Practical, shooter WWII pistol

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

What's a good handgun that a history buff, who is not really into guns and shooting, could buy for a reasonable price and both enjoy owning as a collectible / piece of military from the WWI or WWII period (or both) ...


...AND which would be and acceptable reasonable choice for home defense or to carry in the vehicle while driving?


He'd want the gun to be of a 1900's -1943 design, although the exact specimen he picks up could be of newer production so long as it's identical to the military versions.


MY IDEAS:


1-- Gov't 1911, although it's probably outside of his price range, even for a well used, well-worn one.

2-- Browning P35 Hi Power, although I don't know if this gun saw enough service, actually issued to tropps or officers, in WW2 for him to put it in his short list.

3-- P-08 Luger, just because it's so famous, both from World War I and World War II, but I'm pretty sure this is out of his price range.

4-- Walther P38. Double action first shot makes it safe for a novice or beginner to carry fully loaded without neecibg to use a manual safety lever. It's affordable, especially ones not made in Germany but made by order of the Germans in Nazi occupied nations of Eastern Europe or the Baltics.

5-- Walther PP or PP/K. This was commonly owned by German officers during the war, and of course it's famous as the James Bond gun from all those movies!
Caliber .32 or .380 is a slight negative on these.

6-- A S&W "Victory" or similar period-correct .38 duty-sized revolver. Very reliable, even with wide-mouth hollowpoint bullets. Affordable, plenty of shooter-grade specimens that serious collectors would turn up their noses at, but should be fine for his purposes.

What else should he consider?

Please suggest other makes and models, either from the Allied or Axis side.

 

[mo mauser]

I think he will need to try a few to see what he likes. A post war P38 would be a good choice and are affordable. A CZ 27 or a Beretta 34 or 35 are options as well.

A note on the hi-power...I believe it was the only sidearm issued to both Axis (German) and Allies ( British and Canada) so it probably saw extensive use.

 

[mkdhotrod]

I would say a 1911 that's cheap because they're so easy to use. Maybe a walther PPK (a new one) in .380 or 7.65. Becuase both of these guns are still in production. Same with the hi power but damn that's a big pistol for EDC.

 

[will4me]

Any of the Enfield revolvers and some are in the 400.00 price range and did see service in WWII.
Some of the Smith .38 or .45 Calber Pistols and some can be found in the 500-600 Range.
And the P-38 should not be ruled out as some of these were in WWII and can sometimes be found reasonably priced.

 

[StuP]

You seem to indicate he's considering an original gun. I'd suggest anything 70 + years old, (collectible), would be a poor choice for self defense, age takes a toll of the best designs.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

....Same with the hi power but damn that's a big pistol for EDC.

This would not be an Every-Day Carry gun.
Home defense and vehicle carry, in the glove box or center console.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

You seem to indicate he's considering an original gun. I'd suggest anything 70 + years old, (collectible), would be a poor choice for self defense, age takes a toll of the best designs.

I donno. I traded into a 1913 manufactured "Colt Army Special" (first introduced in 1908). The gun was tight and had excellent original bluing. I shot it for about 150 rounds of standard pressure 38 special. I would not hesitate to shoot +P loads through it if I were considering using that as a home defense weapon --I'm sure it could handle it. That same frame size (E/I) was used on many Colt 357 magnum revolvers including the Python.

 

[will4me]

I donno. I traded into a 1913 manufactured "Colt Army Special" (first introduced in 1908). The gun was tight and had excellent original bluing. I shot it for about 150 rounds of standard pressure 38 special. I would not hesitate to shoot +P loads through it if I were considering using that as a home defense weapon --I'm sure I could handle it.

+P loads I would shy away from in these old war horses as when these were in action some had thousands of rounds through them and some only a few hundred.
The few hundred pistols are on the rare side and the few thousand are on the common side as some were rebarreled or reArsenaled and look new.
There are some again on the rare side that were Barely carried and look newish as because they are.
Again YMMV and after all the years I have been collecting I would not subject something that old to those types of pressures.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Any of the Enfield revolvers...

Do any of them have a decent Double Action trigger pull? I hear horror stories of 12-17 lbs. in DA mode.

The ones that use .38 special (post war conversions) would be acceptable. .38 S&W [short] less so.

 

[will4me]

Do any of them have a decent Double Action trigger pull? I hear horror stories of 12-17 lbs. in DA mode.

The ones that use .38 special (post war conversions) would be acceptable. .38 S&W [short] less so.

Some will have the 12lb plus trigger.
I have a Late war that is nice on the trigger pull at 10lbs with no grit feel to it but that is the exception not the rule.
Never shot a Post War Conversion but it would still be the same setup and spring as a Wartime trigger.