Hafdasa .22 - Ballester Molina

[Joem]

There are “rare” guns and then there are guns that actually rare. This is one of very few Argentine .22 Service pistols that is not a conversion. This is an unrestored floating Ace style rimfire, produced in the late 1930’s. Not to be confused with the Sistema or Hafdasa 1911’s that were converted to .22, this is one of a couple thousand .22 training pistols ever produced under the Ballister Molina .22 patent. There really isn’t a market value on these, as they don’t really come up for sale very often, but Rock Island had one sell for $3,450 in 2021 (add below). It’s a cool, truly “rare” gun.

 

[Gardner]

That's cool. Where did you find something like that?

How does it shoot?

 

[Joem]

Lots of years collecting and people call me regularly unique arms they come across. I do the same for whatever they are interested in. It’s a good network of people, but it’s getting older by the minute.

It’s a great shooter, really heavy with no recoil. It’s heavier than a loaded Colt 1911 in 45 acp, it was made to be the same weight as the Hafdasa .45 with a full magazine.

 

[JohnFreeman]

I bought a BallBlaster Molina and a Sistema Colt back when JLD was first importing them. Both were good buys and nicely made guns, but I had no idea there was a .22 version. Does yours have an importer mark? I'm wondering if it was imported at the same time (1997 or so maybe?)

Really nice, thanks for posting!

 

[Joem]

I bought a BallBlaster Molina and a Sistema Colt back when JLD was first importing them. Both were good buys and nicely made guns, but I had no idea there was a .22 version. Does yours have an importer mark? I'm wondering if it was imported at the same time (1997 or so maybe?)

Really nice, thanks for posting!

No import marks that I have found. It was acquired by the previous owner in the 1960’s from what I was told, but can’t really verify that or where it was acquired. He had a great collection of items I had never seen in person, I was fortunate enough to be able purchase several of them.

 

[dbarale]

Here’s a Sistema with a .22 conversion that also uses the ACE floating chamber. That was a trainer for the Buenos Aires police department.

 

[JohnFreeman]

>No import marks that I have found.

Thanks for sharing it online. If it came in the country when the Sistema Colts and the Ballister Molinas did, the marking would be obvious. Back in those "salad days" of C&R , nobody took much care in making the marking less obtrusive like some do now.

Dbarale: Thanks for that photo. Any info on it's history? I don't recognize GIA as an importer.

 

[dbarale]

>No import marks that I have found.

Thanks for sharing it online. If it came in the country when the Sistema Colts and the Ballister Molinas did, the marking would be obvious. Back in those "salad days" of C&R , nobody took much care in making the marking less obtrusive like some do now.

Dbarale: Thanks for that photo. Any info on it's history? I don't recognize GIA as an importer.

If I remember correctly it was German American Imports and they went out of business.
This particular gun was brought to me to help diagnose some issues. I tried to buy it but…