The Ballester Molina Pistol: Argentina’s almost 1911
Floating around the surplus firearms market is a gun that is often derided as an ‘unlicensed Colt 1911 copy’. Well the truth is, this gun, the Ballester Molina, was designed from the ground up as an homage to John Browning’s .45ACP classic, and they have a growing legion of collectors.
In 1916, Argentina ordered 10,000 Colt 1911s from the US for their military. Unsurprisingly, they liked those so much that they asked for 10 times as many of a slightly modified version from Colt. These are known today as the Colt Systema Modello 1927. By the 1930s, as the US Great Depression turned global, the Argentine government was looking for more of the same gun, only cheaper. And that’s when a local carmaker named HAFDASA seized the moment.
Read the rest in my column at GUNS.com
