G Date Shooter

[Kyrie]

Just picked this one up. G date, import marked, refinished, mechanically about mint with minty bore. I suspect this is one of the guns that came out of the former DDR just after the reunification of the DDR and GDR into present day Germany.

[DavidJayUden]

Why do you say it is refinished?
dju

[Norme]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Why do you say it is refinished?
dju

It's clearly refinished, no barrel serial halos for one thing.
Norm

[Kyrie]

And inside of the frame is blued.

[kurusu]

Yep. It is refinished, but it's a very good job.

Kyrie, you have the makings of a great shooter.

[Kyrie]

Originally Posted by kurusu

Yep. It is refinished, but it's a very good job.

Kyrie, you have the makings of a great shooter.

Thank you, sir.

[DavidJayUden]

It's clearly refinished, no barrel serial halos for one thing.

I don't know how you can tell with all that white goop smeared all over the gun.

Yes it has an import mark, and yes it is probably refinished, but to a lot of beginning collectors that is a fine and somewhat rare Luger. Don't disregard its collectability potential.
dju

[alvin]

From trading perspective, there is no good gun, no bad gun. Any gun can earn profit is a winner. There are many factors, but the key is usually its acquisition price. Nice original item, if it costs too much, loses money, it's still a loser. But that's just one perspective on this hobby.

For shooting, this is not an original gun, lacking fun of shooting original gun though. Of course, it still can bang, bang.

[DonVoigt]

Alvin,
when you realize that everyone is not "in it" for the $$?

[alvin]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

Alvin,
when you realize that everyone is not "in it" for the $$?

Obviously. But only when money is put into the equation as an important factor (not the only factor), this hobby becomes alive, having its blood and muscle, having breath and temperature, feels like an alive hobby. Nothing wrong.

[Kyrie]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

--- snip ---
Yes it has an import mark, and yes it is probably refinished, but to a lot of beginning collectors that is a fine and somewhat rare Luger. Don't disregard its collectability potential.
dju

Yes, sir. Even an advanced collector will occasionally pay a small premium for a shooter grade gun that fills the empty slot of a hard-to-get variation, while he waits for a better grade example at an acceptable price.

Beginning collectors will do the same thing, more often than the advanced collector, and have been known to get buck fever and offer much more than a gun is really worth purely because they they think the chances they will never see another example of some uncommon-to-rare variation.

You can take it for given that I will be mindful of all that and more when the time comes, in five or ten years, for me to sell this one.

[kurusu]

@ kyrie,

When shooting it. Remove the holdopen. It's not needed for shooting, and it's a numbered part that is common to break.

[Kyrie]

Originally Posted by alvin

From trading perspective, there is no good gun, no bad gun. Any gun can earn profit is a winner. There are many factors, but the key is usually its acquisition price. Nice original item, if it costs too much, loses money, it's still a loser. But that's just one perspective on this hobby.

For shooting, this is not an original gun, lacking fun of shooting original gun though. Of course, it still can bang, bang.

Well and truly stated, Alvin. Having noticed that shooter Lugers are appreciating at a rate of 10% - 15% a year I've decided to diversify a part of my retirement savings into a dozen or so such guns. I'm looking for 1) completely functional guns that will run a magazine of ammo without flaw, 2) preferably matching but at least without any mismatched part likely to cause functional problems, and 3) a price on each and every gun that will permit its immediate sale on consignment at a local shop at a price that will let me break even.

This G date gun is, I think, a good example of the kind of Luger I'm looking for.

Unfortunately I have enough collector blood in me that I get sucked into interesting guns for which I end up paying a premium. That premium may make it difficult to realize the kind of profit I want on resale. The Simson, of which I posted pictures a little while ago, is an example of a gun on which I may or may not make money if I find I need to sell it any time soon. There is another gun, a Luger with Cyrillic proof, that may be financially problematic if I need to do a quick sale (I'll put up photos of this one shortly).

[Kyrie]

Originally Posted by kurusu

@ kyrie,

When shooting it. Remove the holdopen. It's not needed for shooting, and it's a numbered part that is common to break.

Excellent advice, and much appreciated. I've already laid in a small supply of modern replacement grip panels and firing pins to use when shooting

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by alvin

Obviously. But only when money is put into the equation as an important factor (not the only factor), this hobby becomes alive, having its blood and muscle, having breath and temperature, feels like an alive hobby. Nothing wrong.

Baloney!
You confer your own "philosophy" on others and their motivation- actually it is only an opinion.

[mccaslyn]

Come on gentlemen lets keep it friendly. I personally really only have interest in shooters considering i shoot everything i own but have been looking at different variations to have as more or less "examples". Very nice looking g date and even refinished it looks like it was well done. Be sure to give a range report!

[DavidJayUden]

I'd be all over it if it came my way.
dju