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...........Two weeks ago, I finally got approval for an MP-18, after one year and 2 weeks process.

....About 6-8 months ago, there was a discussion on here of the MP-18 and the magazine types that were used with it.

..........I can not find that discussion now; Maybe someone can direct me to it.

What concerned me was how the suriving MP-18s , would only take a Sten magazine, and not MP-40 type.(all after the Luger snail mag was dropped in the 1920s)

.........Does anyone recall this conversation, and if so, please point me to it.

Having the gun now, I see that the MP-38/40 mags fit, and the Sten mags are too large to fit in the mag/well...

,,,Thank you guys in advance.

 

(no more MG Shoots at KCR, no more Jungle Walk, and we are mourning this loss, still) BobH

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My MP-38/40 mags do fit, quite well......I do not have a 20rd mag, that was designed for it.......The gun is scrubbed and 1920 is stamped in place of the 1918 date.

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Back to the MP 18.1! Love it.

 

I do believe that I started the thread... maybe not. But there was quite a bit of information shared during the many weeks that it remained up.

 

Very few of the guns remain in collectors hands; the original which used a Luger snail drum w/collar, a post war Police version (should be stick mag well) specifically stamped "1920" like the kind Junglewalk has, and a few outliers with stick mag wells, not stamped 1920. Nobody is certain how many there are in the registry, but I would bet this gun is one of the fewest registered of any type. Mine is a stick magazine well version, without the 1920 stamp. After researching it for months, I suspect mine was "built", meaning modified from a snail drum version, at the factory, sometime around 1932. The gun was not really used in WW2 for frontline fighting, rather is was used to a degree by police and some reserve units. My SN is: 35217 so we know at least that many were manufactured. Most were destroyed after WW1 in accordance with the Versailles treaty, but approximately 200 were retained for police work "1920" stamped, and an unknown number of others secreted away, or hidden by the German government.

 

Mags are impossible to find nowadays, I've searched the world over and have but one. So unless you get very lucky, the way to go is a two step process, assuming you have the stick magazine well (Bergmann Stamped) on the gun:

  1. Contact Jason at Indianapolis Ordnance. I provided to him an original MP 18.1 bolt that he reversed engineered for me, modifying the magazine feed lip guides (this is the key to operating smoothly) to accept STEN Magazines. He can provide a bolt from his inventory or make one. You will have to have your own firing pins, or he can manufacture those also.
  2. Next is to ship him several STEN magazines for modification. He will narrow the magazine sleeve width so it fits the MP 18.1 OEM magazine well just perfect.

Now you have a fully working MP 18.1 but don't have to use the OEM bolt (which should be number matched to the pin/charging handle, receiver etc...) and put it at risk.

 

I took possession of both the bolt and mags a few years ago and they work perfectly. Round nose 9mm only please.

 

Spare parts? Good luck. Spare firing pins... there is a guy on GB that has a few left. Listed under MP28 parts. He has recoil springs (unique to the MP 18.1 also). I keep two extra FP's and two extra recoil springs. The gun is so simple as to be almost funny, so there is little if anything else that could break (except the stock!). This gun is for specialty collectors who understand and appreciate the history of the SMG.

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So I just ran downstairs to my gun room and pulled the M.P.18,I out. I knew my memory was a tad off, so I stand self-corrected on the following (pics attached);

 

The designation of the gun, as stamped on the magazine well is: M.P.18,I System Schmeisser

 

The front of the mag well reads: C.G.Haenel Waffenfabrik Suhl

 

I also tested my MP38/40 magazines and the sleeve is too wide by 1/2 mm.

 

 

Edited by Rekraps
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....Thank you so much, Mr. Rekraps, for taking the time, and re-printing everything again on the MP-18...> My ser # 34996., not far apart.

.......I have found so little written about the gun overall, and what is there is so shallow.

I fired it again today on the range, and find the heavy front of the gun, a plus in giving it stability while firing.

Thank you again....bh

...

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....Thank you so much, Mr. Rekraps, for taking the time, and re-printing everything again on the MP-18...> My ser # 34996., not far apart.

.......I have found so little written about the gun overall, and what is there is so shallow.

I fired it again today on the range, and find the heavy front of the gun, a plus in giving it stability while firing.

Thank you again....bh

...

 

Hello.

 

In the book "The Schmeisser Myth" by Helebrant, there are at least 20 pages of discussion on the MP18. It goes into sometimes painful detail on the development of German SMGs. You should consider picking up a copy.

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For those who own one, replacement stocks are as rare as the doo doo bird, and the recoil spring guide has no buffer of any type so this is what I did. I went to HD (yes, Home Depot) and purchased an appropriately sized rubber washer, then used an Exacto knife to cut out a small recess to accommodate the spur on the spring guide. Doing this prevents the bolt from beating the stock to pieces, but will prevent the bolt handle from moving far enough to the rear to engage the safety slot. So handle accordingly.

