OP
revho
Member
I did pass on this one. Thanks all for your guidance.
Walther P38 Opportunity
- Thread starter revho
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jrm53
Member
It will be a while before you run into another bring back, back I would have bought if it shot alright. As the frame is steel it is a bring back the French assembled some after the war and Walther started making them again in 1957 which is the period mine was made I think they quit them in the mid 90's mine has an alloy frame. Jeff
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I had to go back and look at the pictures again after reading so many negative comments on the condition of this gun.
Sure the finish is gone, but it's an honest old gun.
In 5 or less years, this will be a deal because there won't be that many on the market for sale.
How many beat up old 1911's were passed up for $400 25 years ago that are worth $1500 today?
Sure the finish is gone, but it's an honest old gun.
In 5 or less years, this will be a deal because there won't be that many on the market for sale.
How many beat up old 1911's were passed up for $400 25 years ago that are worth $1500 today?
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I doubt that, but even if that should be the case, today you can find a much better one at a better value.
An all-matching 1943 Zella-Mehlis production P38 with all the correct stamps is indeed not without value. If there had been any actual personal heirloom value or at least a concrete bringback story attached to this, it would be different. One could clean it up and find some correct dark bakelite grips, and ditch the replacement grips and holster for a few bucks at a gun show.
But by the OP's description, the current owner bought it as a parts gun just for its original grips, so he likely paid little for it. So buying this for anything but a steep discount would make little sense.
BLACKHAWKNJ
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Yes, finish is gone, but looks it would clean up nicely, and as a Gun Guru told me years ago:
"You don't shoot bluing."
Check the bore, my all matching Walther-made 1943 has some pitting-and is accurate.
"You don't shoot bluing."
Check the bore, my all matching Walther-made 1943 has some pitting-and is accurate.
The date code and 8000ish 'm' suffix serial number places it with a production date of December 1943.
The grips may not be original to the pistol, but as 2nd variation Walther grips they are correct for the pistol.
As noted by someone above, the holster is most likely a post war police holster and the value of those holsters isn't as significant as a WWII holster. But they are still worth $25-$30 on-line by the time you pay shipping.
The P1 magazine also lacks collector appeal and they can be found for $15-$20 on-line...but it's still worth $15-$20 plus shipping.
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There is a lot of snobbery afoot when it comes to collectible arms and collectors always turn up their noses at guns in only fair or good condition when there are very good to excellent condition guns still commonly available.
That said I recall Garands, 1903s, M98s, SMLEs, 1911, etc that people turned their noses up in the 1990s that bring 5-6 times as much now as they did then. That's not a bad return on a 25 year investment.
I also see a lot of people who decline to buy firearms that are longer made on the basis that the price is $50 to $100 "too high". More often than not however, those folks 1) don't buy many firearms and 2) end up paying just as much for a similar firearm in similar condition a few years later, and they just end up losing access to an interesting firearm for those years.
You almost never pay too much for a no longer made firearm, you just sometimes buy too early and have a wait a few years to break even on the deal.
These same collectors almost always ignore the value of an interesting "shooter" firearm.
In this case, the reality is that a non matching matching number AC coded P.38 in that condition will bring $500 on GB based on recent completed sales, as it has that value solely as a shooter. Matching numbers are a plus, but in that condition won't add much value. Add the police holster and P1 magazine and its value is a solid $550.
$400 is a deal, now and it'll be a really good deal 10 years from now when you either still have it, or kick yourself for not buying it, since by that time a pistol in similar condition will probably cost you $800-$1000.
There's some intrinsic value in shooting a P.38 just for the experience, and like any pistol with a history it always makes you wonder where its been and what it would say if it could talk.
It has some freckling but little if any pitting, so it's also a good candidate for restoration. It won't reduce the value as a shooter or as a collector (given its present condition), so all you'll be out is the cost of getting it properly refinished. What you'd have then for that additional investment is a nice looking, good shooting AC coded (Walther) P.38.
The grips may not be original to the pistol, but as 2nd variation Walther grips they are correct for the pistol.
As noted by someone above, the holster is most likely a post war police holster and the value of those holsters isn't as significant as a WWII holster. But they are still worth $25-$30 on-line by the time you pay shipping.
The P1 magazine also lacks collector appeal and they can be found for $15-$20 on-line...but it's still worth $15-$20 plus shipping.
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There is a lot of snobbery afoot when it comes to collectible arms and collectors always turn up their noses at guns in only fair or good condition when there are very good to excellent condition guns still commonly available.
That said I recall Garands, 1903s, M98s, SMLEs, 1911, etc that people turned their noses up in the 1990s that bring 5-6 times as much now as they did then. That's not a bad return on a 25 year investment.
I also see a lot of people who decline to buy firearms that are longer made on the basis that the price is $50 to $100 "too high". More often than not however, those folks 1) don't buy many firearms and 2) end up paying just as much for a similar firearm in similar condition a few years later, and they just end up losing access to an interesting firearm for those years.
You almost never pay too much for a no longer made firearm, you just sometimes buy too early and have a wait a few years to break even on the deal.
These same collectors almost always ignore the value of an interesting "shooter" firearm.
In this case, the reality is that a non matching matching number AC coded P.38 in that condition will bring $500 on GB based on recent completed sales, as it has that value solely as a shooter. Matching numbers are a plus, but in that condition won't add much value. Add the police holster and P1 magazine and its value is a solid $550.
$400 is a deal, now and it'll be a really good deal 10 years from now when you either still have it, or kick yourself for not buying it, since by that time a pistol in similar condition will probably cost you $800-$1000.
There's some intrinsic value in shooting a P.38 just for the experience, and like any pistol with a history it always makes you wonder where its been and what it would say if it could talk.
It has some freckling but little if any pitting, so it's also a good candidate for restoration. It won't reduce the value as a shooter or as a collector (given its present condition), so all you'll be out is the cost of getting it properly refinished. What you'd have then for that additional investment is a nice looking, good shooting AC coded (Walther) P.38.
Straight line AC43s occur from mid 'l' to late 'n' serial blocks (November - December 1943) I've also noted that they often often have out of sequence proof marks, like this one does. It makes it an interesting variation.
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