Manurhin PP...Walther Clones....What Happened to the Prices??

[Nalapombu]

Hey all,

Several years ago I bought a few Makarovs when they were plentiful and cheap, GREAT GUN and a GREAT BUY. After that I started looking at C&R handguns and rifles and keeping my eyes open for other nice weapons at good prices.

Some time after the Makarov purchase, I got a flier from the place I bought from and they had these French made Walther PP .32 pistols called the Manurhin PP. I looked at them and wanted one. No real reason, I like the Walther style handgun and thought it would go well with my Walther PPK/s. These Manurhins were in the box with all the goodies and in MINT condition. I think they were priced at about $229 or so, maybe a tad higher, but not much. I watched them for a long time and wanted to buy one. I would be ready to go but would end up talking myself out of it in the end. I never did stop wanting one, I just never committed to buying one.

Fast forward to present. I started thinking about what would be a good "fun" gun to pick up that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and that ammo MIGHT not be hard to find right now and I remembered the Manurhin PP pistol in .32. I thought if the price hadn't went up much I would pick one up to play around with. So I start checking Gunbroker and Gunsamerica and to my shock the prices had went up, WAY UP!!

These same Manurhin PP pistols that were in the box with manual and accessories that once sold for $229 are now selling for almost $600! Am I missing something? I know there is a frenzy on handguns right now, but I didn't know it would reach clear down to the Walther PP clone in 32 auto. These things were plentiful not that long ago. The ones listed for sale on GB are exactly what I remembered wanting a while back. There's nothing different about them.

I don't know what caused the doubling of the prices, but it looks pretty certain at this point that a Manurhin PP is NOT going to be joining my PPK/s anytime soon.

Too bad. I should've bought one when I had the chance....

Let this be a lesson to you out there.

BD

 

[outerlimit]

I know what you mean, I used to have a Manurhin PP that I bought on a C&R several years back NIB for $250. Recently I saw some prices on them and it was quite an eye opener. The original German ones have gone way up as well, though they were always high. So the Manurhin models seemed to have jumped more overall.

 

[amd6547]

I bought a Manurhin PP 32 at a gun show for $175 and used it as a carry pistol for a couple years. I liked it, but, at some point I sold it for $200 to buy something else. I am also shocked at what they go for now...Sure wish I kept it!!!

 

[sterling7c]

It's all in the name. Their upper range models are really excellent with superb triggers but these were the cheapies and still should be.

 

[maskedman504]

Okay...

SKS rifles were ~$200 and now people are asking ~$500 for Russians.
SVT-40 rifles were ~$400 and are now going for over ~$900.
AK-47s were ~$250 and are now $700.

Increase of demand equates to increase in price. Pretty simple. These threads are getting tiresome.

 

[amd6547]

They were cheapies because they were police surplus. Mine was finished beautifully, was 100% reliable with anything, and very accurate at 25yds.
Now, it is a question of supply and demand.

 

[Nalapombu]

The 3 guns you listed all have a very good reason they have doubled in price, they are in HIGH DEMAND right now. That will change.
I highly doubt that a WWII vintage, C&R eligible, COPY of a Walther PP made in FRANCE, pistol in .32 caliber is up there on the HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER scale. Does that sound like something the general shooting public is clamoring to get?

If these threads are tiresome to you then why do you waste your time by posting to it? Maybe it'd be better for you the next time you see "one of these threads" if you'd just go ahead and pass right on by.

BD

 

[bstump2]

The Manurhin PPs are a high quality weapon. The Walther guns were made in France for many years due to restrictions placed on German manufacturers after WWII. If you want a Walther from the period beginning in 1945 until the Germans were again allowed to manufacture firearms again, (not sure of the date) they will be by Manurhin under license from Carl Walther Waffenfabrik.
I have one made in 1976 and it's FAR better than the S&W "Walthers" that I have. Mine was $275 a few years back and was indeed a police trade in although it must have been used by an admin type because it didn't have a ton of holster wear.

 

[searcher451]

The Manuhrins were inexpensive a few years ago, but that didn't mean that they were cheapies: far from it, in fact. Manuhrin's quality is second to none; the handguns they produced for years under the Walther banner were every bit as well-made as the German guns that preceded them. The folks who got in early on the secret were lucky; my guess is that gun collectors and/or owners today recognize quality when they spot and aren't afraid to pay more for it. But if you shop around, you can still find some PPs in the Manuhrin line that are decently priced and generally a couple of hundred dollars less than the German-marked guns in similar condition. Check out the Simpson's Ltd. site for confirmation.

 

[beemaze]

I hate to say it, but "you snooze, you lose!" There are quite a few guns out there that I wish I had bought when they were inexpensive and missed out on, only to find that the prices have doubled. It's a sign of the times indeed.

BTW, love my Manurhin PPK/S!

 

[Moonclip]

I have a mid 1980's vintage ppk/s .380acp from Manurhin which is excellent. Now if only I could afford one of the Manuhin revolvers!

 

[10th Mountain]

Manurhin PP Clones

I bought two of these complete with Box, Manual, Extra mag, sight in target etc.. for $293.95 back ten years ago.

I have put them away and never shot them.

I quess I'm looking at $1,200 buck now? WOW!

A good start to the retirement fund.

10th

 

[19-3Ben]

Nice!!!

 

[Mike OTDP]

In the first place, advertising a gun for $600 is not selling it for that price. $400 will put you into a nice Manurhin PP.

Second, you are dealing with supply and demand. When these guns are imported, prices are low. When the supply runs out, prices rise. Ten years ago, I bought an East German Makarov for $170. The dealer had a crate full of them. I could sell it for twice that today, because there are no more.

BTW, watch the prices on Cz82s. The day those run out, they will go from a $220 gun to a $420 gun.

 

[searcher451]

It's true that the Manurhins are commanding more money these days. It's also true that the Manurhin guns are high-quality products and are well worth today's asking price, IMO. It might be, in fact, that a smart buying/selling public has finally caught up with the real value of the Manurhin line. In my view, they are every bit the equal of the German-made Walthers.

 

[beemaze]

I just saw a beautiful Walther marked slide PP in .380 at the local gunstore sell for $600. It had a French proofmark on the slide and the word St. Etienne on the frame, just like my Manurhin PP in .32.

Looks like the French Walther clones are holding their own.

 

[outerlimit]

Like I mentioned in this thread awhile back I had a Manurhin PP and in my opinion the quality was just as good as any German manufactured model I've seen. And I kind of liked that little bit of extra barrel length on the PP. Maybe someone will come along to tell us why the German ones may be better, but IMO it's more a collector preference toward the German ones than the lesser quality of the French PP's that still has their prices lower. The Interarms and Smith & Wesson guns are certainly inferior to the former two, but are still decent guns in their own right (when you get a good one). They're just not on the same level, stainless is always nice though!