Hafdasa C-4
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 292 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Hafdasa C-4 is an Argentine blowback submachine gun developed in the late 1930s by HAFDASA (Hispano-Argentina Fábrica de Automóviles SA). Part of the Ballester-Rigaud «La Criolla» family of submachine guns and carbines, it fired from an open bolt in 9x19mm Parabellum or .45 ACP and was built around a forged aluminium-alloy receiver. Its most distinctive feature was a twin-compartment box magazine assembled side-by-side in a common housing, letting the shooter swing the unit to feed from either compartment in succession.
The C-4 was the select-fire flagship of an entire HAFDASA «La Criolla» family that grew out of the same firm that built the Ballester-Molina .45 pistol. Its unusual dual-compartment magazine effectively doubled on-board ammunition by letting the operator pivot to a fresh side without a full reload.
The C-4 shared the forged aluminium frame of the earlier C-2 and was offered with fixed wooden, folding metal, or full rifle stocks. Production was limited and surviving examples are scarce.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Hispano-Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles S.A. (HAFDASA)
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Argentina
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1938
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 292 mm
- Overall length
- 780 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 50
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Aluminum
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 396 m/s
- Effective range
- 150 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Select fire
Open bolt
Finned barrel
Muzzle compensator
Dual compartment magazine
Forged aluminum receiver
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 3.20 kg | 3.18 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 780 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 292 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 50 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Hafdasa C-4
How much does the Hafdasa C-4 weigh?
The Hafdasa C-4 weighs 3.20 kg (7.05 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Hafdasa C-4?
The Hafdasa C-4 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Hafdasa C-4 hold?
The Hafdasa C-4 holds 50 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Hafdasa C-4?
The Hafdasa C-4 is 780 mm (30.7 in) long overall, with a 292 mm (11.50 in) barrel.
Who makes the Hafdasa C-4?
The Hafdasa C-4 is made by Hispano-Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles S.A. (HAFDASA) (Argentina). It was designed by Arturo Ballester and Rorice Rigaud.
When was the Hafdasa C-4 introduced?
The Hafdasa C-4 was introduced in 1938.
How does the Hafdasa C-4 operate?
The Hafdasa C-4 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Argentine Army
- Argentina
- Argentine Navy
- Argentina
- Argentine Presidential Guard
- 1950
Provenance
Confidence in this record
60%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/hafdasa-c4' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "hafdasa-c4", "name": "Hafdasa C-4", "manufacturer": { "id": "hafdasa", "name": "Hispano-Argentina Fabrica de Automoviles S.A. (HAFDASA)", "countryCode": "AR", "foundedYear": 1925, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "defunct", "defunctYear": 1961, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "8e88c518078fafa4e718ca068bbade6da9a0fd9a2486a747c2d8a89fddfc4be1" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "AR", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 292, "weight_empty_g": 3200, "action_type": "blowback"}