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MP38 Magazine Question


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Hello, my question is how rare are MP38 magazines? I picked one up at the Phoenix gun show during the summer. It is stamped 98E 40 with the waffenampt marks on the top of the magazine but no stamping on the bottom that is no MP38 u. 40 mark. It is the slab sided kind and is in really nice shape and the price was right ($100). I figure it makes a nice collector mag.

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That's a good price for a slab sided (type O) mag. I have 6 Steyr slab sided "MP-38 u. 40" mags from 1940 also. They were on sale for $100 when i bought them from BRP arms about 10 years ago. I'd say you got a very good deal. It is fairly rare making up about 0.1% of total MP mag production. Here is some nice info from Claus Espeholt to put things in to perspective: https://claus.espeholt.dk/mediearkiv/mag40_c.pdf

Edited by DARIVS
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I've seen three WaA stamps on "after ribbed" mags, 387, 815, and 37. These are easily spotted by the four WaA inspection stemples on each mag, versus two on mags not so modified. Unmodified mags and later mags produced with ribs will have just two WaA stamps. I did a long post with photos on MP40 mags on these pages, but it's disappeared.

 

Early Steyr made mags were slab sided and were marked 660 and the year, always 40 for 1940, and always MP38u.40, at least that I've encountered. The code on their slab sided mags changed to 98E in late 1940, and changed again to kur in early 1942. 98E 42 mags are quite rare, from what I've seen. I bought three 98E 42 mags from a seller in Eastern Europe years ago. He said they were new, from an original unbroken case of them. Sure enough, they're perfect, and identical. I've never seen another 98E 42 mag in the US. I've also never found a kur coded mag dated later than 44. IMHO, Steyr made the best quality MP mags, IMHO. Others (most notably bte) can be junk that don't fit or function at all, even when otherwise in original excellent condition.

Edited by TSMGguy
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Per www.mp40.nl:

 

MP38 Production:

The MP38 has been produced by 2 main factories. These were:

"Erma", B. Geipel, G.m.b.H., Waffenfabrik, Erfurt, Zietenstr. 54, (Production Code: 27 or AYF)

"Haenel", C.G., Waffen und Fahrrad-Fabrik, Suhl, (Production Code: 122 or FXO)

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That's a good price for a slab sided (type O) mag. I have 6 Steyr slab sided "MP-38 u. 40" mags from 1940 also. They were on sale for $100 when i bought them from BRP arms about 10 years ago. I'd say you got a very good deal. It is fairly rare making up about 0.1% of total MP mag production. Here is some nice info from Claus Espeholt to put things in to perspective: https://claus.espeholt.dk/mediearkiv/mag40_c.pdf

That was a very interesting link. Thank you very much.

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I've seen three WaA stamps on "after ribbed" mags, 387, 815, and 37. These are easily spotted by the four WaA inspection stemples on each mag, versus two on mags not so modified. Unmodified mags and later mags produced with ribs will have just two WaA stamps. I did a long post with photos on MP40 mags on these pages, but it's disappeared.

 

Remember that only Erma (ayf) made the MP38. Early Steyr made mags were slab sided and were marked 660 and the year, always 40 for 1940, and always MP38u.40, at least that I've encountered. The code on their slab sided mags changed to 98E in late 1940, and changed again to kur in early 1942. 98E 42 mags are quite rare, from what I've seen. I bought three 98E 42 mags from a seller in Eastern Europe years ago. He said they were new, from an original unbroken case of them. Sure enough, they're perfect, and identical. I've never seen another 98E 42 mag in the US. I've also never found a kur coded mag dated later than 44. IMHO, Steyr made the best quality MP mags, IMHO. Others (most notably bte) can be junk that don't fit or function at all, even when otherwise in original excellent condition.

 

Thanks for the info. I emailed Alex Cruiming from mp40.nl because this for sure has no other markings other than 98E 40 and a pair of waffenampts right underneath that of 815.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Frank, I will take a shot at values. To give you an idea, I bought a pair of nice slab sided MP40 mags on gunbroker about six months ago for $88.88 each plus $10 shipping on the pair. They are pretty nice and I use them for shooter clips. One is a 98E 41 and the other is an ayf 41 I think. The MP38 mag I bought had a price on it of $150 and he reduced it to $100 for me. It seems the slab sides are not very popular with shooters because they have a bad rep but mine function just fine. On the mag loader, I would say that if it is a nice one $150 would be about right. You might be able to get a few dollars more to the right buyer. If you are interested, I would trade you my nice MP38 mag for your 122 40 slab side as I have a 122 40 coded gun. Well, I hope this helps. Take care, Haenelistklasse

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Hi Frank, I will take a shot at values. To give you an idea, I bought a pair of nice slab sided MP40 mags on gunbroker about six months ago for $88.88 each plus $10 shipping on the pair. They are pretty nice and I use them for shooter clips. One is a 98E 41 and the other is an ayf 41 I think. The MP38 mag I bought had a price on it of $150 and he reduced it to $100 for me. It seems the slab sides are not very popular with shooters because they have a bad rep but mine function just fine. On the mag loader, I would say that if it is a nice one $150 would be about right. You might be able to get a few dollars more to the right buyer. If you are interested, I would trade you my nice MP38 mag for your 122 40 slab side as I have a 122 40 coded gun. Well, I hope this helps. Take care, Haenelistklasse

Thanks for the info, not interested in trading mag I sold my MP40.

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