Argentine 1911 .45ACP

D

DCloudy777

New member
I just found a 1911 that I'm thinking about buying... (okay, okay, I already bought it, and now I'm asking questions :rolleyes: ) It's Argentinian, marked like a Sistema, (SIST COLT 1927, Ejercito Argentino, that kind of thing. All the serial numbers match on the frame, slide and barrel. The finish appears to be a mil-spec Parkerizied kinda deal, and is in pretty good shape. Everything looks pretty GI, except for the funky Pachmyer grip that's history as soon as I find a replacement. Anyway, can anybody tell me more about these pistols? This is my first 1911, and I don't know much about the genre. I paid $200 for the gun, an 8-round McCormick mag, and a box of UMC hardball. How did I do? Any inout will be appreciated, thanks in advance.

DanO
 
You did very well! These are decent mil-spec 1911's made in Argentina on Colt equipment to Colt specs. You have the equivalent of a "grade 1" that normally sells for for $300 via a couple of places. Check out cruffler.com for more details. You even avoided the cost of replacing the feeble magazine that usually comes with these. I purchased several McC mags for mine.

Best Regards,
Jim
 
Argentina manufactured them under the license and supervision of Colt. The parts interchange. For all intent, it`s a Colt. Not a collectible as you probably figured out but someday? CDNN has them for sale for $299 so yes, you got a good deal. Enjoy it.
 
You done good. Most of the better ones go for $300.00+.

These guns were made in Argentina(DGFM-FMAP,factory markings)under Colt's license,and with Colt's supervision,from 1927-1960.They are identical to pre-war Colts,and all parts will interchange with the 1911A1.Most of what we're getting now are arsenal re-works.

Look your gun over carefully,because many of these babies have had a few gillion rounds fired through them.I changed the barrel,recoil spring,extractor,disconnector,hammer,sear,and trigger in mine before I was happy with it.That doesn't mean yours needs all that,though.You've already got the magazine,that's a plus-for some reason,all of them come with crapola mags(whole-lotta-bullets?).

It'll make a good,reliable,sturdy shooter.
 
Nice catch, I paid $299 for this one, you seem to have done better.

Sistema_1927.jpg
 
These guns are quite strong and they have only been retired for ten years or less by the Argentine army and some other armed forces (provinical police, gendarmerie, etc). The M1927 it's a M1911A. They still had some in service during the Malvinas/Falkland war back in '82. They're still faily common here.
There are some that were made directly by Colt and imported, there are some made under license with Colt's machinery and tools and there are the latest batch that are those called Sistema Colt that i believe, not sure, that were just clones. I mean by this that the license had expired.

Argentina did almost the same thing with the Browning Hi power, the standart police sidearm. It's now officially a "clone" and no longer a licensed reproduction.

NB
 
If you run across one of these with a "C" prefix to the serial number, they're of Colt manufacture and exported south.

Art
 
Johnwill - I never get sick of seeing that picture. What a beauty..

A guy at a local gun store told me that the Sistema Colts are really series 80 as they have the firing pin block in them. Can anyone confirm this? I thought they didn't have it as they are similar to a pre-war Colt. Mind you, this is coming from the guy who was trying to get me to buy his $1000 Garand because he said the CMP (after I brought it up) Garand are just thrown together and aren't good.

By the way, another store up the road has an Argentine 1911 beater. No finish, very loose, a steal at $399!!!

Some of these guys are outta control.
 
The Sistema 1927 does not have the firing pin block, but it is a 100% WW2 Colt 1911 copy, made under license from Colt. You can have all the 1927's that you want for $299 that look like mine, so I think that $399 is a bit steep for beater. :)
 
Paid around $325 for my Sistema with tax and dealer cost. Added some rosewood grips to it, but can't decide whether I like the original plastic or go with the wood grips. What do you people think.
200111115763450118538684.jpg

200111217356451986946956.jpg
 
Is the finish in those guns as impecable as it looks on the pics?
The ones we see here (and sell more or less for the same money you guys pay for them) are mostly beaten up, as loose as the can be without falling apart or a litt;e more expensive but with a new, sometimes no too nice, blueing.

If i remember correctly, the Sistema Colt are the guns made under license, the others you can still find here are either Colts and say so or DGSM (FMAP) or something of the sort. These last are the - unlicensed - clones.

So, Colts ARE Colts, the others (Sistema and DGFM) were made with Colt machinery and tools. Still looking for any references to back this up.

NB
 
Johnwill and Ar-snpr,
Where did you get your Sistema's? Cruffler says they are getting them in, but do not have any. JLD (where cruffler gets them from), is taking orders and says they're coming soon on their website. CDNN has them in their new catalog, but I haven't called to see if they are actually there.

Ar- I like the plastic grips, or at least the look of them. I understand some folks have gotten real wood on their Sistemas instead of plastic. That would be cool if they had the same ol' look
 
I've got one, and like every one I've ever seen the lanyard loop was bent when I bought It. Don't they have hammers in the Argentine army?
 
I bought the select version from Cruffler.com, and I had to wait almost three months for shipment. This was about a year ago. I think they come in batches and they ship them when they get them. I'd get an order into JLD or Cruffler and just wait it out.
 
Bought the Sistema through CDNN. The only problem I see when I got the pistol, is the hammer is a different color. Like a brown color instead of the black.
 
Bought this girl through Adam at Cruffler and added a few thing to make it more concealed carry friendly.
Systema.jpg
 
Last edited:
Popeye,

> Don't they have hammers in the Argentine army?

It's hard to tell, the sorriest sight i ever saw in my shooter's life was a cop (argie) using the ejection port of his Hi power as a bottle opener!:barf:

NB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top