Llama Model XVII Especial
Llama Gabilondo y Cia · Pistol · Discontinued · 1963
Also known as: Llama XVII Especial, Model XVII, Llama .22 Short Especial
Overview
The Llama Model XVII Especial is a vest-pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol chambered in .22 Short, manufactured by the Spanish firm Gabilondo y Cia under the Llama brand. It is a scaled-down version of the small-frame Llama Model XV, styled after the Colt M1911 with a manual thumb safety, a grip safety, and an exposed hammer, but shrunk to the proportions of a pocket gun. Like the other rimfire Llamas, it uses a simple blowback action rather than a locked breech, feeding from a small detachable box magazine. The finger-contoured grip and diminutive frame made it an easily concealed plinking and personal-defense arm, one of the compact rimfire members of Llama's mid-20th-century Especial line of miniature 1911-pattern pistols.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 540 g (19.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 160 mm (6.30") |
| Barrel Length | 90 mm (3.54") |
| Height | 108 mm (4.25") |
| Width | 30 mm (1.18") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 240 m/s (787 fps) |
| Effective Range | 15 m (16 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Short · primary — also known as .22 Short, 5.6mm Short
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Thumb Safety, Grip Safety
- Features: 1911 Style Grip, Vest Pocket Size, Finger Contoured Grip
Production
Production years: 1963-1969
Produced roughly 1963-1969; sales into the US ended with the Gun Control Act of 1968, which barred import of such small pocket pistols.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Discontinued: 1969
Notes
One of the smallest members of Llama's Especial small-frame family; the .22 Short chambering also appeared in the related BE-XVII, CE-XVII and G-XVII variants.
Background
Gabilondo y Cia, founded in 1904 in the Basque gunmaking town of Eibar, built its Llama brand around compact Colt-style pistols. The rimfire Especial models like the XVII miniaturized the classic 1911 silhouette into pocket-sized plinkers and defensive guns for the civilian market.