Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

French/Spanish Ruby Style pistol?

cmicollector
Hi, I have a Ruby style auto in 7.65 (.32cal)with the following on the left side of the slide. Cal 765 "Le Basque" MAD...FPCSLF. the D...F letters are partly covered up by the saftey button that the French installed. Does any one have any idea who mfg. it, or any info on it. Thank you. Doug
0

Comments

2 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    My understanding is that there were something like ( 30 ) Workshops/Cottage Industries/Manufacturers making Ruby type pistols during the First World War era. They were concentrated in the "BASQUE" area of North Western Spain, with the town of Eibar being the center of manufacture.

    The trade name BASQUE has been attributed to the firm of Echave Y Arizmendi. As virtually identical Ruby Type pistols are found with different slide legends and trade names, at this late date it would be immpossile to substantiate.

    luger_4.jpg
    0
  • Der Gebirgsjager
    Your pistol may have been made by Tomas de Urizar y Cia, Eibar, Spain. According to "Pistols of the World", Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks, Presidio Press, 1978, Pg. 250-251, they started making semi-auto pistols about 1911 and went out of business around 1920-21, and may have been absorbed by Garate Anitua y Cia. Oddly, the Index/Data Table in the rear of the book, pg. 295, attribute both "La Basque" and "Le Basque" to this company, but the actual text mentions neither name. Photos of several pistols are shown, and one, The Princeps, is a classical Ruby-type, but it's impossible to read the markings on the pistol's slide in the photo. The text does say that they made many models and goes into detail on several. Many, perhaps most, "Rubys" have the safety catch in front of the grip, left side, above the trigger; but fewer, like the Princeps, have it to the top, rear of the left side grip similar to a Colt 1911. This may help you narrow it down. Rufe-Snow is absolutely right in saying that there were many makers all turning out a similar product, and this area of gun collecting still has a lot of room for exploration. One could build a very extensive collection of these pistols at a relatively inexpensive cost. I've always found them interesting, but the one "Ruby" in my collection is an Astra M1915. One thing is for certain--quality ranged from good to awful.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity