vice guy

I'll try that.. Thank you!

I was able to remove the ejector and the mag well to inspect the receiver. No signs of any cuts or welding. Just a partial line in the blue finish where the edge of the mag well straps wrapped around the tube. The inside of the tube shows no signs of cutting or welding. I'll update / add the new pictures to my GB listing later tonight or tomorrow. More concerned right now with trying to get the ejector to go back into its hole. It came out easily enough, but getting it back in is another issue. It's the original (matching) ejector and I'd hate to break or damage it. Could someone tell me the trick to getting it back into the hole. It goes in a tiny bit, but then it stops. This is the first time I ever removed it or the mag well. Got the mag well pinned in, but not the ejector. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Huggytree, As Bob mentioned to me, and as I've seen on his (Erb's) MP40 Tubes, the stampings on the front of my receiver in no way resemble the dies that he known for. I'm going to try and properly disassemble the receiver from the magazine housing and see what's there. If my receiver doesn't show any signs of being cut and/or a re-weld, I might gravitate in the direction that the stampings on the front of the receiver were added after the tube was registered and sold. I'll need to do more research if I find that the tube doesn't show any signs of being cut. I'm going to keep the listing up until I can fully inspect the receiver and go from there. I'll take pictures from every angle, including where you mentioned. Thank you!

Sorry, meant Roscoe regarding the dies for stamping.

Petro 1, I was typing up a reply when you posted the info about the dies. I mentioned the same thing in my post above. Thank you for also mentioning that. I'll probably lean in that direction once I completely remove the receiver and properly inspect the tube. Thanks again!

Thank you! I was aware when I originally purchased this Tube Gun that it was pretty rare to find an Erb Tube. That was my reason for contacting Charlie Erb in the first place, to find out how many MP38 tubes he manufactured, and that he was able to register prior to the cutoff in 1986. He was unable to provide me with a number, but did tell me they were working around the clock to produce as many receiver tubes as possible prior to the cutoff. Not too sure what his database contains, but I didn't want to press him too much on questions that he didn't have a precise answer for. From my conversation back then with him, I'm pretty certain that they were mostly MP40 and other tubes that he was making at the time. As mentioned on the forum, it's most likely that he only produced a limited # of MP38 Tubes. I'm going to try and contact Charlie again and see if I can get any additional info from him, as well as contacting the ATF, and try to backtrack ownership / registration info up to the point of my purchase. I now realize what Bob was trying to point out to me regarding the font type and numerals on the front of the receiver not being in the Erb style. If a perfectionist type prior owner received the tube when the front of the tube was blank, I guess it could have been possible to find a restoration person, with the correct WaA280 stamps and numeral & alpha stamps, to have the gun serial # & WaA280 stamped into the blank portion of the tube. If this is the case, it was most likely for the purpose of giving the gun a more "authentic look" without realizing the potential problem he would be creating for another owner down the road. I never thought about the front of the receiver when I purchased the gun, all I cared about was verifying that the Erb name and the assigned serial number on the Form 4 was on the underside of the tube. I know with high priced Lugers (Krieghoff & Navy ones), that there are plenty of people out there with the correct stamping devices to turn something into something that it isn't, just to make an extra buck by screwing over an unsuspecting buyer. That issue is a constant topic on Jan's Luger Forum. If a prior owner did that for this MP38, it would not do anything value (being a tube gun) wise, just a cosmetic enhancement for personal gratification I guess. I'll see what I can find out from Charlie, the ATF, and what it looks like under the strap area on the receiver. If I see any signs of this receiver being cut / re-welded, I'll just end up owning a very desirable MP38 parts set. If there are no signs of being cut / welded, I'll see what my research will produce and go from there as far as my options with this gun. Now to try and figure out if I can stop an ongoing GB auction with no reserve and current bids. I'll update this forum with any new information I obtain regarding this receiver. Thanks again to everyone that offered info regarding this gun.

As the owner of the Erb MP38 in question, I would like to apologize to the forum for the response I posted above. I didn't thoroughly read all of the listed postings and the personal message that was sent to me from Bob at Black River. I sent him an e-mail response this morning and the actions that I am going to take to resolve this issue. If possible, I'll try to post a copy of that response I sent to Bob. I value and respect his opinion, and those of this forum, regarding the stampings at the front of the receiver. I will be removing and/or ending my GB listing for the MP38 until I get this issue resolved one way or the other. Bill

I'm the seller and this is a Registered Erb Tube. I spoke with Mr. Erb several years ago and he confirmed producing MP38 Tubes. He told me that he had several people working in his shop around the clock to make as many Receiver Tubes as possible, to register before the cutoff. Charles Erb has his name and the registered Serial Number on this tube. That serial number is the number that is on my FORM 4. As I explained to Black River Militaria, this tube can be switched over to another MP38 Parts Kit if someone wishes to do so. The only thing registered with the ATF is the Receiver Tube. It just so happens that this Receiver Tube was attached to a very nice, all matching, parts kit by someone before me. The ATF has a record of this tube, not the gun, and can show its history of transfer since Erb registered it. I don't appreciate someone spreading their "opinion" that my gun is illegal. I don't need to be an expert as to what qualifies as a "tube gun" to know that it's only the tube that is registered, just like a drop-in sear pack for an MP5 or similar gun type. Only the trigger pack / sear is registered. The sear pack can be placed in any gun that can accommodate it and is legal. The registered tube for this MP38, or any MP40 would work the same way.