The Legend of Argentine Pistols

[indy1919a4]

Oh oh Indiucky Sorry to neglect comment on the holsters,, Those are very very nice.. Some of the Ballester-Molina are some of the nicest 45 Auto Pistol holsters made

 

[indiucky]

WOW INDIUCKY, that is one fantastic looking Ballester I have never seen one so Clean before.. It looks unused...

BUT COME, on you think you can get away with that group shot.. Come on man my eyes are not that good anymore.. PLEASE a little show and tell on the others you have there..

I find it amazing how many different variations and Unit markings they have...

How's that????

 

[1775usmarine]

Because of the article I want one now.

 

[indiucky]

BE Mike, how can I put this . . . as someone who knows Argentine gun nuts, they are just as full of nonsense as the guys at your local gun shop.

In Argentina you say "hablar con los dientes hacia fuera." (to talk with your teeth out--teeth talk)

Si Amigo...Si.....Guilty as charged (on both counts!) Senor Geary de Falls City Firearms es muy loco pedro!!!

 

[BogWalker]

Couldn't get them on the phone today, but I did send an e-mail. I imagine if they were sold out they wouldn't list them on their website, so we'll wait and see what they've got. I forgot to notate that it was for their e-commerce site like they say to so I hope that doesn't cause too much of a problem.

 

[BE Mike]

I love the way it says 11.25 mm for the caliber on the slide of that 1927 Sistema!

 

[calcot7]

Think about it. Would it make any sense to use armor plate in the manufacture of a pistol that did not require that hard of steel? And MI 6 probably knows the truth.

 

[indy1919a4]

Moocho thanks Indiucky, the Air Force Models are really nicely marked...

 

[indy1919a4]

I love the way it says 11.25 mm for the caliber on the slide of that 1927 Sistema!

You know you are shooting a Mans gun when its 11.25 mm.. quite a step up from the 45 cal

But seriously I refuse to believe any one reference that ammo as 11.25.. Like "toss me a box of that 11.25mm" I wonder what the slang/jargon for it was was ?????

 

[IndyDave1776]

It is my understanding that most of the ship was salvaged...Argentines let nothing go to waste. I also believe that divers still go to the wreck and many have been lost doing so..My Mother In Law grew up there and she said she remembers seeing the structure of the "German ship" above water in the early 60's...The Government may have "prohibited" salvage but salvage did continue...Argentina is a funny place and "prohibited" just means you have to give someone a cut of what you find or front them some money...Argentina has no steel to speak of and the only iron there came from a meteor that crashed about 15,000 years ago...The early conquistadors collected fragments from the meteor and planned on starting a forge but the location of the impact site is in the middle of nowhere...

1. The ship is not nor has it ever been in Argentina and/or its territorial waters. Argentina has nothing to do with this story other than hosting the crew who were later transported there from Montevideo for internment for the duration of the war.

2. Only minimal salvage was performed until recently, mostly for the purpose of gathering intelligence during the war.

3. Salvage efforts (which had evaded my attention given that I had not paid attention to the subject for several years) began in 2006 and are ongoing with tensions between salvors and the German government. All of that neat stuff in the photos found in the link posted earlier in the thread have been raised very recently, as evidenced both by reports and by the deplorable condition of the steel.

 

[BogWalker]

You know you are shooting a Mans gun when its 11.25 mm.. quite a step up from the 45 cal

But seriously I refuse to believe any one reference that ammo as 11.25.. Like "toss me a box of that 11.25mm" I wonder what the slang/jargon for it was was ?????

Seems strange especially since .45 is 11.43×23mm. Seems like a pretty significant difference in measurement.

 

[BE Mike]

Seems strange especially since .45 is 11.43×23mm. Seems like a pretty significant difference in measurement.

...and the mysteries grow! Like, calcot7, after reading the article, I believe that MI6 probably has a lot of old musty documents that would shed light on the legend.

 

[indy1919a4]

Golly Moses so many problems could have been averted if the if only the British had purchased the scrap rights through a Montevideo company that keep better records.


