FEG R61 with Communist Party Banner
About 20 years ago I got this little pistol, a true clone of the PPk, in 9mmMak. Showed it to a friend of mine the other day and we looked it up in the "Blue Book" and can't find it. Do any of you experts know of this little gun which has the Party banner on the slide? I love the little thing but would like to find out value? Haven't seen it come up on the auction side. Ideas?
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It would help to see a photo. It could be a Hungarian Walam 48, which was the military model with the crest and were intended to be sold to Egypt but many ended up being sold commercially. The commercial FEG M48 was basically identical but typically did not have the crest and like the Hungarian AP-66 pistols were sold in Europe; sometimes had the crest but most often commercially marked. 0 -
Not common at all. Haven't seen one in years. Unfortunately rarity and value/demand aren't the same. How much would the crown jewels of England be worth, if nobody wanted them? My Wag, $300 to $500 to the proverbial right person. 
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The R61 is the little brother of the much more common PA63. It was the first successful alloy framed pistol produced by the Hungarians in the FEG factory. The earlier R59s suffered from premature frame failures.
These pistols were designed for tank crews and the like where space was at a premium.
It's really not a PPK clone, as the mechanism is a bit different.
There is a commercial version in 9mm Makarov imported by KBI called the SMC-918. There is a 380 ACP variant called the SMC-380. Magazines interchange between the two.
There were at least two imports of this pistol of which I'm aware. One was Century and the other KBI. You need to know that many of the Century imported pistols were rebarreled for 380 ACP. The 380 ACP markings are roll marked on the barrel, so you need to check carefully. The 9mm Mak barrels I've seen typically have no markings.
This pistol, according to Gene Gangarosa in the Complete Guide to Compact Handguns, is the smallest ever imported. I believe the only reason it was allowed is the grips were changed to "target" grips with the left thumb rest.
I've seen these pistols go for anywhere from $250 to $400 on the auction side. Spare magazines typically go for $50 or more (!).
Good luck.0 -
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
Not common at all. Haven't seen one in years. Unfortunately rarity and value/demand aren't the same. How much would the crown jewels of England be worth, if nobody wanted them? My Wag, $300 to $500 to the proverbial right person.
Dear Rufe/CMM....thanks guys for the feedback. Yep, that's my guy Rufe! And CM it is a KBI import marked pistol. I know it is a bit different internally from but in size it is about what the PPk is. I love the little guy and I am trying to find out what you guys might think it worth.......thanks again for the feedback!0
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