HELP!....P38...worth it, as a display piece?

[bobcam1]

I have been offered this P38. Seller said that it was in good shape, so I asked him to send pics.

The photos show that the barrel, the slide and the mag have been welded shut, effectively turning it into a toy.

My question is: Is it worth it as a display piece, if the price is under a hundred dollars?

Any and all help, will be as usual, greatly appreciated...

Cheers,
Bob.

[Alan Smith]

Just out of curiosity: Did the seller offer any explanation as to why the gun was welded up? I notice that you are in New York. Perhaps this pistol was welded up to make a "dummy gun" that could be used for the Broadway theater productions in NYC?

For semi-automatic rifles and pistols, here in the U.S. we do not have the "deactivation" laws that our European friends have to comply with. Thus, there is no reason for this pistol to have been welded up in the US (unless done for a specific end-use, such as to create a non-gum theatrical prop).

It looks like the grips are decent and could be salvaged. Also, the serial numbered magazine (the "toe" of which is welded to the frame) is for an earlier production gun, manufactured when P.38 magazines were being serial numbered to match the pistol (just like Lugers). Too bad that the serial numbered magazine is ruined; that would have been a nice little item for sale or trade.

Given that really the only useable parts seem to be the grips, I would say around $75 to a firearms enthusiast. In all candor, it is probably worth more as a theatrical prop than to try to salvage useable parts.

[bobcam1]

Alan,
The soldier who brought it back as a souvenir, had it welded to prevent any accidents in the home, according to his son (the seller).

[101combatvet]

Once you do that to a firearm it no longer has any value in my opinion.

[bodes]

I think you guys are being a little hard on it....It will still make a nice display piece....Nice safe display piece.....

Find somebody who can drill the end of the barrel, so as to make it look more natural.....

I would think at least $100, perhaps as high as $150....Bodes

[pauke]

law

It would be wise to find out what actually constitutes a "non-gun" in NYC before getting possession and modifying it.

[101combatvet]

I think you guys are being a little hard on it....It will still make a nice display piece....Nice safe display piece.....

Find somebody who can drill the end of the barrel, so as to make it look more natural.....

I would think at least $100, perhaps as high as $150....Bodes

Even better to boycott this behavior before it leads to other collectables from being destroyed.

[bodes]

Even better to boycott this behavior before it leads to other collectables from being destroyed.

P-38's are desirable, but far from rare....Chances are good the pistol was dewatted at a time when value was deemed negligible....Besides with today's internet, it's easy to determine relative value of such pieces...Bodes

[IrishRebel]

Ouch, still yet it would like nice in a display or impression. I wouldn't go to much over 100$ Though. Jus my opinion

All the best

[101combatvet]

P-38's are desirable, but far from rare....Chances are good the pistol was dewatted at a time when value was deemed negligible....Besides with today's internet, it's easy to determine relative value of such pieces...Bodes

Doesn't matter in my opinion.

[Mark C.]

I'd buy it just for the grips.

[MikeP]

As some are wont to say-"Part of the gun's history."
I saw a film by the ATF back in the 50s advising folks to do this with souvenir pieces.
I was just a kid, but thought it pretty unrealistic.

[wandering38]

I bet with a little Dremel work you could have that thing running in two hours. Would be ugly, but the locations of those welds look far from effective... Cut the mag loose, cut the slide loose, shorten the barrel. If there was ever a perfect donor gun for building a "baby" P38, this is it right here. Absolutely worth the money. There are at least $250 worth of good small parts, not to mention the project value as previously stated.

[Hans Zeug]

Nice grips.

Nice grips but what a mess, a fairly common gun here in the UK, deactivated of course!

[Alan Smith]

Very interesting on the vet's desire to make the souvenir "safe" around the house. Also, when I posted yesterday, I forgot about the Sullivan Act handgun licensing and registration law that has been in effect in the State of New York since 1911.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Act

Under the Sullivan Act, it is mandatory that private citizens have a license to possess a handgun (but the issuance of such licenses is left to the discretion of governmental officials). Thus, the result is that only a select few who are well "juiced in" with the governmental officials can get a license, leaving all of the other citizens to be criminals if they possess a handgun w/out the virtually unobtainable license. As such, it may be possible that in addition to household safety, the veteran thought that if he welded the P.38 in this manner, it might exempt the P.38 from the Sullivan Act requirements.


On WWII bring-backs and vets being worried about gun safety around the house, probably the strangest thing I have seen reported involves an MP-40 SMG in Florida. About 10 years or so ago a collector found out about a WWII veteran who had brought back an MP40, with the MP having been lawfully registered pursuant to the National Firearms Act. Allegedly out of concern for his children, the veteran had (several decades prior to being contacted by the collector) decided to get the gun "out of the house". To keep the MP40 away from his kids, the veteran hid the MP by tossing it under his house.

The house was on a "conventional" foundation, i.e. with exposed bare ground under the house and a small crawlspace for accessing the plumbing, heating, and other mechanical items. The MP40 was tossed directly onto the bare ground, where it was exposed to substantial moisture as well as temperature variances over the decades.

Anyway, with the vet's blessing, the collector crawled under the house and found the MP40, which was by then heavily rusted and in pretty sad shape. The veteran lawfully transferred the MP40 to the collector, who proceeded to clean it up and get it back into decent enough condition so that it can be fired. Due to the heavy rust, however, the MP40 no longer has any serious collector value and is simply a "shooter" grade firearm. Some of you may have heard the MP40 "under the house" story . . . the persons involved posted it on the subguns.com board back in the day.