Browning Black Label

There were a couple threads from guys that had them and there were some issues.

Not sure if they were ever sorted out but something to keep in mind.

Hopefully some of them will chime in.

I want one. The compact model with the 3.6” barrel is the one that really catches my eye. If it was 9mm I’d already have it.

Rock island also makes one called “the baby rock” and there was a South American company called Llama that made one too. I see the llama’s pretty frequently at gun shows but I think they were not the greatest quality gun from what I’ve been told.

The Browning action is more akin to the Series 80. It has a plastic frame and a magazine disconnect. I will pass.

The RIA Baby Rock is supposed to be a nice one. Have not held one yet, but I like what I am reading, I don't like the exposed extractor, but I can live with it.

greg_r said:

The Browning action is more akin to the Series 80. It has a plastic frame and a magazine disconnect. I will pass.

The RIA Baby Rock is supposed to be a nice one. Have not held one yet, but I like what I am reading, I don't like the exposed extractor, but I can live with it.

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The browning one is aluminum, not plastic. I’ll bet the magazine disconnect comes right out.

someguy2800

On Browning's website they have the frame listed as being made from a "Composite" material with an aluminum sub-frame and slide rails.

The Baby Rock is not a locked-breach short-recoil operating firearm, it is blow-back.

Here's the story of a forum member who had issues with his Browning 1911-380:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...roubleshooting-progress.825942/#post-10635683

Here is another member who had a problem with their Browning 1911-380:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lets-talk-380.835496/page-3#post-10835445

In the same thread though there are forum members who own the Browning 1911-380 and haven't had problems.

bannockburn said:

someguy2800

On Browning's website they have the frame listed as being made from a "Composite" material with an aluminum sub-frame and slide rails.

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Your right, I guess I didn't even notice when I handled one. If the frame is as stiff and durable as the composite pistols I have I'm fine with that. Light is good. If you want steel I guess the baby rock would be something to look into. Never seen one of the baby rocks in person.

I'm not sure what the issue is, my Kahr CM9 has a polymer frame and its held up just fine shooting 9mm. The Glock 42 and 43 have polymer frames, the Pavona has a polymer frame. I can't see a polymer frame being a problem with .380 ACP, but if someone prefers a metal frame then so be it...

someguy2800 said:

...and there was a South American company called Llama that made one too. I see the llama’s pretty frequently at gun shows but I think they were not the greatest quality gun from what I’ve been told.

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I owned one of those Llamas for a short while; got it in package deal.

Drop dead beautiful pistol; looked like a 3/4 scale 1911...

I recall it had some issue that I ended up taking apart the trigger/sear/other stuff to rectify. Parts looked like they'd been made on a clapped-out Bridgeport with a worn out cutter.

Went to knock a couple egregious burrs offa' parts with a jewlers file; stuff was super soft. Like 1018 or maybe something even cheaper.

I buttoned it up and sent it down the road w/o delay.

Have heard that some of them were pretty well-built guns, and others... not so much.

Having worked on Spanish rail equipment, I'm not surprised that their firearms would be of marginal quality

I have one of the very first Black Labels. There wasn't a short barrel version back then. It's reliable, but IMHO it falls short of what a range toy pistol needs to be. My Beretta 84 is just a classier gun. But 1911-380 is significantly softer shooting, and the slide is much easier to rack.

The Browning is defined by its corner-cutting and cheesiness to me.

From the the outside, it's fantastically cute. There's no other miniature 1911 like this. The Colt Government, Llamas, and the like are only remotely similar to the real 1911. When RIA Baby Rock came out, so many folks were writing how it's a miniature 1911. I always was wondering, are these people legally blind? Not only the proportions are wrong, the very grip angle is different. But 1911-380 is perfectly scaled.

But on the inside, oh boy. That white plastic guide rod is just... wow. The lock-up is into the ejection port and the action is not smooth. The serial number plate ruins the right side.

The magazine is also this and that. The design of the bolt stop activation is great, but the lips are much too short. My wife often gets the top round flying out when she slams the magazine in.

I'm not too upset about the magazine disconnect. It works off the mag release button, so it's trivial to defeat.

Is that roll pin there just to keep that S/N plate buttoned down?