The Unique Ballester-Molina .45: Parts Replacement and Interchangeability

After 30 years of using, dissect ing, repairing, and improving the 1911, I thought I’d seen it all. Of course, whenever I come to a conclusion like that I’m always wrong. That point was brought home to me recently when I had my first experience with the Ballester-Molina .45 semi-auto. While some of this information may be old hat to experienced gunsmiths, I’m guessing that some of the younger readers in particular may not be familiar with this pistol.

The Ballester qualifies as a "1911," as I define it, but it’s not one of the more common variations on John Browning’s design. It differs from the 1911 tribe more than most, being quite similar to various Star pistols. Let’s look at a bit of history before going more deeply into the Ballester. Most of us are familiar with the Argentine Modelo 1927, a license-built Colt clone originally adopted for issue to Argentine troops.

The Colt was adopted by Argentine forces in 1914, with the Modelo 1916 being the first type that was widely issued. Over 10,000 of these pistols were delivered by 1919. The Modelo 1927 is simply an Argentine M1911-A1. With the adoption of the Modelo 1927, Argentina produced almost 75,000 of these clones under its license from Colt. The 1911 was well respected by the Argentine forces, but some members of the military hierarchy had their own ideas about what makes a good combat pistol.

They elected to simplify the design; whether this was a genuine improvement, a means of producing the pistol quickly for less money, or to sidestep the license agreement is not clear. It’s likely that a combination of all three ideas factored into the decision to modify the original design. The resulting pistol is seen as an improvement by some, while others believe the Ballester lacks the Colt’s refinements. The Ballester was produced by HAFDASA or Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles, SA.

This firm There are numerous differences in mechanical particulars. was founded by Messieurs Ballester and Molina to build cars and other vehicles, including diesel buses. A French engineer named Rorice Rigaud was employed by the firm at the time and was instrumental in designing the pistol. The first design team, consisting primarily of Rigaud and Carlos Ballester Molina (a member of both the Ballester and Molina families) began working on a 1911 variant in 1936.

Among the other weapons manufactured in Argentina by this firm was a version of the Beretta 1918 submachine gun. The simplification of the 1911 pistol was accomplished while maintaining the general feel and appearance of

This linkage seems to be quite robust in action, with many examples surviving hard use. the 1911 Colt, but the differences are considerable. These differences are most apparent in the frame. However, it should be cautioned that the only interchangeable parts between the Ballester and the Colt are the barrels and the magazines. So let’s take a look at the main particulars of the Ballester-Molina. First, and most obvious, the Ballester does away with the 1911’s grip safety.

The wisdom of this decision is debat able; many shooters, myself included, feel that the grip safety is an important advantage of the 1911. Still, this change definitely makes for simpler assembly with less hand fitting. The B-M pistol also uses a pivoting trigger similar to that installed on a number of modern race guns.

The trigger-to-hammer arrangement is similar to that found on the Browning Hi-Power, but the Ballester is more efficient in this area because it does not have to run around a tangent as a result of a thick double-column magazine. The pivoting trigger is generally as smooth as the 1911’s sliding type, and some believe it is superior in issue form. There is no trigger stirrup in this type of action.

It’s often noted that slide serrations of the Ballester differ considerably from the 1911, but this difference is of little practical concern to the gunsmith. As a result of the new trigger arrangement, the hammer strut of the Ballester is shorter than the 1911. And there are other differences. The firing-pin stop is not recessed into the slide, the mainspring housing is integral to the frame; in other words, it is of the arched type and cannot be changed.

Also, you should note that Ballester slides will fit on the Colt frame, but loosely. Colt slides will not fit the wider Ballester frame. When working a B-M, be sure to check for a too-long firing pin. Even though these older pistols have inertial firing pins that are shorter than the firing-pin channel, it’s not uncommon for Spanish and South American pistols to have a firing pin that’s too long. It is a simple matter to check for this dangerous condition.

With the slide locked to the rear or off of the gun, place a pencil or blunt object hard against the back of the slide and observe if the firing pin will protrude. It should not. If it does protrude past the firing-pin channel, then the pin will need to be shortened or replaced. The magazine-release button appears to be standard Colt, but it differs in certain particulars. The safety is considerably different from the Colt’s.

The pin that holds the slide-lock safety is larger, and the safety can be applied with the hammer down or the hammer up, a result of changes in the lock work. The safety bears upon the hammer, locking it directly. The extractor is not standard 1911, although with some fitting it may be possible to make the standard 1911 extractor work. The disconnector is a simple piece of flat steel that is dovetailed into the right side of the receiver.

It works like this: When the slide is out of battery, the disconnector is forced down, and when it is forced down it moves the actuating bar out of engagement with the sear. When the slide returns to battery, the disconnector then moves upward into its recess in the slide. With the disconnector out of the way, the actuating bar is then free to act upon the sear and fire the gun if the trigger is pressed.

Since my first experience with the Ballester-Molina, I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to work on several more of these pistols in order to broaden my knowledge. The first warning I would offer to gunsmiths who attempt to work on these pistols it that there are few parts available, and many of the parts you can find are not new. As for improvements, the standard 1911 sights we like to add to the Colt and its near clones will fit the Ballester, though some machining (continued on page 19)

will probably be required. The same goes for match-grade barrel bushings; be ready to do some fitting. Colt or Bar Sto barrels will fit the Ballester, if so desired. I’ve read that most of these pistols will feed hollowpoint ammunition as issued, and it seems they are more likely than military pistols of U. S. manufacture to do so. Nevertheless, they are not completely reliable with every type of ammunition.

Certain types of hollowpoint ammunition will often take a nose dive when feeding into the Ballester’s chamber. So, if the pistol will be used with exotic bullet styles, it will need a careful chamber polish. When working with the trigger action, it should be noted that the parts are tough but are still breakable. A friend of mine used his already well-worn B-M pistol until the sear broke. When he could not find a replacement, he eventually made one himself, a tiresome effort.

When working with the trigger action of the Ballester, the movement of the trigger, draw bar, and slide-mounted disconnector should be studied. Remember, the trigger pivots rather than slides straight to the rear. In this regard, it differs even from the Star pistol that the Ballester-Molina is supposedly modeled after. The mating surfaces of the hammer and sear can be polished, but the Argentine metal is harder than Colt’s of a similar vintage, and can be difficult to polish correctly.

When working with the Modelo 1927 pistol, I’ve found it more profitable to simply replace parts to achieve a smoother operation than to attempt to work with the original Argentine steel. This is not an option with the much different Ballester. In this case, the gunsmith will probably have to work carefully with the stock parts to achieve a crisp let off. In my experience, shooters who use this gun extensively find it to be reasonably accurate and generally reliable.

If the gun is in good shape, there is no reason it cannot serve as a recreational shooter or even a home-defense handgun. After all, it is—or was at one time—a high-quality military .45 auto. But having been in military service, many of these handguns are worn from years of use. Many, according to my sources, were in use from 1939 to 1982. That’s quite a spread of years, especially considering the pistols were probably fired in yearly qualification.

Overall, the Ballester-Molina is quite a handgun—well made of good material—but it does not offer the interchangeability of parts with the M1911-A1. If you take on the task of repairing or reworking one of these, don’t count on dipping into the 1911 bin for spare parts. You will have to scrounge a bit or else be very creative. But that, of course, is why we get the big bucks, right? ■