Military Surplus Pistols: 15 Service Handguns You Can Still Buy, and What They Shoot

Last updated September 30, 2026

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Military surplus pistols are service handguns that armies and security forces retired and sold off, and they’re still one of the most affordable ways to own a real piece of military history you can shoot. Prices run from about $200 for a used Star BM or FEG PA-63 to $1,650 and up for a Luger.

Here are 15 surplus pistols worth buying, grouped by the cartridge they shoot, because with surplus handguns the ammo decides more than the gun does. For each one I’ll tell you who carried it, what it costs and what to watch for, with a live price card from our dealers.

Military Surplus Pistols at a Glance

Here are all 15 surplus pistols on this list, what each one shoots and who carried it.

Table of Contents

Which Surplus Pistol Should You Buy?

The best surplus pistols for most buyers are the 9×18 Makarov guns and the 9mm service pistols. 9×18 Makarov pistols are cheap and reliable, and 9mm guns like the P1, the Star BM and the Hi-Power shoot the most common handgun ammo in America.

Tokarevs and the Nagant revolver are great fun, but their ammo is scarce. Here’s how the 15 pistols on this list break down by cartridge.

Cartridge	Pistols	What it means for you
9×18 Makarov	Makarov PM, Polish P-64, FEG PA-63, CZ 82	Cheap guns, but only 20 listings of loaded ammo across our dealers
7.62×25 Tokarev	Zastava M57, CZ-52	Hot, fast round with just 15 listings of loaded ammo
9mm Luger	Luger P08, Walther P38 and P1, Radom VIS 35, Hi-Power, Beretta M1951, Star BM	The easiest ammo to buy, with 1,942 listings
.45 ACP	M1911A1	Easy to feed, with 945 listings
7.62x38R Nagant	Nagant M1895	Only 6 listings, so plan on buying ammo whenever you see it

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9×18 Makarov Surplus Pistols

Four Cold War pistols built around the Soviet 9×18 Makarov round. They all came out of Eastern Bloc factories, and they’re compact and cheaper than almost anything else with a military history.

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1. Makarov PM: The Best All-Around Surplus Pistol

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action/single action, 8 rounds
• Made: About 5 million since 1949
• Carried by: Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

The Makarov replaced the Tokarev as the Soviet service pistol in 1951, and about five million have been made. It’s a simple blowback pistol with very few parts, so there isn’t much to go wrong.

Classic Firearms had a Bulgarian Makarov from Arsenal at $349.99 when I checked. Russian and East German Makarovs are on ATF’s curio and relic list, while a Bulgarian one counts as C&R only if it’s at least 50 years old.

The catch is ammo, with only 20 loaded listings of 9×18 across our dealers. Buy a case when you find a fair price. Our Makarov pistol guide covers every version.

Best For: Anyone who wants one reliable surplus pistol to shoot and carry.

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2. Polish P-64: The Budget Pocket Pistol

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action/single action, 6 rounds
• Made: At the Lucznik factory in Radom, in service from 1965
• Carried by: Polish army and police

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	3/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

Poland adopted the P-64 in 1965 to replace the Tokarev, and it’s built like a slim Walther PP in 9×18 Makarov. It was made at the Lucznik factory in Radom and stayed in Polish service for decades.

Classic Firearms had one in very good to excellent condition at $249.99 when I checked. ATF lists every Polish P-64 as a curio or relic, so it can ship straight to a C&R holder.

The double-action pull is heavy, so most shooters cock the hammer for the first shot. It’s small enough to carry, and at this price it’s the easiest way into surplus pistols.

Best For: Buyers who want a real military pistol for about $250.

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3. FEG PA-63: The Two-Tone Hungarian

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action/single action, 7 rounds
• Made: By FEG in Hungary
• Carried by: Hungarian army, 1963 to 1996

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	3/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

The PA-63 was the Hungarian army’s pistol from 1963 to 1996, and its polished aluminum frame and black slide make it one of the best-looking surplus guns around. Hungary replaced it with 9mm pistols after the Cold War.

So many were made that they’re a popular, affordable surplus import. Guns.com had one on consignment at $299.99, and Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore had a used trade-in at $199.99 when I checked.

The alloy frame makes it light, and that means it kicks harder than a steel Makarov. It’s a great pistol to own, but not the one to shoot all afternoon.

Best For: Collectors who want a good-looking, light Cold War pistol for less than $300.

