Original German WWII 1942 Dated MP 40 Display Gun by ERMA – Maschinenpistole 40 Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an excellent condition (one of the best we’ve ever offered) MP40 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 bakelite stock and 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. Barrel is original and has not been deactivated. Original markings 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:

MP40
ayf 42

This indicates 1941 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 2937k and maker code cnd for National Krupp Registrier Kassen GmbH, Fabrik Berlin-Neukölln, a subcontractor that made many components for the MP40.

The barrel is also marked with serial number 2937k, and shortened serial 937 appears on the fittings for the barrel, making this a partial matching display gun. The barrel has not been deactivated, and has very nice rifling with a great bore, though the exterior has some past pitting. There are also other markings and Waffenamt proofs throughout the display gun. Overall condition is good but used, and there is a crack towards the front of the bakelite housing. We have installed a reproduction brown leather MP40 sling to add to the authentic look.

Included is an original MP 40 magazine, in excellent condition, marked MP.38u. 40 on the shell. It is also Waffenamt proofed on the top, and maker marked 98E and dated 41. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.

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.