Original German WWII 1941 Dated MP 40 Display Gun by Steyr with Internals and Magazine – Maschinenpistole 40 Original Items

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. Included with the gun are original internal components, as well as an original magazine.

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, 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 and has not been deactivated, though it does have rust 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 somewhat faint due to surface rust.:

MP40
bnz . 41

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 3155 / l, and does not have any subcontractor markings. This number is also seen on the trigger guard and the barrel trunion, which is also marked with letter code bnz. The barrel and butt stock are not matching.

There are also other markings and Waffenamt proofs throughout the display gun. Overall condition is good, though there are light rust issues throughout. This was originally a “battlefield pickup”, so it had been recovered a bit after the conflict. The receiver, trigger housing, receiver cup, and magazine housing definitely show evidence of this.

The original internal components include the bolt, the recoil assembly, and the ejector. These all also show evidence of rust in the past, and the original spring inside of the recoil mechanism unfortunately is missing.

Included is an original MP 40 magazine, in good condition, which was recovered with the gun. The back is marked kur 43 for Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG Werk Graz, another factory of Steyr, production 1943, 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 internal components! 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.