Russian capture P38

[gagliano1770]

I'm considering a BYF 43 P38 , all matching, with the infamous Russian X adjacent to the barrel SN. The pistol appears as " as new" and has a mint bore.
While I am considering this item as a shooter, and not collectible , I have no idea what the value is and price should be . Thoughts ??

 

[Fishbed77]

It appears "as new" because the Russians dip blued these pistols. As you mentioned, these pistols don't have any value to "serious" collectors, but they are still wartime P.38s. As a shooter, it will serve you well (especially being matched numbers, so it's a good chance no "monkeying" went on and it has a better chance of being safe to shoot).

These sold for around $400 a number of years back when they were coming into the country, but as with all wartime P.38s, prices are going up. If you look at Gunbroker, you'll see Russian capture and mis-matched wartime P.38s selling from the very high $500s to around $700 these days, depending on condition.

 

[mr bolo]

I had a Russian capture BYF 43 P-38 9mm pistol that looked like new and the slide cracked all the way through on one side after firing some Winchester white box factory ammo.

these are not meant for high volume shooting like todays pistols, these are wartime pistols that already did their duty, and the quality can vary.

 

[In The Ten Ring]

See what similar Russian Capture P38's sell for on www.gunbroker.com. That will give you an excellent idea of market value.

A P38 is generally an excellent weapon, mine outshoots my Russian Capture P08 Luger easily.