Destined For The Scrap Grinder
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500SNW
Member
"End up in a scrap metal grinder?" As a pro-gunner, that doesn't sound like the type of crowd I'd want to associate with.
BearBio
Member
Since his post is undoubtedly about the quality, a "political" statement seems uncalled for, pro-gunner, or not.
It could be argued that a poor quality, unsafe gun is a poor reflection on firearms in general and are un-needed in society. We need more thinking "pro-gunners" representing us.
It could be argued that a poor quality, unsafe gun is a poor reflection on firearms in general and are un-needed in society. We need more thinking "pro-gunners" representing us.
Texas Star
US Veteran
Why would you put a Ballester-Molina .45 in the scrap heap?! 
These were, for some reason, used in Argentina as well as genuine Colts and licence made Colts before they adopted the Browning Hi-Power, which was then made at the Domingo Matheau arsenal in Rosario.
That one seems to need a refinish and cleaning, but I like those smooth wood grips that resemble olive wood.
The gun's more a copy of the Spanish Star than a true Colt. I have no idea why the slide serrations are so weird.
If indeed it's a veteran as you suppose, it 'll have the Argentine crest on the slide and the words Marina Argentina.
Some were bought by the British in 1940 mainly for Home Guard or SOE use, although I've heard that some were issued in North Africa. I have no idea why those were bought instead of Argentine-produced Colts. Maybe the Ballesters were just more available.
You can read more on the Net, I'm sure, and in, Small Arms of the World, by Smith & Smith or Geoffrey Boothroyd's, The Handgun.Of course, it fires .45 ACP ammo, although it may be marked as for 11.43mm.
These were, for some reason, used in Argentina as well as genuine Colts and licence made Colts before they adopted the Browning Hi-Power, which was then made at the Domingo Matheau arsenal in Rosario.
That one seems to need a refinish and cleaning, but I like those smooth wood grips that resemble olive wood.
The gun's more a copy of the Spanish Star than a true Colt. I have no idea why the slide serrations are so weird.
If indeed it's a veteran as you suppose, it 'll have the Argentine crest on the slide and the words Marina Argentina.
Some were bought by the British in 1940 mainly for Home Guard or SOE use, although I've heard that some were issued in North Africa. I have no idea why those were bought instead of Argentine-produced Colts. Maybe the Ballesters were just more available.
You can read more on the Net, I'm sure, and in, Small Arms of the World, by Smith & Smith or Geoffrey Boothroyd's, The Handgun.Of course, it fires .45 ACP ammo, although it may be marked as for 11.43mm.
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Thank you sir. It's frustrating...and frankly discouraging, to see threads go off in directions they were never intended to go. As you noted, I was simply curious about the pistol itself and hoped someone could shed some light on it...but naturally criticism had to follow from someone who doesn't care to wonder why I cant elaborate any farther on the gun itself, they just want to be critical. I tried a Memorial Day thread over the weekend that immediately turned into criticism on the quality of lawn care. For my response and deletion of that I ended up with more criticism and a 1 point penalty. Again, thank you for your reply, it was needed. At times we as gun owners are our own worst enemies.
sureshotbob
Member
It looks to be a Ballester Ragaud [1st 3 years}/Molina {Hafdasa} .45 acp made from 1937- 1953 . It is a cross between a Colt 1911 and a Spanish Star.
The only parts that will fit from a Colt are the bbl. and magazines. it doesn't have the grip safety like the Colt or Argentinian Systema .
Gary I've had a lot of Colt and other 1911 type guns but my Ballester was alway's my favorite .45 acp.
I've been down sizing due to health reasons and just sold it with a extra slide with modern sights installed for my old eyes.
P/S The story was these were made from the scrap from the German Battle ship Graf Spree but was proven to be not true.
The only parts that will fit from a Colt are the bbl. and magazines. it doesn't have the grip safety like the Colt or Argentinian Systema .
Gary I've had a lot of Colt and other 1911 type guns but my Ballester was alway's my favorite .45 acp.
I've been down sizing due to health reasons and just sold it with a extra slide with modern sights installed for my old eyes.
P/S The story was these were made from the scrap from the German Battle ship Graf Spree but was proven to be not true.
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Sistema1927
US Veteran
Was it seized by a police department as a crime gun? Is that why it might be headed to "Captain Crunch"?
If so, then a sad end to an interesting niche pistol.
If so, then a sad end to an interesting niche pistol.
Now that's something to get depressed about...how many of these real interesting collectables are destroyed annually because they got into the wrong hands, and cant be reintroduced into the right hands?
Interesting background info, thanks Bob
jlrhiner
US Veteran
In the early 80's, I worked as a night shift supervisor at a scrap metal yard. We would run the damnedest things through our shredder.
St. Louis city police brought a dumpster of guns out once. They had to put me in a straight jacket.
3 railroad cars full of Corvettes (with a couple of Buicks) made the trip down the chute, including a Corvette that was "special". It was an "L" something, and we had to use the straight jacket on my head mechanic. (For those that ask "why", some vandals broke into some of the cars to steal their batteries and drained battery acid across the bodies ruining them. Insurance paid off and the items were certified for destruction).
