Classic European Pistols: 17 Collector Handguns From the Luger to the CZ 75

Last updated September 27, 2026

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European gunmakers gave the world the 9mm Luger cartridge, the first locked-breech double-action military pistol and the first high-capacity 9mm, and some of the best European pistols ever made came out of Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. Plenty of them are still for sale, some as originals and some still in production.

This is my guide to 17 classic European pistols, grouped by where they were made, from the Luger and the Walther PPK to the Browning Hi-Power, the CZ 75 and the Radom. For each one I’ll tell you what makes it special, if you can buy it new or only used, and what our dealers are asking, with a live price card for every pistol on the list.

Classic European Pistols at a Glance

Here are all 17 classic European pistols on this list, where each one came from, and if you can still buy it new.

Table of Contents

What Makes a European Pistol a Classic?

A classic European pistol is a handgun designed in Europe that shaped how pistols are built, earned a following among shooters and collectors, and is still sought after decades later. Most were military or police pistols first, and most came to the US as surplus, war trophies or commercial imports.

What makes them worth owning is the engineering. The Luger’s toggle, the P38’s double-action trigger, the Hi-Power’s double-stack magazine and the P210’s slide riding inside the frame, later used on the CZ 75, all set patterns that later pistols copied. Here’s how the 17 on this list break down.

Status	Pistols	How you buy one
Still made new	Walther PPK, SIG P210, FN High Power, CZ 75	New from dealers, from about $650
Originals and surplus only	Luger, Walther P38, Mauser C96, Mauser HSc, Sauer 38H, FN 1910, Beretta 1934, CZ 83, Radom VIS 35, Star BM, Astra 600, FEG PA-63, Makarov	Used, consignment and surplus, from about $200

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Classic German Pistols

Germany produced more classic pistols than any other country, and German pistols are the backbone of most European collections. Many Lugers and P38s came home with American soldiers as war trophies after World War II, and our guide to WW2 guns covers the rest of what they carried. Watch for mismatched parts and restamped guns, which are common on wartime pistols.

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1. Luger P08: The Pistol That Gave Us 9mm

• Caliber: 9mm Luger or 7.65mm Parabellum
• Action: Toggle-locked short recoil, 8 rounds
• Made: About 3 million, 1900 to 1953
• New or used: Used originals only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	3.5/5
Value for Money	3/5

Georg Luger’s toggle-action pistol gave the world the 9mm Luger cartridge, now the most popular handgun round on earth. The German Army adopted it, and it stayed in German service through two world wars.

The card below shows a 1938 Mauser S/42 at $1,650 and a 1917 DWM at $1,850, both from Classic Firearms. Our full Luger pistol guide covers makers, dates and fakes.

The grip angle is why people love it. A Luger points like your finger. Feed it full-power 9mm and shoot it gently, because parts for the toggle are expensive and hard to find.

Best For: Collectors who want the most famous European pistol ever made.

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2. Walther P38: The First Double-Action Military Pistol

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, double action/single action, 8 rounds
• Made: About 1 million, 1939 to 1945, then as the P1 from 1957 to 2000
• New or used: Used originals and postwar P1s

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4.5/5
Shootability	4.5/5
Value for Money	4/5

The P38 was designed in 1938 to replace the Luger, and its double-action/single-action trigger became the layout for pistols like the Beretta 92. It served as a standard Wehrmacht sidearm alongside the Luger, about a million were built during the war, and West Germany brought it back in 1957, later as the alloy-framed P1.

Classic Firearms has an original German wartime P38 at $749.99 on the card below. Our Walther P38 guide covers maker codes and the postwar guns.

It’s the wartime German pistol I’d shoot most. The first double-action pull is long but smooth, and it digests modern 9mm. Keep P1s to standard-pressure loads, because heavy use can crack their slides.

Best For: Shooters who want a classic German 9mm they can take to the range regularly.

