Welcome everyone to the 100th Edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only has a Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

In our last edition, our poll showed that you, the readers, found the handcrafted PPS to be fudd crap.  

HGFC – Handcrafted PPS or Ruined History — Poll Results

At this time, the original auction has ended without the PPS-43C finding its way to a new home.  Like all guns, we hope someone can find it in their heart to adopt this PPS and give it a new and loving home.     

In this week’s 100th Edition of HGFC, we look at a rare Semmerling LM4 pistol chambered in .45ACP. As is tradition, this 45 pocket pistol is currently up for sale on GunBroker for $6,995 Starting Bid or $8,500 Buy It Now.  

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP?

Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

Let’s see what the Staff had to say about this week’s offering:

“For the man in your life who uses 100$ bills as a ruler.” – Matt M.

“Interesting concept. Looks like a Saturday-night Special but in God’s Fudd caliber.” – Nick C.

“Compact, blow-forward, .45… exactly the list of features you don’t want to find together” – Giorgio O.

“Does that 100 dollar bill double the price if I want it with the gun?” – Eric B.

“How many hundreds of times a day do you think the typical LM4 owner says “STOPPIN POWAH”?” – Will P.

Selling this rare pocket gat is GunBroker seller TJsCustomGunworks, located in Culver City CA. Let’s see what they had to say about this rare 45.  

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

Note: Item description and full listing details have been truncated.  Please see the listing for complete details from the seller.  

SEMMERLING CORP LM-4 .45ACP in Factory Chrome Finish, considered a SUPER RARE UNICORN GUN!

It has Rosewood grips, and has some external wear from being carried, but is mechanically sound. Please let the photos be your judge.

What you see is what you will receive, nothing more, and nothing less.

Trades I would consider for this gun: Sig Sauer’s, Non-Collectable 1911’s, custom guns, DayState or FX PCP Airguns.

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

The Semmerling LM4 is a unique design while looking, well unique.  Designed in 1979 by Philip Lichtman, only 600 of these were ever produced by the time production ended in 2003.  The LM4 fired from a static fully locked breach, where the slide had to be racked forward to eject the spent casing, and then rearward to chamber the next round.

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

Each pistol was handmade with only 33 parts using S-7 tool steel and had a proprietary 4-round magazine.  This design was intended to provide the largest amount of power in the smallest available package.  Granted this was long before +P cartridges in other calibers would become more prevalent.

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

The LM stands for “Lichtman Model”, after the gun’s inventor, and as you might have guessed, there were three other prototypes prior to the LM4.  A fifth automatic variant called the XLM was created as part of a military contract.  However, it appears these were never sold to the public, and information on them is scarce.

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

The LM4 sold with an insanely high price tag of $645 in the 1980s.  If you account for inflation, that’s roughly $2,100 dollars today.  These pistols were for the most discerning of clients and could be ordered with Ebony and Cocobolo grips.  Its construction meant the price was going to be high and this made the LM4 a very niche gun for a very niche market.

While the LM4 certainly has its place in history, the idea of a manually loaded magazine-fed pistol has gone, well nowhere.  So is the LM4 interesting enough to spend north of $7k on?  Or is this a part of history that’s better left forgotten?  As always, I leave it up to you, the readers, to decide.

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP? Is This Semmerling LM4 Rare or Ridiculous?

What do you think?  Is this Semmerling LM4 a Hot Gat or strange proprietary Fudd Crap?  Be sure to let us know in the comments below, and cast your vote to let us know if this Semmerling Corp LM4 .45 is a Hot Gat or Fudd Crap: