What people did with mil-surp pistols back in the 50s.

[1srelluc]

They had them nickeled!

P-38, Lugers, and even M1911s were "cheap" back then. I suspect this one would have sold for around $24.95 (or less) in the 50s.

Back then there were all kinds of plating shops around and you usually just took them to the local jeweler and they would send them off to be plated.....EPA regulations pretty much killed the small shop platers in the late 70s.

Quality varied to really nice jobs like this one to where they were buffed to hell and gone and the plating looked like it was applied with a spoon.

This one was an all-matching P.38 Walther (ac code) 1943 example. It also had it's proper (but nickeled) mag.

The same old guy also brought in a WWI vintage Colt M1911 that he had nickeled.

 

[Orangecat]

Nice looking gun.

 

[Failzero]

1911A1s were sought after for Sportsman Club 1911 Shoots & Competitions after the War up until the early 1970s ( with a whole subculture developing around them and their Modifications for accuracy )

 

[Cellblock2429]

View attachment 1103458

They had them nickeled!

P-38, Lugers, and even M1911s were "cheap" back then. I suspect this one would have sold for around $24.95 (or less) in the 50s.

Back then there were all kinds of plating shops around and you usually just took them to the local jeweler and they would send them off to be plated.....EPA regulations pretty much killed the small shop platers in the late 70s.

Quality varied to really nice jobs like this one to where they were buffed to hell and gone and the plating looked like it was applied with a spoon.

This one was an all-matching P.38 Walther (ac code) 1943 example. It also had it's proper (but nickeled) mag.

The same old guy also brought in a WWI vintage Colt M1911 that he had nickeled.

/----/ In the 1950s, $24.95 was a day's pay. It would be about $300 in today's dollars. Can you get army surplus sidearms for $300?

 

[1srelluc]

/----/ In the 1950s, $24.95 was a day's pay. It would be about $300 in today's dollars. Can you get army surplus sidearms for $300?

The median income in 1950 was around $3K.....Just call it around $60.00 a week, so $1.50 an hour, if that, after taxes. So, around two days pay.

There is no surplus or bring back "modern" mil-surp pistols to be had at any price.....Grenada and our stupid import laws ended that.

I guess IDF Hi-Powers, Beretta 92s, and other long in the tooth .mil/police pistols and of course LEO trade-ins are about it these days.

The mil-surp market is very, very, "dry" and prices are high. The demand is sure there though.

I haven't seen a GI M1 Carbine in a shop for under $1200.00 in a couple of years. Even the Universal and Plainfield carbines are fetching around $800.00.,,,,Crazy!

The CMP is the only thing keeping the M1 Garand market down a bit and it's losing ground since they use repro stocks a lot these days.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that gave $400.00 for the P.38 but I know I could make $200+ on it tomorrow and have three willing buyers lined-up to buy it.