Liberator
 

I was browsing some auctions a day or so ago (Maybe from a link Pete provided?) and saw a Liberator with an estimate of $550 to $650, if my failing memory is correct.

Seems pretty high for a buck ninety-eight gun. :D I know probably not many survived or made it back here, but still.... It was in pretty rough shape BTW.

Is it true these were only good for 1 shot and it had no rifling in the barrel...?

No rifling at all Pete smooth bore had one of these years ago (should have kept it) have seen these sell for 1000 up can you beleive it. shot mine at a 55 gal drum 20 feet away could not hit it.

Having never seen a picture of this gun, I did a little research on the Internet and turned up the following:

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/liberator_45.jpg

Doesn't compete with the Luger for elegant beauty !

Luke

My understanding is that although several thousand of these were bilt, none were actually ever used in combat. The theory behind these was drop them in with a box of ammo and use them to get ahold of a real weapon from an enemy combatant.

It's been years since I've owned one or studied up on them and my memory could be wrong in this respect. One thing I do vividly recall was you had to be within about 10' to hit anything with it and it had about a 10# trigger pull.

A kin to the liberator was a shotgun that was made during the war which I recall was used in limited numbers in the philipines. It too was a single shot and crudely made, dropped into rebel areas with the same intent: that it be used to secure a real weapon.

trigger643, I was under the impression that a few were used, at least, but I could be wrong as it's been a LONG time since I casually studied these.

For those who don't know, if my memory is correct the division of GM which made light housings for cars made these. Gives one an idea of why they were so cheap to produce.

And, yes, the theory was that a resistance person could get in real close and secure himself a real gun.

If the one I saw was going to sell for $650, the one pictured above should be worth $2,000!

A mint Liberator with original instruction sheet, wood dowel and box will easily top $2000.

There were something like a 100,000 made or more.

I have heard that many were dropped in Europe, as I have seen them in musuems there, but they were gathered up and destroyed.

Ed

Rod, it's been a couple of decades since I owned one and studied up on them. You are right about GM signal lamp division making them. I don't recall their exact name, but they specialized in stamping headlamp bucket assemblies.

I paid about $200 for mine with the pict-o-gram instruction pamphlet 20 years ago and traded it for something more useful immediately after shooting it.

It was made by the Guide Lamp division of GM, IIRC.

Tom A.

I have always been facinated by this little pistol... :)

I know that there is an excellent hardcover book on the Liberator pistol and it's history... I saw it in the bookstore at the NRA Headquarters Museum here in Fairfax, VA last summer... unfortunately, I don't remember the author or the title :( sorry.


I didn't buy it because as I recall the price tag was a hefty one... and since I don't own one, I passed on the purchase.

BTW, there were two of these pistols at the Dulles Expo Gun Show a few months back... I didn't bother to ask them to flip over the price tag under the glass... no use wasting their time... :(

Look up NRA museum phone number and ask for the bookstore. I am sure they will be glad to help with the title and would probably even mail it to you if you are interested.

The book was written by Ralph Hagen and it costs $40. Check out this link: Liberator Pistol

Knew it was a lot of pistols....

More interesting stuff from the Net :

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...tor_pistol.gif

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...ol_diagram.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...tor_pistol.jpg

If you think that thing is inaccurate try the North American Arms Guardian 380 auto. From 10 feet away I couldn't hit a 2' square target once with 6 shots. I'll have to admit that it makes a heck of a bang tho, not bad for $400 bucks.

These were very unique pistols, with the US airforce dropping many of these little fellows over Belgium and France to supply resistance groups.
Most were destroyed after the war as they were built very cheap for purposes already explained.

I have one in my collection but do not have the dowel and box.Can post detailed photos on Stills site if required as I have not mastered this forum's photo posting as of yet.

The odd one circulates in the north but very infrequently

lugerlou...

Please see the Site Help and Feedback forum... there is a fine photo upload and display totorial stored there that was written years ago by Ed Tinker... it is still valid and quite simple to follow... even TOM ARMSTRONG finally got the hang of it!

Give it a try... if you make some mistakes, Ed or I will be glad to delete them for you. You can't hurt your computer or the forum by trying... Just remember that the photos must be under 200K in filesize in order to be uploaded. The Upload link is in the top right hand corner of every page...

john Sabato

Thankyou for the tip, will try.

A very rare gun and for a few hundred bucks I'd buy another.

Here is a link with some information for my pistol. Mine still has the original instructions!

http://www.p38guns.com/FP-45.htm

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