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4. CZ 82: The High-Capacity Makarov

• Caliber: 9×18 Makarov
• Action: Blowback, double action/single action, 12 rounds
• Made: In Czechoslovakia, in service from 1983
• Carried by: Czechoslovak and Czech army

Category	Rating
Value	4/5
Shootability	5/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

The CZ 82 replaced the vz. 52 in Czechoslovak service in 1983. It holds twelve rounds of 9×18 in a double-stack magazine, and both the safety and the magazine release work from either side.

Czech forces began replacing it in 2012, and the Czech Republic sent CZ 82s to Ukraine in 2022. Guns.com had one on consignment at $579.99 when I checked, and they don’t stay listed long.

For shooting, it’s the best of the 9×18 pistols. The grip fills your hand, the trigger is smoother than a Makarov’s and the extra rounds make it a real range gun.

Best For: Shooters who want the most capable 9×18 pistol and will pay a bit more.

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7.62×25 Tokarev Surplus Pistols

Two pistols for the bottlenecked 7.62×25 Tokarev, a fast, loud cartridge that’s a blast to shoot when you can find it. China’s Type 54 is a close copy of the same TT-33 design.

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5. Zastava M57: The Best Tokarev to Buy

• Caliber: 7.62×25 Tokarev
• Action: Short recoil, single action
• Made: At least 260,000, 1963 to 1982
• Carried by: Yugoslav People’s Army, 1961 to the early 1990s

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

Zastava reverse engineered the Soviet TT-33 in 1954, then improved it with a longer grip and a slightly larger magazine. The Yugoslav People’s Army adopted it as the M57 in 1961.

Zastava built at least 260,000 from 1963 to 1982, and still makes an updated M57A. Classic Firearms had a surplus M57 in good condition at $299.99 when I checked.

The longer grip is the reason to buy an M57 over another Tokarev. Only 15 loaded listings of 7.62×25 turned up across our dealers, though. Our Tokarev pistol guide covers every Tokarev variant.

Best For: Shooters who want a Tokarev that fits American hands better.

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6. CZ-52: The Roller-Locked Oddball

• Caliber: 7.62×25 Tokarev
• Action: Roller-locked short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: Around 200,000, 1952 to 1954
• Carried by: Czechoslovak army for about 30 years

Category	Rating
Value	4/5
Shootability	3/5
Ammo Supply	2/5

Czechoslovakia built about 200,000 CZ-52s from 1952 to 1954, with a roller-locked action that’s unusual in a pistol. It served for about 30 years before the CZ 82 replaced it.

Guns.com had CZ Model 52s on consignment at $359.99 and $599.99 when I checked. ATF lists it by name as a curio or relic.

Shoot standard-pressure 7.62×25, not hot ammo loaded for submachine guns, because the rollers can wear. The heavy trigger is part of the design.

Best For: Collectors who like unusual engineering at a low price.

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9mm Surplus Pistols

Seven pistols in 9mm Luger, from the Luger that gave the round its name to the Spanish Star BM. These are the surplus handguns you can shoot every weekend without hunting for ammo. The Walther P1 armed NATO’s West Germany, and Canada’s forces carried Hi-Powers until they began replacing them in 2024.

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7. Luger P08: The Collector Grail

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Toggle-locked short recoil, 8 rounds
• Made: About 3 million, 1900 to 1953
• Carried by: German forces in both world wars

Category	Rating
Value	2/5
Shootability	3/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

Georg Luger’s toggle-lock pistol gave the world the 9mm Luger cartridge, and it served Germany through two world wars. About three million were made up to 1953.

Classic Firearms had a 1938 Mauser S/42 at $1,650 and a 1917 DWM at $1,850, both from a private collection. Check the numbers on the frame, toggle and barrel before you pay a matching-numbers price.

It shoots common 9mm, but shoot it gently, because toggle parts are expensive. Our Luger pistol guide covers makers, dates and fakes.

Best For: Collectors ready to pay for the most famous military pistol ever made.

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8. Walther P38: The Wartime German

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, double action/single action, 8 rounds
• Made: About 1 million, 1939 to 1945
• Carried by: German forces in World War II

Category	Rating
Value	3/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

Walther designed the P38 in 1938 to replace the Luger, and its double-action/single-action trigger became the layout for pistols like the Beretta 92. About a million were built during the war.

Classic Firearms had an original wartime P38 at $749.99 when I checked. Maker codes on the slide tell you who built it and when, and they drive the price.

It’s the wartime German pistol I’d shoot most. Our Walther P38 guide covers maker codes and the postwar guns.

Best For: Shooters who want a World War II pistol they can take to the range.

