Original German WWII 1942 Dated Waffenamt Marked Portuguese Contract MP34(ö) Steyr Solothurn Display Gun with Magazine Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic non-functional BATF compliant non-firing MP34(ö) Steyr Solothurn display sub-machine gun. It is built from all original parts on an original BATF compliant non-firing display receiver, making this a 100% legal display Sub-Machine gun. This receiver was created by using the front barrel bushing and magazine well portion of a demilitarized receiver, attached to a BATF compliant solid machined aluminum dummy rear receiver. In fact only 20% of the receiver remains, with the rest replaced by solid aluminum, mostly hidden by the top cover. The result is this beautiful display “non-gun”, totally legal to own without a license of any kind.

The magazine well portion and barrel jacket are intact and have not been altered, and it looks like the barrel may have not been deactivated, but we are not sure. We checked the bore and saw rifling, but we are not able to see the chamber end of the barrel, as it was plugged up with a metal rod. The selector switch on the left side still works, as does the trigger, and the top cover still opens to show the dummy receiver. The safety in front of the rear sight is also still moveable.

This example is offered in fantastic lightly used condition, with the metalwork refinished with our lovely gunmetal gray paint. It is wonderfully marked with the Portuguese Crest and 1942 date just forward of the safety. There is no STEYR logo or other markings on the top cover of this example, which is common for the Portuguese contract guns. About half of the ones we see have just the crest, while the others will have Steyr markings.

The trigger guard assembly does bear the Steyr “Bullseye” logo on the right side, next to an NSDAP Waffenamt Eagle / 189, which corresponds to Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, production at the Warsaw plant. The same Waffenamt is marked on the rear trigger guard screw. Just to the rear of this the stock is marked with a Waffenamt Eagle over partial inspector marking aA7, most likely short for “WaA77”, the inspection marking for the Steyr plant in Austria.

Wonderfully constructed by Steyr, the display gun features a ventilated barrel jacket with a built in magazine loader in the magazine housing, and is complete with wood butt stock assembly serial numbered 224. The under side of the top cover is also marked with serial number 224. It comes complete with an original magazine, which is NSDAP Waffenamt Eagle / 189 marked for Steyr. The magazine will have the spring and follower removed where required.

This example was produced in 9mm parabellum, as used by countless German troops and other Nations friendly with the Germans. The condition overall is very good, with the wooden stock showing some wear and damage from use, including some wood filler on the right side filling a gouge in the wood grain. These really were the “Rolls Royce” of submachine guns.

These were long gone from IMA more than 20 years ago after the original release from Portugal in the early 1990’s. This won’t last long because you can’t find them anywhere else! Ready to display!

History of the MP34

The MP34 was based on a design for the MP18 by the Rheinmetall company based in Düsseldorf. The weapon is similar in design to the MP18 Bergmann, which itself saw service towards the end of World War I.

Restrictions on the manufacture of certain armaments within the 1919 Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from manufacturing certain types of weapons, such as light automatic firearms (designated as SMGs with barrels in excess of four inches (102 mm) and magazines holding more than eight rounds). To circumvent the treaty, Rheinmetall acquired the Swiss company Waffenfabrik Solothurn in 1929 and began secret production of a prototype. What was to become the MP34 was originally designated “S1-100” using the company’s standard naming convention.

Due to the Solothurn Company being unsuited for mass production, Rheinmetall took a controlling interest in Waffenfabrik Steyr, an established arms manufacturer in Austria. Weapons manufactured by Steyr were sold via the Zurich-based trade company Steyr-Solothurn Waffen AG to both the commercial and military markets.

The MP34 was manufactured from the very best materials available and finished to the highest possible standard. It was so well manufactured that it has often been nicknamed the “Rolls Royce of submachine guns”. However, its production costs were extremely high as a consequence.

Portugal bought in small quantities the .45 ACP version and was adopted as Pistola-metralhadora 11,43mm m/935. Portugal also purchased small quantities of the S1-100 in 7.65 mm Luger calibre in 1938, and the weapon was adopted as the Pistola-metralhadora 7,65 mm m/938 Steyer submachine gun. In 1941 and 1942, larger numbers of 9mm MP34 guns were delivered to Portugal by Germany. In Portuguese service, the 9mm MP34 was known as the Pistola-metralhadora 9 mm m/942 Steyer. Many m/942 guns carry a Portuguese crest just forward of the safety mechanism. The m/942 remained in service with Portuguese Army into the 1950s, and was used until the 1970s by paramilitary and security forces in Portugal’s overseas African colonies during the Portuguese Colonial Wars.