Indians For Guns

Hi friends,
I have inherited a german self loading pocket pistol (menz liliput 4.25 model 1927), which is one of the smallest semi automatic pistol.
Now problem with it is that it uses .23 acp cartridges, which are very difficult to find in Gujarat. Recently I have contacted by a guy who is interested in buying the gun
Should I hold onto it or sell it? And what should i expect it to go for?

I cannot offer any suggestion as to price, here is a write up for you:


Here is an example compared to a Baby Browning 25 caliber for size. The Baby Browning is a tiny gun in its own right:


Keep in mind that this is a 17 or 18 caliber round and essentially non existent any more, but it does have somewhat of a collector value.

Here is a German website belonging to a collector:

http://www.vestpockets.bauli.at/

I would suggest sending him an email, hopefully the email is still valid as the site does not appear to have been updated for some time at the moment.

Hopefully others will chime in too, and feel free to post a picture or two of your gun!

Rajput93: There is no such cartridge as ".23 APC", did you mean to type ".25 APC", also known as 6.35mm Browning? In any case, the 4.25mm is an even smaller cartridge and not identical with the .25 APC. It is a totally obsolete cartridge.

I am always looking for 4.25mm Menz Lilliput's, as well as 2.7mm Pfannl Kolibri's, and other small cartridge guns, i.e. 2mm, 3mm, 4mm. You can reach me through this messaging.

Look forward to hearing from you,

John Hines

Hi Rajput 93,

Where are you based ? Whereas I agree that the availability of specialist cartridge are always a pain but I am sure these can be sourced from Delhi. It really depends on the quality of the pistol you have and the amount of firing you expect you will be doing with it. Genuine good quality pistols are very rare and difficult to find, I feel cartridges are relatively easier ( I think they can be imported as well).
Do you know this is one of the few pistols one can buy in UK without a license.
I think you have a rare pistol, made in Germany, I wouldn't sell it if I had one. It's an antique.
Please load some photos and oblige.

Chicky

Rajput93,
Some things to consider:
1. This cartridge has a .17" bullet travelling at about 800 fps. As a self defense cartridge, it not very practical. Yes, that is the same caliber as a bb. Frankly, in my opinion, it is not a viable self defense tool. There are plenty of other calibers out there that would do a much better job.
2. Ammo is non-existent, even here in the USA. Even if you do find some ammo in India, please remember that it is going to be pretty old and stored under who know what conditions. Also the amount will be finite. I doubt anyone anywhere will be making more. A firearm with no ammunition might as well be a paper weight.
3. While the firearm might have some sentimental value to you, it has very little practical value. So if you want to hang on to it because of what it means to your family, that is perfectly understandable. However, since you will be only allowed one pistol, don't waste your license on this. You'll most likely regret it if you ever have try to defend yourself with it.
4. If you want a viable self defense pistol, sell the Liliput to a collector (and it does appear to be an item that collectors have an interest in) and buy yourself something more practical.

Owning a firearm is a privilege and honorable right. Unless your finances are in the crapper and you need to pay off those loan sharks with either some cash or a kidney, I'd suggest you keep it with you and pass it on to your children.

On the other hand incase you are having issues finding ammo then check the price and see if you could buy IOF revolver or pistol. But only IF there is logistic issue in getting ammo. Otherwise agree with Vakil sahib to retain the heirloom

Good luck

Rajput93 wrote:Hi friends,
I have inherited a german self loading pocket pistol (menz liliput 4.25 model 1927), which is one of the smallest semi automatic pistol.
Now problem with it is that it uses .23 acp cartridges, which are very difficult to find in Gujarat. Recently I have contacted by a guy who is interested in buying the gun
Should I hold onto it or sell it? And what should i expect it to go for?

You will have to decide whether you want to sell or keep it. Following points come to the mind at the moment -

1. As already mentioned this caliber is not suitable for self defense scenarios. But it may have emotional or sentimental value since it is your family heirloom.

2. If for some reason you want to keep it and also want to regularly fire it, then you would either have to find some way to get ammunition or reload the ammunition with great care and accuracy. May read the following thread viewtopic.php?f=21&t=24347&p=241328#p241328

3. If the pistol is not less than hundred years old, then it can be an antiquity as per the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. It would then mean Section 45(c) of Arms Act 1959 is applicable and license may not be needed. But before implementing this point do take advise from your local lawyer. May read the following thread for more details viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15556

http://www.oldammo.com/may05.htm

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

rocket202 wrote: ↑

Tue May 17, 2016 11:13 am

I am always looking for 4.25mm Menz Lilliput's, as well as 2.7mm Pfannl Kolibri's, and other small cartridge guns, i.e. 2mm, 3mm, 4mm. You can reach me through this messaging.

Look forward to hearing from you,

John Hines

John, I have one in prestine condition. A possibly rare one . I am a new user here . Please respond in this thread or email me at jjolson2014(at) gmail (dot) com

Hello,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, as I haven’t been checking my messages here very often. However, I will email you regarding your 4.25 Liliput that you have for sale.
How much are you asking for it? Also, do you have any ammo with it, or the original box?

Thanks,

John Hines
[email protected]