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3. Walther PP and PPK: The Spy’s Pistol

• Caliber: .380 ACP, .32 ACP and others
• Action: Straight blowback, double action/single action
• Made: PP from 1929, PPK from 1931
• New or used: New from Walther, or used and vintage

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

Walther built the PP in 1929 as a police pistol and the shorter PPK in 1931, and both were among the first successful double-action pistols. James Bond made the PPK the most famous pocket pistol in the world.

You can still buy one new, and Bass Pro Shops lists a new PPK at $649.99. The card below starts at $384.99 for a PPK/S on Guns.com. Our Walther PPK review covers the current gun.

It’s slim, all steel and more accurate than it looks. The catch is slide bite. The tang is short, and if you have big hands, the slide will let you know.

Best For: Anyone who wants a carryable classic with real history behind it.

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4. Mauser C96: The Broomhandle

• Caliber: 7.63×25 Mauser, and 9mm Luger on the Red 9
• Action: Short recoil, 10-round fixed magazine
• Made: More than 1.1 million, 1896 to 1937
• New or used: Used originals only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	3/5
Value for Money	3/5

The C96 went into production in 1896 and became one of the first successful military semi-automatic pistols. More than 1.1 million were made, and the WW1 Red 9 version fired 9mm Luger.

A C96 Broomhandle is listed at $1,599.99 on Guns.com. Our Mauser C96 guide covers the variants and what they’re worth.

Check the caliber before you buy ammo. There was one listing of 7.63 Mauser across our dealers, from PPU. A Red 9 is the easy one to shoot, because it takes ordinary 9mm.

Best For: Collectors who want the most recognizable pistol silhouette ever made.

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5. Mauser HSc: The Art Deco Pocket Pistol

• Caliber: .32 ACP, later .380 ACP
• Action: Blowback, double action, 8 rounds
• Made: More than 334,000, 1940 to 1977
• New or used: Used only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	4/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

Alex Seidel designed the HSc in the mid-1930s, and Mauser began production in late 1940. More than 334,000 were made, including a run for France after the war and a postwar revival from 1968 to 1977.

The listing on the card below is an HSc Super, a later Italian-built derivative, at $549.99 on Guns.com. Wartime German-marked guns bring more.

It feels like a piece of 1930s industrial design, because it is one. It shoots gently in .32 ACP. Buy a spare magazine the first time you see one at a fair price.

Best For: Collectors who want a stylish wartime German pistol without Luger prices.

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6. Sauer 38H: The Police Pistol With a Decocker

• Caliber: .32 ACP
• Action: Blowback, double action, with a cocking and decocking lever
• Made: About 200,000, 1938 to 1945
• New or used: Used only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	4/5
Value for Money	4/5

J.P. Sauer & Sohn introduced the 38H in 1938, and most went to German police agencies once the war began. About 200,000 were made. Its thumb lever cocks and decocks the hammer, an idea many modern pistols use.

Guns.com lists a J.P. Sauer & Sohn 38H at $800.99. The one in the photo is an engraved nickel gun in a Russian museum.

Early guns are finished as well as any pistol of the era. Late-war guns lost the safety and the decocking lever, which changes both how they work and what they’re worth.

Best For: Collectors who want a well-made, lesser-known German pistol.

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Classic Swiss and Belgian Pistols

Switzerland and Belgium gave the world two of the finest service pistols ever made, both built around the 9mm Luger cartridge, and one of the best-selling pocket pistols of the twentieth century.

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7. SIG P210: The Most Accurate Service Pistol

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: About 350,000 of all variants since 1949
• New or used: New from SIG Sauer, or Swiss originals used

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	5/5
Value for Money	4/5

The P210 served the Swiss Army from 1949 to 1975 and earned a reputation as the most accurate service pistol ever made. Its slide rides inside the frame, and old Swiss guns still lock up tight.

SIG Sauer makes it today. The card below starts at $1,999.99 at Palmetto State Armory for the P210 Carry, and it tops our list of grail guns for a reason.

It shoots like a target pistol. The trigger is crisp, the recoil is soft and the groups are small. A Swiss original is for collecting, a new one is for shooting.

