91 argie.....again

[444ttd]

i bought a sporterized 91 argie in 7.65x53.......again. now i have three. i think i'll redo the stock(s) and two of them are going to my sons' this Christmas. i'll either convert some '06 brass or grafs should have it. i bought it for franklin buck and half and fedex shipped it(for $50).


91 i just got




2nd argie




my argie(i have a mauser aperture sight put on it)





someday i start doing the 93 mauser in 257 bob......someday

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Gotta love 'em. They were so well made. Such a good cartridge. Another really nice feature is that they're pre-1898. I was in a pawn shop just day before yesterday and they had a cut down similar to yours, but as I have several I didn't handle or price it. I told myself, "No, don't do it. You've already got several of them." Although I was sorely tempted, I turned away from it, toward the pistol case, where I saw a very nice Ballister Molina .45 ACP which I bought instead....

DG

[RustyReel]

Gotta love 'em. Such a good cartridge.

Yep, if they had made it in 7.62mm instead of 7.65mm there would probably never be a .308 Winchester and it would be chambered in every makers rifle and loaded by everyone. What a difference a few mm can make.

[Adam Helmer]

Der Gebirgsjager,

What did you pay for the Ballester? In 1967 I was a poor married GI Bill college student and bought a "Ballerster Mollester" .45 for $44.00 and it became my house gun. I still have her and she shoots my 200 grain cast SWC boollits better than I can hold.

Adam

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Delighted to talk about it! I have two BM experiences (sorry about that, but thought I'd abbreviate!). The first was back about 2000, when many had already been imported at inexpensive prices. But by then the prices had risen considerably to maybe $3-400 each.

So, I was perusing another forum (back before I became a CB Forum junkie) and there was and old fellow, as I am now, who wanted to sell two Argentino Pistolas. He said he need the dough for medical expenses, and I wanted to help him, but didn't have the foggiest what to offer him for one or both. So I sent him an e-mail and offered $500 for the pair. He accepted, seemingly gladly, as he'd had no other action. I think they were still too plentiful at the time.

Back at the time I was working as an armored truck driver, and the driver was never allowed out of the vehicle except for restroom breaks. I was looking forward to a day off, but got called in to work by a desperate manager, so I made a deal that if I could get off the truck at one of the banks we serviced to buy a money order for these BMs I'd come in to work. Agreed. So I went into a bank and got the money order, filled it out, put into a pre-addressed, stamped envelope, and gave it to the teller and asked her to send it out in the bank's mail that afternoon. Well, eventually they arrived, and here they are:


One was a Ballister Molina, but the other a Ballister Rigaud. No difference at all, except the name. Ballister was an engineer at the Hispano Suiza airplane engine factory (think WW I Spads and such), and when the Argentine government decided that they wanted an indigenous .45 Auto he left and formed his own manufacturing company. The first 20,000 or so were Ballister Riguad. Riguad was a Frenchman who was Ballister's son-in-law, but eventually he wanted out of the business, and was replaced as a partner by Molina. History is fascinating. Argentina was once the second economy, behind the U.S., but it was destroyed by Socialism. Anyway, along comes WW II and the ever gun-hungry British Empire wanted some quality pistols that they could issue to their clandestine agents that would not be connected to Britain, so they bought a bunch of BMs. Unlike most firearms to pass through their clutches, the BMs were not reproofed or stamped with a myriad of ordnance stamps. Well, neither of these pistols, Riguad or Molina have any British stamps. So I have always wondered if the old gentleman I purchased them from worked for Great Britain in WW II and kept them. Many of the fascinating historical stories guns might tell if they could do so will never be known.

So, I only had those two. I've always been impressed with their quality, and the Riguad is exceptionally accurate for an ordinary duty level pistol. More of anything (to me) is always good as pertains to guns, but another never came my way until day before yesterday. I had purchased a very nice Llama Extra 9mm Largo from a forum friend, but don't get to town very often, and had to stop by the pawn shop that receives my firearms and fill out the 4473, give thumb prints, and the $30 transfer fee. These are really friendly folks, all ladies, that run the place. Well the manager waited on me, and I reminded her that I've been coming in for about 2 years. During that time there has been this very clean BM in the pistol case. It has character. Lots of silver in the finish, but not beat up looking. What did beat me up was the $800 price tag! So I said, "I don't want to insult you, but that old Ballister has been in the display case for a long time. If you want to move it I'll give you $500."

