MP40

Saga of the MP40 and the baffle box

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Saga of the MP40 and the baffle box

Stopping steel and lead in its tracks

By Dennis Adler

The Umarex MP40 is not only accurate but pretty powerful, even at 25 feet on full auto. And I have a blown to bits baffle box to prove it.

My recent exploration of the MP40 weathered model’s accuracy proved to be quite exceptional. After Thursdays article, I went back and shot several more magazines to test quick reloads (I have one spare magazine) and firing with the gun shouldered and my support arm through the sling (as pictured) my groups from 25 feet kept getting tighter. This is one very accurate CO2 air rifle on full auto, especially shooting in short bursts. I average six to 10 shots by feathering the trigger, i.e. just enough pull to fire the gun but not an extended trigger press, on and off in under a second. You can hear it and feel it in the bolt’s recoil so less than a second and you’ve got it. Some of you have already tried this using the shoulder strap to really stabilize the MP40 from the shoulder and are getting the same kind of accuracy, so I haven’t done anything exceptional. What I did do, however, is blow the entire center out of my baffle box! I usually get about 10 gun tests done before I have to make a new baffle box. I shot this one to piece in two days with the MP40. read more

The latest Umarex Legends MP40 Part 2

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The latest Umarex Legends MP40 Part 2 Part 1

Weathering History

By Dennis Adler

The weight of the MP40 pretty much neutralizes any appreciable muzzle lift on full auto, though the same cannot be said for the M712 Mauser with the selector on R. It climbs and empties in a couple of seconds fired offhand. These are the two best weathered finish military CO2 reproductions you can own, a pair that offers authentic looks at a price that wouldn’t even cover the shipping cost for one of the original Class III firearms. Currently an MP40 is worth from $13,000 to $19,000 and an M712 Broomhandle from $12,000 to $17,000. The real 9mm and 7.63mm guns come up for auction this weekend at Rock Island Auctions.

So, the Stanley Baker (center below) Guns of Navarone photo idea with the MP40 was not lost on at least one reader, even though the 1961 WWII epic starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn took place in occupied Greece, not France.

Seems I have a lot of old film buffs reading Airgun Experience so putting these Umarex Legends WWII models in a proper visual context makes it a bit more interesting. So does the fact that these guns were used by so many different factions, aside from the German military, underscores their role in the war with French, British and American forces. French partisans carried many different guns, whatever was available, and many were armed by the British with the Sten submachine gun. Built in Great Britain during the war, Stens were given to the French Underground and other partisan groups aiding the Allies. The Sten was about as cheaply made a weapon as possible, costing around $10 in 1940. To put that in perspective, a Thompson, used by U.S. forces, cost $200 in 1940. But nothing was cheaper to carry than a captured (liberated) German MP40. read more

The latest Umarex Legends MP40 Part 1

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The latest Umarex Legends MP40 Part 1

Weathering History – Is it real or is it Umarex?

By Dennis Adler

During WWII men and women who fought with the French Resistance were often armed and famously photographed with captured guns like the MP40. The French Underground aided American and British forces with intelligence on German positions but the Resistance also saw its share of combat throughout occupied France. The Umarex MP40 looks very much the part in this modern rendition of a WWII photograph. The Umarex weathered model comes with a leather shoulder strap which makes the submachine gun easier to carry and fire on full auto.

The famous line “War is Hell” has many meanings, literally and figuratively, both to man, environment, and machine. The first two are well documented throughout history, the machine part is usually pictured in battlefield photographs of damaged or destroyed tanks, trucks, military and civilian vehicles, less seen are images of handguns and rifles lost on the field of battle. Handguns, carbines, and submachine guns, while marred and beaten often managed to continue in service, reclaimed by soldiers on one side or another, and in the case of the German MP40 often captured, stolen, or otherwise given into the hands of resistance fighters in France (the French Underground) who aided the Allies in the Western European theater, particularly in undermining the German occupation of France. The resistance movement provided the Allies with vital intelligence, attacked German occupation forces, and more importantly provided escape routes for Allies caught or trapped behind enemy lines. These men and women performed an invaluable service, often at the cost of their own lives. Members of the underground were often armed with captured German handguns, rifles and submachine guns like the MP40. read more

What are we looking for in a blowback action CO2 pistol?

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What are we looking for in a blowback action CO2 pistol?

Reality Checks

By Dennis Adler

Blowback action airgun enthusiasts are a relatively new breed in terms of airgun history. Blowback semi-autos have only been around since Umarex and Walther developed the first PPK/S .177 caliber model in 1999. Prior to that Umarex and Walther had developed the non-blowback action CP88 pellet-firing models with a DA/SA trigger, but without blowback action the Walther’s hammer had to be manually cocked each time to fire single action.

