UPDATE: Manurhin PP pistol
Last week at this time there was a good deal of interest in the Manurhin PP police pistols marketed by Centerfire Inc. I got caught up in the subject and decided to order one of these pistols for myself, along with a Walther P-1 which Centerfire is also selling. My FFL was not on file with Centerfire so it took a couple of extra days to get the pistols, but they are both here and I am pleased.
The Manurhin PP came packaged in its original brown box with a spare magazine and a black leather holster. The condition of the pistol I received was about 95% or better. There was a minor amount of wear up at the muzzel but that is about all. The rear of the grip showed no wear at all and this is unsual for ex-police guns since nearly all are worn back there due to police resting their hands on the butts of their pistols. The brown plastic stocks (grips) were in excellent shape with just the slightest bit of wear. The pistol had clearly been fired but the bore was perfect and looked outsatanding once I gave it a good cleaning. This pistol had the typical high grade commercial blue finish and looks very nice. At $250 I'd say these are a very good buy.
The P-1 I purchased as a sort of after thought turned out to be the biggest surprise as this pistol was basically new. It was pretty clear that it had probably never been issued as it showed no wear what so ever, only the balck plastic stocks showed a few minor scrathes, probably for rubbing against other pistols while in storage. My P-1 was produced in September 1982 and was covered in dust! I think it had just been sitting in some arsenal for the last 20 years and was more or less forgotten. When I stripped it down I could see it had probably never been fired more than once or twice in its life. The barrel still had grease in it and the slide and locking block showed zero wear. The two magazines that came with it were unissued and still in the factory paper wrap and the original test target was also included. The P-1 came boxed in what appeared to be the same packaging the pistol was shipped to the German Army in. I noticed that the box was stamped with the NATO Stock Code Number along with the pistol's model designation and serial number. Interesting.
You need to keep in mind that these P-1's were built to military specs and do not have the same high quality fit and finish that you would find on a commercial P-38 that was imported by Interarms. The slide on the P-1 is a plain and very dull parkerizing and the frame is black with plain black plastic stocks. Although new, it is not a show piece, the fitting and finish are left a bit rough and it is not polished, it is a military pistol and you should keep this in mind. In my opinion this pistol was a steal at $250 and I would suggest that anyone interested in a good 9mm DA at a low price purchase one. I am satisfied with both of my pistols.
Mark T. Christian
The Manurhin PP came packaged in its original brown box with a spare magazine and a black leather holster. The condition of the pistol I received was about 95% or better. There was a minor amount of wear up at the muzzel but that is about all. The rear of the grip showed no wear at all and this is unsual for ex-police guns since nearly all are worn back there due to police resting their hands on the butts of their pistols. The brown plastic stocks (grips) were in excellent shape with just the slightest bit of wear. The pistol had clearly been fired but the bore was perfect and looked outsatanding once I gave it a good cleaning. This pistol had the typical high grade commercial blue finish and looks very nice. At $250 I'd say these are a very good buy.
The P-1 I purchased as a sort of after thought turned out to be the biggest surprise as this pistol was basically new. It was pretty clear that it had probably never been issued as it showed no wear what so ever, only the balck plastic stocks showed a few minor scrathes, probably for rubbing against other pistols while in storage. My P-1 was produced in September 1982 and was covered in dust! I think it had just been sitting in some arsenal for the last 20 years and was more or less forgotten. When I stripped it down I could see it had probably never been fired more than once or twice in its life. The barrel still had grease in it and the slide and locking block showed zero wear. The two magazines that came with it were unissued and still in the factory paper wrap and the original test target was also included. The P-1 came boxed in what appeared to be the same packaging the pistol was shipped to the German Army in. I noticed that the box was stamped with the NATO Stock Code Number along with the pistol's model designation and serial number. Interesting.
You need to keep in mind that these P-1's were built to military specs and do not have the same high quality fit and finish that you would find on a commercial P-38 that was imported by Interarms. The slide on the P-1 is a plain and very dull parkerizing and the frame is black with plain black plastic stocks. Although new, it is not a show piece, the fitting and finish are left a bit rough and it is not polished, it is a military pistol and you should keep this in mind. In my opinion this pistol was a steal at $250 and I would suggest that anyone interested in a good 9mm DA at a low price purchase one. I am satisfied with both of my pistols.
Mark T. Christian
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What caliber was the PP?
I need one in .22LR.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net0 -
You got a good deal Mark! One question though?
Is the P 1 that you bought of the later production series, with the Steel Hex Bolt that is pressed transversely through the frame above the trigger?0 -
Negative on the updated frame modification Snowman. I know that this was considered a weak point, but for my purposes I really don't mind. Since the pistol is dated 9-82 that modification must have begun sometime after that date- at least on military production.
Mark T. Christian0 -
For more info on p-1/p-38s, check out www.p38forum.com. 0 -
Mark,
I finally got my PP. I'm such a procrastinator. Man is this a nice pistol for the money. I can't wait to get it out to the range. You thoughts and expertise on this one really convinced me to go for it. Thanks a lot. Any idea how to date these things? Just too bad I couldn't get that P-1 on C&R, too.
-Marcus
***When the Second Amendment falls, the First will be sure to follow.***0 -
Was it made in "france?" Just curious. 0 -
Hello Darrell. This was a follow up to a post about one month ago where a fellow was wondering about the quality and condition of French made Manurhin PP pistols made under Walther license. I responded to that first post in my typcial long winded style so there is no need to go through all of that again here. If you like the PP pistol and can live with the .32 ACP chambering, I can't think of a single reason to pass up one of these fine French made Walther handguns. The qualty is there and the price is right- less than half the typical price of a USA licensed Walther from Interarms and a fraction of the cost of a German made example. I can't imagine that these will be available on the market much longer at such give away prices.
Mark T. Christian0 -
They are decent guns. But right NOW I'd pass. For the $250 area they are hard to beat even if they are in the pimp French .32 ACP. 0 -
Mark,
You think it makes us un-American buying these French pistols with all the crap France is giving us right now. With their reputation, why do you think they needed these pistols in the first place. [;)] Just a though. Thanks again.
-Marcus
***When the Second Amendment falls, the First will be sure to follow.***0 -
Mark,
Shot the PP today. Damn accurate at 7 yds. However it didn't seem to like the Winchester at all. Stovepipes, double feeds a-plenty. It chewed up the Sellier & Bellot with no problems. Did you have any such trouble? I guess I'll experiment with a couple of different brands and see if it's a universal problem or not.
-Marcus
***When the Second Amendment falls, the First will be sure to follow.***0
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