Best For: Precision shooters and anyone who wants the gold standard of European 9mm pistols.

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8. Browning Hi-Power: The First High-Capacity 9mm

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 13-round double-stack magazine
• Made: More than 1.5 million from 1935; new FN High Power since 2022
• New or used: New FN High Power, or used originals

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	5/5
Value for Money	4/5

John Browning started the design and Dieudonné Saive finished it at FN Herstal in Belgium, and it went into production in 1935. FN called it the High Power because its 13-round magazine held almost twice as much as other pistols of the day, and it stayed the only double-stack 9mm on the market until 1966.

Production of the original ended in 2018, and FN brought out a redesigned FN High Power in 2022. The card below shows it at $915.30 at Kentucky Gun Co and $999.99 at Palmetto State Armory. Our roundup of the best Browning Hi-Power pistols covers the originals.

It’s slim for a double-stack 9mm, and it points beautifully. On an original, I’d remove the magazine disconnect to improve the trigger. That’s easy to reverse, so a collector gun loses nothing.

Best For: Anyone who wants the most influential 9mm pistol ever made, new or old.

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9. FN Model 1910: The Pistol That Started a War

• Caliber: .32 ACP or .380 ACP
• Action: Blowback, striker fired
• Made: 1910 to 1983
• New or used: Used only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4.5/5
Shootability	4/5
Value for Money	4/5

The Model 1910 was designed by John Browning and built by FN in Belgium from 1910 to 1983. It’s also the pistol Gavrilo Princip used to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, the act that set off the First World War.

It’s a remarkable piece of history you can still own, and a Browning 1910 is listed at $799.99 on Guns.com. Our guide to WW1 guns covers the war it started.

The recoil spring wraps around the barrel, which keeps the pistol slim and surprisingly accurate. It carries as easily as any modern pocket gun.

Best For: Collectors who want a slim Browning classic with an extraordinary story.

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Classic Italian and Spanish Pistols

Italian and Spanish pistols are some of the best bargains in European collecting. They were made in big numbers, they’re simple and tough, and most sell for less than a new polymer pistol.

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10. Beretta M1934: The Italian Workhorse

• Caliber: .380 ACP, called 9mm Corto in Italy
• Action: Blowback, 7 rounds
• Made: 1,080,000, 1934 to 1991
• New or used: Used only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	3.5/5
Shootability	4.5/5
Value for Money	5/5

Beretta made more than a million M1934s from 1934 to 1991, and it was the Italian Army’s pistol through WW2. Wartime slides carry both the regular year and the Fascist era year, like the 1937-XV gun in the photo.

It’s one of the cheapest originals here, and one is listed at $339.99 on Guns.com.

It’s small, reliable and fun to shoot, and .380 ammo is everywhere. Check that the magazine is an original Beretta, because worn or copied magazines cause most of the feeding trouble.

Best For: Anyone who wants an original classic European pistol for the price of a new budget gun.

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11. Star BM: The Spanish Compact 1911

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: A compact version of the Star Model B, made 1924 to 1983
• New or used: Used and trade-in only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	3/5
Shootability	4/5
Value for Money	5/5

Star’s Model B looks like a 1911 but works differently inside, and Star made it from 1924 to 1983. The BM is the compact version, a small all-steel 9mm that later came to the US in numbers as surplus.

It’s a bargain. The card below shows a Star BM at $299.99 on Guns.com and a used trade-in at $199.99 from Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore.

It shoots like a small, heavy 1911, which is to say softly. Just don’t assume 1911 parts will fit. Very few do, so buy spare magazines while you can.

Best For: Budget shooters who want a classic all-steel 9mm with 1911 manners.

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12. Astra 600: The Spanish Pistol Built for Germany

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Straight blowback, 8 rounds
• Made: 59,400
• New or used: Used only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	3.5/5
Value for Money	4/5

In 1943 the German government asked Unceta y Cia to redesign the Astra 400 for 9mm Luger, and the result was the Astra 600, designated the Pistole Astra 600/43. Only 59,400 were made, which makes it one of the scarcer 9mm pistols of the war.

