Arm Your Army

[Shortround6]

Nope, you keep thinking the official exchange rate reflects the true cost of materials and labor between the various countries. It didn't come close.

 

[davebender]

On what are you basing this opinion? What do you calculate as the actual cost for a P38 pistol during 1940?

 

[MacArther]

I'd imagine that while a P38 might cost very little to produce, the actual time spent and resources used to produce the pistol are much higher.

 

[Shortround6]

On what are you basing this opinion? What do you calculate as the actual cost for a P38 pistol during 1940?

Either the government was getting ripped off the costs are way out of wack.

See: FP-45 Liberator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

$2.40 each a few years latter than 1940. Do you really think you can make a machined steel semi-automatic pistol for the same price or cheaper than a stamped sheet metal smooth bore single shot?

The Luger was a notoriously expensive pistol to make. According to your numbers the .45 would be threes times more expensive. The true situation is that the .45 was not more expensive than the Luger and fell some were in between the Luger and P-38 in cost.

 

[davebender]

Historical facts suggest otherwise.

The Luger was more expensive to produce then a P-38 just as the MG-34 machinegun was more expensive to produce then a MG-42. However neither the Luger pistol nor MG-34 machinegun were expensive compared to contemporary weapons.

 

[Shortround6]

What historical facts?

How many countries adopted the Luger?

How many adopted the .45? and I mean before WW II so we can leave out the "Americans gave it to them" crap.

Which pistol was being cloned by several Spanish gun makers in the 1930s and 40s?

Why wasn't the MG 34 copied by other countries?

Unlike the ZB 26/30

How many countries used Browning machine guns? Again before WW II so no left overs/aid.

Historical facts suggest something different than what you are selling.

 

[fastmongrel]

Not a gun expert by any means but I believe the Lugers toggle lock and cam action needed a fair bit of hand finishing to function reliably. This seems to have been a common thing on all toggle action weapons and must have raised costs.

 

[Shortround6]

I don't know about the hand finishing but the Luger had a detachable side plate holding part of the trigger mechanism that fit rather tightly. that was one of the complaints about the Luger. it was so tightly fitted that small amounts of dirt jammed it. The .45 rattles when you shake it but has room for dirt and sand ( at least a bit of it). The looser tolerances make for less fitting and easier machining. Some cut aways.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReaPCOSwZ7g

and:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEdRo0g-Mp8

 

[fastmongrel]

Wow those solidworks animations are brilliant I knew how the Luger worked but that shows eveything moving.

 

[Vincenzo]

the Luger is not the P-38

 

[fastmongrel]

the Luger is not the P-38

Luger is a P-08

 

[Shortround6]

Mr Bender was claiming that the P-08 was cheaper to make than .45 auto.

The P-38 may very well be cheaper to make, I don't know, but the P-08 was not.

 

[Vincenzo]

sorry i missinterpreted some phrases.

probably P-08 was not very expensive for pre world war I time, and mod. 1911 was a cheap gun. in the 30s P.08 is sure a expansive gun.

 

[tyrodtom]

Comparing weapon prices of different countries isn't very realistic when some of those currencies are controlled.