German MP40 9mm approved for import to US

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Ryanxia

Ryanxia

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Someone just showed me this and while the article is from February I never heard anything about it being approved for import, I thought it was still in 'design' phase. So for those that don't know, GSG is making a modern MP40 9mm (based on the WW2 sub machine gun). Obviously semi-automatic and it is in 'pistol' configuration for import reasons and also to keep the barrel at the original length.

I'm pretty excited. While I know it won't be anything like the original I hope it will at least be reliable and fun to shoot. (It's likely the closest I will get to an MP40 lol). And I'm sure companies will start offering folding stocks for it for those of us who will legally convert it to a short barrel rifle.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/02/24/breaking-news/
 
I like the first reply from that blog
"How many dorks are going to call their local gun shop to order a MP40 and end up with a S&W handgun?"
:)
 
Whatever the stated reason might be, this sounds like it came in under ATF's view it was more likely to be owned as a collectible than as a weapon.

(Order an MP40 and go to pick it up and it's a Military & Police 40 instead of a MaschinenPistole 40. Sounds like my luck!)
 
There are claims in the comments that the receiver is Zamak. That knocks me out of the running on this one I think.
 
It would be interesting to know exactly what part is made of zamak. If its the parts that were plastic on the originals it wouldn't necessarily be a downgrade.

I believe the originals were primarily made of stamped sheet metal and plastic.
 
Anyone else finding this highly suspicious ?? Given the government's clear dislike for guns in general, but specifically military-type semi-autos, why the hell would this have passed muster ? This could have easily been blocked from early on, and way up the food chain, and we'd have never known or cared.
Yet, somehow, the iconic,sterotypical Nazi machine gun (replica) gets cleared for importation?
Heck, i've been scratching my head over the Bush administration ever allowing the AW ban to lapse, given that he's on record as being no fan of them, either.
I've long suspected these cases are examples of them giving us enough rope to hang ourselves with,as well as supplying sufficient boogeymen for the left to endlessly vilify.
Basically, you can't have a Light without a Dark, a Yin without a Yang.
Anyone following my reasoning here?
 
Anyone else finding this highly suspicious ?? Given the government's clear dislike for guns in general, but specifically military-type semi-autos, why the hell would this have passed muster ? This could have easily been bloxked from early on, and way up the food chain, and we'd have never known or cared.
Yet the iconic,sterotypical Nazi machine gun (replica) gets cleared for importation.
Heck, i've been scratching my head over the Bush administration allowing the AW ban to lapse, given that he's on record as being no fan of them, either.
I've long suspected these cases are examples of them giving us enough rope to hang ourselves with,as well as supplying sufficient boogeymen for the left to endlessly vilify.
Basically, you can't have a Light without a Dark, a Yin without a Yang.
Anyone following my reasoning here?
Click to expand...

Seriously?
 
Yeah, I'm completely serious. How do you explain the myriad things this administration could stop stop with little more than a nod.....yet don't.
The list of things they could jam up without any Congressional approval whatsoever, is nearly endless. Yet....bizarrely............they don't.
You tell me why .
"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was
planned that way." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
 
But yet, a truly historical, 70 yo PPK holding only 7 rounds, is not importable...?

Could be wrong, but I agree with Mil Dot on that one.

Wyman
 
JWF III said:
But yet, a truly historical, 70 yo PPK holding only 7 rounds, is not importable...?

Could be wrong, but I agree with Mil Dot on that one.

Wyman
Click to expand...
A PPK does not have enough points under the sporting purpose test to be importable. The Gun Control Act of 1968 banned the importation of pistols and revolvers not meeting certain requirements of length, weight, and other sporting features into the United States. That is why Walther combined the PP's frame with the PPK's barrel and slide to create the PPK/S which weighted slightly more than the PPK. The additional weight of the PPK/S was sufficient to provide the needed import points.
 
Nothing sinister here.
The same government that employs people who only do what they are told to do, take 2 hour lunches if the line is long, and "round off" 1630 Thursday to be the "same as" 1530 Friday are the ones running all parts of the government (there's even a term of art, it's called "the myth of the all-powerful government").

It's not GSG's first rodeo, either. They sprang onto the market with several .22lr copies of famous guns, notably an StGw-44/MP-44, and an HK MP-5 with fake silencer to conceal the legal barrel. (That latter did raise HK's hackles, GSG no longer sells those (they may make them and roll mark them for HK, I forget how that lawyered out).

But, the rules per NFA 34 & GCA 68 are pretty clear cut.

So, a magazine forward pistol is perfectly legal to make (I'll wager that they decided it was easier to use existing MP-38/40 magazines than to re-engineer for .22lr; and that the price of .22lr over the last few years influenced them, too).
Ok, there will be a couple states where the magazine-forward pistol will be illegal, but, for the rest of the nation, it will be ok.
 
The list of things they could jam up without any Congressional approval whatsoever, is nearly endless. Yet....bizarrely............they don't.
You tell me why
Click to expand...

