Ballester-Molina

The Ballester-Molina (also known as the "HAFDASA" after the manufacturer - Hispano Argentine Fabrica de Automotives SA of Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-produced copy of the American Colt M1911 .45 caliber pistol. The Ballester-Molina is nearly indistinguishable from the American forerunner outwardly and only contains a few internal modifications to set it apart from its American master.

The Argentine military depended for decades on the foreign-produced Mannlicher M1905 and, later, the Colt M1911 (known as the Pistola Automatica Modelo 1916 - "Automatic Pistol Model 1916") pistols. The M1911A1 soon followed as the Pistola Colt Modelo 1927 which led to the decision for Argentina to try its hand at developing a localized and less-expensive version of the proven .45 caliber manstopper.

As with most copies of originals, the Ballester Molina does not exactly supersede the M1911 series in most ways but is a capable replacement that is much respected. The Molina keeps the successful Browning breech system intact, but does away with the grip safety (a frame-mounted manual safety is provided instead) and sports minor changes to the pistol grip. The locking system follows the M1911A1 model quite closely and the trigger works in a two-stage single action fashion on a pivot rather than a slide as on the M1911 series. Both the Molina and the M1911 share the same barrel, recoil spring and 7-round detachable box magazine. The Molina is also a semi-automatic, recoil-operated pistol. The pistol grip of the Molina is also noted as better for use by smaller hands.

Argentina presented the Molina to their police forces while a handful were sold to British Special Forces agents in World War 2. Production of Molina's ran from 1927 through 1955 and, in addition to its use in World War 2, has seen action in the Falklands War.

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Last Updated: 1/21/2009