i messed up..... got a Ballester Molina 1911 clone

[paintballdude902]

so i was looking at multiple pistols on gunbroker and accidently bid on the wrong one.... well this morning i found out i won it... shoot...
i am the new owner of a some what trashed 1911(ish) clone.......

plan will be to refinish the metal, find some wrap around grips, and decide if i want to keep it or not.

heres the pics












300 bucks plus shipping and transfer fee. so im looking at 350 bucks total.

someone cheer me up and make me feel better :banghead:

 

[lobo9er]

looks like a great truck gun if you get it shoot'n.

 

[TurtlePhish]

...I'm sure it USED to be pretty...

 

[txgunsuscg]

Well, oops, I guess, but the good news is you can replace the grips (Numrich has them for around $25). Don't know if you can find wrap around grips, as it doesn't take 1911 grips as far as I know, or any 1911 parts other than mag, barrel, bushing, and link/link pin. At least re-finishing shouldn't set you back too bad... I'd be willing to take it off your hands, but not for $350.... The gun will look pretty good once you re-finish it, and you could probably use the slip on rubber grips over the wood panels... Honestly, I wouldn't say you messed up, you just got a Christmas surprise....

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It is reputedly an OK gun (in good shape), but although clearly 1911-inspired, it is not a clone. The lockwork is more like the Spanish Star pistols (note the lack of a grip safety). Magazines do interchange, and barrels and links might.

 

[amd6547]

Ballester Molinas are great shooting pistols. The one I owned fed JHPs with no problems, and you can use standard 1911 mags.
There are wrap around grips for the Ballester made in Argentina, I think. They show up on eBay a lot.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Might be a neat fixer upper project gun

But not at three and a half OUCH!

posted via tapatalk using android.

 

[txgunsuscg]

http://www.grips4u.net/index.php?cPath=44&osCsid=e88905418cec9b3355daedf9cf5e2340 Some nice English walnut checkered grips. Mix that with a nice blue job, and it will probably look pretty good.

 

[Konstantin835]

My Spanish isn't the best but doesn't "ejercito" mean army? Maybe is has some cool historical value.

 

[ET]

I wish I ended up with a gun every time I messed up!!! Hey it's better than ending up with another kid after doing something you weren't supposed to do. Be happy with the gun. It could have been oh so much worse...

 

[Furncliff]

The temptation to lavish some love on that puppy is great, but I wouldn't. I'd get a smith to check it out, maybe smooth it if it was needed, then I'd shoot the snot out of it. I guess I have a weak spot for unwashed strays.

 

[Japle]

I've got one I bought several years ago for $350. It shoots very well, as long as you can deal with the tiny sights.

 

[krupparms]

I have a nice B.M. made for ARG. Navy. It is got nice park. fin.& it is one of my favorite shooters. It handles great! I put a set of meprolite nite sights on it & a set of rubber finger grooves grips. ( I will see if I can find out where I got them&post the address. ) I like these guns as they can be as accurate a 1911A1! If it shoots well it will make a good carry pistol not a bad deal as you might think! Marry X-MAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[Maia007]

I have shot several and own one. They're not bad shooters. Not at all. Most of them have poor finishes.

Try buying a 1911, or any other .45, for that price. Barrel, bushing, mag interchanges. Grips definitely do not.

350 for one in your condition is a bit steep (thanks to the transfer fee), but still, not terrible for a gun that will likely shoot pretty well. Yours looks like it might have some sort of crappy, modern spray on finish. But that can be removed easily enough. I would take that off down to bare metal with a very, very fine wire wheel. It will improve the looks immensely.

I might think about a cheap, but lasting refinish, such as parkerizing and a new set of grips.

Have fun with it and see how it shoots before you get too bummed.

 

[beatledog7]

What if it turns out to be a real sleeper? Seems like real bargain then, eh?

 

[mgmorden]

I'd say look at Japle's and think of what it might become, rather than what it currently is .