Nothing sinister here... the rules per NFA 34 & GCA 68 are pretty clear cut...
Click to expand...


If choosing between the simple rational answer of "they looked up the rules and followed them" vs an explanation that may lean heavily towards conspiracy and intrigue, I'll go with the simple explanation on this one.
 
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Getting back to the MP40 pistol, if Zamak is used in its construction that would be a big turn off for me. So would be a $1000+ price tag.
 
bannockburn said:
Getting back to the MP40 pistol, if Zamak is used in its construction that would be a big turn off for me. So would be a $1000+ price tag.
Click to expand...


Originals had a lower made out of phenolic ... .would you prefer that?

Personnally, I say, ho-hum. Full auto, with shoulder stock, a pretty decent if archaic submachine gun. As is, semi auto, closed bolt, no shoulder stock: a overly large ungainly pistol. Pfffffft.
 
CapnMac said:
It's not GSG's first rodeo, either. They sprang onto the market with several .22lr copies of famous guns, notably an StGw-44/MP-44, and an HK MP-5 with fake silencer to conceal the legal barrel. (That latter did raise HK's hackles, GSG no longer sells those (they may make them and roll mark them for HK, I forget how that lawyered out).
Click to expand...

About German Sport Guns and H&K...

ATI/German Sport Guns made a .22LR version of the MP5 called the GSG-5.

H&K sued them for trademark infringement over it, because German Sport Guns made several advertisements calling it a .22 caliber MP5 and they did not have any licensing agreement to make .22LR versions of the MP5.
H&K won their lawsuit, as a result German Sport Guns had to rename the GSG-5 series and redesign it so that it looked less like a MP5. (the post-lawsuit version is called the GSG-522)

About the same time, BATFE declared the ATI/German Sport Gun GSG-5SD to be illegal due to violating the NFA. After getting approval for importation, German Sport Guns made slight manufacturing changes to the fake MP5SD style suppressor (barrel cover). The changes cause it to reduce the sound signature, which cause BATFE to declare it a Title 2 Silencer. ATI/German Sport Guns had to issue a recall on the GSG-5SD.
The current production GSG-522SD does not have this issue.

After the H&K lawsuit, H&K made a deal with Umarex (Walther) to make licensed versions of the MP5, MP7, and HK416.
Umarex then made licensed airsoft versions of the MP5, MP7, and HK416.
Umarex owns Walther, so they got them to make the licensed .22LR versions of the MP5 and HK416.
Due to NFA restrictions, they have yet to make a .22LR version of the MP7 for the USA civilian market.

...
The ATI/German Sport Guns GSG-522 does not have any H&K rollmarks.
The H&K/Umarex/Walther MP5.22 and HK416.22 has H&K rollmarks.

The SIGarms/German Sport Guns 1911.22 has SIG rollmarks.
(SIG contracted German Sport Guns to make them the SIG 1911.22, which is the GSG-1911 with SIG rollmarks)
 
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MAKster said:
A PPK does not have enough points under the sporting purpose test to be importable. The Gun Control Act of 1968 banned the importation of pistols and revolvers not meeting certain requirements of length, weight, and other sporting features into the United States. That is why Walther combined the PP's frame with the PPK's barrel and slide to create the PPK/S which weighted slightly more than the PPK. The additional weight of the PPK/S was sufficient to provide the needed import points.
Click to expand...
That's also how pistols like the Beretta M-71 finally got imported, because some company had a fake suppressor "permently" attached to the barrel ... So it would meet the length requirement.
 
bannockburn said:
Getting back to the MP40 pistol, if Zamak is used in its construction that would be a big turn off for me. So would be a $1000+ price tag.
Click to expand...

MSRP is $650.

I didn't read anything about materials used, definitely want some more information and reviews to come out. Personally I would not have minded paying more for really good quality.
 
Personally I would not have minded paying more for really good quality.
Click to expand...


What do you have in mind? Price and quality wise?

As has been mentioned, the castings may in fact be an upgrade over the original, despite prejudice against zamak casting for any purpose. The originals had plastic parts in the lower receiver parts (the entire sides of the lower). Look closely at pictures of original guns. The originals were a wartime expedient simplification of earlier guns.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP_40

Click on the picture of the gun in the spec section. The plastic sides of the lower can be clearly seen.

The differences, if that's what was zamak cast (it appears so from the pictures), is insignificant to me. It would be a hoot to shoot. We can nit pick little details, let the moment pass, and one day (again) say, "Dang, I wished Id gotten one when they were still being made and only cost $650". I would guess that there isn't likely to be a strong long term market, they may only last a few years on the market. Repro guns aren't generally perfect copies. It took me a while to get that figured out, and I was missing some opportunities.
 
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That is the problem with subguns. To comply with pistol/rifle rules, they never look as cool as they should.
 
The picture in the link shows a short barrel stocked gun which they identified as an SBR carbine version. No other info that I saw when scanning back over it. So, maybe there will be an SBR stocked version for those states that allow it.
 
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