A used Astra 600 was $699.99 on Guns.com when I checked.

It’s a straight blowback 9mm, so it needs a very stiff spring and a heavy slide. Racking it takes real effort. Once it’s running, it’s accurate and dependable.

Best For: Collectors who like the odd corners of WW2 history.

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Classic Czech, Polish and Warsaw Pact Pistols

Central and Eastern Europe built some of the most underrated pistols of the century, and the end of the Cold War brought many of them to the US as affordable surplus.

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13. CZ 75: The Wonder Nine From Behind the Iron Curtain

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, double action/single action, double-stack magazine
• Made: Since 1976, more than 1 million by 2007
• New or used: New from CZ, or surplus

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4.5/5
Shootability	5/5
Value for Money	5/5

Czechoslovak designer František Koucký created the CZ 75, introduced in 1975, and it became one of the original wonder nines, with a double-stack magazine, all-steel construction and a hammer-forged barrel. More than a million had been made by 2007.

It’s still in production. The card below shows a new CZ 75B at $649.99 from Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore and surplus Century imports at $448.26 from Battlehawk Armory. Our CZ 75 SP-01 review covers the modern competition model.

Its low bore and the way the slide rides inside the frame make it one of the softest-shooting 9mms I know. The earliest guns from 1975 to 1979, like the one in the photo, are the ones collectors want.

Best For: Shooters who want a classic that still competes with anything made today.

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14. CZ 83: The Double-Stack Pocket Pistol

• Caliber: .380 ACP, .32 ACP or 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action, double-stack magazine, 12 rounds in .380
• Made: 1983 to 2012
• New or used: Used and surplus

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	3.5/5
Shootability	4.5/5
Value for Money	5/5

The CZ 83 was designed in 1982 alongside the military CZ 82, which fired 9×18 Makarov for the Czechoslovak Army. The CZ 83 was the commercial version in .380, .32 and 9×18, with a double-stack magazine that holds 12 rounds of .380, and CZ made it until 2012.

Surplus guns imported by Century are on the card below, with a blued CZ 83 at $381.27 and a nickel gun at $401.88 from Battlehawk Armory.

It’s a heavy little gun, and that weight makes .380 feel soft. It’s accurate, reliable and one of the best-value classics on this list.

Best For: Anyone who wants a high-capacity classic .380 at a surplus price.

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15. Radom VIS 35: The Polish Masterpiece

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: More than 360,000 from 1935
• New or used: Used originals, plus limited modern reissues

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4.5/5
Value for Money	4/5

Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński designed the VIS in 1930, and production began in 1935 at the arms factory in Radom. It became the standard pistol of the Polish Army, and after 1939 Germany kept building it as the P.35(p).

An F.B. Radom VIS 35 is listed at $1,099.99 on Guns.com. Prewar guns with the Polish eagle bring the most.

The Radom is heavy for its size, and that makes it one of the softest-shooting 9mm service pistols ever built. Many collectors rate it above the Hi-Power, and I understand why.

Best For: Collectors who want one of the best-made pistols of the 1930s.

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16. FEG PA-63: The Hungarian PP

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action, 7 rounds
• Made: 1963 to 1990
• New or used: Surplus and trade-in only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	3/5
Shootability	3.5/5
Value for Money	5/5

Hungary’s FÉG built Walther PP-style pistols from the late 1940s, and the PA-63 served the Hungarian Army from 1963 to 1996. It’s chambered in 9×18 Makarov, the Warsaw Pact pistol round.

It’s one of the cheapest classics you can buy. The card below shows a used trade-in at $199.99 from Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore and a PA-63 at $299.99 on Guns.com.

The light frame makes it snappy, and the double-action pull is heavy. But it’s a real Cold War service pistol for the price of a box of good ammo and a holster.

