Help me identify this compact Spanish .32

Don Gwinn · April 18, 2001, 07:12 PM

Dad gave me a gun last night, but he did give me a dissassembled, bead blasted gun in a plastic bag. It seems to be all steel (though not the highest-quality steel) and looks, to my eyes, a lot like a Colt. It holds 9+1 rds of .32.

The slide is marked Fa (or is it Pa?) DE MARTIN A. BASCARAN EIBAR. The next line is "MARTIAN" Cal 7.65. The serial number is 32435, which appears to have been marked somewhat haphazardly by hand since the numbers aren't on a straight line.

I'm interested in the history of the weapon, but what I'd really love to find are detailed instructions on how to assemble this thing! Even an exploded parts diagram would be a big help. Near as I can tell, Dad gave me the gun half because he knew I wanted something compact and half because he couldn't remember how to put it back in one piece.
(All the parts are there and function; the gun was in good firing condition and was disassembled only to be bead-blasted and refinished. Also, I've checked the barrel-to-slide fit and it's very tight, so I'm hoping for decent accuracy.)
I'll try to post a picture:

James K · April 18, 2001, 10:11 PM

Those guns are not always easy to reassemble, especially the mainspring and hammer. You could take it to a gunsmith, but the bad news is that what he would charge you to put it together would be about what the gun is worth. Those guns were poorly made of inferior metal (cast iron) and have zero collector value. For serious purposes, they were never reliable and wear out rapidly as they were not made for any long term use. If they lasted through the first box of ammo, that was considered OK.

If you must, start with the trigger, trigger spring and trigger bar, which should still be together. Put them into the gun so the trigger pin will go through the hole above the trigger guard, but before inserting it, put in the safety. If the disconnector is a separate piece, put it in before the trigger and trigger bar. Then insert the sear and sear spring, and then insert the hammer spring and follower down into the hole in the rear of the butt and force the hammer strut down on it until the hole in the hammer lines up with the hole in the frame. Insert the hammer pin. Then insert the firing pin and spring, and the pin that holds the firing pin. Then the extractor, its spring and pin. That should about do it except for inserting the barrel and recoil spring and into the slide, turning the barrel to the unlock position and running the slide onto the frame. Turn the barrel to the lock position and you are done.

Jim

April 18, 2001, 07:12 PM	#1
Don Gwinn Staff Emeritus Join Date: March 9, 2000 Location: Virden, IL Posts: 5,917	Dad gave me a gun last night, but he did give me a dissassembled, bead blasted gun in a plastic bag. It seems to be all steel (though not the highest-quality steel) and looks, to my eyes, a lot like a Colt. It holds 9+1 rds of .32. The slide is marked Fa (or is it Pa?) DE MARTIN A. BASCARAN EIBAR. The next line is "MARTIAN" Cal 7.65. The serial number is 32435, which appears to have been marked somewhat haphazardly by hand since the numbers aren't on a straight line. I'm interested in the history of the weapon, but what I'd really love to find are detailed instructions on how to assemble this thing! Even an exploded parts diagram would be a big help. Near as I can tell, Dad gave me the gun half because he knew I wanted something compact and half because he couldn't remember how to put it back in one piece. (All the parts are there and function; the gun was in good firing condition and was disassembled only to be bead-blasted and refinished. Also, I've checked the barrel-to-slide fit and it's very tight, so I'm hoping for decent accuracy.) I'll try to post a picture:

April 18, 2001, 10:11 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Those guns are not always easy to reassemble, especially the mainspring and hammer. You could take it to a gunsmith, but the bad news is that what he would charge you to put it together would be about what the gun is worth. Those guns were poorly made of inferior metal (cast iron) and have zero collector value. For serious purposes, they were never reliable and wear out rapidly as they were not made for any long term use. If they lasted through the first box of ammo, that was considered OK. If you must, start with the trigger, trigger spring and trigger bar, which should still be together. Put them into the gun so the trigger pin will go through the hole above the trigger guard, but before inserting it, put in the safety. If the disconnector is a separate piece, put it in before the trigger and trigger bar. Then insert the sear and sear spring, and then insert the hammer spring and follower down into the hole in the rear of the butt and force the hammer strut down on it until the hole in the hammer lines up with the hole in the frame. Insert the hammer pin. Then insert the firing pin and spring, and the pin that holds the firing pin. Then the extractor, its spring and pin. That should about do it except for inserting the barrel and recoil spring and into the slide, turning the barrel to the unlock position and running the slide onto the frame. Turn the barrel to the lock position and you are done. Jim