Erma .22LR Conversion kit

[Teddydog]

Anyone know much about these? I came up with one today and I'm trying to find out all I can, including current value. I've posted on a couple of other forums, but since this is THE Luger forum, I thought I'd mention it here as well.

I know they were made starting in the 1920s or 30s through about 1940 for the German military and police. Those earlier units came in wooden boxes and were often property marked by either the police agency or the Army. Then they were started again after the war. Mine is one of the ones made and imported post-War (1950-60s). It is like new in a good condition green cardboard box, complete with manual and part list. Very cool item. I've heard that some came with a cleaning or clearing rod and my box seems to have a place for one, but I don't have it. I don't think the parts list shows one either. Serial number is in the 200 range.

I have found the basic info, but no luck with firm actual current value. Some have said that they really don't work very well, others have said they work just find. I guess there aren't all that many floating around and they don't come up for sale that often. Simpson LTD has a couple on their site with asking prices of $695 and up, but I don't know if that is realistic or absurd. Others have commented that Simpson's prices are current for the market.

Anyway...here it is:




BTW...I paid WAAAY less than $695 for this. If it really is worth upwards of $500, I may have to change my plans and sell it to a collector rather than play with it. (My one Luger is a Russian-capture gun, so I'm not too worried about shooting it a little bit).

Any and all comments are welcome!

Rob

[klaus 3338]

The time after the II. W.W. was not the best for German gun makers and ERMA made several hundreds of these conversion kits for the U.S. market and the Norwegian military. Both orders were sold in the same boxes and with instruction paper/manual in English. The Norwegian Military magazines are numbered on the button and are made for only five rounds while these for the U.S. market seems made for ten rounds. The highest number on a magazine I have seen in Norway was 099.

[K.Wilhelm]

Congrats on your purchase of the Erma kit, Rob. Nice find. Now I would be real interested to know if and how well it functions.

[Teddydog]

Since I'm really not a Luger collector, I decided to part with this if I can get a good price. I put it up on GB since I don't know what a good price IS!

Rob

[Edward Tinker]

Teddy, it's post war, the box says interarmco.

I would think $300-$400

It will be interesting to see if anybody bids at $500 - a start at say $150 and you'd get several people bidding I would think.

[Vlim]

This is the early post war set, produced by Erma for Interarms. It would be followed up by the slightly improved SE-08/2 in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mauser tried to purchase Erma in the 1970s, as it would have allowed them easy access to a working .22lr system for their own Parabellum pistols. Erma has been hovering on the edge of bankruptcy for many years, so Mauser was speculating on that.

Ironically, Erma survived longer than Mauser's pistol branch, so the scheme was never carried out

It would be a great set to team up with a post war Interarms Parabellum. I'd buy it for $500 without blinking.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Vlim

I'd buy it for $500 without blinking.

Reading that, I would think that refusing any offer under that amount on GB and re-listing it here on the For Sale forum for the amount Vlim has stated would be your best chance for a productive sale, and a boon to a serious collector...

Originally Posted by Teddydog

Simpson LTD has a couple on their site with asking prices of $695 and up, but I don't know if that is realistic or absurd.

Simpson's is generally thought to charge 20% above fair market value, so Vlim's estimate is pretty close. Some bottom feeding scumbag offering you $150 is absurd...

[SteveM]

I had one just like the one pictured. Functioned perfect, wish I still had it.

[Edward Tinker]

Originally Posted by postino

.. Some bottom feeding scumbag offering you $150 is absurd...

i suggested he start it at $150 - what and why are you suggesting anything???????

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

i suggested he start it at $150...

On GB...It might be a good place to start, maybe with a reserve as high as Vlim suggested...

- what and why are you suggesting anything???????

I suppose that is your way of insulting me, but ignoring that and taking Vlim's suggestion again, I would list it at $500 because I value Vlim's opinions...

[Maestro]

i prefer these myself

[lugerholsterrepair]

Yes! I have a set just like that Navy marked!

[sheepherder]

OK, let's try this -

Offer it at $150 [starting bid on GB] as Ed suggests, but place a Reserve on it of the amount that Vlim has indicated that he would be interested in buying it...$500...

And beware of any lowball offers from anyone who might PM or email you off the GB auction site (or even off this site)...

Listing it *here*, in the LugerForum 'For Sale' Forum, rather than on GB, might net you a fair price and quickly...And without sellers' fees...

Listing it on GB without a Reserve and at a low starting price may get you locked into a sale that is less than a third of what it might sell for here...

I was not implying that *Ed* was a bottom feeding scumbag...But rather that anyone who offered you less than Vlim's value was...

...I give up...

[lugerholsterrepair]

OK..I give up. I tried..God knows I did.

[Maestro]

here's another; all matching, including the box!!

[Teddydog]

Those pre-War kits in the wooden boxes are very cool! If I were actually a Luger collector, I'd want one of those for sure, but probably would never find one for a price I liked. : )

If it doesn't sell on GB, I likely will move it over here. Thanks for the info, thoughts and great pictures.

Rob

[ithacaartist]

I also have the SE-08, as the original poster. I'm running it in my 29/70 6" 9mm Mauser with the help of a homemade barrel spacer--the kit converts a 4" 9mm so I turned one out and had it blued to match. The setup is a little cranky, fussy about ammo. My experience has been "tainted" by an interest in the complete pistols that Erma made, the ones that look like Lugers. The earlier ones tend to be somewhat undependable, and if you can get one to run 8 shots out of its 10, then WOO-HOO, great! The conversion kit runs pretty well, compared to them...

[Teddydog]

Well, it sold on GB for the opening price of $500. I guess that's current market value.


Rob

[ithacaartist]

Personally, I like the SE-08/2 kit because it has knurled/checkered, round toggle knobs--opposed to the little smooth squared ones. Looks much more like original toggle knobs.

[Teddydog]

When preparing this unit to ship to the buyer, I discovered something that may likely have cost me some money in the sale. The cleaning/clear rod IS THERE! It was hiding under the parts holding partition all along! D'oh! And I had even thought about looking under there several times. Stupid, stupid, stupid.


rob