Just Got It NOW!

sxs · Mar 28, 2019

somd_mustangs said:
Keeping with the nickel-plated theme is a polished nickel P.38 I got this weekend.

It's a very early Walther "Zero" series, so-called due to the leading "0" in the S/N.
These were basically the pre-production test guns evaluated by the German army (this one is from 1940).

"Blinging out" captured arms was a popular practice back then w/o regard to future collectors
It has a Mauser byf44 barrel and block e.g. a mismatch to start with, so not as tragic as it could have been.
Amazingly it still has the original grips numbered to the pistol.

Been looking for a nice nickeled bring-back for a while "just because" and nice ones have been hard to find.
This one is out of reknowned P38 collector/ author Warren Buxton's estate which makes it a little extra interesting.

Haven't seen any zero series for a while....except the one in my safe. What kinda prices they bringing these days? I know I saw a pristine one bringing a few k a few years back. mines fairly nice except for some blotchyness in the bluing on one side. No pitting or anything, just some missing bluing. I do have a 1938 holster with it though...although it looks more like a P08 holster than a P38

Oldcarjunkie · Mar 28, 2019

KH195 said:
You’re correct they’re nearly identical in a lot of ways, couple differences to help tell them apart though. For reference here’s a 15:

https://pre98.com/shop/gone-but-not...-ww2-vet-bringback-extremely-rare-in-the-u-s/

Design on the grips panels is different, serial number of the 15 is center-frame above the trigger, and there aren’t any 15s that are waffenamt marked (at least to my knowledge). Believe most of the waffenamt marked 16s fall into the 25000-28000 serial number range based on a couple references online.

I see what you mean, and i think your correct, without looking at it i think its around 27000 serial

somd_mustangs · Mar 29, 2019

sxs said:
Haven't seen any zero series for a while....except the one in my safe. What kinda prices they bringing these days? I know I saw a pristine one bringing a few k a few years back. mines fairly nice except for some blotchyness in the bluing on one side. No pitting or anything, just some missing bluing. I do have a 1938 holster with it though...although it looks more like a P08 holster than a P38

There's several variations of the Walther zero series (3 or 4 depending on who you talk to). The most common one is the third series. The 1st is very hard to find and will run $7-10k for a decent one. The 2nd, $5-7k, 3rd 2500-3500.
Dependent on condition of course, and if there's a matched mag that bumps value 30-40%. 2 matched mags doubles the value and is almost unheard of...
BTW that nickeled Zero was like $700, not $2500

A 1938 dated holster would be a P08 as the Zero's and commercial HP's didn't come out til 1939/1940
The P08 usually has a pouch for the magazine tool inside the flap, a P.38 won't.

1ST ZERO SERIES 01 TO 01000 (?): RECTANGULAR FP AND CONCEALED EXTRACTOR
2ND ZERO SERIES 02005 TO 03478 (?): RECTANGULAR FP AND STANDARD EXTRACTOR
3RD ZERO SERIES 03520 TO 013714 (?): STD FP…MIL/COM’L GRIPS
(from Orv Reichart's P.38 Pistol Production chart)

There's also a late-war Walther AC45 that has a 0 prefix which is a little confusing.
That one is pretty rare in its own right, with ~1200 made and value $2500+

Jimbob2.0 · Mar 30, 2019

Went shopping today. Have one more thing to pick up in the next couple weeks and I am done for a while.

Stevens 416 U.S. Property Marked with Flaming Bomb. Everything looks correct, not sure about the scope mounts but everything I can find shows that these came with mounts. Not sure about the rear sight, if its different its close, sight tower is a little loose and some of the screws have some buggering but that's consistent with most of the examples I have seen. Front sight is the correct tombstone. Mag release is insanely tight. Came with one correct mag, one older modern mag and a 10rd modern mag.

What am I missing here?

M39 VKT 1942 wartime reciever. Nothing special, bolt matches stock seems odd like someone got an action and refit it, dry like it wasn't done by an arsenal and the butt plate doesn't seem quite fitted but I got it cheapish. 20 to 30% bluing.

mawkie · Apr 1, 2019

Nice grab on the Stevens! OEM sight and mag are pluses. Good shooters, hard to believe they don't bring the money that a Winchester 75 trainer will.

somd_mustangs · Apr 1, 2019

Finally found one of these little suckers that met both criteria of being decently priced and not all gooned up.
Like most, the base plate is a replacement, but it's a heavy-duty one, probably made a long time ago.
The bore and "chamber face" both had powder residue on 'em...
someone with more b*lls than brains :innocent0

These were not meant to be shot much - sneak up on your target, pop em in the belly or head, take their much nicer gun & ammo and move on. It came with a wooden dowel to "eject" the empty cartridge so you better get em on the first shot. It also reportedly had a "kick like zee mule".

A company was making working replicas recently (not sure if they still are) and had some great comments and footage of shooting the originals and replicas.

