Need help identifying a pistol

P

podmate

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I have recently inherited a few guns from my grandfather.

I have this one old pistol that I cannot identify or determine the value for (insurance purposes only, I'm not selling these guns).

It is a 7.65 caliber semi-auto with "AUTOMATIC PISTOL REPUBLIC PATENT" stamped on one side and the serial, 44270, stamped on the other. There are no further identifying marks that I can see.

I seem to remember him having it when I was a young kid in the early 70's, but it could have been a different gun.

I have very large (beware dial up users) and small pics of the gun.

Side A:
Small: http://podmate.com/images/guns/republic_pistol/republic_a_small.jpg
Very Large: http://podmate.com/images/guns/republic_pistol/republic_a_very_large.jpg

Side B:
Small: http://podmate.com/images/guns/republic_pistol/republic_b_small.jpg
Very Large: http://podmate.com/images/guns/republic_pistol/republic_b_very_large.jpg

Yes, I know it needs a good cleaning. I have already gone over it twice and gotta keep working on it.

Any help would be most appreciated.
 
Looks like a Spanish "Ruby":

Ruby.jpg
 
It is a typical Spanish " Ruby " type Eibar pistol, maker unknown. After WWI there suddenly a large number of cottage type Spanish gun makers in the Eibar region who where out of work. They turned to making inexpensive automatics based on the Browning systems and copies of both Colt and S&W revolvers. These were sold in the US until 1936, only 4 Spanish gun makers survived the Spanish Civil War. In many cases the makers can be identified, in others only a guess can be made. The steel in these Spanish guns is always suspect. Many of the small makers used "cast steel" and the parts were not hardened . They have a very fast wear factor and there are no parts source. Even if you found a parts gun of the same make and model, there is no guarantee that the parts will interchange. They were made one at a time with a lot of hand fitting ( read hammer and file ), Value is minimum. Because of the unknown parentage, if like new 200, as yours in the picture, maybe 100. could be wrong, might be higer or lower. In any case I would not shoot it very much.
 
Great!
I knew the pistol was old, so it was never going to be anything more than a display piece. Now, there will be no temptation to 'just try it out'.

Thanks!
 
I've read that there are a few collectors of Ruby pistols, beings as they are cheap and were made in so many variations it should be fun.
"Pistols of The World" by Hoggs and Weeks doesn't show a Republic that I can see, but say this about them.
7.65 MM caliber, length 130 MM, weight 603 grm, barrel 80 MM, mag capacity 9, and finally; "May be made by Arrizabalaga, Eibar. 'Model 1914'".
 
If you look closely on most Rubies, there'll be a two-letter stamp like "AH" or "ZH", etc. (often on the back of the frame, above where the web of your hand would sit) that will tell you the true manufacturer; since many of these were built on military contract for the French, that will often be the only indicator of the manuifacturer.
 
I gave the gun a very close inspection and I cannot find any other markings on the outside of the gun.

I did 'cock' the gun and when the barrel was exposed I can see a single 'L' on the silver barrel.

I suppose I could take it apart and check for more markings, but I'm not that interested since this gun will never be fired.
 
You should look into it more, some of these guns have interesting stories, and not all of them are poorly made. They were big with WWI trench-raiders (or at least the ones who couldn't get ahold of a 1911), and they saw a lot of interesting use all the way until well after WW2. Yours probably didn't see WWI use if it doesn't have some kind of military marking (usually French as I understand it), but you won't know for sure until you dig into it more.

Sometimes marks are hard to spot, it may look like a manufacturing defect or random blemish until you look at it closely. If it's a little star or triangle or other meaningful dingus, you are on your way to finding out something about the pistol.

There are websites out there with info. Search around.
 
Check with Bob in St Louis, ( Curio and relic forum ) he's the expert on Spanish pistols. The pictured automatic is not a "Ruby" contract pistol. Other than the lack of French military markings which of course it is missing, all the French contract pistols had extended magazines. Please don't get someones hopes up that they have a rare or scarce firearm, There is a Spanish pistol with the Model name Ruby,made by Gabilondo, however all Spanish pistols made between 1920 and 1936 are called ""Rubys", In the 1920 and 1930s these pistols sold for as little as 2 dollars. There were and are several prestigious gun makers in Spain { well not so many since Star, Llama,and Astra bit the dust } but their hand guns are well marked.::)
 
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RJay wrote: "The steel in these Spanish guns is always suspect. Many of the small makers used 'cast steel'." He is being charitable. Many Spanish guns of that period, especially the "no name" ones, were made of cheap pot metal, AKA cast iron, so called because it is the same material they made cook pots out of. Some will work fine, at least for a while, but they are not quality guns and, IMHO, not anything to be depended on for any serious purpose.

Jim
 
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