Finnish Luger price?

[Angus Magnus]

Recently came across one, and was wondering if it was a good deal:

• 4.75" mint Tikka barrel
• no date DWM, SA marked
• 85% arsenal refinish, no strawed parts
• chipped left grip
• wood base mag
• frame, slide and some small parts match
• not import marked
• $1045

I really like the long barrel and I'm a huge fan of the Winter War history of the Finn guns, but I'm on the fence about whether it is too much for what is essentially a shooter. Any thoughts?

[DavidJayUden]

Welcome aboard!
Check it carefully for import marks. Sometimes they are very tiny and in inconspicuous places, on the boottom of the frame rail, etc.
It does seem like a lot of money, but if it has the features you want, and if it is a well serviced pistol that will last lots of rounds, then why not? Changing barrels alone will cost you several hundred dollars.
So, in a perfect world the price seems a bit high, but that seems to be what they are asking for those guns, and this isn't a perfect world. Time for you to do a gut check.
Good luck.
dju

[sheepherder]

You didn't say if it was a face-to-face deal, or Internet auction [GB, AA, etc]...Do you need to pay sales tax? Shipping? FFL fee?

I happen to be a big fan of the Finnish Lugers, and the Tikkakoski 4 3/4" barreled ones especially...$1095 without any other fees sounds reasonable to me...

...My $.02...

[Angus Magnus]

It would be total price including shipping, no tax, and my FFL charges $15.

I have not seen it in person, but the seller assures it is not marked for import.

I have been looking for a while and the finns dont seem to come up for sale too often.

Does anyone have a rough estimate how many finn lugers there are and how many of those came into the states?

[Angus Magnus]

Took your advice and committed to the purchase!

I've drooled over the long barreled Finns since I first saw them come in. When was that, 2006?

Would it be sacrilege to have Thor refinish it or at least straw the small parts since it has been arsenal refinished before?

What I mean is, are the Finn Lugers automatically viewed as shooters and I can mess with the finish with a free conscience, or does the cheap arsenal refinish have collectability all it's own?

Pics will of course be forthcoming as soon as it arrives.

[DavidJayUden]

I'd classify most Finnish Lugers as shooters, although I'm sure some forum members will take offense. My point is that having it finished (no pun intended) to your liking will not effect value. Although the money you spend will probably not come back to you later either. Some of us need Lugers to mildly personalize and this one seems like a good place to start.
dju

[Curly1]

You got $1060 into it and you want to spend more to refinish a shooter?

If it were me no but what ever makes you happy is what you should do.

Why don"t you post pics here first before you decide.

[Angus Magnus]

I will definitely post pics once it arrives.

It is probably silly and a waste of cash my wife will never forgive. My thought is it might make a nice shooter I can pass on to my son, who won't enjoy it now as he is just a toddler, though he might literally drool over it.

[alvin]

If it shoots great in range, $1060 is not unacceptable. Just treat it as an AR-15. Military gun with worn finish is a taste. I was a little bit surprised that Finnish Luger keeps value better than DWM in this economic environment.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

I'd classify most Finnish Lugers as shooters, although I'm sure some forum members will take offense. My point is that having it finished (no pun intended) to your liking will not effect value. Although the money you spend will probably not come back to you later either.

My opinion is based on my personal preferences, and the 4 3/4" Tikkakoski barrel (especially with proof mark) is a big plus to me...and the 'square' front sight blade too, of course...

The SA proof on the frame/receiver is a big plus too...

The Finns seem to have taken pains to keep these Lugers in good condition; finish (sorry; no pun intended) perhaps was not a high priority...

I've kept an occasional eye on these on GB and the price is not out of line...IMO...Especially with only $15 FFL fee...

Does any Luger really lose value???

I too would like to see pics...

[alvin]

Originally Posted by postino

Does any Luger really lose value???

No. Numerically, it increased in value. Back in 2006, I saw a Finnish Luger and a Shansei 45ACP Broomhandle in a big Maine dealership. If I remembered right, both were about $800. Both demand higher $$ now. If put inflation into consideration, so far Finnish Luger keeps value, and Shansei, not sure what's going on, it's selling at $1500+ these days.

[Angus Magnus]

Below are the photos from the seller. The front sight is not square, and the rear does not seem to be cut either. I wonder if that will affect the point of aim...

I will take close-ups when it arrives if anyone is interested.

[Angus Magnus]

Has anyone here fired a Shansei? How was the accuracy/reliability?

I have one C96 with ~90% original rifling that shoots a bit to the right, but fairly tight groups and 100% reliable.

Another C96 that is a reline is a disaster: inconsistent and has jams every 2-3 rounds.

[alvin]

I fired a Shansei in range, 10 rounds only. Jammed 4 times -- all due to feeding failure. At least that instance is a "looking-only" gun, not because it's a collector gun, but I had no other choice. Sold later. It's an easy gun to sell -

[Angus Magnus]

Are they all that finnicky?

I have seen 2-3 Shansei's at gunshows. They were more poorly finished than german made broomhandles by far, but I had thought maybe that lack of attention to detail would not extend to affecting the function.

[alvin]

Original Shansei were made 1928 - 1931 ?? I have never owned one of those, too expensive. The original one might work better. If you're interested in an original one, there is one for sale in the coming March 2012 Julia Auction. I believe this one being an original. If its new owner could give it a range test and post results, I will be very interested.

http://jamesdjulia.com/auctions/cata...e=320&lot=1071

(This gun, along with another one, were sold in 2008 from the same auction house. On sale again now).

What I owned was a parts gun imported in 1980s. Let alone shooting it, putting it back after disassembling was not easy. Much cheaper though. For looking, it's not bad, but it does not fit my collection well, so I sold it.

===

Sorry, off topic.

[Angus Magnus]

Sorry, by Shansei I meant the 80's reproduction 45acp broomhandles. What would the correct terminology be for these "Shansei-types"?

I've never seen an original in person. The repro's always piqued my curiosity though...

[[email protected]]

Big Fans of Finnish pistols should Email me at [email protected] for a free draft copy of my book
Finnish pistols and revolvers

[LugerMan.com]

Originally Posted by Angus Magnus

Below are the photos from the seller. The front sight is not square, and the rear does not seem to be cut either. I wonder if that will affect the point of aim...

I will take close-ups when it arrives if anyone is interested.

I had a Finn Luger with that barrel,
I did have to make a front sight that was taller by a bunch to make it point of aim.

[Dwight Gruber]

Originally Posted by Angus Magnus

Took your advice and committed to the purchase!

I've drooled over the long barreled Finns since I first saw them come in. When was that, 2006?

Would it be sacrilege to have Thor refinish it or at least straw the small parts since it has been arsenal refinished before?

What I mean is, are the Finn Lugers automatically viewed as shooters and I can mess with the finish with a free conscience, or does the cheap arsenal refinish have collectability all it's own?

Pics will of course be forthcoming as soon as it arrives.

This will, of course, be a matter of opinion--mine, in this case.

Finnish Lugers fall into the categorical crack of being collection-worthy, but generally in a condition sufficiently distressed that shooting will not harm them.

From the pictures, this appears to be a nice example, in pretty good shape. An "arsenal refinish" is authentic; a modern reblue makes just a re-blued gun. Refinishing it in any manner will wreck its collectibility, reduce its collector value by thirty to 50 percent, make it a real shooter-only-quality gun.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures when the gun is finally in your hands.

--Dwight