I used to work at a popular range and firearms store here in Scottsdale. I met an elderly man, by the name of Reuben Hafter. He told many wild stories. Among them, being an inner city kid in New York (and the mischievous actions that go along with it), being shot down in WWII after lying about his age, and surviving behind enemy lines, activism for jewish firearms owners, test flying every airplane with a jet engine up to the F14, designing (or helping) the lunar lander with Grumman, and an Olympic Air Pistol world record. (beaten in 2012)
I didn't believe many of these stories until, due to Mr. Hafter's health decline, I was invited into his home in order to help he and his wife move out of their house. Evidence of his accomplishments were everywhere: medals, a signed photograph of the entire LEM design team, Apollo IX mission patches, awards from firearms competitions, and a helmet with his callsign "RED" on a bookshelf accompanied by a model of several planes he flew, among many other impressive items proving his stories.
I was in charge of clearing out the "gun room" of all items. My payment; any non-firearm item in the gun room I wanted to keep. (the below air pistol was not among them) His family, of course, got first call on items in the house. Working for an FFL, I helped them ship all the firearms to family in Florida.
Here is one of Reuben's pistols. He owned Swiss Hammerlis and Steyrs, but one was left behind after everything else had been removed. This one was given to me by his wife after his passing.
What do I still need to make it function?
How can I assess the condition of the cylinders/o-rings/adapters etc?
Is there anything missing that is critical to the function of the pistol?
Serial number 703815. What is the approximate age?
Are these still available? (it seems they have been replaced by newer models)
What is the approximate value of a pistol like this, and how much would the average shooter have to spend to make it work for them?
