FP-45 Liberator

R

rep1954

New member
These FP-45 Liberators are just to cool. Being of any use it isnt nor would I see any collectors value in it being a innaccurate reproduction but boy it would have a great fun factor. I think if I had one I would handload .454 caliber round balls in front of 4.5 grs. of Unique powder for shooting it. Hers a link to them.

http://www.vintageordnance.com/
 
I agree. Very cool but not worth $600 even if it was an accurate reproduction. Way overpriced for something that can't have more than $50 worth of materials in it.
 
Last I knew, they were selling them with the firing pin hole undrilled, probably so they could pass any liability on to the owner or whoever drilled the hole to make the gun fire. Good thinking, maybe, as that design was not made for strength or durability.

Actually, the "history and romance" of the originals mostly wasn't. None were ever used in Europe, and only a few were seen in the Pacific, though there is a record of some being issued to Filipino police after the war until they could get something better. AFAIK, none, repeat none, were ever used to actually kill an enemy soldier. All but a few were dumped in the ocean, which is why they are scarce today.

The whole thing grew out of a piece of romantic fiction and turned out to be a colossal waste of money and production facilities that could have been better used.

Jim
 
Given the size and purpose of the gun, a modern day "Liberator" might be the Glock 39 .45 GAP. Can you imagine how well armed the resistance fighter might have felt if we had dropped Glock 39's on them instead of the Liberator?:D
 
Ive always wanted a liberator, just have a thing for them

Too bad you cant get them for like $50, you should be able to.

If they were safely reliable, i think gun stores would sell them like nickle-candy. sell 'em by the bushel.
 
As cool as it is, I don't have the budget for practically unshootable museum pieces.

The high price is probably due to tooling costs.

Hmmm zinc parts. No. I'll pass.
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Stupid historical accuracy! :mad:
 
The zinc parts are historically accurate. The rifled barrel is not. Basically the guns were made of stamped sheet steel (as you would expect from a GMC division). My original has started to crack at a weld and I only fired about 25,000 rounds ---- ;) I mean 2 rounds through it. Perhaps just as well that none were ever dropped; they probably would not have survived even if they didn't bury themselves in the dirt.

Jim
 
My LGS has had one of those sitting in a case for awhile now marked at $500. It's neat but they where originally built cheap enough to be dropped down to allies and forgotten and I'm sure it still is. If they cost about $100 sure, but at $500-$600, only a hardcore war collector would buy one for a display.
 
kozak6 said:
The high price is probably due to tooling costs.
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I think the $600 price is wildly inflated by a company just looking to cash in. Let's face it, you can buy brand new, good quality 1911s today for $350 to $400. The original Liberator was designed to be made as a throw-away gun. IIRC, they cost either $1 or $3 each when they were made. According to an inflation calculator I found on-line, $3 in 1944 translates to $38 and change today. Considering that the Liberator was more or less the original zip gun, $40 is a lot more in line with what it's worth than $600.
 
Basically the guns were made of stamped sheet steel (as you would expect from a GMC division)
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General Motors Corporation also made FM2 Wildcats, M18 Hellcats (more accurately Buick), and other tough stuff in WWII

GM also made Inland and Saginaw M1 carbines :)

The idea behind the FP-45 was a very cheaply produced firearm. If Packard or Rolls Royce had made the Liberator, it still would have been stamped sheet metal. That was the point :)
 
Given the size and purpose of the gun, a modern day "Liberator" might be the Glock 39 .45 GAP. Can you imagine how well armed the resistance fighter might have felt if we had dropped Glock 39's on them instead of the Liberator?
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A Glock against Nazi Germany?:eek:
 
$!.25 as I recall.

Aguila Blanca in post 13 mentioned the production cost. I had read they were about $1.25 each. But they were never intended to be sold.

Comparable modern guns today? The closest would be those 45 caliber derringers, a "palm pistol" that has yet to make production and a really neat 45 ACP called the "Downsizer" which can hide behind a playing card.

Lost Sheep
 
If they cost about $100 sure, but at $500-$600, only a hardcore war collector would buy one for a display.
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And that's the market it's aimed at. It's not intended for someone who wants to take it to the range and shoot it. It's for a guy with a collection of WWII weapons and an empty space marked "Liberator."
 
Let's see, I can buy one of those replica liberator pistols or a stainless CZ75...hmmmmm, which one?;)
 
I've seen these before on here. I think most people are missing the point of the guns. It's not made to be a range toy or carry gun. The primary market (as another member mentioned) is for WWII buffs with piece missing from their collection. Of course, assuming they don't mind having non-original pieces in their collection. The sales of GI model 1911s, Kahr Thompsons and other (admittedly more popular) weapons have proven there is a market.

Originals are very scarce because (as mentioned before) most were dumped in the ocean and they (intentionally) weren't well made weapons. In other words, not alot of them are available for purchase. The real Liberators can sell for $1000+ and definitely are not recommended for use anymore.

I agree that $600 for a "non-firing" (unless you own a drill) replica is a little steep for it. However, it is a niche item that is made in small amounts by a small company. (Those three things all equate to higher costs on all sides.)

Mainly, I can see some WWII re-enactors buying them just to show-off to their other re-enactor buddies or some executive using it as an office decoration. I am for anything that is done tastefully, that helps people remember our veterans in a positive manner. Sadly, there are not a ton of WWII veterans still alive anymore. Something like this gun that a son (or grandson) could buy and put in a shadow box with his father's (or grandfather's) WWII pins, ribbons, medals is okay because it helps keep the memories and history.

-EdInk

P.S. (A rant about remembering veterans) The more time passes, the fewer tangible relics and less surviving people remaing from an event the quicker it and the lessons learned are forgotten by most people. People on here are pretty good about it BUT most people don't fully "stop and think" about how REAL people DIE in war.

When talking about WWII, the average person's mind thinks in "grainy Black and White" footage. God didn't "just get around to coloring the world" in the 1960s. Those were real living breathing people just like you and me. I think it is important to remember that fact. (I think "Saving Private Ryan" helped people "realize" it because it was in full color AND had a dramatic ending with the old man at the cemetery.) The same applies for people watching air to air combat footage (or other vehicles too). It wasn't just a plane, tank, etc that you see blown up. It was a pilot or crew that was killed too. I just don't like that people seem to forget about the PEOPLE.

It's like the saying goes, "The death of one is a tragedy. The death of a million is just a statistic."

Sorry for the rant.
 
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