A phone call from my FFL woke me up. “Your special order just came in, it’s a German Sport Guns MP40 in 9mm.” He sounded a bit confused. I rushed down to my LGS to start the 4473.

The salesman dragged out a large cardboard box. It was unusually heavy. Much to my surprise, we found a large wood crate inside. American Tactical Import’s website specifically says, “No wood crate.”

It was stamped American Tactical MP40 with what looked like a Nazi eagle above it. On the crate’s side a metal plate read “American Tactical Imports, Rochester, NY Amish Hand-Crafted Case. ” An Amish-made crate with a semi-automatic version of a German machine gun inside. Go figure.

I opened the case and there she was: a German Sport Guns GSG-MP40P Pistol in 9mm. It looks like the WW2 original but functions differently. The case contained one 25-round magazine, a mag loader, lock, owner’s manual, tools, four front sights and a sticker.

GSG MP40 (courtesy CH for thetruthaboutguns.com)

When I took the GSG out of the wood crate I could feel the eyes on me. Well, the gun. Gun store customers and the sales staff peppered me with questions. “Is it a Class 3 weapon? How much does it cost? Does it take original parts? Are you going to SBR it? Is it a pistol or a rifle?”

The question no one asked: what’s it for? All guns should have a purpose: defense, hunting, competition, punching tiny groups in paper or causal plinking. I bought the MP40 because it’s cool.

When I got home I checked the chamber. The charging handle was easy to remove from the bolt. The bolt handle was so loose I worried about it falling out when shooting. I couldn’t see any burs or overly rough edges from machining. The plastic grip and lower receiver cover plastic felt well made.

Although the owner’s manual has eight pictures on the magazine loader and three pages of pictures and instructions on loading, there were no images to illustrate the disassembly process. YouTube was my friend.

You start by removing the charging handle. Then you remove a tiny C clip that holds a pin in place (the C-clip likes to go airborne). Then you have to hammer out — yes, hammer — the pin that connects the upper and lower receiver. You pull apart the two receiver halves, then remove the bolt and recoil spring.

After reassembling the MP40 I headed to the range.

Thanks to a magazine spring that’s tighter than something dirty and extra long feed lips (watch it!), you’re best advised to use the mag loader to fuel the MP40. I started with 25 rounds of Monarch Brass.

The trigger is not meant to be a two-stage, but it sure feels like it. The pull is so long some shooters gave up half way and checked the safety. Speaking of which, it’s a rotating cylinder that sits mid-way between the trigger and the magazine on the bottom of the lower receiver.

GSG MP40 (courtesy CH for thetruthaboutguns.com)

And if that’s not odd enough, the cylinder spins indefinitely; it doesn’t lock in any position. Its labeled S at 12:00 and 6:00 position, and F at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. Without tactile feedback, you have to visually inspect it. A poor design, especially if you want to use the gun for self-defense.

Firing the first magazine I experienced every failure you can imagine, and some you can’t: failure to eject, failure to extract, failure to feed, double feed, and soft primer strike. An then the magazine fell out. I couldn’t unleash more than two consecutive rounds without some sort of failure. But hey, the bolt held open every time.

GSG MP40 (courtesy CH for thetruthaboutguns.com)

Next up, old reliable: Monarch brass 124 gr jacketed hollow point. When I tried to charge the MP40’s bolt, it picked up a round and slammed it into the feed ramp. I gave the charging handle a push but it wouldn’t move. Removing the round, I noticed the bullet had been pushed into the case.

GSG MP40 (courtesy CH for thetruthaboutguns.com)

In short, a steep feed ramp prevents the MP40 from feeding hollow points.

I ordered a second magazine from ATI ($39.99 plus shipping), and two weeks later it arrived. I gave the MP40 a thorough cleaning and headed back to the range with some Fiocchi 115 gr and CapArms 115 gr “Superior Range Ammo” reloads.

The Fiocchi 115 gr was not the answer to the failure fest, but the MP40 fired a whole mag of inexpensive CapArms 115 gr without issue. Yay! But . . . the second magazine delivered the same farrago of failures, including a failure to extract that resulted in a spent casing being lodged above the fire control group. After 500 rounds of six types of ammo, only one magazine fired all 25 rounds. Once.

To test the MP40’s accuracy, I shot 25 rounds of CapArms at 25 yards, using the magazine to support the gun. All but five rounds hit inside a 1.5 inch area.
GSG MP40 (courtesy CH for thetruthaboutguns.com)

According to GSG the rear sight is adjustable. They say you can easily loosen a screw and drift the sight left or right then tighten the screw again. Here in the real world, tightening the locking screw pulls the rear sight back into the original factory hole. Basically, the rear sight is going to go where it wants.

The MP40 comes with five front sights of varying height. The barrel thread protector keeps the front site in place. By removing it you can swap out the front sight and adjust your elevation. If you regularly use a suppressor on the MP40, you run the risk of losing the front sight; it can fall off when there’s no muzzle device in place.

