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Just got my first MP40: mags and spare parts?


GunMD
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After reading about them on here, I bit the bullet and finally received an MP40. It’s a tube gun and while some day I’ll hopefully get the real deal, it’s gorgeous to me. Going out today for my first run with it.

 

What spare parts should I keep on hand?

 

Any suggestions on where to get mags? I’d like to get 5 or 10 and am not so concerned about stampings, but I care a lot about functionality.

Thanks!

 

 

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What!.….Be happy with your 'tube' MP-40.....and why look ahead to someday getting a Btl/field pick up?......at least you will shoot your MP-40 without worrying about wearing out or breaking 'original' parts, like those who only have the trans/models...

…….Now, set your sights on a post-war Thompson, BAR, or non-Colt M-16..!..etc....

….as for parts, I've found an extractor is the first part to have as back-up....then a firing pin, …...The guys on here are pretty good to listen to....Come to KCR for the MG shoot, & get together with other MP-40 owners, they will point you in the right direction...……..Have fun.

Edited by junglewalk
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I couldnt swallow paying $2500 for a full parts kit. I bought parts peace meal as I found them. Afterwards I added it up and I probably paid close to $2500 anyways. If I had to do it again. Id just buy a full parts kit. You may never need anything. But if you do its nice to have the kit. The kit will never be worth less than you paid. You should look at it as an investment. Ive had a charging handle fly off. Thats the only issue Ive had. Buy a spring kit from Wolff.

 

Mags- do you want real mags or are you happy with modded veyron mags ?

 

Real mp40 mags go up in value. The other ones are cheap but have no collector value. I bought nos mp40 mags at $100 each a few years ago. Resale now is probably $140+. Want pure shooters ? Get the cheap ones. Want some collector value? Get real ones

 

Congrats on your mp40. its probably my 2nd favorite subgun. Easy to shoot very well, smooth functioning and awesome styling . Hopefully your stock is solid and there is no twist to your upper and lower . The stock can be made more solid with a few tricks. Mine was a mess and now its so solid I can barely fold it.

Share pics !!

Edited by huggytree
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Sounds good, Mr huggyTree,.....can you let me know some of your tricks to make the stock more solid.......I've had my MP-40 since 1992, and the stock has gotten quite loose thru the years....thanks..bobh

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I friend gave me a nos bushing. I hand filed it to perfection. Thats the best solution. Before that I used the feeler gauge trick. You fill in the gaps in the bushing w a feeler gauge. 1 on each side. The hole in the gauge is where the pin goes through to hold it in place. It works very well. Another is to use a bent pin. One that you have to tweak the stock slightly to get in. That added friction from the stock flexing to make up for the bent pin makes it barely able to move. I have to crank it to get it to move now. And it stays put when extended. Without hard force my stock will not move. 0 movement while shooting. I only shoot mine 2-3x a year , so hopefully my stock will stay tight for a long time Edited by huggytree
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After reading about them on here, I bit the bullet and finally received an MP40. It’s a tube gun and while some day I’ll hopefully get the real deal, it’s gorgeous to me. Going out today for my first run with it.

 

What spare parts should I keep on hand?

 

Any suggestions on where to get mags? I’d like to get 5 or 10 and am not so concerned about stampings, but I care a lot about functionality.

 

Thanks!

 

Buy at least one spare firing pin if you are going to keep the gun for years. Repros usually fit, but sometimes do not. Properly fitting mags are where you find them. There are very few that do not fit. I prefer earlier mags. Find mags without dents if you can. Type O slab side mags work, but ribbed type A & B mags work better if sand ever gets in them. Since my MP-40 was made in Steyr, I tried to collect same mfr mags marked 98E, but any mfr will work. Inspect the bottom mag plate for a bent retention flat spring, such that the plate can slide off the mag without disengaging the flatspring. The floor plates are occasionally damaged in this manner.

Mag info courtesy of Claus Espeholt: https://claus.espeholt.dk/mediearkiv/mag40_c.pdf

Edited by DARIVS
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What!.….Be happy with your 'tube' MP-40.....and why look ahead to someday getting a Btl/field pick up?......at least you will shoot your MP-40 without worrying about wearing out or breaking 'original' parts, like those who only have the trans/models...

great gun for sure. Love it so far.

…….Now, set your sights on a post-war Thompson, BAR, or non-Colt M-16..!..etc....

….as for parts, I've found an extractor is the first part to have as back-up....then a firing pin, …...The guys on here are pretty good to listen to....Come to KCR for the MG shoot, & get together with other MP-40 owners, they will point you in the right direction...……..Have fun.

Ive got a Thompson (WH, I know but it runs great) and a bunch of others. After shooting it, I’d put the MP40 right up there with the MP5. My two favorite guns. Thanks for the tips on spare parts.

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I couldnt swallow paying $2500 for a full parts kit. I bought parts peace meal as I found them. Afterwards I added it up and I probably paid close to $2500 anyways. If I had to do it again. Id just buy a full parts kit. You may never need anything. But if you do its nice to have the kit. The kit will never be worth less than you paid. You should look at it as an investment. Ive had a charging handle fly off. Thats the only issue Ive had. Buy a spring kit from Wolff.

 

Mags- do you want real mags or are you happy with modded veyron mags ?

 

Real mp40 mags go up in value. The other ones are cheap but have no collector value. I bought nos mp40 mags at $100 each a few years ago. Resale now is probably $140+. Want pure shooters ? Get the cheap ones. Want some collector value? Get real ones

 

Congrats on your mp40. its probably my 2nd favorite subgun. Easy to shoot very well, smooth functioning and awesome styling . Hopefully your stock is solid and there is no twist to your upper and lower . The stock can be made more solid with a few tricks. Mine was a mess and now its so solid I can barely fold it.

