P38 with holster value

[Aragorn243]

I'm not big into pistols but I spotted one that got my interest because it has the brown hard holster and two magazines. I didn't know enough at the time to check what letter code it was but I believe it was 1943 or 1944 dated. It is mismatched which is the biggest problem. Looks in fair shape but the bore had a few imperfections in it. Price was $625 which if it wasn't mismatched, I probably would have brought it home with me. Nothing was peened out and I didn't see a X on it for Russian capture. Didn't appear to be refinished either.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I'm not big into pistols but I spotted one that got my interest

Careful if you buy one you might not be able to stop. Good thing is they take up less space. Bad thing is they are expensive relative to longarms . Only one milsurp pistol in the collection at present but I have my eye on a P38 and and Enfield revolver.I need to expand my knowlege a bit as to correctness and value before I pull the trigger (pun intended).

[Aragorn243]

I'm in the same boat. I don't really know much about them other than they are nasty expensive. I wouldn't be considering this one other than I have $400+ in gift cards, points, etc so it won't cost me that much out of pocket. But it seems pretty expensive for what it is, a mis-match.

[clarkmilitaria]

Aragorn,

For that price I would definitely pass it up. I had an opportunity to buy a matching one and holster for $550 (see it here: Evaluating this AC43 P38) and I took it to get evaluated at several gun shops, which all valued it at about $350. Taking into account their lies/markup, they would've priced it for sale for maybe $500 or a little more. I did not end up buying this particular one, I figured if I really want one I'll come across a better deal sooner or later as these are not rare guns. Also, I have never personally come across a mismatched one, which tells you how common matching ones are...at least to me, matching is pretty much the P38 standard. In my opinion buying a mismatch would be a mistake, as it will be pretty hard for you to sell it if that time ever comes, due to the wide availability of better/matching pieces. That all being said, it's your decision and if you really like it, go for it, maybe it could be your shooter if you preserve matching examples.

[Aragorn243]

Thanks, pretty much what I was figuring myself. What drew me to it more than anything was the complete holster. That was pretty interesting but I didn't know how much that would add to it's value.

[Bruce McAskill]

In reality the price of $625 is not a bad deal. The average Russian surplus ones are in the $500 range and this one has a holster that if in good shape would go for about $150. Magazines around $35 up. The only thing that hurts is being mismatched which does lower the value. But Clarkmilitaria passed up a real good deal at around $500 for the two magazines and the holster. The pistol alone was worth the $500+ asking price.

[jonnyc]

It's a good rig and not a bad price if you're planning on shooting it a lot, especially considering the holster and extra mag. You can always keep those bits and mate them with a matching pistol, and move the miss-match on cheaply. If for collecting, wait for the matching.

[clarkmilitaria]

Bruce, while the price for the P38 I was offered may be technically "fair" or a good deal, that is considering what the item is. It was in poor condition and it was not worth it to me to spend that much on something I can easily find a better example of for a little more money. I do understand your point though, it just wasn't worth it to me with my limited funds. So, back to Aragorn's decision: Some may consider $625 for this a fair market value, but that doesn't make it a good purchase. Paying retail for something not that desirable which will appreciate negligibly in value is not something I like doing, especially if you are working with less money than you'd like, but once again, perhaps as a shooter this is the right deal for you. Or, if you are looking for collector pieces, matching examples are definitely around. Johnnyc sums it up well.

[Bruce McAskill]

Clark to be honest with you that 43 Walther was in good shape for it's vintage. If you could only see some of the P-38's that dealers have been selling of late you would not believe what they are getting for worn out pistols. No finish, badly pitted and worn bores that make the one you were asking about almost look new at prices from $795 to over $1000. Now if you want a collector piece then you will have to be ready to shell out a lot of money for it and I can understand where your at. Just wanted to give you some idea of what I have seen of late.

[Aragorn243]

Post war P38's are selling in excess of $350 so I'm a bit surprised that some dealers valued a matching wartime pistol in that range.

I'll keep an eye on it to see if they reduce it. Matching isn't critical to me but for that kind of money, it is a serious consideration. They tend to price things high, unfortunately, they do so because they usually get what they are asking and it doesn't take too many days to do so.