McDonnel-Douglas brought some missiles down once, 6 if my memory is correct. We had armed MP's escort them in and stand by while they were shredded. We ran them through twice, and they took the remains back with them.
Sorry, I wandered off.......
St. Louis city police brought a dumpster of guns out once. They had to put me in a straight jacket.
3 railroad cars full of Corvettes (with a couple of Buicks) made the trip down the chute, including a Corvette that was "special". It was an "L" something, and we had to use the straight jacket on my head mechanic. (For those that ask "why", some vandals broke into some of the cars to steal their batteries and drained battery acid across the bodies ruining them. Insurance paid off and the items were certified for destruction).
McDonnel-Douglas brought some missiles down once, 6 if my memory is correct. We had armed MP's escort them in and stand by while they were shredded. We ran them through twice, and they took the remains back with them.
Sorry, I wandered off.......
I hope they at least gave you a pay bump for mental anguish when you had to pull the lever...or paid for the shrink visit afterwards!
LVSteve
Member
All I see is an old gun that needs a little oil. It it going to the grinder because of Vermont law or is there an obvious fault I have failed to see.
leonardocarrillo
Member
Hola,yo escribo desde Argentina,y quiero felicitar a Texas Star por sus conocimientos,nunca deja de sorprenderme.
La pistola que usted muestra es una Ballester Molina calibre .45 ACP,el arma de la foto perteneció a la Armada Argentina como esta escrito en la corredera,seguramente se trata de una pistola de SURPLUS,que fueron exportadas a los Estados Unidos junto con algunas pistolas Sistema Colt ,como toda arma de rezago quien puede saber los malos tratos que tuvo.
El grip de su pistola no es el original.
Las Ballester Molina se fabricaron entre 1938 y 1953 con un total aproximado de 113.000 armas(no hay datos precisos porque la fabrica ya no existe).La fabrica de estas armas se llamaba HAFDASA(Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automotores Sociedad Anonima).El diseño de esta pistola se basa en la pistola española Star modelo B.
Estas armas se fabricaron casi esclusivamente para proveer a las fuerzas armadas y de seguridad,por esa razon casi todas estan marcadas por ejercito,armada,aeronautica, y varios departamentos de policia.
La pistola Ballester Molina en buen estado de conservacion es un arma exelente,sumamente confiable,y tiene la presicion de cualquier pistola militar de su epoca.
Yo tengo una desde 1983 y es una de las pistolas que tengo destinadas para la defensa de mi domicilio.
Un par de meses atras pude comprear otra Ballester Molina en calibre .22 LR (no hay muchas de estas) y está en un estado increible para un arma de 70 años de antiguedad,blue original,y se nota el poco huso.
Durante la segunda guerra mundial Inglaterra compró unas 10.000 Ballester Molina en calibre .45 ACP para combatir en Africa,como esta pistola no tiene seguro de empuñadura es menos probable que se atasque con la arena del desierto.Pero estas armas nunca las recibieron las tropas del Mariscal Montgomery.
Las pistolas Sistema Colt argentinas se comenzaron a fabricar entre 1945 y 1966 fechas en que la guerra habia terminado.
Se dijo que el acero de las pistolas compradas por Inglaterra fue rescatado de un barco aleman hundidoen la batalla del Rio de la Plata (el Graf Speer
La pistola que usted muestra es una Ballester Molina calibre .45 ACP,el arma de la foto perteneció a la Armada Argentina como esta escrito en la corredera,seguramente se trata de una pistola de SURPLUS,que fueron exportadas a los Estados Unidos junto con algunas pistolas Sistema Colt ,como toda arma de rezago quien puede saber los malos tratos que tuvo.
El grip de su pistola no es el original.
Las Ballester Molina se fabricaron entre 1938 y 1953 con un total aproximado de 113.000 armas(no hay datos precisos porque la fabrica ya no existe).La fabrica de estas armas se llamaba HAFDASA(Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automotores Sociedad Anonima).El diseño de esta pistola se basa en la pistola española Star modelo B.
Estas armas se fabricaron casi esclusivamente para proveer a las fuerzas armadas y de seguridad,por esa razon casi todas estan marcadas por ejercito,armada,aeronautica, y varios departamentos de policia.
La pistola Ballester Molina en buen estado de conservacion es un arma exelente,sumamente confiable,y tiene la presicion de cualquier pistola militar de su epoca.
Yo tengo una desde 1983 y es una de las pistolas que tengo destinadas para la defensa de mi domicilio.
Un par de meses atras pude comprear otra Ballester Molina en calibre .22 LR (no hay muchas de estas) y está en un estado increible para un arma de 70 años de antiguedad,blue original,y se nota el poco huso.
Durante la segunda guerra mundial Inglaterra compró unas 10.000 Ballester Molina en calibre .45 ACP para combatir en Africa,como esta pistola no tiene seguro de empuñadura es menos probable que se atasque con la arena del desierto.Pero estas armas nunca las recibieron las tropas del Mariscal Montgomery.
