# Non-Working Revolver for Sale: Fix or Sell As-Is?



## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

I have this old, short-barrel (3 1/8" long) 6-shooter revolver my dad sent back from Europe during WWII. It is about .38 caliber. The cylinder does not lock in place so it is not safe to shoot. A gunsmith claims he do a complete tear-down, complete cleaning & give me an estimate of how much it may take (he says it's often not much) to get it working. I want to sell it. Should I allow someone to attempt to get it working, or sell as is? Thank you.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Binable said:


> I have this old, short-barrel (3 1/8" long) 6-shooter revolver my dad sent back from Europe during WWII. It is about .38 caliber. The cylinder does not lock in place so it is not safe to shoot. A gunsmith claims he do a complete tear-down, complete cleaning & give me an estimate of how much it may take (he says it's often not much) to get it working. I want to sell it. Should I allow someone to attempt to get it working, or sell as is? Thank you.


Might be a little rusty inside .
What is the make of the gun? Does the gun have$ value?


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

There is not much on the revolver. It looks like "GDC" & "1252" are pressed into it. Just wondering how to find out if it's worth anything & if I should spend any $ getting it working so as to get a higher price.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

One or more pictures would be a big help.


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

Well, here goes trying to upload some pics. Never done it, so... You can ignore the pic with the Federal shot shells. Dads WWII Revolver Photos by slm3120 | Photobucket


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

P. Henkels German .38 revolver perhaps or something of that ilk.

The pistol below looks very similar:

http://www.gunauction.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=11425405


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I think that *denner*'s got it.

All I can add is to point out the safety lever above the grip, on the gun's left side.
Yeah, a safety lever on a revolver. It's a somewhat-typical German feature that appears on their military revolvers, too.

It has some historical interest, particularly since it's a WW2 trophy.
It would be nice if you can document where in Germany your father "liberated" it.

I suggest that it would be worth repairing, partly because, if it's working, its price would probably go up by more than the work would cost.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's some info on the marking "GDC"

"GDC" appears to have been a German gun and hunting-equipment wholesaler before WW1, in the same way that ALFA and Karl Bauer were. Cornell Publications shows a 1913 price list from this company on their website ( Cornell Publications -GDC 1913 Waffen und Munitions Preis Liste ; they also sell through ebay) Since this was a wholesaler, they would've contracted with any number of manufacturers to produce their products, so there might be no way of knowing who exactly made your pistol, but this is at least how it got onto the market."


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## Donn (Jul 26, 2013)

It's like a car, Bin. They're always worth more if they're running.


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

Yep. That's no doubt right, Donn. I'll check out Cornell Publications as posted by denner...thank you all. Does anyone recommend someone to get this one working & if it would improve its value get it polished-up. May sell...or may hold onto her for awhile. But either way maybe it's time to get some work done on the girl. Any suggestions/recommendations would be welcome.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Old Guns in General: Clean off the rust, but don't polish. Leave the patina of age and use.


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

O.K. Thank you everybody. I think I'd like to get someone to get this one working. Is their anyone anyone would recommend or should I just take it to a local gunsmith?


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

The same or similar gun above in Denner's link only sold for 77$
If your plans are to keep the gun , a working gun aways makes a better conversation piece.
fixing the gun just to sell it for a profit, might not be worth the trouble based on above sale price.
Maybe just trade it in , as is , on a new gun, just a thought.
Also the 77$ might not reflect the true value of the gun you have.


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

What I may do with this one is get it working if I can find a gunsmith to do that & then just let her sit in the gun cabinet. It would make a great conversation piece & in the meantime maybe I can find out more about it. And as the piece gets a little older maybe one day it may be worth selling. Only have a nephew to will it too & he was never into guns...but who knows maybe he wouldn't mind owning it one day. $77 would not be enough to interest me. For that price I'll just let her hang from the hook I installed for her years ago along the inside of the gun cabinet.


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