Mp 40, with friends!

[Bernie]

Merry Christmas fellow collectors!, I was gathering some things together and decided to snap a quick one!, yes the Mp 40 is a shooter!!!, it took 3 months to get the licence!, for those of you in the USA, the process isn't to bad, the Chief of Police must sign the form, along with the BATF and the FBI. If any of you are thinking about going thru the process, send me a e-mail and I can give you some pointers on getting the signatures you need. well enjoy!!
Bernie.

[Nico C]

Very nice display!!

I also prefer a MP40 shooter above a de-activated one .

Ps: use ammo with a "low" percentage of powder. Some ammo brands have a too high percentage of powder. This could damage your MP40.
Just an advice


Best

[Michael Kuligowski]

NICE MP !! wow !!!

too bad... gear is a copy..

[captainhoot]

Bernie.

Congrats on the MP-40. Very nice.
Interestingly enough, the MP-40 was the very first MG I ever bought,
and like you, I was amazed that I could even own such a thing....
The process is well worth it though...
Enjoy that.
Merry Christmas to you.

-Capthoot

[Andy Harris]

Great looking MP40, Bernie! I wish I had bought one back when I could afford it! (pre-family era!)

[MauserKar98k]

Nice grouping!

[prussian.guard]

you guys are lucky over the pond.the closest i got to one of these babys is shooting one in the desert during a visit to las vagas.over here they are ruined with big dollops of weld in the barrell criminal really.
that is a very nice condition mp40 you have there

[Bernie]

Thanks Guy's!

Thank you for the nice postings!, ,,,I looked at getting a deact for display, and after looking at 750$ for one, it got me thinking,,,hum,,, anyhow I live in a rural town, and you should have seen the Chief of polices face when I met him to sign the papers!!, the old look over the glasses like a school teacher,,,,,,,, and what may i ask are you going to do with this???
anyhow,,,,,enjoy collecting,,,,
Bernie

[Lon]

Bernie,

Looks like a real nice MP40 you have there. I enjoy shooting an MP40 more than any other class 3, they just sing! It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like your sling is attaced to the cocking handle side of the gun. The German army, I am told, used the other side. A German army veteran asked a reenactor(with sling on the left side) in the states why he had his sling attached like a partisan. Lastly, and this is just my opinion, I don't use the safety position, unless very necessary due to stress on a very old and prone to breaking cocking handle.

Congratulations on a fine investment that you will enjoy using while it appreciates!

Lon

[captainhoot]

Bernie.

I would agree with Lons's advise about the cocking handle. While we are
on that subject, I would add not to extend the folding buttstock
anymore than necessary; they tend to get loose and sloppy with wear.
Just .02 worth or advise there....
Your experience for the Chief of Police is a common one. While it was
not mine with my CLEO, most people (outside of collector's and gun
fans) wonder why someone would be interested in such a thing. (????)
Some might wonder if you habour evil intentions....
Of course, once you shoot one, and own one, you understand why !!!!
The MP-40 is a very docile, lovable weapon to shoot. A true icon of
WWII. Probably the most featured weapon of German WWII films as well....
-Capthoot

[Bernie]

Didn't know about the sling,or the powder!

Guy's!
Thanks to all of you, postings like yours is what makes this fourm Tick!,
Things I learned, Powder charge, Sling position, Floding stock,Safety tension!,
what a wealth of info!!
I had it in Safety position, because I had a magazine in it that had a few live rounds to show it wasn't a deact!, (couldn't get a good pic of the chamber,lighting,etc,,,,) P.S. I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE HOUSE,SAFETY REASONS....., anyhow, sling position?, seems the sling might get in the way of the shell casings that come rippin' out of this baby!!, or is the angle above it? have to check this!!!.... on the ammo part:...I bought a 1000 rounds of 124gr round nose ammo, for $ 120(reloads from a man in Colorado Springs) and have shot 450 of them, with no problems, no Jams ,no missfires,not 1 problem, being a former M-16 owner operator, this is truely a new experience!!!!!!! . I also received 1000 rounds for Christmas of 115 winchester new from Walmart, I don't know about the powder charges used in Winchester ammo, does the factory tend to load them hot?
again,,,,,,Thanks Guys!

[Jeff Clark]

Be careful with the reloads you do use...some are more likely to jam than factory loads...which is all I will shoot in mine....nice gun

[Rylan]

omg, I love the MP40

In Canada it is out of the question to own one... at least legally

But you can always pay $3000 for a DeWat

[Lon]

Bernie,

That is good advice about being careful with reloads. An underpowered round could lodge in the barrel and with another round firing after could blow out or bulge the barrel. The value of your gun could drop sharply. If your gun has matching serial numbers, I suggest you get a modern made barrel, or a period replacement & safely store the original. Since firing pins were also numbered, an extra would be a good idea. Kept clean an MP40 is a very reliable weapon, not a lot to go wrong. Enjoy your piece of history safely!

Lon

[Cincylance]

Nice mp40. Funny how everyone has an opinion of how to care for it and what ammo to use.

I've owned two original and live mp40s (still own one) and have fired thousands of rounds through them. From my experience, hot ammo is better than weak ammo. +P+ ammo is fine too. The mp40 has a long bolt travel and fires from the open-bolt position. Because of this, weak ammo can cause runaways because the bolt does not recoil back far enough to engage the sear. I've shot plenty of hot ammo through both of mine and it never damaged either gun. Just make sure whatever ammo you use is quality. Stay away from CCI Blazer ammo. Wolf ammo works good. PMP is weak as is Winchester white box. \

Do yourself a favor and buy a FBP bolt and recoil mechanism from IMA. The parts swap right in on most mp40s. The FBP set-up eliminates the firing pin by having it milled directly in the bolt face (like a M1A1 Thompson.) This is a perfect thing to buy (costs $100) if you plan to shoot the mp a lot.

Barrels are easy to swap too, so it is a good idea to find a complete barrel assembly. There is even someone remaking barrels. Another key item for the avid shooter.

If the gun qualifies as a C&R weapon, get a C&R license and then you can transport it across state lines without filing a 5320.20. If it is a tube gun, then you will need to do the paperwork whenever leaving the state with it.

Good Luck!
Cincylance