Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an excellent condition MP40 Maschinenpistole 40 display gun, built from an original parts set and constructed on a legal non-firing BATF compliant steel dummy receiver, making this a 100% legal display Sub-Machine gun. This was constructed from an original flame-torch cut demilitarized receiver, and the rear 25% of the length has been completely replaced with solid steel bar stock, with the front portions being re-welded original components. As over 20% receiver is a complete inert fabricated piece, this display gun is totally legal to own without a license of any kind. It has had a deactivated Portuguese FBP MP40 type bolt with cocking handle welded into the forward position inside the receiver, as required by the BATF.

Offered with exceptional original dark brown / black bakelite stock and grips, this is the real thing that will only appreciate in value over time. The extending butt stock is present and fully functional. The barrel is original and has not been deactivated in any way, and the bore is in very good shape, with a bright finish and clear lands and grooves. 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 model and manufacture codes:

This indicates 1943 manufacture by ERMA-Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B Geipel GmbH, Erfurt, the company that developed the MP38 and MP40. The rear receiver cup is marked with serial number 4331 k, and is marked next to this with contractor marking cnd for Krupp-National-Registrierkassen (Cash Registers), Berlin, Germany, a known subcontractor for making the rear receiver cups. The left side of the cup is marked with the Waffenamt WaA254, a known stamp appearing on ERMA made MP 40s.

The trigger guard and front left of the receiver are also both marked with serial 4331 / k, and the shortened number 331 is present on both arms of the folding butt stock. We also noted that the bottom of the front receiver and the trigger guard are both marked with cos, for Merz-Werke Gebrüder Merz, Frankfurt am Main, Rheinland, along with Waffenamt Eagle / WaA44 stamps, correct for this maker. There are additional "cos" markings on the receiver and action components, so it looks very much like this portion of the display gun is "All matching". This is definitely quite rare to see, as parts would have almost always been swapped out at some point, but it looks like the receiver portion stayed together for quite some time.

The barrel was swapped out at some point, a very common occurrence, and the barrel is marked with 8257, while the muzzle fitting and barrel nut are both non-matching. The front fitting is marked with a Waffenamt Eagle / 280, usually associated with ERMA. The bolt and recoil assembly included with the display gun has had the original markings removed long ago, showing traces of the original Waffenamt inspection codes. The bolt looks to be fully functional, with an intact extractor and the feed lips intact as well. The push-pull safety is also functional.

Also included is an original MP 40 magazine, in excellent condition overall, which is completely unmarked except for two faint Waffenamt WaA63 inspection codes, usually associated with Waffenwerke Brünn in Czechoslovakia during the later war period. We assume that the company was pressed into making MP 40 magazines during the late war period, and did not have time to tool up the stamping dies to put the "MP38 u. 40" markings on the sides of the magazines. 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 great "Partially Matching" MP40 display gun with a live barrel, complete with an original magazine and bolt assembly! 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.