Here is just a fun Ballester-Molina read

The Ballester Molina Pistol: Argentina?s Almost 1911


Here are some photos of US Navy personnel on the Graf Spree Wreck shortly after the sinking
(Just as a side note if you like details photos of WW II German naval ships this site is fantastic)

Admiral Graf Spee - Gallery - The Wreck

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Seems strange especially since .45 is 11.43×23mm. Seems like a pretty significant difference in measurement.

Eh, stranger things have happened. What we call 30 caliber bullets are really .308, but .303 (British) are really .311. And 7.62x51 uses .308 projectiles but 7.62x54R uses .311 or .312...

 

[indy1919a4]

Eh, stranger things have happened. What we call 30 caliber bullets are really .308, but .303 (British) are really .311. And 7.62x51 uses .308 projectiles but 7.62x54R uses .311 or .312...

And don't forget 38 caliber being .357 ,, And do not get me started on 44 caliber.. I still feel cheated every time I shoot a 44 magnum, I think someone out there owes me an at least an extra .01 of an inch.

 

[BogWalker]

Eh, stranger things have happened. What we call 30 caliber bullets are really .308, but .303 (British) are really .311. And 7.62x51 uses .308 projectiles but 7.62x54R uses .311 or .312...

Another thing is why so specific? Why .311 and not .310? I mean, why decide it needs to go out to the thousands of an inch? Same with case measurements. Just so oddly specific.

 

[BogWalker]

UPDATE

I finally got around to ordering a Ballester Molina from Sarco. I received it a few days ago.

I ordered the very worn markings pistol. They said there are plenty left in stock. I ordered mine with original finish and was told that it would have less than 10% of finish left. That was no understatement. It practically looks like stainless.

The slide markings are very worn. Sorry for the cruddy photo, with flash there was too much glare off of the bare steel, without flash it's pretty dark. The center two inches or so of the slide markings are entirely worn off.

Fired a few shots in backyard range. Didn't set up any targets so no report on accuracy, but there were no problems in cycling/firing. I did have a problem with the first round not chambering in a 7 round magazine, but when downloaded to 6 it worked fine so that would be a problem with the magazine. I specified I wanted the original magazine with it and the follower spring is fairly rusty on it. No rust on the handgun itself.

The rubber handgrips are comfortable and well fitting (for me at least).

Not sure if I want to refinish or just let it gather a patina.

This gun has seen a ton of use, but it has been well maintained and cared for during that time.

All in all I am happy with it for a $300 .45.


Does anyone know what the mottling on the left side of the slide is? It's not present on the right side or the frame.

 

[indy1919a4]

I really like that finish, it has a nice "been there done that" look.. There seems to be a fair number Ballester Molina Magazines for sale on e-bay

So a question how do you compare the Grasping Groves on the Balister compared to a regular 45 automatic????

 

[BE Mike]

UPDATE

I finally got around to ordering a Ballester Molina from Sarco. I received it a few days ago.

I ordered the very worn markings pistol. They said there are plenty left in stock. I ordered mine with original finish and was told that it would have less than 10% of finish left. That was no understatement. It practically looks like stainless.

The slide markings are very worn. Sorry for the cruddy photo, with flash there was too much glare off of the bare steel, without flash it's pretty dark. The center two inches or so of the slide markings are entirely worn off.

Fired a few shots in backyard range. Didn't set up any targets so no report on accuracy, but there were no problems in cycling/firing. I did have a problem with the first round not chambering in a 7 round magazine, but when downloaded to 6 it worked fine so that would be a problem with the magazine. I specified I wanted the original magazine with it and the follower spring is fairly rusty on it. No rust on the handgun itself.

The rubber handgrips are comfortable and well fitting (for me at least).

Not sure if I want to refinish or just let it gather a patina.

This gun has seen a ton of use, but it has been well maintained and cared for during that time.

All in all I am happy with it for a $300 .45.


Does anyone know what the mottling on the left side of the slide is? It's not present on the right side or the frame.

There's just something special about old well-worn guns. I can't put my finger on it, but I like the look.

 

[IndyDave1776]

There's just something special about old well-worn guns. I can't put my finger on it, but I like the look.

Of course you can't put your finger on it, well, unless you go to BogWalker's house!