Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an excellent condition MP40 Maschinenpistole 40 display gun, built from original parts and constructed on a legal non-firing BATF approved aluminum dummy receiver, making this a 100% legal display Sub-Machine gun.
Offered with exceptional original dark brown bakelite stock and grips, with a functional extending butt stock, this is the real thing that will only appreciate in value over time. All complete, simulated fixed aluminum bolt system gives the impression of an original unit and is fitted with the original safety bolt handle. The barrel is original, though it has been demilitarized by having holes drilled into the bore along the bottom, with one in the chamber as well. Original markings have been maintained and make a keystone item for any serious WWII collection.
The rear receiver cup of this display gun is marked with the date and manufacture codes on the top strap, which are clear:
MP40 bnz. 43
This indicates 1943 manufacture by Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Werk Steyr, the legendary Austrian arms company. The rear receiver cup is marked with serial number 9167M next to the top strap, with a Waffenamt WaA623 inspection marking on the left side, the correct inspector for Steyr. The barrel bears a different serial number, 7831 u, and the barrel nut and sight base are matching. There is no maker mark, but they are stamped with Waffenamt Eagle / 280 stamps, usually associated with ERMA of Erfurt, the designer of the MP 40. Some of the markings are faint due to wear and past oxidation. The magazine release button is marked cos for Merz-Werke Gebr. Merz, in Frankfurt am Main, Rheinland. This maker manufactured many small arms components during the war, including those for the later MP / STG 44.
Included is an original MP 40 magazine, in very good condition, which is correctly marked MP. 38 u. 40 on the side, with maker code kur 42 on the back for 1942 production by Steyr-Daimler Puch AG, Werk Graz in Poland. It also bears the correct Waffenamt WaA815 code for this factory. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.
There is also a very nice post war leather sling attached to the gun to complete the look. Many of these saw post war service in Europe, so slings continued to be produced for decades.
A great chance to pick up a lovely MP40 display gun, complete with a magazine & sling! We rarely seem them this nice! Ready to display!
History of the MP40
The Maschinenpistole 40 ("Machine pistol 40") descended from its predecessor the MP 38, which was in turn based on the MP 36, a prototype made of machined steel. The MP 36 was developed independently by Erma Werke's Berthold Geipel with funding from the German Army. It took design elements from Heinrich Vollmer's VPM 1930 and EMP. Vollmer then worked on Berthold Geipel's MP 36 and in 1938 submitted a prototype to answer a request from the Heereswaffenamt (Army Weapons Office) for a new submachine gun, which was adopted as MP 38. The MP 38 was a simplification of the MP 36, and the MP 40 was a further simplification of the MP 38, with certain cost-saving alterations, most notably in the more extensive use of stamped steel rather than machined parts.
It was heavily used by infantrymen (particularly platoon and squad leaders), and by paratroopers, on the Eastern and Western Fronts. Its advanced and modern features made it a favorite among soldiers and popular in countries from various parts of the world after the war. It was often erroneously called "Schmeisser" by the Allies, despite Hugo Schmeisser's non-involvement in the weapon's design and production. From 1940 to 1945, an estimated 1.1 million were produced by Erma Werke.
