The $180 Army Pistol the Gun Counter Keeps in the Back (+ 9 More Surplus Steals)
Debi Babis
547 views
A pistol an entire army carried for decades sold this spring for about $180. You'll almost never see one in the front case at a gun counter. I spent 31 years behind that counter, and here's why: how old military and police pistols get into America (the import points test, importer stamps, the Russian import ban, Curio & Relic rules), why the counter makes almost nothing on them, what the ammo really costs, and ten surplus pistols from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Spain and the old Eastern Bloc, most of them under $400.
Prices are approximate used and surplus prices as of 2026 and change often. This is not legal advice. Check your local laws, have a gunsmith inspect any surplus gun before you carry it, and always handle firearms safely. Buy only from dealers you know: fake gun store websites use surplus prices as bait.
Chapters:
0:00 The $180 army pistol
0:50 How surplus guns get into America
2:03 Curio & Relic: the 50-year rule
2:40 The confession: why the counter keeps them in the back
3:07 The catch: ammo cost
3:32 #10 Walther P1
4:36 #9 Romanian TTC Tokarev
5:34 #8 Polish P-64
6:30 #7 CZ 75 (Czech surplus)
7:12 #6 FEG PA-63
8:00 How to check a surplus pistol before you buy
8:47 #5 Polish P-83
9:25 #4 Bulgarian Makarov
10:10 The math the counter never does for you
11:15 #3 SIG Sauer P6
12:09 #2 Star 30M
13:11 #1 CZ 82
14:19 The full picture
15:00 Watch out for fake gun stores
Which one would you buy: the $180 Czech, the 15-round Spaniard, or the German police Sig? Tell me in the comments.
Footage: NRA Publications (American Rifleman), Shooting USA.
Short excerpts used for commentary and criticism under fair use, credited on screen: 45 Alfa Charlie Papa, AmericanFun351, Battlefield Curator, CF Clips, Flying K Guns and Gunsmithing, Gun Fzx, Guns, Guns, Gear, and Guns with Geary Gunderson, Kentucky Gunslingers, Mayor Fuglycool, Midwest Guns and gear, Mike B, Military Arms Channel, Pew Pew Tactical, Shazarad, TFB TV, Taylor Bambico, The Arkansas Gun Guy, UnknownReloader, WNCBikeRider, hobofactory, mikepapamilsurp, sootch00.
Stock: Pexels (Airam Dato-on, Altaf Shah, Amar Preciado, Andi Farruku, Andrew Kota, Anh Nguyen, Anya Juárez Tenorio, ArtHouse Studio, Artur Vander PiloT, Atlantic Ambience, cami, cottonbro studio, Dominik Zítka, Ferdie Cayanga, Gulied Maarso, HAMZA AL HASSON, Ignacio Pereira, Joel Santos, Joolsmagools, Julien Goettelmann, Kmeel.com Videos, KoolShooters, MART PRODUCTION, Matthias Groeneveld, Max Fischer, Mehmed Ali Bekman, mg shotz, Monstera Production, Mumtaz Niazi, Nicole Weiser, PNW Production, ROMAN ODINTSOV, Saif Abdulraheem, Samuel Burai, Siarhei Dalivelia, Steven HAuse, Thanh Văn, Thiago Zanutim Lucas, Tima Miroshnichenko, Toàn BDS, utopia 36, Kaboompics and others).
Many still images are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of the actual guns for sale.
Narration: AI voice. The narrator is a fictional persona.
2 Comments
Also, is there any particular reason you're using an AI voice? Why not just record yourself? A lot of people don't want to listen to an AI voice like this, and would rather hear an actual person.
The $180 Army Pistol the Gun Counter Keeps in the Back (+ 9 More Surplus Steals)
Debi Babis
547 views
A pistol an entire army carried for decades sold this spring for about $180. You'll almost never see one in the front case at a gun counter. I spent 31 years behind that counter, and here's why: how old military and police pistols get into America (the import points test, importer stamps, the Russian import ban, Curio & Relic rules), why the counter makes almost nothing on them, what the ammo really costs, and ten surplus pistols from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Spain and the old Eastern Bloc, most of them under $400.
Prices are approximate used and surplus prices as of 2026 and change often. This is not legal advice. Check your local laws, have a gunsmith inspect any surplus gun before you carry it, and always handle firearms safely. Buy only from dealers you know: fake gun store websites use surplus prices as bait.
Chapters:
0:00 The $180 army pistol
0:50 How surplus guns get into America
2:03 Curio & Relic: the 50-year rule
2:40 The confession: why the counter keeps them in the back
3:07 The catch: ammo cost
3:32 #10 Walther P1
4:36 #9 Romanian TTC Tokarev
5:34 #8 Polish P-64
6:30 #7 CZ 75 (Czech surplus)
7:12 #6 FEG PA-63
8:00 How to check a surplus pistol before you buy
8:47 #5 Polish P-83
9:25 #4 Bulgarian Makarov
10:10 The math the counter never does for you
11:15 #3 SIG Sauer P6
12:09 #2 Star 30M
13:11 #1 CZ 82
14:19 The full picture
15:00 Watch out for fake gun stores
Which one would you buy: the $180 Czech, the 15-round Spaniard, or the German police Sig? Tell me in the comments.
Footage: NRA Publications (American Rifleman), Shooting USA.
Short excerpts used for commentary and criticism under fair use, credited on screen: 45 Alfa Charlie Papa, AmericanFun351, Battlefield Curator, CF Clips, Flying K Guns and Gunsmithing, Gun Fzx, Guns, Guns, Gear, and Guns with Geary Gunderson, Kentucky Gunslingers, Mayor Fuglycool, Midwest Guns and gear, Mike B, Military Arms Channel, Pew Pew Tactical, Shazarad, TFB TV, Taylor Bambico, The Arkansas Gun Guy, UnknownReloader, WNCBikeRider, hobofactory, mikepapamilsurp, sootch00.
Stock: Pexels (Airam Dato-on, Altaf Shah, Amar Preciado, Andi Farruku, Andrew Kota, Anh Nguyen, Anya Juárez Tenorio, ArtHouse Studio, Artur Vander PiloT, Atlantic Ambience, cami, cottonbro studio, Dominik Zítka, Ferdie Cayanga, Gulied Maarso, HAMZA AL HASSON, Ignacio Pereira, Joel Santos, Joolsmagools, Julien Goettelmann, Kmeel.com Videos, KoolShooters, MART PRODUCTION, Matthias Groeneveld, Max Fischer, Mehmed Ali Bekman, mg shotz, Monstera Production, Mumtaz Niazi, Nicole Weiser, PNW Production, ROMAN ODINTSOV, Saif Abdulraheem, Samuel Burai, Siarhei Dalivelia, Steven HAuse, Thanh Văn, Thiago Zanutim Lucas, Tima Miroshnichenko, Toàn BDS, utopia 36, Kaboompics and others).
Many still images are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of the actual guns for sale.
Narration: AI voice. The narrator is a fictional persona.