Curious Relics #076: Ruby in The Rough – Spanish Ruby Pistol
Sam.S 11.01.23
Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! In parts I and II, we explored the Ruby’s hurried World War I origins and variations. In part III, we’ll look at the challenges of dating these pistols and finding proper magazines, given their decentralized production. The pragmatic Ruby filled a crucial gap, equipping French troops rapidly. Its imperfections offer a window into wartime manufacturing priorities. I hope you’ve enjoyed uncovering the Ruby’s fascinating backstory. Now let’s wrap up part 3 with a look at the Ruby collecting scene today!
Curious Relics on AllOutdoor
- Curious Relics #074: A Historic Gem – The Spanish Ruby
- Curious Relics #075: A Dime a Dozen – The Spanish Ruby Pistol
- Curious Relics #070: In The Hall with The Revolver – H&R 733 Guardsman
- Curious Relics #071: H&R 733 Guardsman – A Trusty Sidekick
- Curious Relics #072: The H&R 733 Guardsman Part III
- Curious Relics #073: The H&R 733 Guardsman Part IV
Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!
Dating: Spanish Ruby Pistol
Dating a Spanish Ruby pistol is a bittersweet affair. For the most part, they were produced from late 1914 until early-mid 1919 so that gives the average Ruby pistol owner a small enough window. The troublesome bit to all of this is over 50 companies and shops contributed to the production of hundreds of thousands of pistols. There was no mil-spec, no standardization, and next to zero interchangeability. Even more so these miscellaneous shops and companies (and others from different countries)may have carried on the Ruby legacy after its official production ended.
Some companies straight-up marked their pistols with their date of manufacturer. Some applied “1915” for the model. Some like mine lack a date marking at all. One could surmise that if they own a Ruby pistol with the safety rivet that we talked about in the last Ruby pistol article, that would mean that this later modification would certainly mean that the pistol itself is younger than the rest. Nope! Not the case. There is too good of a chance that earlier Ruby pistols were retrofitted with this impromptu safety modification.
Lot 572: Four European Semi-Automatic Pistols. (n.d.-c). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved August 24, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1036/572/four-european-semiautomatic-pistols.
The bottom line to all of this is that even if your pistol has a date on it you can never be sure unless it says “Made 1915” or something like that. If anyone else finds a more consistent dating system or way of narrowing things down further please feel free to share in the comments.
Specifications: Spanish Ruby Pistol
The Spanish Ruby pistol emerged in World War I as a hurried solution to equip French troops with sidearms. Based on earlier Spanish copies of the 1903 Colt, the Ruby utilized a simple blowback action and fired the readily available .32 ACP round. The pragmatic design drew inspiration from John Browning’s firearms, some of the most reliable and effective of the era. While the Ruby was less refined than a Browning, its simplicity and efficiency made mass production possible. At its peak, over 50,000 Ruby’s were manufactured per month across dozens of Spanish shops to meet French demand. All specifications are of my personal pistol.
- Years Produced: From 1915 – 1919
- MSRP in 1915: ~ 30 Pesentas (I was unable to convert this)
- Operating System: Single Action, Straight Blowback
- Chambering: 32 ACP
- Barrel Length: ~ 3.25 Inches
- Overall Length: ~ 6 Inches
- Capacity: 9 Rounds
- Trigger Pull: ~10 lbs 13 oz
- Weight: 1 lb 12.6 oz
- Front Sight: Thin Fixed Half Moon Ramp
- Rear Sight: Dovetailed Windage Adjustable V-Notch
- Grip: Checkered Wood (Walnut???)
After Market Parts & Accessories: Spanish Ruby Pistol
Aftermarket support for the Ruby pistol is fair but mainly for magazines, holsters, and grips. That is all a given since there is very little interchangeability from gun to gun let alone manufacturer to manufacturer. Holsters can be found from common suppliers such as Sarco Inc but they will be very plain looking. Not to say they are cheap (they are affordable) but they will lack the character of an original holster which is hard to find and rare by most WWI holster standards.
Grips can be had from companies like Triple K (they also allegedly sell magazines but be weary of reliability since they are not specific to manufacturers) in over a dozen colors but they will be plastic. No wood grips.
Magazines are surprising since they are specific to certain brands/companies/shops/markings and yet they are the most available Ruby pistol part/accessory. Liberty Tree has a system so you can order the right magazine for your gun. If all else fails eBay seems to have a good amount of magazines but again be weary of if it’s meant for your specific gun.
End of Part Three: Spanish Ruby Pistol
The Spanish Ruby remains a fascinating World War I relic, cobbled together rapidly to arm French troops. Though decentralized production complicates dating and sourcing proper magazines, some aftermarket support exists for those wishing to shoot their Rubys. The pragmatic pistol’s imperfections and backstory give it appeal beyond form and function.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm out there that you feel does not get much notoriety? What should our next Curious Relics topic cover? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