I figured to experience rejection, like I have from most females, but instead she grabbed it out from amongst the many fantastic plastic wonder 9s and said, "I have to see what we're into it for." She took it over to the other counter and scanned a bar code stuck on the grip with a scanning gun--the kind of thing the checker uses in the supermarket when the item is too big and they don't want to take it out of the cart. She said, "I've got to get $550 for it." "Sold," said I. So she gave me a receipt, and then she told me that Oregon State Police are now 10,000 behind in background checks, and she'd e-mail me when it clears. And, when the Llama clears. I asked this lovely lady, "Want another $30?" "No, sweetie, it's the same transaction."

And, there you have it. My Ballister experiences. Breathing down the neck of age 80, if I don't live to pick it up, you can Adam.

DG

[Texas by God]

I’m still looking for a bargain priced shooter 91 Mauser; I can’t believe that I’ve never owned one.
And I do have my Ballester Molina- as good or better than a Colt( there, I said it.)

[Der Gebirgsjager]

TbG, sooner or later one is bound to come your way. There's a lot of them out there. In fact, I think the US imported Argentina's entire stock in two different huge sales. The craftsmanship of these rifles was/is amazingly good. I've heard that said about other rifles also, but always early model Mausers.

DG

[lead collector]

Nice sported Argi! That barrel is pretty short... what maybe 20 inches?
I have one that looks about like it, except for a 22 inch barrel, and a slightly different shape to the stock.
Mine was sitting on a table with some newer, much nicer, guns, at a show, 4 or 5 years ago.
It did not fit in with the other stuff he had, and when I showed interest, he would not let me leave with out it, so I finally walked away with it for $75.00
Some one had started it, and kind of made a mess of the sights. It had a pretty ugly barrel cut off job too, and no crown.
Oddly enough their wood working skills were pretty good, and I really did nothing to improve that part, except to steel wool, and add a couple coats of Tru-Oil.
I put a set of 700 Remington sights on mine, and my gunsmith crowned the bore, and another guy helped me slow rust blued it.
It shoots pretty good, and I think enough of it, to keep it in my gun safe, and not behind the seat of my truck, as I originally planned to do.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

How's about some photos, lead collector?

DG

[444ttd]

Nice sported Argi! That barrel is pretty short... what maybe 20 inches?
I have one that looks about like it, except for a 22 inch barrel, and a slightly different shape to the stock.
Mine was sitting on a table with some newer, much nicer, guns, at a show, 4 or 5 years ago.
It did not fit in with the other stuff he had, and when I showed interest, he would not let me leave with out it, so I finally walked away with it for $75.00
Some one had started it, and kind of made a mess of the sights. It had a pretty ugly barrel cut off job too, and no crown.
Oddly enough their wood working skills were pretty good, and I really did nothing to improve that part, except to steel wool, and add a couple coats of Tru-Oil.
I put a set of 700 Remington sights on mine, and my gunsmith crowned the bore, and another guy helped me slow rust blued it.
It shoots pretty good, and I think enough of it, to keep it in my gun safe, and not behind the seat of my truck, as I originally planned to do.

its around 20" barrel, i never measured it. the crown is ok and the front sight looks like a remmy. i'll have to use the old dowel method in the forestock after i strip it down(citristrip). this short rifle will be going to youngest(22yo) and son(5'6") this Christmas. the other rifle is going oldest son(6'2" and 27yo).

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello 444ttd,

I've always loved the 1891's, mine was purchased with a broken firing pin.
I think I paid more for the pin than I paid for the rifle.
All numbers matched, until my gunsmith screwed that up and drilled off center for scope mounts.
He replaced the receiver with another, no longer matching.
Fun rifles and get lots of looks at the range.

AntiqueSledMan.

[444ttd]

nice rifle!!!