Share pics !!

From what I’ve read, I don’t want the Veyron mags. I prefer stock to modified because of reliability and resale. Thanks for the link to Wolff. Never heard of them but they are STOCKED. Cool vendor.

 

Time to load up on some shooter mags. Thanks. And I appreciate the advice on the stock but I think I’m good there.

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I friend gave me a nos bushing. I hand filed it to perfection. Thats the best solution. Before that I used the feeler gauge trick. You fill in the gaps in the bushing w a feeler gauge. 1 on each side. The hole in the gauge is where the pin goes through to hold it in place. It works very well. Another is to use a bent pin. One that you have to tweak the stock slightly to get in. That added friction from the stock flexing to make up for the bent pin makes it barely able to move. I have to crank it to get it to move now. And it stays put when extended. Without hard force my stock will not move. 0 movement while shooting. I only shoot mine 2-3x a year , so hopefully my stock will stay tight for a long time

This right here is why I love this board.

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For an MP40 you don't need to stock any spare parts. In the rare event you do break something, old and new made parts are readily available for that gun.

For mags, if you're paying more than $50 it's probably too much. There are hundreds of mags for every working gun, new mags being made, and virtually no one collects mags specifically other than some Europeans who can't own guns. As legislation continues there, those will be dumped on the market or have to be destroyed.

Gun shows are a good source to find them cheap, none of the guys selling them have guns and the mags have dust on them from years of gun show travels. For every 10 guns shows there may be one MP40 owner in attendance and he usually has enough mags so the buyer has all the leverage.

 

A belt sander can take off the .003-.005 in less than a minute from a Vigneron mag, making them viable for MP40 use and since you can tune them to your gun, they sit nice and tight vs. some beater MP40 mags that may look good but since no one has guns, the fit may be sloppy. There is something to be said for starting with a new Vigneron mag vs. an unknown used MP40 mag that may not have functioned 75 years ago and hasn't been tested since. Course if you sucker paid $100+ for it you feel obligated to struggle with it and make it work. HTH

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For an MP40 you don't need to stock any spare parts. In the rare event you do break something, old and new made parts are readily available for that gun.

For mags, if you're paying more than $50 it's probably too much. There are hundreds of mags for every working gun, new mags being made, and virtually no one collects mags specifically other than some Europeans who can't own guns. As legislation continues there, those will be dumped on the market or have to be destroyed.

Gun shows are a good source to find them cheap, none of the guys selling them have guns and the mags have dust on them from years of gun show travels. For every 10 guns shows there may be one MP40 owner in attendance and he usually has enough mags so the buyer has all the leverage.

 

A belt sander can take off the .003-.005 in less than a minute from a Vigneron mag, making them viable for MP40 use and since you can tune them to your gun, they sit nice and tight vs. some beater MP40 mags that may look good but since no one has guns, the fit may be sloppy. There is something to be said for starting with a new Vigneron mag vs. an unknown used MP40 mag that may not have functioned 75 years ago and hasn't been tested since. Course if you sucker paid $100+ for it you feel obligated to struggle with it and make it work. HTH

Agree 100%...the vig mags are like new condition and once modded function well in my MP40. I have a dozen vintage WW2 mags and never use them. Edited by Petroleum 1
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There are millions of mags in the U.S. for everything never used. sitting in ammo can's cardboard boxes wal mart plastic tubs.Wood crates. and even oiled and carefully wrapped. waiting for THAT DAY. Whatever that means, I know a few who have a hundred Thompson mags 20 and 30 round.

 

I myself when i had Dragunov rifles. had a 100 mags for them was i going to war with Finland.and even now with a lowly Colt M-4 have at least a 100 in all sizes.Its for c.w.3 or 4 not sure what number we are at yet Defcon 6 or 7.

 

A few buds have MP-40's in town. they have at least 15 or so.

I even have one sitting on my desk.....with a loader.In case i meet that guy in battle and can help him out and shout Hey Bro got a loaded mag for you.

 

I have more mags now that when in the Marines in 1968 and beyond. Four for the M-14 and whatever you could pick up.

 

The mag addiction is strong with us.

Like when you played as a kid with Green army guys or the Sears Allstate centennial Civil war set.1960 Yeah Alamo you only got one Davey.

You needed more green guys or maybe even Grey. And you never had enough of those black 2 wheeled cannons. and Forbid you only had one siege Mortar. a little humor to start the year.{And Truth}

RON K.

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Parts wont break going down in value. If you use some great, if not ? You sell for more than you paid

 

Ive got nutty money in parts kits. Ive had to

Dig into them a couple of times. Sure the parts were still available somewhere but some day they might not be. Plus it was nice to grab a part off the shelf and fix in minutes

 

Barrels for mp40 are pretty rare now. If you F up

A barrel tomorrow it could take 4-6 months to find another. Barrels for old guns are gold to me

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New MP40 barrels are available as are most other MG barrels once the market makes is worthy of production. Course that said I have a healthy supply of spares, but no MP40 barrels since they are easy to find vs. some other stuff I've needed that is actually rare in the marketplace or complex to manufacture.

 

If you're looking to spend more on parts kits I have a extra m134 kit available I'm looking to move. Once you have that you can say you have nutty money in parts. I'll even throw in a mount and your choice to pick out of a half dozen feeder/delinkers. 6 barrels are always better than one. These are vintage NIB made by H&R, but will require gunsmithing to fit your Reising LOL.

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