billie32 Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Just read through the Franks original MP40 book, and was wondering if anybody had any ideas on production figures for the various companies that produced the gun in WWII? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mp40 Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Yes, Franks 1st mp 38/40 book, is an excellent resource for mp information. As for the production figures for each company: Erma etc. i would think that the information need to awnswer this question, might be quite rare due to the bombings, advancing russians etc. also, the sub-contractor information would be interesting to read. (how many magazine housings, stock assys, bolts etc. went to Erma for example) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Mills Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 The only thing I am able to dig up is from the old book, "Small Arms of the World". It reads "...the MP40 was manufactured by Steyer, Haenel, and Erma, with the assistance of a number of subcontractors". Another book I have lists the number of subcontractors as "only a handful". Maybe this doesn't help much, but it's what I have to offer. I'd imagine real numbers may be indeed hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 I have visited most of the German archives to find documents concerning the German MPs, but I was not able to find information about production numbers sorted after manufacturers. The problem is that one large storage of Waffenamt-files in the city of Potsdam was bombed in the last days of the war. It burned down completely. Best wishes from Germany Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mp40 Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 Hi Michael, welcome to the boards! hey, thanks for checking the archives for us, it's nice to know some one that will do that for us machine pistole fans! on the subject of mp's in Germany, are you permitted to own deactivated mp's? or is this not possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 Hi, in Germany we got a lew law on 1st April 2003. Before this, it was not allowed to assemble a deactivated fullauto weapon. It was too "dangerous" http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif . Now we can own deactivated fullautos built before end of 1945 (barrel welded shut, 6 caliber-sized holes drilled in the barrel and bolt-head cut off). We are also allowed to assemble the parts. If you can find a legally owned live MP (licensed before the ban in 1972), there is now a chance for collectors to get a permission to buy this weapon. But they are very hard to find here. Import is forbidden and also you cannot get a license to make an illegal weapon legal. Unfortunately for all collectors air cooled machineguns are still "war weapons" and so we are not allowed to own them, even if they are deactivated and built before 1945 !! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif Greetings from Germany Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mp40 Posted August 22, 2003 Report Share Posted August 22, 2003 Michael, when i was in Germany in 2000, i didn't see any gun stores, is there such a place in Germany?if so, what can you buy firearms wise? what type of permits do you require for handguns/rifles? Also, where can you find these deactivated mp's? i am just curious........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 22, 2003 Report Share Posted August 22, 2003 Ok, here some information: For a normal pistol or rifle and for ammunition you need a license. If you are are sport-shooter you will get a license for a single rifle that you need for your sport (you can't buy as many as you want). If you want to be a collector, you have to try to get a collector's-license. You have to "buy" an advisory opinion (I hope this is the right word) that shows WHO you are, WHY you want to collect, WHAT you want to collect and so on. You must give this report to your authority ... and hope that they will give you the license. Every license has a special "theme", so my license is for "Long arms used in the German army and built before end of 1945 and loot rifles". As a collector you can buy as many weapons as you want. You can own single shot and semiauto weapons only, NO FULLAUTOS. There are some big dealers in Germany, like "Transarms" (www.transarms.de), "Frankonia" (www.frankonia.de), HEGE Arms ("www.hege-arms.com") or others. Normally they have the standard weapons like K.98k, M1 Carbine, ... Some few dealers are speciallised in deactivated war-weapons. There you can buy MP40, Sten, and so on. Now, with our new law, we do not longer need a special permission to assemble a deactivated fullauto parts kit, except weapons built after 1945 and air cooled machineguns. Here is a dealer in the web: "www.teilesatz.de". I'm looking for a live fullauto weapon since 1st April, but was not able to find one for sale. The weapon has to be owned since the amnesty in 1972. Import is forbidden, so it's hard to find someone who want's to sell his licensed life fullauto MP. I hope this information helps a bit Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 22, 2003 Report Share Posted August 22, 2003 (edited) Here some nice weapons of my collection:The Mkb42(H) and the MP41 are not live. Edited November 16, 2012 by Hamster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 22, 2003 Report Share Posted August 22, 2003 (edited) The two FG42 are repros from SHOEI.On the shelf is a Thompson, two Lancasters, a PPS41, a MP.34(ö) and a MG Bren Mk.1.All are deactivated. Edited November 16, 2012 by Hamster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mp40 Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 WOW! that's quite the collection Michael! