Argentina's BALLESTER-MOLINA PISTOL

Guns Magazine, Feb, 2001 by Gene Gangarosa, Jr.

A unique convergence of design elements makes this Argentine pistol a real collector's piece -- and a very enjoyable shooter.

Argentina's armed force used the Colt Model 1911 pistol for many years -- the Argentine Navy purchased 321 Government Model handguns in 1914 and then formally adopted it as the "Modello 1916." The Argentine army ordered another 10,000 Model 1911s, which were delivered in May 1919.

In 1927, Argentina ordered additional pistols from Colt. The resultant "Modello 1927" featured the 1911A1 modifications recently adopted by the United States Army. After Colt delivered 10,000, the Argentine government built 74,866 more at its "Domingo Matheu" factory in Rosario.

As the Argentines built the Modello 1927, engineers suggested a few changes to simplify production, though these changes did not appear in the Modello 1927. One of these engineers was Dr. Arturo Ballester of the Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles, S.A (HAFDASA) of Buenos Aires, a firm created in 1929 by Ballester and Eugenio Molina to build cars, buses, trucks and diesel engines.

Meanwhile, z the Bonifacio Echeverria factory in Spain was building a series of Model 1911 clones known as the "Star" pistols. Though based on Colt's design, the Star lacked some of its refinements, making it easier to produce. The .45 caliber Star Model P influenced the Ballester-Molina pistol's design.

In 1937, with war clouds gathering ominously over Europe and Asia, the Argentine military gave HAFDASA a pistol contract. The resultant pistol is known variously as the Ballester-Rigaud, Ballester-Molina or HAEDASA, and was the HAFDASA firm's first gun.

Foreign Yet Familiar

The Ballester-Molina is virtually the same size and shape as the U.S. Model 1911A1: 8.5" long, with a 5" barrel and a 36-oz. unloaded weight. The Ballester-Molina uses the same seven-shot magazine as the M1911A1, and all operating controls are in the same locations.

The Ballester-Molina differs from the Model 1911A1 in lacking a grip safety and in using a pivoting trigger rather than a sliding type; however, the serrations used to operate the Ballester-Molina pistol's slide are most distinctive. Instead of the M1911's 18 evenly spaced vertical serrations, the Ballester-Molina's eight slide serrations appear in three groups, with three in the forward group, three in the middle and two in the rearmost group.

The hardwood stocks use a distinctive pattern of 19 vertical serrations. The stocks are also thicker than those of a Model 1911, so the pistol feels slightly wider. The trigger guard is slightly narrower at the front than the Model 1911's; neither pistol is well-suited to handling while the shooter is wearing heavy gloves, an unfortunate omission shared by most contemporary military handguns.

Another problem the Ballester-Molina shares with contemporary military pistols is undersized sights. Operation of the Ballester-Molina pistol, including shooting and field-stripping, is identical to the Colt Model 1911.

The Ballester-Molina's internal mechanical changes from the M191 include a shorter hammer strut, a firing-pin stop without relief cuts on its sides and a larger-diameter safety lock pin. While none of these changes alter the Ballester-Molina pistol's handling, they greatly degrade parts interchangeability between a Ballester-Molina and an Argentine Modello 1927 or U.S. Model 1911A1. A Ballester-Molina slide will fit loosely and function on a Colt or equivalent Argentine-made frame, but a Ballester-Molina frame is too wide to accept a Model 1911 slide.

The Ballester-Molina is well-made, with a highly polished blue-black finish. A "Ballester-Rigaud" (Rorice Rigaud being the chief engineer) slide marking disappeared after 1939 in favor of the better-known "Ballester-Molina" slide inscription.

The right side of the slide may include an Argentine government crest just ahead of the slide serrations. Also on the right side of the slide, the name of an official Argentine military or police agency may appear.

Serial numbers occur inside the slide (visible only when the slide is removed from the frame) and on the left side of the mainspring housing on the frame. An issue number may also appear on the top of the slide, ahead of the rear sight.

In addition to the standard .45 caliber service pistol, from 1940 to 1953 HAFDASA also produced smaller numbers of .22 Long Rifle Ballester-Molinas. Identical in size and appearance to the .45 caliber weapon, these used a blowback bolt to accommodate the lower recoil of the rimfire cartridge. These guns were issued for training to Argentine military and police agencies. Compared to the .45 caliber service pistol, .22s are rare today due to limited production.

Into The Fray

The Ballester-Molina's appearance was timely, and the Argentine government lost no time in issuing the pistol, first to military units, followed by police issue. While Argentina managed to stay out of World War II, many Ballester-Molina pistols made it to the fighting.

In 1940, the British Purchasing Commission visited the Americas to buy war materials. Fresh from their forced evacuation at Dunkirk, where British soldiers had escaped but left their equipment behind, the British bought every firearm they could.