Re: Erma KGP68A for sale

[ithacaartist]

At, http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=31240 , we're offered an Erma pistol for sale. The thread has grown since started, but the initiator has only posted the first time and not responded to PMs or questions in the thread.. I'm posting here so as not to incurr trouble for comments in the for sale section.

First, the two-tone finish is not factory original; the pistol has had these silver parts buffed.

The Erma Luger-wannabe blowback action pistols do have a reputation for sketchy function--but this needs some clarification. The earlier Luger style pistols made in the 60's definitely bear most of the responsibility for the bad rep. Their construction is largely of cast Zamak, which is less durable than steel, and also more difficult to refinish. Some of these La, Ep, and Et.22s seem to work just fine, while other examples of the same models are single shot jam-o-matics. These are mag and ammo sensitive, with a tenuous spring "balance" and are difficult puzzles, indeed, to obtain a reliably functioning gun.

The KGP series are quite a bit better in construction, using all steel (except the grip frame itself); and they also tend to work a lot better than their predecessors. You may still encounter issues with them, but achieving decent function from them is easier. They are, in addition--you can see from the pics in the original post--truer to the external lines of an original Luger, and closer internally than the 60s' models because of their cute little hold-opens! One issue distinct to the KGP68 models is their apparent propensity to fling their extractors into the stratosphere, likely taking with it the small spring and tiny plunger/guide. Since Erma went bankrupt in 1999 and all remaining stock sold off, these parts are difficult to replace, with all hope remaining only in the realm of what turns up used at auction sites and classifieds.

I've been watching the prices of the various Erma offerings over the last couple of years, and have obtained an example of each model at reasonable, fair cost. As we've been cautioned, looking at prices being asked does not tell the full market story; one must keep track of actually realized prices to discern a clear picture of what is going for how much. A survey of current offerings on Gunbroker.com yields more than a dozen, mostly overpriced in starting price, buy it now price, or reserve. Many of those in current listings have cycled through the site repeatedly, for months. This is simply because people's expectations are not met by the market, and they really aren't worth as much as they think. The Jackson Armory listing is hilarious because even though they dropped their start price by $50 since the first listing, it's still $599!! No box, no accessories, not mint. IMHO, about $200 too high to sell.

Here's my rundown of what these KGP Ermas sell for:
NIB-$450, Exc.-$375-400, Good $300-350, functional but rough $250. The top end is slightly below current average of $500 paid for a new gun, yet still orders of magnitude greater than original prices up into the 80s.

They are, however, fun to shoot!