In the final analysis, the GSG MP40 reminds of an ex-girlfriend (name withheld by request); it’s unreliable and temperamental. You can’t feed it when you want to. You never know if she’s going to disappear into the bathroom and puke her guts out. But she is attractive and you want to love her.

Truth be told, I would’ve been OK with all the pistol’s little “quirks” if the gun had run reliably. Or somewhat reliably. Or, let’s face it, at all. In fact, it only does do one thing well: attract attention. Even for a range toy, that’s not enough.

SPECIFICATIONS: German Sport Guns GSG-MP40P Pistol

Overall Length: 24.5″
Height: 7″
Frame Construction: Zamak 5 (zinc alloy) with Polymer Accents
Weight: w/ Magazine (Unloaded) 126 oz
Caliber: 9x19mm
Barrel Length: 10.8″
Magazine: All metal detachable 25 round
MSRP: $649.95 ($549.99 at Brownells)

RATINGS: (out of 5 stars)

Accuracy * * *
It’s actually pretty accurate for such an awkward and poorly built gun.

Build Quality * *
It looks well made, but looks can be deceiving. The rear sight can’t be tightened down all the way, and the polymer housing separated after the first range session. The magazine can fall out of the gun while firing.

Ergonomics *
Ergonomics? NEIN!

Overall *
The reliability issues really killed the overall rating. It just won’t work right and is not made well.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

95 COMMENTS

  1. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. It should have been beauty – the perfect open carry gun:-)

    • Don’t like it. It needs stock and it needs to be full auto. Why isn’t it full auto? We have a senate, house, and presidency that are republicans. Why isn’t it full auto yet?

      • 1) What is the value of full-auto in a gun that jams every other round?

        2) Don’t forget that the presidency and Senate were in Republican hands when the “no new machine guns” FOPA law was passed. I don’t think Republicans are going to be our saviors when it comes to full-auto guns.

        • For no. 1 – If we could get FA maybe we could have them build them as they are meant to work, shooting from open bolt. Simple and easy solution.

      • Aye! Whilst in Iraq my M1A1 crew took a break to refuel, remag our ammo rack..Went to have a cigarette in a blown out building and there were 2 WW2 made, bnz marked MP-40’s laying next to a couple of deceased Iraqi combatants. Also about 30 loaded 32 round mags.. Seen the weapon a thousand times. Never fired one until that day. (Later learned that Germany had sent troops to Persia during WW2 looking for the Germanic history B.S.
        ANYWAY- picked one up and it had an empty mag in it, my T.C. (Tank Commander) gave me a funny look and said “Nope, it’s not going home”. LoL I just wanted to fire it. So he and myself picked up a few loaded mags and went further into the buidling (after advising nearby Infantry), I do have pics of this occasion. Racked a round, and squeezed, it fired about 15 rounds before stovepiping, cleared that and emptied the last 16. Very dirty weapon to fire. Being blowback operated I suppose. But looked like it had NEVER been cleaned. The last 3 magazines I had picked up did the same thing. FTF occasionally. Being a 9mm and the rate of fire I’m guessing 450 rpm? Would be a very nasty experience being on the “Business End”!

        Now, my GSG MP-40 9mm.
        Fired it last week at local range.
        VERY ACCURATE, the feed ramp looks nothing like the actual German one I fired in Iraq. Mine also would FTF due to feed ramp angle, rounds have a “Dent” where the bullet hits the ramp. So, I took it home and got the Dremel out, ground down the ramp a bit more and polished it. Went back next day. Guess what? I went through over 300 rounds of everything from WinWhiteBox 115’s to 147 Gr. JHP’s. NOT 1 FTF nor FTE.
        Weapon continues to run flawlessly. Mine shows a “Proof Date” of Aug 2017. I think the longer these are out there, the more they can be honed to a much better weapon. Being a machinist, I’ve duplicated their trigger bar, taking that ONE INCH takeup down to less than 1/4″ now. I was contacted by a company called “Atlantic Wall Blanks” after I posted one of several improvement videos on YouTube, you can buy this trigger bar and the BFA and Thread Protector I also made that now makes the weapon look more like a $24,000 MP-40. I think he sells the kit for $70 If I could share pics I would! Now I’m back into WW2 reenacting as an SS infantryman. I can’t keep up with all the things this thing needs to “Look” more realistic.
        Give it time, we’re fixing Erma’s copy! 🙂

        • Hi and thank you for the information. I just bought one of these and before I fire a round I want to get proactive using your comments. Could you send me a photo or tell me about how much you filed off? [email protected] Thank you again. doug

      • Full Auto, or Class 3 can be a waste of ammo and money.
        Sure is a hell of a lot more fun though! Stock kit is avalable through ATI, ($250) + $200 for the stinkin ATF Form 1.