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.....Thank you, I will have to find a copy of the book, "The Schmiesser Myth", I do appreciate all this information from you guys....I must get that book!

..........Look, some of you guys know me from running the "Jungle Walk" for over 26 years , at Knob Creek Range;> ...A lot of you guys would come to the shoot, and over time I would get to know the MG side of you guys, and I learned so much from you all.

..........I will never stop mourning the loss of having the MG Shoot every six months here...There is a group of us here, who are still stunned by the decision to stop the MG Shoots.

..........I look back, and see that most of the ClassIII items I possess is do in part, to you guys....Thank you, and I will always recall, many of the talks that we had , back then.........Feel free to contact me thru my email............Make America Great Again!!

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Hey Wiking 44, I just ordered the book, Tjhe Schmeisser Myth on Amazon....Thank you for telling us about it!......bh

MP-18.3.JPG

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Hey Wiking 44, I just ordered the book, Tjhe Schmeisser Myth on Amazon....Thank you for telling us about it!......bh

 

Let me know what you think of it. I still haven't made my way through the whole thing, but there is more about German SMG development in there than I can digest. :blink:

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.....Thank you, I will have to find a copy of the book, "The Schmiesser Myth", I do appreciate all this information from you guys....I must get that book!

..........Look, some of you guys know me from running the "Jungle Walk" for over 26 years , at Knob Creek Range;> ...A lot of you guys would come to the shoot, and over time I would get to know the MG side of you guys, and I learned so much from you all.

..........I will never stop mourning the loss of having the MG Shoot every six months here...There is a group of us here, who are still stunned by the decision to stop the MG Shoots.

..........I look back, and see that most of the ClassIII items I possess is do in part, to you guys....Thank you, and I will always recall, many of the talks that we had , back then.........Feel free to contact me thru my email............Make America Great Again!!

 

I'm sorry I missed out on this.

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There's a good number of MP18's in the registry relative to other German subguns. Of course MP40's are by far the most common. Parts and accessories can be a challenge.

 

I just checked the MP40 magazine and it is very close to fitting and requires much less material removal than a sten mag. The only issue there is the magazine value and how much you want to mess with original MP40 mags? There are repros available for less, but sten mags would still be my first choice. There's also the vigneron mag that could probably be made to fit? Not sure how any of them would function since they sit back farther? Great observation though!

I've made recoil springs that are much better than originals, thus no buffer material needed, since the bolt never reaches the rear. Parts kits are scarce, but I have seen them for sale as well as magazines, but nothing lately. There is a repro stock maker in the EU.

 

I've never seen a dated MP18. The 1920 date stamp is not the year of mfr. The stick mag gun in the picture has no dates on it, yet the serial number is substantially lower than the snail drum gun. Theories abound about how this all worked out with some info in several books, but so far nothing conclusive since MP18 development was super secret. There is info leading to believe the gun was originally designed with a stick mag.

IMG_8840.JPG

 

 

 

 

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There's a good number of MP18's in the registry relative to other German subguns. Of course MP40's are by far the most common. Parts and accessories can be a challenge.

 

I just checked the MP40 magazine and it is very close to fitting and requires much less material removal than a sten mag. The only issue there is the magazine value and how much you want to mess with original MP40 mags? There are repros available for less, but sten mags would still be my first choice. There's also the vigneron mag that could probably be made to fit? Not sure how any of them would function since they sit back farther? Great observation though!

I've made recoil springs that are much better than originals, thus no buffer material needed, since the bolt never reaches the rear. Parts kits are scarce, but I have seen them for sale as well as magazines, but nothing lately. There is a repro stock maker in the EU.

 

I've never seen a dated MP18. The 1920 date stamp is not the year of mfr. The stick mag gun in the picture has no dates on it, yet the serial number is substantially lower than the snail drum gun. Theories abound about how this all worked out with some info in several books, but so far nothing conclusive since MP18 development was super secret. There is info leading to believe the gun was originally designed with a stick mag.

attachicon.gif IMG_8840.JPG

 

This comes from "The Schmeisser Myth", page 38 - "...The "1920" marking was the result of the short-lived "Disarming of the People Law", which followed the 'revolution' in 1920 and was in effect from August 7, 1920 to April 30, 1921. Under the terms of this law, a monetary award was to be paid to each gun turned in by civilians, with no questions asked. To avoid theft from Army stocks, all the small arms and some accessories in actual inventory at the time were to be marked with a property stamp in the form of the number "1920", signifying that the piece in question was already government property.."

 

Hope that helps.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You are 100% correct as to the "1920" stamp. I can't remember where I read it but the number of "1920" stamped guns was about 200. From my research, all MP.18,1 (got it correct this time) guns were originally snail drum models, with the stick factory modifications happening concurrent with the end of the war and continuing into the 1930's (those sneaky Germans apparently did not destroy all the MP.18,1's). As to how many there are out there, from what I have observed being sold over the past five or six years.... not many at all.

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