This article is more of an open forum for debate than it is about any one specific airgun model. The development of new blowback action air pistol designs over the past several years has almost kept pace with centerfire and rimfire semiautomatic handguns, and in most cases, model for model, leading air gun enthusiasts down a very interesting path, yours truly included.

A little over 17 years ago the groundbreaking Walther CP99 (right) took the CP88 concept one step further with a P99-based polymer frame. The 8-shot, 4.5mm pellet firing, non-blowback action, striker fired air pistol became a training gun for German police using the P99. The concept of learning basic skills and firing without the cost of live ammo (9mm) made the CP99 one of the world’s most popular 12 gr. CO2 pistols. The PPK/S, however, remained the only blowback action CO2 pistol for many years.

When I began writing about air pistols I was already involved with cartridge-firing handguns and, by the nature of my work, reviewing new makes and models for Guns & Ammo, American Rifleman, Combat Handguns, Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, Pocket Pistols, and Guns of the Old West, I had access to the very latest firearms. read more

Umarex Legends MP40 Part 3

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Umarex Legends MP40 Part 3 Part 2  Part 1

Loading, Handling, and Accuracy

By Dennis Adler

The MP40 set the stage for decades of full-auto (and select fire) submachine guns built from the 1940s through the late 20th century, including the MP5 and Uzi. The Umarex MP40 is a nearly identical copy of the WWII subgun.

To wrap up the MP40 we need to review all of its operating features, which are very close to those of the original guns. First off, loading the magazine is accomplished by holding the follower down, inverting the magazine (cast alloy top pointing down) and loading the BBs into the port. This is a large, beveled port so feeding BBs is pretty easy, easier still with an Umarex speed loader. Load the magazine into the receiver with a firm push; set the safety to SAFE, pull the bolt to the rear and the gun is charged and ready to fire. read more

Umarex Legends MP40 Part 2

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Umarex Legends MP40 Part 2 Part 1 Part 3

In the image of: MP40 comparison

By Dennis Adler

The MP40 has become one of the most recognized military arms in history, not so much for its actual use during WWII, but for its ever present roles in almost every WWII movie made in the past 70 years, including some of the best films of all time. The Umarex MP40 is a nearly perfect .177 caliber match for the legendary German submachine gun.

If there is success in numbers, then the MP40 was a success with production reaching an estimated 1.1 million by the end of WWII. But in the world of firearms, success is also measured by longevity, not production numbers alone, most mass produced military arms from WWII are no longer in use, many have simply been forgotten, while others have become collectible. The greatest example of longevity is the Colt Model 1911. In comparison to the Colt semi-auto pistol, the MP40 is only a minor success, but well maintained examples of the WWII German submachine guns are still being used to this day. More than 20 nations carried the MP40 for decades after WWII, some even into the early 21st century. So the MP40 has become one of the most recognized military arms in history. read more

Umarex Legends MP40 Part 1

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Umarex Legends MP40 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Yes, this is the one you have been waiting for

a CO2 version of the most ubiquitous submachine gun in history

By Dennis Adler

The most commonly seen gun in almost every WWII movie about famous battles in Europe is the MP40. It was not only used by German soldiers but captured MP40s were used by the French Resistance and other partisans fighting against the Axis powers. Even American soldiers used them in covert operations. As a CO2 powered blowback action air gun, the MP40 stands among the most authentic historic reproductions. The Umarex MP40 is the gun on the bottom.

There is scarcely a WWII movie that takes place in Europe that does not have soldiers wielding an MP40 submachine gun; it has been used in every WWII and post war espionage thriller from the 1940s to the present day. We’ve seen the MP40 so often, in fact, that we almost don’t see it; it’s a part of the scene, as much as uniforms and dialogue. Both in film and in fact, the MP40, Walther P.38 and Luger P.08 are the very definition of WWII German arms; so they are SOP in any movie or TV prop house. But to say that the MP40 is the most famous submachine gun in history would be less than factual, there are many more famous, like the Thompson, and the Uzi, for example, but certainly none with more screen time, more time in the field of battle, nor more desirable as a blowback action CO2 model. Nearly 80 years after the MP40 was developed the guns are still being used in battle torn areas throughout the world, including the Middle East. Although vastly outdated, even by 1945 when the StG 44 was introduced, the MP40 has remained a solidly reliable (when handled properly) weapon using the most common cartridge in the world, the 9x19mm. The Umarex Legends version puts all of that into your hands in .177 caliber. read more