APEXgunparts Posted May 22, 2024 Report Share Posted May 22, 2024 Today we were going thru our most recent shipment of assorted material. In one of the boxes I saw a mix of SMG magazines. There was a MP-40 magazine that was unmarked, another that was heavily used, no floorplate, follower or spring and this magazine. It took a moment for me to realize what I was looking at. The backside had a piece welded on so that the magazine catch of the PPsH-41 would engage. The sides were tapered inwards (best described by looking at the photos.) I have to think that this was a WaffenMeister modified magazine for a 9MM converted PPsH-41. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted May 22, 2024 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2024 (edited) Yesterday evening I was able to compare this magazine with a standard PPSh-41 magazine and see about the fitment into the magazine well. It looks like the lock notch is in the right spot in relation to the top of the feed lips. What also is apparent is that there was another piece fitted into the front of the PPSh-41 magazine well to make up for the MP-40 magazine being shorter front to back. That explains why the modified magazine tapers in thickness towards the front as I envision the adapter being a "U" shape and centering the modified mag. Richard Edited May 22, 2024 by APEXgunparts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted May 23, 2024 Report Share Posted May 23, 2024 Very cool find! I'm guessing that one will not show up on the website? 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted May 23, 2024 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2024 34 minutes ago, johnsonlmg41 said: Very cool find! I'm guessing that one will not show up on the website? 😉 Actually, I just have to figure out a price for it. ALSO, I had a thought. Could this be a mag modified for a SUOMI? They are of the same vintage. I don't have a Suomi to try it in. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted May 23, 2024 Report Share Posted May 23, 2024 One of those things where you just have to try it out on different guns? Good amount of variation so the taper/degree is difficult to measure without just trying it out. Way more likely to be ppsh than Suomi I think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland the Thompsongunner Posted June 5, 2024 Report Share Posted June 5, 2024 After looking at these pics again and comparing it to a PPSH mag, I am now skeptical that it was modified for that gun unless it had a different rear lockup. I have attached a pic of an MP40 mag VS a Suomi mag. The rear added spacer would not work on a PPSH as there is no notch for the catch it’s flat like the Suomi magazine. Also there would be no reason to modify the front for a PPSH unless it needed to fit a mag well or an adapter piece of some sort. Might fit in a Smith and Wesson 76 with the mods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted June 5, 2024 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2024 There were MP-40's and Swede "K" 9mm SMG's in Vietnam at the same time. The mag body I have is well used, and quite brown. Maybe someone modified an MP40 mag to work in their Swedish "K" because they needed another mag? Unfortunately since with was found in a mixed pallet there is no idea where it was sourced from. I don't know anyone with a Swedish "K" or a S&W M76 where we could see if it fits. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland the Thompsongunner Posted June 5, 2024 Report Share Posted June 5, 2024 I was thinking about this some more and could it have been modified to fit a Beretta SMG? They do have tapered mag but not sure on the rear catch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeRanger Posted June 5, 2024 Report Share Posted June 5, 2024 (edited) The Beretta mag is almost square and has a very small notch for the mag catch Edited June 5, 2024 by StrangeRanger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted June 5, 2024 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2024 4 hours ago, Roland the Thompsongunner said: I was thinking about this some more and could it have been modified to fit a Beretta SMG? They do have tapered mag but not sure on the rear catch. I compared that modified MP40 mag body with a Beretta SMG mag that we had in stock. The MP40 body is too long front to rear and the feed lips are all wrong to be used in the Beretta 38 series of SMG's. I also compared the MP40 mag body to a Suomi M31 magazine that we have in stock. In that case the Suomi magazine is longer front to rear than the modified MP40. I did take this modified MP40 mag body home and compared it to my PPSh-41 drum catches, and tried the rough fit in my gun. The feed lips do set at the correct height for use in the PPSh-41 when the mag catch is engaged. The modification work is hand done, which made me guess "waffenmeister" Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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