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9. Walther P1: The Postwar German 9mm

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, double action/single action, 8 rounds
• Made: Postwar P38 from 1957, later the P1, to 2000
• Carried by: West German army and police

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

West Germany brought the P38 back in 1957 with an alloy frame and later named it the P1. It stayed in production until 2000, and West German police units replaced their old Star Model Bs with it in 1963.

Guns.com had P1s on consignment at $679.99 and $799.99 when I checked. It gives you the P38 experience without paying wartime collector prices.

Keep it to standard-pressure 9mm, because heavy loads can crack early P1 slides and frames. With that one rule, it’s a great surplus shooter.

Best For: Shooters who want a German service pistol in cheap 9mm.

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10. Radom VIS 35: The Collector Shooter

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: More than 360,000 from 1935
• Carried by: Polish army, then German forces as the P.35(p)

Category	Rating
Value	2/5
Shootability	5/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

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

Guns.com had an F.B. Radom VIS 35 on consignment at $1,099.99 when I checked. Prewar guns with the Polish eagle bring the most.

It’s heavy for its size, and that makes it one of the softest-shooting 9mm service pistols ever built. Our classic European pistols list covers it in more depth.

Best For: Collectors who want a 9mm surplus pistol that shoots as well as it looks.

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11. Browning Hi-Power: The Double-Stack Classic

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 13-round double-stack magazine
• Made: From 1935; original production ended in 2018
• Carried by: Armed forces around the world

Category	Rating
Value	3/5
Shootability	5/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

John Browning started the design and Dieudonne Saive finished it at FN in Belgium, and it went into production in 1935. Its 13-round magazine made it the only double-stack 9mm on the market until 1966.

FN ended the original in 2018 and brought out a redesigned FN High Power in 2022. Surplus military Hi-Powers show up in batches, so the card shows the new gun, from $649 at Bereli for a 10-round version, and Palmetto State Armory lists the standard gun at $999.99.

It’s slim for a double-stack 9mm and it points beautifully. Our best Browning Hi-Power pistols roundup covers the originals and the clones.

Best For: Shooters who want the classic military 9mm and will buy new if surplus is scarce.

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12. Beretta M1951 and Helwan Brigadier: The Desert Service Pistol

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: In Italy from 1953, and in Egypt from the early 1960s
• Carried by: Italian navy and Carabinieri, Egyptian army

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

The M1951 was Beretta’s first locked-breech pistol, and it went into full production in 1956. The Italian navy and Carabinieri carried it until the Beretta 92 replaced it in 1977.

Egypt ordered about 50,000 from Beretta, then built its own starting in the early 1960s. The Egyptian-made guns are the Helwan Brigadier, and Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore had one at $299.99 when I checked, with Guns.com at $399.99.

It’s one of the cheapest ways into a 9mm military pistol. The photo shows an Italian M1951, the gun the Helwan copies.

Best For: Budget shooters who want a 9mm service pistol for about $300.

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13. Star BM: The Spanish 1911

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Short recoil, single action, 8 rounds
• Made: 217,682 from 1972 to 1992
• Carried by: Spanish military, Guardia Civil and police

Category	Rating
Value	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

Star built 217,682 BMs between 1972 and 1992, a compact version of its Model B. It looks like a small 1911, but it has no grip safety and its thumb safety blocks the hammer.

Most of the ones imported here are Spanish military guns traded back to Star for newer pistols, brought in by importers including Interarms and Century International Arms. The Guardia Civil carried BMs until about 1990. Guns.com had them on consignment at $299.99 and $332.49, and Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore had a used trade-in at $199.99 when I checked.

It’s a cheap, solid all-steel 9mm. Our gun values guide covers how to grade a used one before you buy.

Best For: Shooters who want a 1911-style 9mm without the 1911 price.

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A .45 ACP Surplus Pistol

One American pistol, the one most Americans picture when they hear service pistol.

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14. M1911A1: The American Service Pistol

• Caliber: .45 ACP
• Action: Short recoil, single action, single-stack magazine
• Made: Adopted in 1911, as the M1911A1 from 1926
• Carried by: US forces until the Beretta 92F took over in 1985

Category	Rating
Value	3/5
Shootability	5/5
Ammo Supply	5/5

The Army adopted Colt’s pistol in March 1911, and the improved M1911A1 entered service in 1926. It stayed the standard US sidearm until the Army adopted the Beretta 92F in 1985. The one in the photo is a wartime gun made by a typewriter company that built pistols for the war.

