from another forum:
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1932&page=29
Here is an article from a Dutch gun magazine, lovingly translated by me:
SAM Weapons Magazine, issue 114. Translated from Dutch to English by Man of Stoat.
ARGENTINE WEAPONS
On the second of February 2002, Willem-Alexander and Maxima Zorreguieta married. Given that SAM is a weapon magazine, we will take the opportunity of this royal wedding to give attention to Argentine arms.
Just like in many Latin American countries, 19th-century Argentine weapon history is shrouded in mist. As a former Spanish colony, Argentina declared independence in 1816. A large part of the rest of the century was spent with a never-ending series of border-dispute wars and skirmishes with the surrounding countries, such as Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. These wars were fought out by militias who used everything that could be shot; a national army was only formed around 1870 and from that moment there also started to be more unity in the Argentine armoury.
The adoption of the Mauser model 1891 rifle appears to have been more or less the start of their own arms industry. Even though these weapons were originally bought in Germany, they were also made under the supervision of the General Fabricatiónes Militares (DGFM -- a sort of Artillerie Inrichtingen) in the state arms factory, the Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles "Domingo Matheu" (FMAP) in Rosario. Matheu was a member of the first Argentine Junta of 1810 and played an important role in the development of a National arms industry. In the 20th century a number of adjacent individual arms factories sprung up, which operated with varying success.
Pistols
The first self loading pistol of the Argentine armed forces was the Mannlicher Pistola Modelo 1905, a somewhat modernised version of the model 1901, in 7.63 mm calibre. These weapons are marked "Md.1905" on the left side of the frame and with the Argentine Coat of Arms on the right hand side. The pistols appear not to have been uniquely numbered. The Mannlichers were consecutively numbered, from one to approximately 12, 000, and the Argentine pistols all fall within this series. Aside from that, Argentina was the only country in the world that officially brought this model of Mannlicher into service as a military arm.
In 1916 the Mannlichers should have been replaced with the Colt M1911 which was brought into service as the Pistola Automatica Sistema Colt, Modelo 1916. Although Colt appears to have made a number of examples for Argentina, the deliveries were quickly stopped due to American involvement in the First World War. At the start of the 1920s they were resumed and when Colt followed the 1911 with the M1911A1, Argentina also took this weapon into use as the Modelo 1927. The pistol was produced under licence at the Argentine state Arsenal DGFM-FMAP in Rosario, but it is not known precisely when production began. Some authors say 1930; according to others the pistol was only made in Argentina from 1947. Just as with the Mannlicher, the model 1927 pistols were marked with the Argentine Coat of Arms, in this case on the right-hand side of the slide. The total number is estimated at 75,000; the pistol illustrated here has the serial number 63512.
The model 1927 was produced in Argentina under an official licence, in contrast to the so-called Ballester-Molina, which was produced by the Hispano Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles S.A. (HAFDASA). The Ballister-Molina differs from the 1911 A1 on a number of points, mostly in the construction of the trigger, the safety, and the shape of the hammer spur. Little is known about the history and the use of these pistols. It is known that an unknown number were bought by the Brits during the Second World War, and for the most part were issued to SOE agents.
In 1969 the Argentine Colts were replaced in their turn by the Browning High-Power, adopted as the Pistola Browning PD. These were also made directly under licence, again at FMAP in Rosario. Between 1969 and 1981, 184,533 were produced.
Rifles
In 1891 Argentina adopted a Mauser rifle, under the appellation Modelo 1891. This weapon bears a strong similarity to the Belgian Mauser M1889, with its characteristic magazine, but lacking the separate jacket around the barrel. Alongside the infantry rifle there were also various carbine models used, mostly for the cavalry, and all under the appellation Modelo 1891. Most of these weapons were produced by Ludwig Loewe & Co in Berlin.
In 1909 the new model appeared, based on the German Gewehr 98, with the magazine completely in the stock. There were also a carbine version and a version with a telescopic sight in use.
