I have been on the look-out for a decent Mp40 for a while now. And finally, the other day I managed to get hold of one. The old deactivation spec guns are way out of my price bracket, and to be honest, even if I could afford one, I’m not so sure if I would take the risk. No-one can be sure what may happen with pre-95 spec guns with all the talk of changes to the ownership of such weapons, and in my opinion it would be silly to shell out all that money on something - only to find out later that it would have to be re-deactivated to meet the current specs.

It was only about ten years ago that new spec Mp40’s cost as little as £195 from most dealers. But now you are lucky if you can find any in good condition for much less than £1,000. The particular weapon I have is a bnz 43 gun with ALL matching numbers. The bakelite furniture is in fine condition, and all the grime was easily removed from it with the aid of a little cheap nail-polish remover on a rag. there is just the odd little chip from the edges commensurate with usage. All the finish which remains to the metal is original. I have seen some guns which have been completely re-blued, and although they look nice, I think it ruins the originality of the piece.

As always, there is a price to pay with ‘Spec A’ (post95) deactivated smg’s, and this one is no exception. This example was ‘chopped’ by Ryton Arms in 1996. And in an attempt to circumnavigate the ‘weld them solid’ rule, changes were made to the recoil system to allow you to at least pull back the cocking handle.

The bolt has been destroyed and a piece of steel tubing has been welded to the inside of the ejection port. The very back of the bolt which supports the cocking handle has been chopped off and welded to a piece of round steel which has a hole running through the middle. A length of steel rod (when inserted) runs from the barrel-chamber to the very end of the receiver. The cocking-handle is inserted on the rod, followed by a replacement recoil-spring. When the gun is assembled this allows the cocking handle to be worked.

I have never seen a spec ‘A’ gun done this way before, but I’m sure there must be other examples. It does detract from the gun a bit. As when you look through the cocking-handle slot which runs the length of the receiver, you see the spring and rod instead of the usual telescopic recoil spring housing of the original fittings. I suppose it is a small price to pay though to enable collectors to own one of these iconic weapons of the 20th century. After all, at one time the closest you could get to owning one of these was a Japanese replica. How strange it is though, that under the current stupid laws of this country I can buy a GENUINE Mp40 without a problem. But if I wish to buy a replica Mp40 (even a plastic one) I have to be a re-enactor, a member of a theatrical company, or a film company. How stupid is that?

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