How much should I offer for a WWII Mauser HSc

Doug S · October 20, 2012, 09:02 PM

A friends uncle passed away a while back, and left her a WWII era Mauser HSC. It is in good shape overall. It has the Nazi markings, and comes with a leather holster. The handgrips have been replaced with some after market grips. We did test fire it, and it seemed to function without issue, but I have no intention of shooting it really. I will add it to my WWII Man Cave collection. She called tonight, and asked if I would be interested in buying it. I have no idea what to offer her. Can any of you give me some idea of what a fair offer would be.

Thanks very much for any feedback.

Winchester_73 · October 20, 2012, 09:05 PM

Well you need to find out which one you got. Some are marked 655, some are E/135, some are police aka E/L, etc. There are different sub types of them based on SN as well. Some are Kriegsmarine too IIRC.

Get the EXACT marking and SN (bottom of front strap) and post it here.

Here is mine, E/135, SN 899XXX. I forget which variation it is now. Its a full rig however. I paid $550 OTD but the gun is clean and the holster is nice and marked. Your gun, missing original grips, assuming its plain jane and for an unmarked holster, $400 would be a fair offer. If its a rare variation with a nice marked holster, $400 could be stealing it. It all depends.

And, post pics of your WWII man cave!

Sharpsdressed Man · October 20, 2012, 09:10 PM

She'd probably be happy with $250-$300, and you'd probably end up with one worth more than that. There is so much to be picky about, but those figures are reasonable without a lot of info.

Doug S · October 20, 2012, 09:14 PM

Winchester 73,

Thanks very much for the quick response.

Serial number is 919XXX

WaA135 marked on both sides.

3 lines above the number on left side, and an Eagle above the number on right side.

Also, thanks Sharped Dressed Man for the info.

Winchester_73 · October 20, 2012, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Serial number is 919915

WaA135 marked on both sides.

3 lines above the number on left side, and an Eagle above the number on right side.

Just pulled out the Axis pistols 2nd ed, to see what it had to say. With that serial number, your gun would be a 5th variation with 32k estimated production.
It says late production had dual tone finish (worth a premium IMO) and many had black plastic grips, but not all (some did have wood). This variation would have the 3 line slide legend and have the E/135 as you mention.

As for $250 to $300, I guess it depends on what kind of a "friend" she is. Remember that people and relationships change, but guns are forever

Doug S · October 20, 2012, 10:28 PM

Thanks Winchester 73 for the detailed info. What do you think based on the specifics would be a fair offer? I get the impression that you thing the numbers listed above a low? Is this the case?

Doug S · October 20, 2012, 10:57 PM

delete

Winchester_73 · October 20, 2012, 11:07 PM

As for the value, well I didn't see it. $250 might be high if had mismatched parts (I think the slide numbers to the gun but you have to take it down) or if the mag was a cheap triple K replacement, and/or if it had some cheap aftermarker "WWII looking" holster.

I actually really like that WWII room / man cave. I wish I had the space to put out things....someday......

I don't have a man cave per se, but I have a gun room and next to it an office space. Here is how the office table looked with some of my guns out. I forget what I was doing there, photographing them, researching, but I thought it was a nice pic to capture. I do store things in there you can see behind the table lol.

The rifle is a Belgium high power safari grade and if you took the right, there is a 4in Python. Sometimes the table looks like that, other times empty

Doug S · October 20, 2012, 11:08 PM

Wow, now that looks like a great collection, and thanks again for the info.

Sharpsdressed Man · October 21, 2012, 06:40 PM

i also based my estimate on the fact that it may have functioning issues, need replacement parts,etc, and then there is the fact that the seller got it for nothing, and is not experiencing any costs like taking it to a gunshow to sell, or giving money to a gunshop to sell it for them, etc. Something for nothing to them, with untold value and risk to the buyer, etc. I sure wouldn't go over $300 unless I had a Mauser expert tell me it was worth a LOT more (and hopefully, you didn't have to pay for the evaluation).

Doug S · October 21, 2012, 08:06 PM

SharpDressedMan,

I like the price your and Winchester 73 are suggesting. I figured (without any expertise on my part) that a dealer would charge about $500, and over $250-$300.

Doug S · October 21, 2012, 08:36 PM

Well, I called her and offered her $300, but also suggested she first take it to a dealer and see what they offer her for it. Then she has the choice of selling to the dealer, or letting me respond to the dealers offer. Again, thanks for the kind, helpful responses.

Winchester_73 · October 21, 2012, 08:53 PM

I think you did everything right. Hopefully she does not disclose to the dealer that she is offering it to another person at the same time, because they will try to talk her out of that. Hopefully she has common sense about this stuff.

RsqVet · October 22, 2012, 02:56 AM

Make sure you make it clear you will buy through a dealer with transfer and
All if she wants. Many a deal has been lost esp. Among non gun people when dealers play the boogie man card of private sale blah blah blah.

Doug S · October 22, 2012, 09:43 AM

Will do. Thanks.

Doug S · October 25, 2012, 05:12 PM

Friend said yes to my offer of $300. I had her take it to a local dealer in her town first to see what he would offer. He offered her $250 on a trade. I asked if she was sure she was comfortable with the $300, or if she wanted to ask more, and she said that she was happy with the $300. So now I have to get around to getting over to visit her and doing the transfer. It may be a couple of weeks, but I'll post pictures at some point.

Again, thanks to all of you for the good advice. I'm very happy to acquire this pistol and holster for $300.

**44 AMP** · October 26, 2012, 02:50 PM

sasw a post war commercial HSc at a show last month. Wood grips. Asking price was $410....go from there...

myshoulderissore · October 26, 2012, 02:54 PM

That gun is quite odd to me... I can't decide if I think it is hideous or beautiful... Weird.