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif are the two mp40's deactivated or are they MGC 68 replicas? as for your firearms laws, they are quite interesting to me, as i figured that the governments in europe would forbid the possesion of all full auto parts etc and strictly control all firearms and replicas.As you may know..the possesion of a "live" (not cut-up!) unregistered sub machine gun or machine gun receiver is illegal in the USA! no matter if it is rusted through or deactivated. As the BATFE says "once a machine gun allways a machine gun" so you can own what we cannot! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 Hi MP40, yes, all fullauto weapons in my collection are deactivated. To my big surprise, the new gun-law is much more better for collectors than the old one was !! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif I know your problem with the forbidden receivers. We don't have such problems here in Germany. You just have to deactivat the barrel and the bolt. That's all. The only exceptions are aircooled MGs and fullautos built after 1945. They are allowed in parts, but forbidden to assemble them. Some authorities mean that the parts must be blocked with welding-points to avoid assembly, but that's not written in the law. Also on handguns (a UZI is a handgun, because it's too short), you have to block the trigger-mechanism additionally to the other deactivation-modifications. The Russian SVT40 on the photo is also "civilized". This was neccessary for semiautos under our old law (close the cooling-holes in the wooden parts, cover the holes in the metall handguard, block the magazine to 5 rounds maximum, block the sight at 200 meters maximum, remove of the bajonet-lug). Now, with the new law, I can "rebuild" my semiautos to the original state. So now my SVT looks original again (the photo was shot last year). They great disadvantage of our law is, that you can own a live fullauto weapon (if you find on for sale), but it will not be allowed to go shooting with it on a range !! My only replicas are the two versions of the FG42 .... an original one is too expensive for me http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/sad.gif . Replicas (if unable to fire) are free to trade here. For softair-weapons we have some special rules, concerning the power, the proof marks and so on. BTW: You can own replicas of modern(!!) fullautos also .... that's stupid: Deactivated originals are forbidden, but perfect replicas are allowed. The Bren MG is a original training cut-away model of the British Army and I have a license to assemble it. Best wishes Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mp40 Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 Thanks for all of the information Michael! it sounds like you don't have too bad of a situation there with the new law. Rarely here do they ever improve the laws in the shooters/collectors favor, prefering to make it more difficult for us..sad...it's strange that we have so many rights here,but so many people that want to take them away..Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waffen Und Bier Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 MKb42's are so cool!. Can't decide which one is cooler, that or the FG42. I'll have to settle for this one until I can find either of my dream pieces. My scanner is "toes up" and I'm waiting on my birthday for a digital camera. This is the only photo I have right now. It's an unissued '45 date two tone piece. http://members.aol.com/waffenundbier/mp44rig.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 Nice piece !!! Who was the manufacturer of your weapon? Is the year stamped behind the serial-number as "... / 45" or is it coded with letters, like "... / XE"? I would guess that your MP was made by "swj" (= Steyr), because it still has a muzzle nut in 1945. Regards, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waffen Und Bier Posted August 29, 2003 Report Share Posted August 29, 2003 Thanks Michael. The photo does not do it justice. Going from memory (it's buried away in the safe), it doesn't have a three letter maker code such as "fxo" or "cos" on the receiver under the barrel trunnion. It has two single letters. One is "m." I can't recall the other one right now. "m" was Limbacher Maschinenfabrik, Bach u. Winter, Limbach/ Sa. It's unissued. The bore is minty. What few numbers there are on the gun match. Don't remember who the barrel maker was. The stock is solid, instead of laminated. I like laminated personally. It is bonderized, except for the trigger group, barrel group, and buttstock hardware which are blue. It's dated 45 by numbers after the serial number. It's marked MP44. Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 30, 2003 Report Share Posted August 30, 2003 Thanks for the information, Steve ! Really nice weapon. I assume it's a live one - or is it deactivated? The prices are rising up here in Germany, since everyone can buy a deactivated gun without special licenses under our new law. So I'm glad to have some of these guns yet. Best wishes Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waffen Und Bier Posted August 31, 2003 Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 Thanks again. It's live. The only unlive gun I own is a second model Shoei FG42 (only because I can't find a live one for less than $35,000). I love the looks of the FG42 (especially the second model), but its round was too powerful for its envelope. The guns got beaten to death by the full sized 7.9mm round. I have a live MP40, also. It's a neat piece, but if I could only keep one WWII German machine gun, it would be the MP44. I think the MP43/44 was the zenith of small arms development during WWII. No other nation had anything to match it either. Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Lucky man with a live MP44 !! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Yes, a FG42 is a nice weapon (I own it from SHOEI), but impossible to find in Germany (even deactivated). I will come to Knob Creek in October, maybe I will have a chance to try some "goodies" there http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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