With some new grips and a reblue (or Duracoat, etc - whatever finish fits your fancy) it probably wouldn't turn out too bad.

On the plus side its C&R eligible. If you don't want to keep it you can probably find a buyer relatively easily.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I wouldn't bother to refinish it, you'll just be that much more into it. Buy some grips, shoot it and throw it in the toolbox as a lesson learned. Or, conversely, sell it or trade it off.

 

[W.E.G.]

Take this as a sign.

You need to block Gunbroker on your browser.

An intervention may be imminent.

 

[Old Fuff]

Well for $350 you got a somewhat beat-up pistol, but the frame, slide and barrel are made from machined steel forgings. There are no castings or MIM parts in it. The manual safety system is more reliable then that in the 1911 platform, and there is no grip safety to contend with. You will likely find that the hammer dorsn't bite. The trigger doesn't slide, it pivots - which means the leverage makes the trigger feel lighter then it really is.

Don't like the sights? Those that fit the 1911A1 will fit it too. As pointed out, Colt magazines work fine. All and all, you didn't do as bad as you think you did.

 

[paintballdude902]

i actually had a window open for a ruger security six that i wanted... but now i got this. i still plan on refinishing it but just a cheap park or maybe a blueing job while im home on leave for christmas.

there is no way i wont refinish it.... do u realize how embarrassed id be to check that in and out of the armory i mean, i love my enfield and theyre ugly.... but man this thing is UGLY hahaha.

old fuff - wasnt aware of the sight interchangeability might end up picking a set up.

now im stuck buying more reloading stuff LOL. i have .38 dies so i wanted to pick up a .38 but now i need .45acp dies. maybe i will go through my old dies i dont really use and trade them off.

oh well now ive just got one more barrel i have to feed.

 

[krupparms]

I agree with the advice you have been given! I looked for the article that was about the B.M. I could not find it. I believe that I got the rubber finger grips from a Co. called. ( S.I.L.E.) I think it was in Shotgun - News Mag. But memory on that might be wrong? But it is worth it! Nite sights are another thing to consider & the refinishing job, thats about $180+cost of refinishing, that depends on refinishing it the way you want. If it shoots well the extra money will be worth it. Most of the one's I have shot did quite well! Some of the production went to G.B. for the war in North Africa. These guns have a ( B ) on the front of SR. NO. I saw on the photo what looked like import mark. Good luck with the gun! Have fun! Be safe! Marry X-MAS &Happy New Year! Pray for the men &women in the Service and the Others that keep us safe &FREE !

 

[Bovice]

Wow. That gun looks like poop. Why didn't you just NOT buy it? So the account on gunbroker gets deleted/locked, you get bad feedback, whatever. You just threw $300 on a gun that looks like it's liable to fall apart on a windy day.

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

I respect him for buying it, I dont think i would buy a gun that I accidently clicked on....

 

[PabloJ]

Why :banghead:. There is nothing wrong with IMPROVED version of 1911. Bolsheviks called their version TT30 and TT33 and this gun is head and shoulders above those. Just replace those grip panels and enjoy your fine new firearm.

 

[mgmorden]

You just threw $300 on a gun that looks like it's liable to fall apart on a windy day.

I'm sure a refinish and it wouldn't look bad at all .

Truthfully it all depends on how spiffy you want to get - if you stripped it down, degreased, and did a careful job with a bottle of cold-blue it would probably look better than it does now, and you're only out some time and less than $10.

Similarly if you duracoated it yourself you're probably out less than $10 too.

Grips look like they're about $30 or so aftermarket for a nice set. Of course looking at them, they're completely flat on the back - no inset pieces to carve out or anything. You just need a slab of wood the right shape with beveled edges. If you have access to a wood planer our a router with a trade bit just making a homemade replacement set probably wouldn't be all that hard of a task.

Treat it like a learning tool. I'd bet if you put some sweat-equity into this and make it look nice on your own it'll turn out to be one of your favorites .