Totally out of element here..???
 

Hey Guys.....dont throw rocks...but Ive got a question and this Forum has Always come thru for me with good advice and answers....I had the daughter of an old friend from Texas call me the other nite...and she is selling her dads gun collection.....no Lugers..(Bummer)..However there was one P-38...an AC 42...she took it to a gun dealer....and he looked it over.....anyway....supposedly its in great shape....but the barrel apparently had some corrosive ammo fired in it from the GI who brought it back....and wasn't cleaned...so the condition of the barrel is a little "foggy"...the Dealer...(who I finally talked to)..said was OK..???....but not the best..??..the problem here is that he wants to buy it for his shop....so he's probably not being totally straight with his description to me....maybe he is...dont know......SO...finally to my question.....IF....I do wind up getting this AC 42 P-38...and its in good shape but the barrel is Crap....can it be rebarreled like can be done with a Luger with not too much problem.?....I know I will then have a shooter but this doesn't bother me......I appreciate your input on this......Thanks....Hans Fischer

p 38's barrels are alot easier to change than the lugers. in the shotgun news june 10 2012 volume 66 issue 17 ,reid coffield covers the gunsmitthing of the p38 and p1's , i think you may find it helpfull.

In many cases a barrel that has some minor (frosted / dark) corrosion will shoot just fine and it isn't an issue. My 1943 vintage Garand rifle has a slightly corroded barrel, and it is a tack driver. Just needs extra cleaning attention.

I suspect that the dealer is looking for reasons to talk down the value of the P.38.

If it's all matching and in good finish condition it would be collectable and hold most of it's value.

The P.38's barrel/chamber assembly is easy to remove. The barrel and the locking bolt (in the white in this picture) are precision fit to the receiver.

Postino recently posted some articles about relining P.38 barrels for the .30 Luger caliber. (see post #10 in http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...highlight=p.38


Marc

Marc is very correct in his assessment. Do not be in a hurry to change out an original barrel until you have shot it. Lots of Lugers with lousy barrels are deadly accurate.

A P38 will never be a tack driver anyway so swapping out a barrel, which is numbered to the gun is a waste of money. Although P38 values are climbing quickly, I don't think I would spend the money to reline a barrel.

What did this dealer say it was worth?

Dealer had to find something wrong to buy it for less than actual value..

Frosted? That makes no difference to me. Sure everyone would like to see a 100% lands and grooves barrel but what are the chances of that?

My favorite 9MM Luger shooter has an original sewer pipe barrel and keyholes but puts em all on paper at 25 yards and won't jam. I wouldn't change a thing even if I could.

AC 42 Value
 

The Dealer told my friend that the retail for the Pistol was $800.00 and he was going to offer her $500.00 less 15%...( I have no clue why he tacked that on)....so essentially he was going to give her less than $500.00.........and per her opinion.....its a Beautiful pistol...in good shape.......Im going to delay my Texas trip due to the hot weather......I had heart surgery over a year ago...not supposed to be out when its over 85.....its 108 here now........so.....Im thinking of just calling her up .....offering $500.00 and take a chance.......you guys give me good advice and I appreciate it........Danke.....Hans Fischer

I always think of P-38's as $800 guns. Probably a bit more these days. Holsters, matching mags, condition all effect that one way or the other. But the frosted bore thing shouldn't deter you, as the others have already stated.
Grab it fast. Everyone should have one...
dju

Back in 9/20/2009, I bought an all-matching AC41 VoPo refurb for $400 on GunBroker...I'm sure some parts were force-matched, and some new parts added, but it was dipped [not buffed] and looks and shoots great.

$800 sounds too much... :rolleyes:

As for relining, I did some in 7.65 Luger; I haven''t tried a 9mm liner (doing it my way) but I believe some real gunsmiths do... :p

Exchanging barrel/locking blocks is fairly simple...Clearance/headspace/frame fit is not too hard...A little grinding here, a little chamber cutting there...and Viola! [That's French] :D