J.P Sauer & Sohn Handgun

T

trader4300

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Going thru my fathers things and I came across this handgun. The story goes, as I recall him telling me, is that he took this gun off a dead German soldier.
I have included photos of all the markings. I know some of you are very knowledgeable about this gun so I would be eager to learn what you have to say. It is in the original holster and the magazine has the original rounds in it when removed from the soldier. Hasn't been fired since WWII. My question is, if I buy new ammo and shoot the gun, does it detract from the value, whatever that may be?
I have several photos but this forum only allows 3 uploads. Perhaps I can send more in a comment, we shall see. I will send the markings.
 

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more photos
 

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few more pics. Hope this helps.
 

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Undoubtedly a J.P. Sauer & Sohn.
ETA, a model 38H, their last pistol design before they got in cahoots with SIG ca 1975.

Caliber is marked 7.65mm which is .32 ACP in American money.
I would look for a European brand like Fiocchi or S&B; it is loaded a bit hotter than US and more certain of function in a European pistol. Get FMJ, these old guns were made with no thought of hollow points.

I do not think shooting it with fresh ammo will reduce the dollar value.

I would not shoot the WWII stuff, it is corrosive primed and the powder might be deteriorated after 67 years.

I would not store it in the holster, leather tanning can attack steel or just friction will wear it from handling and drawing.

ETA2. Just realized grips are not original. Are they transparent with white backer or paint? If so they are known as "sweetheart grips" usually seen over a picture. Maybe Mom made him discard pictures of his old girlfriend.
 
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Jim, The handles(grips) I would have guessed were original only because of the wear I see on them. Appears to look like Ivory, although I am sure it is not, but that is the color and sheen.
Does that holster ID number bear any info on the age and where this gun came from?
 
They are not original, see pictures of correct black grips at link on post #6.

Holsters are a game all their own.
There is no free serial number listing that I can find but the guy who wrote the book answered questions on another board. Yours falls in the range of numbers for early 1942.
 
I love the 38h and here is my 1942 example. Yours has the correct Waffenamt stamp and so was a military pistol. As mentioned, the grips are incorrect.
 

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The gun has the Waffen Amt stamp, so it was cleared to be in service during the Nazi era.

Many of the uniforms of the Nazi "civil service" and political offices included a pistol. From the mailman to the mayor, lots of them wore pistols (and daggers in full dress fig...)

USUALLY not first line issue to combat troops, though there were exceptions due to shortages of Lugers and P.38s they would use almost anything they had.

When Germany was collapsing, almost anything might be taken off a German solider. And a lot of guys who weren't officers carried some kind of pistol.

If there are any papers associated with the gun, (rare but some did have "bring back" papers) they will add considerably to its collector value.
 
gonzogeezer said:
https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Sauer38/sauer38.html

I have an early commercial model, one without the slide mounted safety that the Wehrmacht ordered.
Click to expand...


Here it is. 1939 production.
ecafeaff06d49cac7370f10b6ff00667.jpg
 
The grips are clear Plexiglas with a white backing.
Click to expand...
Correct. Your father may have made these grips himself. If so, you may find the original grips somewhere in the rest of his stuff.

When you take the grips off, there may be something on the paper that is backing them. As mentioned, it was common for these grips to cover a picture. He may have simply swapped the paper backings from one side to the other (turning each one over in the process) to hide whatever was on the grips originally.

Another possibility is that he traded for the gun and the original owner, who made the grips, took the pictures he had underneath them off before the trade.
 
Interesting comments regarding the grips. I doubt my father changed the grips in any way, as he had no reason to and wasnt really that intetested in firearms. Could the grips have been changed by the German that originally owned them? I will remove them and see if anything is under them just for kicks. Thankyou for all the very interesting information.
 
BTW, it may not have any connection and doesnt as far as I know, but he also returned with a decorative sword as well as a rifle/shotgun combo.
 
Could the grips have been changed by the German that originally owned them?
Click to expand...
It's possible, but to me it seems a lot less likely. I've never heard/read of the Germans modifying their guns in that manner.
 
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