to keep shots in the X-ring. From the bench at 15 yards, the gun could put wadcutters into 1.5 inches.

The gun is accurate enough for most uses, and it certainly fills the bill for a home-defense firearm, 1970s style. This is a piece of history and an affordable if uncommon revolver on the used market. A used example may command $250 to $400 based on condition.

---