Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an very nice condition MP40 Maschinenpistole 40 display gun, built from original parts and constructed on a legal non-firing BATF approved re-welded display receiver, with the required 2 inches of totally replaced material. This example still features a live barrel, and has a very nice original magazine included with it.

Offered with a very good 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, the bolt has been welded in place at the front of the receiver as required by the BATF. The barrel is original and has not been deactivated, with an intact chamber and visible rifling in the bore. 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, which are clear:

This indicates 1943 manufacture by Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Werk Steyr, the legendary Austrian arms company. The rear receiver cup does not have any subcontractor markings. The folding butt stock is marked with shortened number 406, while the trigger guard is marked with 2406. the other components bear non-matching serial numbers.

There are also other markings and Waffenamt proofs throughout the display gun. Overall condition is very good, with lots of the original finish, and great condition bakelite. If you were holding out for a good one, this could be it!

Included is an original MP 40 magazine, in excellent condition, marked fxo 42 for C.G. Haenel of Suhl, production 1942, complete with Waffenamt proof marks. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.

A great chance to pick up a very attractive MP40 display gun, complete with magazine and a live barrel! 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.