After the Second World War the Argentines received a colourful assortment of new rifles: American M1 Garands, Belgian SAFNs and Italian BM59s, all in modest numbers. In the intervening period the FAL made its appearance, in 7.62 x 51 NATO calibre. This weapon was adopted in 1955. An unknown number were ordered from F. N., whilst at the same time a contract was concluded for licensed production in Argentina. Due to the coup against General Juan Peron, it took until 1958 for the weapons from Belgium to be delivered. Ultimately three versions were produced in Argentina:the FAL II, the FAL Para, and the FAP, the latter a full-automatic with a bipod.
At the start of the 1980s FMAP developed their own rifle model, the .223 NATO Fusil Automatico del Republica de Argentina, otherwise known as the FARA 83. Whether this weapon has been officially adopted in the meantime is not known.
Submachine guns
Most Argentine submachine guns are native designs. A number were made by the Fabrica de Armas Halcon SATYC in Buenos Aires. Halcon (Spanish for Hawk) was set up in 1941 and in the passage of time produced a large number of variants, from the first Model 1943, via the 1946, 1957, and 1960, to the model 1963, illustrated here. All of these weapons were in 45 ACP calibre, or in 9 mm Parabellum and were straight-blowback. The Halcon model 1963 has a telescopic stock and a plastic-shrouded magazine housing, which also serves as a forward grip. The two triggers serve for semiautomatic and automatic fire. The model 1963 fires from a closed bolt. Another important series of submachine guns were made by the state Arsenal FMAP. The first model was the PAM 1, which stands for Pistola Ametrelladora 1. This weapon was a faithful copy of the American M3 A1 grease gun, albeit in 9 mm Parabellum calibre, and was adopted by the Argentine army around 1952. The PAM 2, from the start of the 1960s, was a slightly improved version of the PAM 1, with a safety catch just behind the magazine housing. This catch must be pushed forward to un-safe the weapon.
Around 1970 a completely new concept appeared, initially called the P.A. 3 DM, but later rechristened as the F.M.K.3. It is not clear what the letters stand for. This weapon fires from the open position and has a bolt which lies partly around the barrel. This construction was copied from the Uzi. Just as with the latter, the magazine is inserted in the pistol grip and the weapon has a plastic hand guard around the front part of the receiver. There is a version with a fixed stock (the F.M.K. 4) and the here-illustrated with a telescopic wire stock. As far as it is known, the F.M.K.'s are still in production.
To close, there is still another series of submachine guns from the commercial firm,the Armas & Equipos S.R.L. from the city of Cordoba. Of these MEMS-models, named after the developer Miguel Enrique Manzo Sal, there are at least seven models, although none of these appear to have been purchased on a substantial scale.
Machine guns
The first machine-gun of the Argentine armed forces was the watercooled Maxim. In 1895 the Argentines bought 50 from the Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company. Three years later another hundred and 50 examples were bought from DWM in Berlin, and in 1907 there followed another order, for a hundred more. According to data discovered by machine-gun expert Dolf Goldsmith, 95 Maxims was sold as surplus material in 1957. One example, with the serial number 17, landed via H. L. Visser in the Army Museum collection. A charming idea for a wedding present, this Maxim for Maxima?
Just like many other countries, Argentina also adopted a light machine gun before the Second World War, in this case the Danish Madsen in the Argentine rifle calibre of 7.65 mm. A small number of light Browning machine guns were also used, probably BAR's commercially produced by Colt. In 1954 the production of a native design began, the Alam, but this was stopped after a short time. During the 1960s and 70s, Argentina imported a number of French AAT-52 and Austrian MG3 machine guns, mounted on vehicles. The most important machine-gun of this moment is the Belgian MAG, which has been produced since 1980, also under licence at FMAP. As Squad Automatic Weapon, the Argentine Army uses the FALO which, under the appellation Fusil Automatico Pesad (FAP), is also produced in Argentina.
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