Since 2018, the Civilian Marksmanship Program has sold genuine surplus M1911 pistols through its 1911 program, but you have to meet its rules and wait your turn. Most people shoot a GI reproduction instead, and Kentucky Gun Co lists Rock Island’s M1911-A1 GI at $351.04, with Palmetto State Armory at $377.99.

The .45 ACP is easy to feed, with 945 loaded listings across our dealers. Our Colt 1911 Government guide covers the originals and the clones.

Best For: Anyone who wants the American military pistol, surplus or reproduction.

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A Surplus Revolver

One revolver made the list, and it’s one of the strangest designs any army ever issued.

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15. Nagant M1895: The Gas-Seal Revolver

• Caliber: 7.62x38R Nagant
• Action: Double action, 7-round cylinder that moves forward to seal
• Made: About 2 million, made at Tula from 1898
• Carried by: Russian and Soviet forces

Category	Rating
Value	4/5
Shootability	2/5
Ammo Supply	1/5

Leon Nagant’s revolver armed Russia from 1895, and production moved to the Tula Arsenal in 1898. About two million were made, and when you cock it, the cylinder slides forward to seal the gap to the barrel.

Classic Firearms had one at $399.99, and Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore had one at $549.99 when I checked. ATF lists Tula-made Nagants made after 1898 as curios or relics.

Ammo is the problem, with only 6 loaded listings across our dealers. Cock it single action, because the double-action pull is the heaviest I’ve felt on any revolver.

Best For: Collectors who want a Russian revolver with a story, more than a range gun.

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Surplus Pistol Ammo: What You Can Actually Buy

Here’s how many listings of loaded ammo each cartridge had across our dealer network on September 30, 2026, and how many dealers carried it. This is the number to check before you buy a surplus pistol.

Cartridge	Pistols on this list	Ammo listings	Dealers carrying it
9mm Luger	Luger P08, Walther P38 and P1, Radom VIS 35, Hi-Power, Beretta M1951, Star BM	1,942	20
.45 ACP	M1911A1	945	19
9×18 Makarov	Makarov PM, Polish P-64, FEG PA-63, CZ 82	20	9
7.62×25 Tokarev	Zastava M57, CZ-52	15	7
7.62x38R Nagant	Nagant M1895	6	6

If you want to shoot a lot, buy a 9mm or .45 surplus gun. The 9×18 and Tokarev pistols are cheap to buy but harder to feed, and the Nagant is mostly a collector’s piece unless you handload.

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Buying Surplus Pistols: What to Check

Military surplus pistols and other surplus handguns are used guns first, so inspect them like any used gun. Here’s what I look at before I buy one.

• Read the condition grade. Dealers sell surplus as Good, Very Good or Excellent, and a used trade-in is its own grade. A Good gun from one dealer and a Good gun from another can look very different, so ask for photos.
• Look for the import mark. Under 27 CFR 478.92, a licensed importer has to mark each imported gun with a serial number, its name and city and state, or its name with an FFL-prefixed serial, plus the model, caliber and country of manufacture. War bring-backs won’t have one.
• Check the bore, magazines and sights. A bright bore and original magazines matter more than a pretty finish, and original spare magazines can be scarce and pricey. Expect small fixed military sights, too.
• Watch out for corrosive ammo. A lot of old military ammo uses corrosive primers. If you shoot it, clean the bore the same day with something water-based, then oil it.
• Know your C&R status. Several of these pistols are on ATF’s curio and relic list, and a C&R license lets you have them shipped straight to your door. ATF keeps a curio and relic list, and our C&R guns guide covers which of these qualify. A Nagant made in or before 1898 is an antique, which our antique firearms guide explains.

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How I Picked These 15 Surplus Pistols

I picked pistols that armies actually issued and that our 200+ retailers had for sale on September 30, 2026, then grouped them by cartridge. Each price card says whether it shows a surplus gun, a used gun or new production, and I skipped police trade-ins, which have their own police trade-in guns guide.

History comes from published histories of each pistol, ATF’s curio and relic list and federal import rules. For surplus rifles, see our best military surplus rifles roundup, and for everything else, our military surplus hub.

Photos: each pistol is a real museum or Wikimedia Commons photograph, credited under it, placed in a period scene. The featured image is built around a photo of a Zastava M57 by Self Loader, released under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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The Bottom Line

For one surplus pistol to shoot and carry, get a Makarov, and buy ammo when you find it. For the cheapest real military pistol, watch for a used Star BM or FEG PA-63 at about $200, or buy a surplus-grade Polish P-64 at about $250. And if you want to shoot every weekend, pick a 9mm like the Walther P1 or the Star BM, because you’ll never struggle to feed it.

Frequently Asked Questions