buying a Nazi marked Hi-power this week

B

builttoughf350

Senior Member
Hi-power experts- please give me a quick education on what to look for / watch out for etc... I am meeting with an older collector who has 3 nazi marked hi powers, and I believe he said one english one. I am interested in buying one of the nazi marked pistols. I have every maker / code of P38s but I know nothing of these brownings other than to make sure its not reblued or mismatched, but is there anything special that might set one apart from the others ? changes in design ? how do I determine year of manufacture ?

Thank you !
 
You can go here:

http://hipowertalk.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=6

And here:

http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15

For lots of info.

I'd look to see if the back strap is slotted for a stock (desirable). Also, check the Wa number 140 is perhaps most common. The least common (forget the number now but it's like 760) is now being faked. Check the serial numbers for matching. Usual stuff, finish, bore, crown.

There are horrendous details of proofs that determine if it is made pre-war and then captured and natsi proofed. The pre-war had a mag safety as evidenced by a pin through the trigger (visible). Once these were used up the natsis discarded the feature so later war HPs have no mag safety

Check the mag for war era (bottom plate has 2 slots in it) and for waffenamt ( may not have one). Make sure the extractor hasn't broken (reports of Wa140 era extractors being over-tempered by sabotage)

War finish was not very good on these so most are roughly finished metal (grind marks etc) with a poor blue. A consistent finish - for example, consistently thin - is probably more desirable than a splotchy finish though both are common. Better finish is indicative of earlier in the war, but too good a finish is indicative of a re-finish.

The tangent sight calibration (500 or 1000) IIRC, also can help date earlier and later pistols.

Sorry my mempry is a little weak on these.
 
does anyone shoot their nazi marked hi-powers ? I have shot my P38s that were NOT all matching, one or two magazines of 115 grain ammo, and put them away. it was just to see how they did and enjoy them. but if the nazi marked hi-power should not be shot, I can respect that.
 
I might be interested in the others BT, PM me. The GP.35 is my favorite pistol, collecting and shooting. It's safe to shoot with mild 9mm. The Wolf 115 fmj is about as light as it gets in my experience. I don't recommend it as it sometimes won't cycle reliably in pistols like the XD and Grock. I wouldn't shoot a collector grade GP.35 though as I have a couple shooter GPs. There are variants in these pistols and some are more desireable than others, but it is fairly straightforward, re matching and originality. Watch out for refinished pistols.
Regards,
HB
 
I have a tangent-sight Nazi HP that I have shot. Just as accurate and reliable as any Hi-Power with 115 gr FMJ. To the OP, check the spine of the mag to make sure you get one that is Nazi proofed. The Nazi proofed mag alone is worth about $250 these days, so make sure the pistol you choose has one. They can be very faint, so take a small magnifier with you.
 
I also have a Nazi waffen marked Hi-Power rig. Seldom shoot it, but when I do, she gets 115 FMJ ammo only. The finish is only about 20%,but the grips are good, as is the bore. Mainly bought it to add to my small/modest WWII collection.
 

Attachments

  • WW II FN.jpg
    WW II FN.jpg
    26.6 KB · Views: 33
Ok I got it

WAA103
all matching
Serial # in the high 78000 range ( what year would this be ??? )
overall metal and bluing condition- 65 % I would guess. evenly blued and even wear and scratches throughout
Original grips in 80 % condition or better with a TINY bit of pitting, maybe from storage in a holster.
Low tangent rear sight
it has the "magazine safety"
Bore- has a little pitting in the middle
Holster- brown leather marked hlv 43
two magazines- one with no markings, one with a "C" inside a circle on the spine, 74732 stamped on the base, with some kind of cutout to the back of the base / maybe not a "cut out" but there are two notches / cuts in it
came with one small pack of original WW2 German 9mm ammo

I have no time to do pictures right now, very sorry, but could someone throw me a ball park value / estimate on what its worth ?
 
Last edited:
For a waa103 tangent you're talking MAJOR money. I have been watching them and seen these go for 2000 plus. Please someome correct me if I'm wrong.

Hard to know what 65% finish is but thats what I see at gunbroker is big money.

*firing from the hip here seems like you're trying to get feedback pretty quick
 
I just want to make sure I did right for the price. For peace of mind. This is going to my collection and I wouldn't flip it for any amount of profit.
 
You have to be a good shopper. $2000 is outrageous even for a tangent HP. We sold a good one at the shop just a couple of weeks ago, all matching with a proofed mag for $1250.
 
Another comes through for that, please message me. Trying to buy (or trade) myself into one!

Was it WaA140 marked?

1250 for the gun and mag plus 250 for a holster and 150 for another mag is 1650 for a WaA140 marked tangent rig. I think my mag and holster price may be low there.
 
It was $1250 for the gun and one WaA140 mag in it. About 75-80% orig finish. I see the mags on their own going for $250 and up over the last year. Holsters- well, you just get what you pay for!
I'll try to remember if we see another. I refer you to The Firing Line, Aurora, CO, keep an eye on the website and gun listings.
 
Thanks for the tip, I will keep a look out on there. I always walk into stores a week late with the hipowers. O we sold one last week.

Those accessories add up. I was just firing to help him out. I sat at a gun shop today waiting to hear from people about a potential gun purchase. I know it stinks. With pictures of everything we can get a much better idea of what its worth.

Thanks!
 
Ok so with all things said the seller wanted $1300 for everything I ended up paying $1150. Whether it's a deal or not, I have a really awesome addition to my collection. Heck I didn't have a single holster even until this !
 
Sounds like a great deal! Check the mags closely with a magnifier for waA140 markings. They can be very faint and would be the only drawback if you didn't get at least one. Pics?
 
sneakerd said:
You have to be a good shopper. $2000 is outrageous even for a tangent HP. We sold a good one at the shop just a couple of weeks ago, all matching with a proofed mag for $1250.
Click to expand...

$2000 is not a bad price for a nice original matching WaA613 or even WaA103 tangent. A WaA140 tangent is a $1100-1500 pistol.
 
builttoughf350 said:
Ok so with all things said the seller wanted $1300 for everything I ended up paying $1150. Whether it's a deal or not, I have a really awesome addition to my collection. Heck I didn't have a single holster even until this !
Click to expand...

Hambone said:
$2000 is not a bad price for a nice original matching WaA613 or even WaA103 tangent. A WaA140 tangent is a $1100-1500 pistol.
Click to expand...

Ham knows of what he speaks. Even though it sounds as if your pistol has a few small issues, $1,150 for a WaA103 is a pretty good deal.
BTW, your pistol was made in 1941.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top