The Legend of Argentine Pistols

[BE Mike]

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

Or if I buy one from SARCO, I can coonfinger it all I want.

 

[Thor]

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.

Glad to see this report as I ordered 2 of the "Best" versions from Sarco that I should have here shortly. According to Sarco the best has, well, the best markings. The finish will be original as despite the advertisement on their site there are no arsenal refinished copies left. When you call them to order they do their utmost to tell you these are not pristine pistols. I'm looking forward to what I'll receive with less trepidation now...they almost talked me out of the purchase! They said they have all three levels of pistols still available.

 

[Thor]

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

The Ballester-Molina accepts any standard 1911 magazine.

 

[Thor]

Picked them up today. They are serviceable pistols with clear markings that needed a good cleaning. Unfortunately they came with mismatched grips so I'll either be procuring or making some. The original finish is all gone so I'll probably be doing something about that also before I start carrying them. All in all not bad. I'd upload a pic but apparently I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

 

[Thor]

Well, there we go...

 

[Thor]

let's try for a better resolution...

View attachment 27202

And one during the cleaning...

View attachment 27203

 

[88E30M50]

Very nice! I really need to give them a call too. I'm a sucker for a good project gun and those look like great project guns.

 

[miamigunsinc]

he Ballester Molina inspired by the Spanish Star B pistol rather than the M1911 Colt, but was manufactured in .45 ACP. It has a few parts, such as barrel, magazine, and recoil spring, interchangeable with the M1911.

 

[Thor]

Very nice! I really need to give them a call too. I'm a sucker for a good project gun and those look like great project guns.

That's why I bought them, a unique weapon with an interesting back story. Reportedly accurate and reliable. That they take both 1911 barrels and springs as well as magazines is a bonus for ease of parts interchangeability.

Sarco has changed out the slide and firing pin springs already and the boxes I received had the original springs along with the pistols. I tried some 1911 mags I have and the 8 round ones fit just fine. These should be fun to play with and carry after I get a finish on the metal.

Mine are both marked Policia Federal.

 

[Thor]

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????

I have compared them with my 1911 and other than the fact that they are obviously more worn and smoothed they don't seem to impact the function. New they were probably very comparable.

 

[BE Mike]

One plus is that you won't have to worry about any sharp edges!

 

[Thor]

One plus is that you won't have to worry about any sharp edges!

Well I got that going for me...

 

[Gunaria]

Here's an interesting look BM;

Argentina Molina 45acp 1911 type pistol NR : Curios & Relics at GunBroker.com

 

[BogWalker]

Here's an interesting look BM;

Argentina Molina 45acp 1911 type pistol NR : Curios & Relics at GunBroker.com

Looks like it's set up to be some sort of target or match gun.

 

[Thor]

Looks like it's set up to be some sort of target or match gun.

Sort of...looked a little rough with a "custom' grip and whacked in sights. Might be an improvement if it was in good shape. Maybe.

 

[BE Mike]

Here's an interesting look BM;

Argentina Molina 45acp 1911 type pistol NR : Curios & Relics at GunBroker.com

Wow, that is one heck of a tall front sight!

 

[Thor]

Well, I did a little work on my two over the past couple of days...I think they are ready for a couple more decades of service.


View attachment 27307

View attachment 27308

View attachment 27309



Now I need some nice grips, new grip screws, and many more magazines! Maybe next month.

 

[88E30M50]

Nice work on those. What did you use for the bluing?

 

[Thor]

Nice work on those. What did you use for the bluing?

Thanks. I used Brownells Oxpho Blue.

I bought the 32 oz. size so I could submerge the parts in a bath instead of wiping it on with a swab. It's my first use of the product but I'm very pleased with the consistent, surprisingly smooth and glossy, finish. If it were not for a few dings they would appear almost new.

Those are the Clift Notes. Here's the process I followed based on what I've read about doing a cold or salt blue (these were my first full gun efforts)

1 - Clean the guns with Hoppes #9 then buff the corrosion off with some "Scotchbrite" pads. I used 3 pads each by the time I was done. Used some fine wet sand paper very lightly on a couple of rough areas.

2 - Washed the parts with Denatured Alcohol, used a plastic tray, poured it over the parts and used a clean 11/2" paint brush to get it everywhere.

3 - Baked the parts at 180 deg. F for 20 minutes (until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean :-) )

4 - Removed the parts from the oven in stages so that I could move only what I was bluing to the blue tank straight from the oven.

5 - Let soak in the Oxpho Blue about an estimated minute or until I felt that the color had come up to where I wanted it. Occasionally rocked the tank and/or flipped the larger parts like the frame and slide to make sure there was good coverage.

6 - Using rubber gloves removed the parts straight to a water bath. Let them sit while doing something else for a minute. Swish them around, took them to a shop sink and washed them off rubbing the charcoal like build up. Let dry.

7 - Used very fine steel wool (don't remember the grit because I bought it a long time ago...) to lightly polish the finish.

8 - Sprayed with WD-40 to make sure all the water was out and washed again with Denatured Alcohol. Not sure if both those were necessary but I did it anyway.

9 - Cleaned and buffed everything with a soft cloth and lubricated with Rem Oil and reassembled.

Given the results I am impressed with the outcome. It's better than a lot of others say they have gotten looking almost as good as a factory finish. If I put it on a buffer it would probably be hard to tell it was not a factory finish. The color is consistent and deep. Many posters, and the Brownells site, say that proper preparation is key and given my experience I'd say it's not all that hard either; it did take a few hours time though.

 

[88E30M50]

Thanks for the detailed info. I've used Oxpho Blue before with very good results. I've always struggled to get it even with the cotton ball method and had never thought of dipping the parts. I've also skimped on the prep in that I clean with a good gun cleaner, then scrub with Simple Green and finish with a hot water wash. I need to up my game a bit and stop being lazy with the prep. Your results show that it's worth the effort.