Las pistolas Sistema Colt argentinas se comenzaron a fabricar entre 1945 y 1966 fechas en que la guerra habia terminado.
Se dijo que el acero de las pistolas compradas por Inglaterra fue rescatado de un barco aleman hundidoen la batalla del Rio de la Plata (el Graf Speer
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leonardocarrillo
Member
pero no es cierto.
Para su conocimiento el cañon y el cargador de la Ballester Molina es intercambiable con la Colt 1911 A1.
Sin querer acabo de cotar mi texto y no quiero hacerlo muy largo poque podria contarles la historia de esta pistola todo el dia.
No sé subir fotos sino mostraria mis Ballaster Molina y al verlas no pensaria un una trituradora de chatarra.
Perdon por escribir en español pero no hablo ingles.
Gracias.
Para su conocimiento el cañon y el cargador de la Ballester Molina es intercambiable con la Colt 1911 A1.
Sin querer acabo de cotar mi texto y no quiero hacerlo muy largo poque podria contarles la historia de esta pistola todo el dia.
No sé subir fotos sino mostraria mis Ballaster Molina y al verlas no pensaria un una trituradora de chatarra.
Perdon por escribir en español pero no hablo ingles.
Gracias.
leonardocarrillo
Member
Para conocimiento del foro en Argentina una Ballester Molina en buenas condiciones de huso se vende entre $600 y $700.
Y hace varios años escuche decir que un coleccionista de Miami pagó $4.000 por una de estas pistolas en exelente estado.
Gracias.
Y hace varios años escuche decir que un coleccionista de Miami pagó $4.000 por una de estas pistolas en exelente estado.
Gracias.
via Google translate:
Hello, I write from Argentina, and I want to congratulate Texas Star for their knowledge, it never ceases to amaze me. The gun you are showing is a Ballester Molina caliber .45 ACP, the weapon of the photo belonged to the Argentine Navy as it is written on the slide, it is surely a SURPLUS pistol, which were exported to the United States along with some colt system guns, like any weapon of delay who can know the bad treatment he had. The grip of your gun is not the original. The Ballester Molina were manufactured between 1938 and 1953 with an approximate total of 113,000 weapons (no precise data because the factory no longer exists). The factory of these weapons was called HAFDASA (Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automotores Sociedad Anonima). This gun is based on the Spanish Star Model B gun. These weapons were manufactured almost exclusively to provide the armed forces and security, for that reason almost all are marked by army, army, aeronautics, and several police departments. The Ballester Molina gun in good state of preservation is an excellent weapon, extremely reliable, and has the precision of any military pistol of its time. I have one since 1983 and it is one of the pistols that I have destined for the defense of my home. A couple of months ago I was able to buy another Ballester Molina in .22 LR caliber (there are not many of these) and it is in an incredible state for a gun of 70 years old, original blue, and it shows the little spindle. During the Second World War England bought some 10,000 Ballester Molina in caliber .45 ACP to fight in Africa, as this gun has no hilt insurance is less likely to get stuck with the desert sand.But these weapons never received the troops of the Marshal Montgomery. The Argentinian Colt System pistols began to be manufactured between 1945 and 1966 when the war was over. It was said that the steel of pistols bought by England was rescued from a German ship sunk in the battle of the Rio de la Plata (the Graf Speer)
but it is not true. For your knowledge, the Ballester Molina cannon and loader is interchangeable with the Colt 1911 A1. Without wanting to just read my text and I do not want to do it very long because I could tell you the story of this gun all day long. I do not know how to upload photos but I would show my Ballaster Molina and when I saw them I would not think of a junk crusher. Sorry to write in Spanish but I do not speak English. Thank you.
For knowledge of the forum in Argentina a Ballester Molina in good condition of spindle sells between $ 600 and $ 700. And several years ago I heard that a collector in Miami paid $ 4,000 for one of these pistols in an excellent state. Thank you.
gman51
Member
Now wouldn't that be a shame if this gun went to the shredder due to lack of knowledge of the gun?
I would have cried seeing Corvettes shredded. Off topic but there were about 400 {number may not be correct} 1983 Corvette newly designed C-4 models made but supposedly only two were not destroyed. One is in the Corvette museum and the other was supposedly given to an auto mechanics school. There was no Corvette released for 1983 because problems could not be remedied in time for a 1983 release date. 1984 was when the first C-4 model Corvette was released to the public for sale. Just fyi.
I would have cried seeing Corvettes shredded. Off topic but there were about 400 {number may not be correct} 1983 Corvette newly designed C-4 models made but supposedly only two were not destroyed. One is in the Corvette museum and the other was supposedly given to an auto mechanics school. There was no Corvette released for 1983 because problems could not be remedied in time for a 1983 release date. 1984 was when the first C-4 model Corvette was released to the public for sale. Just fyi.
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OLDSTER
Member
I understand it is not yours. So please send me a PM, on your friends behalf, and I'll pay the postage and he can send it to me.
Even with all the knowledge shared regarding the pistol itself I am still not sure we have addressed why it is heading for the grinder...
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