Our second offering in the ‘Bargain Basement’ series is an MP40 machine pistol manufactured by Steyr in 1942. This historical firearm is understandably a big favourite among many collectors. This is an opportunity to acquire one very affordably. Read on for another LSB journey in firearms history…

The Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (ŒWG, Austrian Arms-Manufacturing Company) located in Steyr, Austria was first listed on the stock exchange in 1869. The Ludwig Loewe family owned shares in it as it did in other major arms manufacturing firms in Europe. By the time WWI started in 1914, the firm had more than 15,000 employees and a production output of around 4,000 firearms a day. The Steyr-Mannlicher rifle was one of its chief products.

Following WWI, the firm was on the brink of bankruptcy. It survived by switching to the production of ‘Steyr’ motor vehicles and bicycles. In 1926 it changed its name to ‘Steyr-Werke’ and later set up a cooperation with Patronenfabrik Solothurn AG in Switzerland. The German firm Rheinmetall AG, which was busy developing new weapons outside Germany, acquired Solothurn for this purpose. This was to result in several Rheinmetall projects being developed at Solothurn but manufactured at Steyr.

In 1938, Austrian voted in favour of the Anschluss, effectively becoming part of Germany. The factories in Steyr were incorporated into ‘Reichswerke Hermann Göring’ by the time WWII broke out.  Steyr were now producing a substantial number of German-designed firearms which were in use by the Wehrmacht.

Back in the 1930’s, Berthold Geipel and Heinrich Vollmer working at the Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B. Geipel GmbH, or 'ERMA', designed and built a new machine pistol, which had a design that was a departure from the traditional form. It was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1938 as the ‘MP 38’ in 9mm Para calibre and went into full scale production the following year. The MP 38 had a beautifully milled steel receiver and housing and an alloy grip. However, it was time-consuming and costly to produce. A simplified design making use of stamped steel, which made it cheaper to produce and lighter to carry, was introduced and adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1940. The first MP 40’s to be produced by Erma retained elements of the MP 38, such as the magazine housing, which was smooth. This transitional model is often referred to as the MP 38/40 by collectors.

Another two factories were contracted to manufacture the MP40, namely Haenel in Suhl and Steyr-Werke. Both started producing this machine pistol in 1940. However, while production of the MP 40 at Erma and Haenel stopped in 1943, Steyr continued to manufacture it until 1944 and ended up producing the largest share of MP 40 machine pistols supplied to the Wehrmacht.

During the first year of production, Steyr-made MP 40s were marked with the ‘660-40’ manufacturer and year code. This changed to ‘bnz’ starting from 1941. The one we are offering today was manufactured in 1942. It is stamped ‘bnz 42’ and bears the acceptance stamp ‘e/WaA623’ as used in the Steyr factory. The receiver is dated 1941 and was made for Erma by sub-contractor Merz. Hence, it is stamped with both the 'e/37' and ‘e/WaA44’. This MP 40 was captured by Yugoslav forces in WWII, who refurbished it and used it well after the war ended. As a result, some parts have mismatched or ‘forced-matched’ serial numbers and the entire finish is arsenal reblued. However, this is an honest piece which has seen its fair share of action and ended up in the Balkans.

This MP 40 is being offered on a first come, first served basis, as part of our Bargain Basement deals. You can snap it up at a considerable discount based on how fast you react to our post to confirm your order with a deposit:

• Within 1 hour:     20% discount, or € 2,600

• Within 3 hours:   15% discount, or € 2,750

• Within 24 hours: 10% discount, or € 2,900

This could be the opportunity that you have been waiting for – act fast to avoid disappointment! A sale will be considered as closed only if you contact us (SMS, WhatsApp or Messenger) and follow up with a 50% deposit by BOV Mobile Pay or Bank Transfer to our account. Details will be provided in our reply to your message.

Thanks to LSB’s knowledge and experience in historical firearms, all the pieces that we offer are covered by a lifetime warranty that you get is what we describe in detail, to ensure that you will never be disappointed with your purchase.

You will require a 2020 Collector Licence A Special to purchase this firearm.

We take great pleasure in bringing you these daily snippets of firearms history and we hope that you enjoy reading them.

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