October 20, 2012, 09:02 PM	#1
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	How much should I offer for a WWII Mauser HSc A friends uncle passed away a while back, and left her a WWII era Mauser HSC. It is in good shape overall. It has the Nazi markings, and comes with a leather holster. The handgrips have been replaced with some after market grips. We did test fire it, and it seemed to function without issue, but I have no intention of shooting it really. I will add it to my WWII Man Cave collection. She called tonight, and asked if I would be interested in buying it. I have no idea what to offer her. Can any of you give me some idea of what a fair offer would be. Thanks very much for any feedback. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle Last edited by Doug S; October 20, 2012 at 11:18 PM.

October 20, 2012, 09:05 PM	#2
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,611	Well you need to find out which one you got. Some are marked 655, some are E/135, some are police aka E/L, etc. There are different sub types of them based on SN as well. Some are Kriegsmarine too IIRC. Get the EXACT marking and SN (bottom of front strap) and post it here. Here is mine, E/135, SN 899XXX. I forget which variation it is now. Its a full rig however. I paid $550 OTD but the gun is clean and the holster is nice and marked. Your gun, missing original grips, assuming its plain jane and for an unmarked holster, $400 would be a fair offer. If its a rare variation with a nice marked holster, $400 could be stealing it. It all depends. And, post pics of your WWII man cave! __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west Last edited by Winchester_73; October 20, 2012 at 10:10 PM.

October 20, 2012, 09:14 PM	#4
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Winchester 73, Thanks very much for the quick response. Serial number is 919XXX WaA135 marked on both sides. 3 lines above the number on left side, and an Eagle above the number on right side. Also, thanks Sharped Dressed Man for the info. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle Last edited by Doug S; October 21, 2012 at 04:50 PM.

October 20, 2012, 10:28 PM	#6
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Thanks Winchester 73 for the detailed info. What do you think based on the specifics would be a fair offer? I get the impression that you thing the numbers listed above a low? Is this the case? __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 20, 2012, 10:57 PM	#7
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	delete __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle Last edited by Doug S; October 21, 2012 at 04:51 PM.

October 20, 2012, 09:10 PM	#3
Sharpsdressed Man Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Posts: 855	She'd probably be happy with $250-$300, and you'd probably end up with one worth more than that. There is so much to be picky about, but those figures are reasonable without a lot of info.

October 20, 2012, 11:07 PM	#8
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,611	As for the value, well I didn't see it. $250 might be high if had mismatched parts (I think the slide numbers to the gun but you have to take it down) or if the mag was a cheap triple K replacement, and/or if it had some cheap aftermarker "WWII looking" holster. I actually really like that WWII room / man cave. I wish I had the space to put out things....someday...... I don't have a man cave per se, but I have a gun room and next to it an office space. Here is how the office table looked with some of my guns out. I forget what I was doing there, photographing them, researching, but I thought it was a nice pic to capture. I do store things in there you can see behind the table lol. The rifle is a Belgium high power safari grade and if you took the right, there is a 4in Python. Sometimes the table looks like that, other times empty __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west

October 20, 2012, 11:08 PM	#9
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Wow, now that looks like a great collection, and thanks again for the info. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 21, 2012, 06:40 PM	#10
Sharpsdressed Man Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Posts: 855	i also based my estimate on the fact that it may have functioning issues, need replacement parts,etc, and then there is the fact that the seller got it for nothing, and is not experiencing any costs like taking it to a gunshow to sell, or giving money to a gunshop to sell it for them, etc. Something for nothing to them, with untold value and risk to the buyer, etc. I sure wouldn't go over $300 unless I had a Mauser expert tell me it was worth a LOT more (and hopefully, you didn't have to pay for the evaluation). Last edited by Sharpsdressed Man; October 21, 2012 at 06:49 PM.

October 21, 2012, 08:06 PM	#11
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	SharpDressedMan, I like the price your and Winchester 73 are suggesting. I figured (without any expertise on my part) that a dealer would charge about $500, and over $250-$300. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 21, 2012, 08:36 PM	#12
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Well, I called her and offered her $300, but also suggested she first take it to a dealer and see what they offer her for it. Then she has the choice of selling to the dealer, or letting me respond to the dealers offer. Again, thanks for the kind, helpful responses. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 21, 2012, 08:53 PM	#13
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,611	I think you did everything right. Hopefully she does not disclose to the dealer that she is offering it to another person at the same time, because they will try to talk her out of that. Hopefully she has common sense about this stuff. __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west

October 22, 2012, 02:56 AM	#14
RsqVet Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2005 Posts: 2,277	Make sure you make it clear you will buy through a dealer with transfer and All if she wants. Many a deal has been lost esp. Among non gun people when dealers play the boogie man card of private sale blah blah blah.

October 22, 2012, 09:43 AM	#15
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Will do. Thanks. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 25, 2012, 05:12 PM	#16
Doug S Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 618	Friend said yes to my offer of $300. I had her take it to a local dealer in her town first to see what he would offer. He offered her $250 on a trade. I asked if she was sure she was comfortable with the $300, or if she wanted to ask more, and she said that she was happy with the $300. So now I have to get around to getting over to visit her and doing the transfer. It may be a couple of weeks, but I'll post pictures at some point. Again, thanks to all of you for the good advice. I'm very happy to acquire this pistol and holster for $300. __________________ "The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." Col. Jeff Cooper, from The Art of the Rifle

October 26, 2012, 02:50 PM	#17
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 8,966	sasw a post war commercial HSc at a show last month. Wood grips. Asking price was $410....go from there... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

October 26, 2012, 02:54 PM	#18
myshoulderissore Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2010 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 447	That gun is quite odd to me... I can't decide if I think it is hideous or beautiful... Weird.