Best For: Budget buyers who want a genuine Cold War service pistol.

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17. Makarov PM: The Soviet Service Pistol

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action, 8 rounds
• Made: About 5 million since 1949 in the USSR, East Germany, Bulgaria and China
• New or used: Surplus only

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	4.5/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

Nikolay Makarov’s pistol was adopted by the Soviet Army in December 1951 to replace the Tokarev TT-33, and about five million have been made. East German and Bulgarian guns are the ones most US collectors look for.

Classic Firearms has a Bulgarian Makarov from Arsenal at $349.99. Our Makarov pistol guide covers the East German, Soviet and Bulgarian versions in depth.

It’s one of the most reliable pistols ever made, with very few parts. The 9×18 is a little snappy, and ammo is thinner on the ground than 9mm, so buy a case when you see a good price.

Best For: Anyone who wants the definitive Cold War pistol at a fair price.

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Which Classic European Pistols Can You Shoot Cheaply?

Here’s how many ammo listings each cartridge had across our dealer network on September 27, 2026, and how many dealers carried it. It’s the fastest way to tell a pistol you’ll shoot every month from one that lives in the safe.

Cartridge	Pistols on this list	Ammo listings	Dealers carrying it
9mm Luger	Luger, P38, C96 Red 9, P210, Hi-Power, Star BM, Astra 600, CZ 75, Radom	1,931	22
.380 ACP	Walther PPK, FN 1910, Beretta M1934, CZ 83	446	21
.32 ACP	Walther PP and PPK, Mauser HSc, Sauer 38H, FN 1910, CZ 83	88	13
9×18 Makarov	Makarov, FEG PA-63, CZ 83	20	9
7.65 Parabellum	Swiss Lugers and some P210s	4	4
7.63 Mauser	Mauser C96	1	1

The 9mm and .380 guns are cheap to feed. The .32s are easy enough. The Makarov-family pistols need a little planning, and the C96 in 7.63 Mauser and Lugers in 7.65 Parabellum are handloader guns now.

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How to Buy a Classic European Pistol

• Read the import mark. Surplus pistols carry the importer’s name, often on the frame or barrel, because every imported firearm needs an approved ATF Form 6 and an importer’s mark. It tells you how the gun came into the US and lowers collector value a little.
• Check the numbers. On Lugers, P38s and Radoms, matching serial numbers on the slide, frame and barrel add real value. Collectors call that an all-matching gun.
• Keep the provenance. An original holster, spare magazine, box or bring-back papers can add to what a collector will pay, so keep them with the gun.
• Look for refinishing. Rounded edges and soft markings mean a gun has been polished and reblued, which cuts collector value.
• Know the paperwork. Many of these pistols are curio and relic eligible once they’re 50 years old and in original condition, which a C&R license lets you buy shipped straight to your door. Without one, the pistol ships to a local FFL, who runs the background check before you take it home.
• Buy magazines early. Original magazines for the HSc, Sauer, Star and Astra are harder to find than the pistols.

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How I Picked These 17 Classic European Pistols

I started with the European pistols that changed handgun design or served as a major army’s sidearm, then checked what our 200+ retailers actually had for sale on September 27, 2026. Every pistol here has a live price card, and I left off great European guns that nobody had in stock.

I’ve shot most of these over the years, and the history comes from the makers’ records and the armies that carried them. If you want the grail-level European guns, like the Korth, the HK P7 and the Manurhin MR73, those are on our list of grail guns collectors chase.

Featured image: a composite built from photos of a Walther P38, a Radom VIS 35 and a Walther PPK by Askild Antonsen, licensed CC BY 2.0 and modified.

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The Bottom Line

For most buyers, the best European pistols to shoot are a CZ 75 or a new FN High Power, and either gets you there for under $1,000. If you want history you can carry, a Walther PPK or an FN 1910 is hard to beat. And if you just want a real European classic for the least money, a Beretta M1934, a Star BM or a FEG PA-63 can be had for around $300 or less.

Frequently Asked Questions