Firearms

MP 40 · Deep Dive

MP 40

Erma sued Haenel — where Schmeisser was chief designer — over the MP 41 in 1941, and production stopped. A design he owned could not have been enjoined at Erma’s suit.

Erma’s stamped-steel submachine gun told against the name it is always given: who actually designed it and what the 1938 trials really produced, how phenolic resin and pressed steel answered a production problem, why the safety arrived late, what it was and was not issued to — and what owning one in the United States actually involves.

Photo: MP 40 by Quickload · CC BY-SA 3.0

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    Volumes

    1. Vol 1 Origins — Erma, Vollmer, and the Weapon the Wehrmacht Asked For
    2. Vol 2 The Schmeisser Question — Who Designed It, and Where the Name Came From
    3. Vol 3 How It Is Made — Stamping, Phenolic Resin, and Three Factories
    4. Vol 4 How It Works — Open Bolt, Telescoping Spring, and the Safety That Was Added Late
    5. Vol 5 In Service — Issue, Range, and an Honest Comparison
    6. Vol 6 Owning One Today in the United States
    7. Vol 7 Handling and Upkeep