<edit> yup, still are : Vintage Ordnance
https://vintageordnance.com/t/fp-45-liberator-pistol
http://www.liberatorpistol.com/firing-the-original---voco-reproduction-fp-45-pistol.html

Jimbob2.0 · Apr 1, 2019

mawkie said:
Nice grab on the Stevens! OEM sight and mag are pluses. Good shooters, hard to believe they don't bring the money that a Winchester 75 trainer will.

Thanks. They had a 75 with what I think was the correct scope or a damn good replica major $$$s!

KH195 · Apr 2, 2019

somd_mustangs said:
Finally found one of these little suckers that met both criteria of being decently priced and not all gooned up.
Like most, the base plate is a replacement, but it's a heavy-duty one, probably made a long time ago.
The bore and "chamber face" both had powder residue on 'em...
someone with more b*lls than brains

These were not meant to be shot much - sneak up on your target, pop em in the belly or head, take their much nicer gun & ammo and move on. It came with a wooden dowel to "eject" the empty cartridge so you better get em on the first shot. It also reportedly had a "kick like zee mule".

A company was making working replicas recently (not sure if they still are) and had some great comments and footage of shooting the originals and replicas.

<edit> yup, still are : Vintage Ordnance
https://vintageordnance.com/t/fp-45-liberator-pistol
http://www.liberatorpistol.com/firing-the-original---voco-reproduction-fp-45-pistol.html

Nice!!! Looks like a keeper! So many I see anymore look to have been cleaned/buffed to death so it’s nice to see one as they should be. Love the littles things, such neat history and ‘cool’ factor.

Melnic · Apr 2, 2019

Awesome Liberator and piece of history.
I still recall the interview with a German soldier who said something like: we picked up as many as we could but there was a big fear about how many we did not pick up.

Oldcarjunkie · Apr 3, 2019

How about.. Just built it now???

Been working on this for months now, Semi auto DPM 28, still need to grind some welds down, fill in gaps and clean stuff up before paint but i think im about ready to test fire here in the next month.

herkybird72 · Apr 5, 2019

Awsome restoration. Bet you can’t wait for range day.

Oldcarjunkie · Apr 5, 2019

herkybird72 said:
Awsome restoration. Bet you can’t wait for range day.

Thank you and Yes I am looking forward to seeing if it will cycle and run, then i can just do the rest of the cosmetic stuff and call it a day on it. I wont say its a super Hard project but it is def much more work/ time invested than i thought it would be .

Abulg1972 · Apr 6, 2019

Jimbob2.0 said:
Went shopping today. Have one more thing to pick up in the next couple weeks and I am done for a while.

View attachment 257038

View attachment 257039

View attachment 257040

Stevens 416 U.S. Property Marked with Flaming Bomb. Everything looks correct, not sure about the scope mounts but everything I can find shows that these came with mounts. Not sure about the rear sight, if its different its close, sight tower is a little loose and some of the screws have some buggering but that's consistent with most of the examples I have seen. Front sight is the correct tombstone. Mag release is insanely tight. Came with one correct mag, one older modern mag and a 10rd modern mag.

What am I missing here?

M39 VKT 1942 wartime reciever. Nothing special, bolt matches stock seems odd like someone got an action and refit it, dry like it wasn't done by an arsenal and the butt plate doesn't seem quite fitted but I got it cheapish. 20 to 30% bluing.

View attachment 257041

The stock on the VKT is legit.

Alphabrew · Apr 7, 2019

Oldcarjunkie said:
How about.. Just built it now???

Been working on this for months now, Semi auto DPM 28, still need to grind some welds down, fill in gaps and clean stuff up before paint but i think im about ready to test fire here in the next month.

That’s cool as hell. Lou45 had one of those in his shop for awhile, someone on here bought it. Where did you get the parts kit? Did you mig weld it or tig?

Jimbob2.0 · Apr 7, 2019

Abulg1972 said:
The stock on the VKT is legit.

Thanks its definitely a Finn stock, its just the buttplate. I had to pack everything up for some rearranging but will take a picture. There are so many Finn unissued stocks floating around its not clear what this rifle came with. For $4 bills I am not complaining.

Oldcarjunkie · Apr 7, 2019

Alphabrew said:
That’s cool as hell. Lou45 had one of those in his shop for awhile, someone on here bought it. Where did you get the parts kit? Did you mig weld it or tig?

Parts kit from Gunbroker, sent out the bolt and lower to be modified by SMG to semi auto , using a borrowed mig, Im by far a good welder but im a pretty good grinder

Oldcarjunkie · Apr 7, 2019

Added this SA marked 1939 Mosin yesterday as well as a newer ATI .22 copy of a MP40.

Jimbob2.0 · Apr 7, 2019

Oldcarjunkie said:
Added this SA marked 1939 Mosin yesterday as well as a newer ATI .22 copy of a MP40.

Nice

Oldcarjunkie · Apr 12, 2019

Jimbob2.0 said:
Nice

Thank you

Jimbob2.0 · Apr 13, 2019

Oldcarjunkie said:
Added this SA marked 1939 Mosin yesterday as well as a newer ATI .22 copy of a MP40.

Nice

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