[Michael Zeleny]

I shoot every gun I own. I only buy weapons in original condition as to parts and finish. I avoid fragile and genuinely rare pieces that belong in a controlled environment of a museum display case. The P08 is one of the strongest and best engineered sidearms of all times. It is made to be used. Any wear that it incurs in your custody will become part of its history. Shoot that Artillery all you want.

cordially, -- Mikhail [email protected]
7576 Willow Glen Rd, Hollywood, CA 90046 323-876-8234 323-363-1860
All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.
Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett

 

[Michael Zeleny]

Thanks to Ed for a thoughtful response. My choice in this matter is to avoid the one-off items, be they so designated in virtue of their rarity or their provenance. This means that, regardless of the hoped for growth of my collecting budget, I will never own an original .45 Luger, nor Papa's favorite twelve-gauge Boss shotgun; neither, for that matter, Paul Smart's 750 Ducati, nor a Group IV Maserati Bora. But a well-made centerfire pistol is well nigh impossible to wear out with a conscientious feeding of non-corrosive ammunition. As for disintegrating P08 breechblocks, that is something I hear about a lot more than I witness. Should it come to pass, my concern for the integrity of my body (and those of innocent bystanders) would by far trump any worries about diminishing collector value. Even so, all major replacement parts are available either as originals, or as modern replicas of at least equal quality. I would regard a breakage of this sort as a welcome opportunity to rebuild the gun to original specification.

cordially, -- Mikhail [email protected]
7576 Willow Glen Rd, Hollywood, CA 90046 323-876-8234 323-363-1860
All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.
Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett