MP-40 home bound after a complete rework.

[Mojopin2010]

John A.  Worked his magic on my dumpster fire of a Wilson Tube MP-40.  He said it was "rough," I guess that is saying something.  Need to be reblued, new barrel, new stock, new springs and resting bar.  

As usual his work was impeccable and well worth the wait.

Edited April 11, 2025 by Mojopin2010

[Planejack]

That looks fantastic!  Yes, He is doing some work for me too right now….It’s like waiting for a Christmas present….hurry!

[Planejack]

Did John complete ahead of schedule he told you or later?  I’m curious as he told me two months on my job….I can hardly wait!

[Rekraps]

John did a similar job for me about three years ago (my gun was, in his view, "in need of much help") and the results were the same. He essentially saved the gun as the field rust was eating the thin metal up... I had to act or risk having the gun self destruct. 

The results were amazing and I now own a fully matching, fully reconditioned C&R MP 40. The gun shoots well, is safe and looks fantastic.

John specializes in saving guns on the brink of self-destruction, and considering the age and manufacturing processes for these war time weapons, each one saved is a good thing. 

[NFA amnesty]

John A is such a great guy, enjoy taking with him, and does exceptional work that he backs up.   

[Mojopin2010]

On 4/12/2025 at 8:07 PM, Planejack said:

Did John complete ahead of schedule he told you or later?  I’m curious as he told me two months on my job….I can hardly wait!

I sent it to him last October and he just finished it up.  He was honest about the wait time.  I kinda of look at it like the old transfers when it is done it is done.  He dose great work so no reason to ponder it much more.

[DARIVS]

Congrats on a great MP-40 being saved from the ravages of time and disrepair.  It looks fantastic!

[Rekraps]

On 4/14/2025 at 11:19 PM, Mojopin2010 said:

I sent it to him last October and he just finished it up.  He was honest about the wait time.  I kinda of look at it like the old transfers when it is done it is done.  He dose great work so no reason to ponder it much more.

Exactly. He’s worked on my M14, MP40, M45, M76, PPSH41, and Thompson. 
 

I think I’ve contributed to his retirement savings, but I do so with no regrets! He is 100% reliable, infinitely talented and totally transparent on timing and work. 
 

And… he guarantees his work. 

[MS Collector]

I've never been a fan of modern reblues of vintage NFA items.  Such remained the case with me until I encountered this bnz 43 C&R MP40 (#1726 N).  Upon closer exam, it became apparent (and I solicited opinions from several old-school collectors) that the finish loss and resulting rust was not due to in-service use, but due to someone post-war attempting to strip the gun down to in-the-while in prep for a homemade reblue job that never materalized.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see scratch marks from steel wool or some other abrasive pad that were created when "Bubba" (which was most likely the WWII bring-back vet, per family history) rubbing away at the original finish.  Thus, once I was convinced that a current reblue would not be erasing legitimate wear and tear from wartime military service, I was good to go with the reblue option.  I am very pleased with the results and truly believe the gun was enhanced by the reblue.

The bolt, firing pin and recoil spring tube mechanism were left as-is original finish, as they had not been altered.

[DARIVS]

Conservation is saving what little remains.  Restoration is done when there is nothing left to conserve or when not performing restoration will result in continuing degradation.  Restored firearms are cherished by those who cannot afford the extreme cost of guns with original finish in good condition, and prefer one with metal fully protected from corrosion inside and out.

[Rekraps]

On 4/25/2025 at 2:30 PM, MS Collector said:

I've never been a fan of modern reblues of vintage NFA items.  Such remained the case with me until I encountered this bnz 43 C&R MP40 (#1726 N).  Upon closer exam, it became apparent (and I solicited opinions from several old-school collectors) that the finish loss and resulting rust was not due to in-service use, but due to someone post-war attempting to strip the gun down to in-the-while in prep for a homemade reblue job that never materalized.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see scratch marks from steel wool or some other abrasive pad that were created when "Bubba" (which was most likely the WWII bring-back vet, per family history) rubbing away at the original finish.  Thus, once I was convinced that a current reblue would not be erasing legitimate wear and tear from wartime military service, I was good to go with the reblue option.  I am very pleased with the results and truly believe the gun was enhanced by the reblue.

The bolt, firing pin and recoil spring tube mechanism were left as-is original finish, as they had not been altered.

Our decisions were the same, although arrived at from different perspectives. Gorgeous gun, great looks and thanks for saving another MP40!

[MS Collector]

This one (#1726 N) was a true "save", as it was in a really messed up estate situation.  Assumed to be unregistered by the heir then in possession at the point in time when I got involved, complicated by the fact that the original Registrant (WWII bring-back vet) had registered it using an informal alias name.  The WWII vet was a US citizen of Polish immigrant descent, so at some point he just informally shortended his Polish last name to a more easy-to-prounounce "Americanized" last name.  Also, he used various informal alias first names.  None of these names were legal name changes; just names he made up and used.  In fact, the family mentioned that after he passed away and they cleaned out his house (a "horders" type situation) they found all sorts of mail to him that used these various alias names he had made up over time.  Anyway, I got real lucky with some "friendlies" within BATFE and we were able to preserve transferable status over the course of a process that ended up taking about 2 years start-to-finish.

[Rekraps]

19 minutes ago, MS Collector said:

This one (#1726 N) was a true "save", as it was in a really messed up estate situation.  Assumed to be unregistered by the heir then in possession at the point in time when I got involved, complicated by the fact that the original Registrant (WWII bring-back vet) had registered it using an informal alias name.  The WWII vet was a US citizen of Polish immigrant descent, so at some point he just informally shortended his Polish last name to a more easy-to-prounounce "Americanized" last name.  Also, he used various informal alias first names.  None of these names were legal name changes; just names he made up and used.  In fact, the family mentioned that after he passed away and they cleaned out his house (a "horders" type situation) they found all sorts of mail to him that used these various alias names he had made up over time.  Anyway, I got real lucky with some "friendlies" within BATFE and we were able to preserve transferable status over the course of a process that ended up taking about 2 years start-to-finish.

Perfect, sounds like you were persistent. My MP40 looked like yours and that's why I asked John A to do his thing. Today, it looks brand new..... and shoots that way!

[Mojopin2010]

On 4/25/2025 at 2:30 PM, MS Collector said:

I've never been a fan of modern reblues of vintage NFA items.  Such remained the case with me until I encountered this bnz 43 C&R MP40 (#1726 N).  Upon closer exam, it became apparent (and I solicited opinions from several old-school collectors) that the finish loss and resulting rust was not due to in-service use, but due to someone post-war attempting to strip the gun down to in-the-while in prep for a homemade reblue job that never materalized.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see scratch marks from steel wool or some other abrasive pad that were created when "Bubba" (which was most likely the WWII bring-back vet, per family history) rubbing away at the original finish.  Thus, once I was convinced that a current reblue would not be erasing legitimate wear and tear from wartime military service, I was good to go with the reblue option.  I am very pleased with the results and truly believe the gun was enhanced by the reblue.

The bolt, firing pin and recoil spring tube mechanism were left as-is original finish, as they had not been altered.

Mine was actually parkerized instead of the correct bluing.  John said it looked someone took sandpaper to it and did the coating.  Plus it was a Wilson Tube to preserving a orinigal weapon was bit really a issue.

[Planejack]

How long did John have your gun before he got around to it?

[Rekraps]

On 4/25/2025 at 2:30 PM, MS Collector said:

I've never been a fan of modern reblues of vintage NFA items.  Such remained the case with me until I encountered this bnz 43 C&R MP40 (#1726 N).  Upon closer exam, it became apparent (and I solicited opinions from several old-school collectors) that the finish loss and resulting rust was not due to in-service use, but due to someone post-war attempting to strip the gun down to in-the-while in prep for a homemade reblue job that never materalized.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see scratch marks from steel wool or some other abrasive pad that were created when "Bubba" (which was most likely the WWII bring-back vet, per family history) rubbing away at the original finish.  Thus, once I was convinced that a current reblue would not be erasing legitimate wear and tear from wartime military service, I was good to go with the reblue option.  I am very pleased with the results and truly believe the gun was enhanced by the reblue.

The bolt, firing pin and recoil spring tube mechanism were left as-is original finish, as they had not been altered.

Beautiful job.