What could it be worth? Early 40's German P-38.

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Orion8472

Orion8472

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So my local gun store has a P-38 that is quite unusual. Not the best of shape, and it MAY have had some "cosmetic surgery" in the past. The barrel looks to be cut down shorter and has no front sight. The grips have some sort of clear plastic window [to see how many rounds in the magazine, I guess]. The numbers for the barrel, frame, and slide match. See pics below. What could such a thing be worth?

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Orion8472 said:
it MAY have had some "cosmetic surgery" in the past
Click to expand...


May?

Some gunsmith stopped short of their ASP inspired job. No front sight, then why keep the rear?

Since it looks like it didn't get finished and the parts have been hacked on I'd guess the value is as low as anyone might want to put it.
 
Orion8472

Hard to say what it might be worth. Looks like modifications were done to it (maybe trying to recreate a Man from U.N.C.L.E. pistol), that don't really add anything to the value of the gun. If it was still in it's original configuration an AC 42 P-38 (made at the Walther factory in 1942), would be worth considerably more (build quality in 1942 was still pretty high along with having a low serial number and not many of the early P-38s survived the war).
 
I know very little about gun values, but I would suggest it would be hard to find a buyer for that gun for any large amount of money.
 
It is at my local gun store,...price just under $400. I wasn't sure about it, so why I brought it up on here. I was hoping it might have been a "rare find", but it seems as though it may be a hack job, rendering a once nice pistol [and potentially pricey] into something that probably won't ever be worth that much. Just saw the symbol on the side and got excited.
 
About the only thing interesting about that 'modified' pistol is the barrel band that was added back on the shortened muzzle.
Serial range takes it out of the numbered magazine/proofed small parts range.

My bet is that the shop will have that one for a while, especially at the price range mentioned.

JT
 
Oh, okay, so the price is too high then. Cool! See, that's why I like to come on here to get advice from those who may very well know more about the pistol in question than I do. :)
 
It would have to be cheap enough to make purchasing new barrel and grips worthwhile.
 
I wouldn't buy it--so value's irrelevant from my standpoint. It looks like an amateur gunsmith had a go at it. Who knows what you might find inside? :eek:
 
rskent

Years ago there was a gunsmith who use to make a Man from U.N.C.L.E. pistol. Don't recall his name but I think he used the flash suppressor from an AR15 and had some different grips (possibly plastic or aluminum), made up for it. Can't recall if he built a longer barrel for it but I think there was some sort of scope mount (Bushnell Phantom scope?), and maybe an extended magazine.
 
The barrel end really isn't thick enough to place a sight on it.

I'm gonna pass on it.
 
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