        Now it’s a $900 MP-40!
        If ya still have it? Keep it.
        Many dealers cannot keep up with the demand. Especially since we’re fixing the “Bugs”. 😉

    • Got one in August this year, same exact issues, got new magazine, no better, dealer sent it back, GSG sent a new one, couldn’t believe it, new one was worse. Dealer sent it back and gave me a refund, Then he showed me something in his airgun section, The new UMAREX Classic MP 40 CO2 gun, full weight, full metal, except for the grips and lower receiver cover, as were the originals, more accurate appearance to the original, blowback, so the bolt cycles as it fires, uses 2 CO2 capsules so velocity is respectable for a bb gun, stock is functional, and solid lockup, also, like the original, it fires from an open bolt, the only difference I can tell from the original, other than the obvious, that it’s a bb gun, is while the original was full auto only, this one fires semi auto, AND full auto, and it is a blast to shoot, and there are more places you can shoot it such as your basement or back yard, it also will attract attention. Indoors the sound is quite satisfying, flawless operation, just don’t use copper plated bb’s, use daisy zinc plated, or use umarex bb’s, or if you use the copper plated ones, mix a bit of dry graphite
      powder, about an eighth teaspoon in a 3000 bb box, the price going for 199.99 online at pyramidair.com

    • These guns shoot fine. Just like the original MP40s you need to keep your hands OFF the magazine when shooting. Holding the gun by the magazine up front will cause it to feed improperly. This is most likely the reason this design did not become widespread.

      Mine gobbled up every ammo I tried without a single misfeed.

      • Indeed! I think it’s Luck of the Draw” since these are still new in a lotta respects. I’m keeping mein!

      • I love mine, 200 plus rounds of reloads. It are every thing i fed it. 115 grain lead. 124 grain hollow points. 125 grain round nose.

        Just don’t hold the mag when firing.

  2. The reliability sounds similar to the GSG-522 (The MP5 clone). It refuses to cycle some ammunition, and even with the ammo it likes, it cycles only when you whisper sweet melodies near its ejection port. Love the look of their guns, but I wish they’d work a little more dependably.

    • Yeah my son’s gsg522 reliability sucks too. If it’s slightly dirty, expect out of battery kabangs. And I mean bunches.

      This is a shame because it’s really fun to shoot when the stars are properly aligned, the ammo gods are smiling and you’ve chosen the right mag out of the stable to use that day.

  3. Oy vay!

    Thanks for taking one for the team. They do look like you should want one. Glad I wasn’t first in.

    Thank you again.

  4. So the moral of the story is…. High quality Amish boxes full of junk are quite expensive.

    • I would hesitate calling the original MP40 “engineering”. Blowback open bolt sub guns are about as simple an operating mechanism as you can have for an automatic firearm. It’s basically a barrel, a tube, a chunky bolt, and some springs. Just like an m3 “grease gun” you could probably knock out a close facsimile in your garage in a long weekend.

      • yes it was ENGINEERED to be simple. amazing how that went right over your head, as big as it is.

        • I just wonder how many of the critics here actually own one of these. I would be willing to guess that a good many are armchair commandos. I especially like the comments from folks who are not allowed to own one, regardless of country of origin. I love mine. No problems at all. Cheers.

  6. Well there’s another steaming dumpster fire masquerading as fine Teutonic engineering. The sad part is that the MP40 wasn’t all that great (by modern standards) even in 1940. Then again, an open bolt blowback gun is kind of hard to mess up. Yet again, GSG managed to create a market for cool looking paperweights.

    • Hey, the hi-points are reliable & if they do break they have an awesome warranty. Now if they just weren’t so ugly, I would have one in .45 acp. This gun is the total opposite of the high-point carbine, it is a beautiful, tough, looking gun (high point is uglier than Rosie odonell in morning) that has a high cap mag (high point has 10rd), and this gun is unreliable with every ammo tried (high point is reliable with all ammo).

  8. Thank you. I now feel much better at not being able to purchase one of these in the People’s Republik of Maryland.

    • That’s “Merryland” where everyone is happy and safe under the government’s thumb.

  9. Sucks that it doesn’t work right. It is priced right for frivolous range toy. When I started reading the article I assumed $1500-2000. Since I can’t afford a real SMG, this would have gone well with my collection of WWII firearms. I’ll admit I still gave it some thought, but the reliability issues sound like this could be dangerous to actually fire. On a positive note, ammo costs will be low I guess.

  10. I was in the property section of my PD the other day and they were cleaning out a weapons storage safe. Inside was a full auto mp-40 confiscated in 1965. One of the coolest things I’ve ever held

  11. American Tactical here,

    We’re sorry to hear of these issues with this firearm. Please contact our customer service center at [email protected] as we definitely want to get this in to our service department to diagnose what could be causing these issues. This firearm has a limited lifetime warranty that we cover ourselves here in SC. As this is a brand new firearm and was fully tested and inspected prior to leaving the factory in Germany it should be functioning correctly. Our CS dept will provide you with an RA number and pay the shipping to get it to us, cover any services required, provide you with a report of our discoveries, and if we cannot get this running 100% will replace it at no cost to you.

    • Thank you for the feedback! We’ll send an e-mail right now and get it on its way back to you soon, then follow up with another article later. Additionally, we’ll be doing some suppressed shooting next time.

      Jeremy

    • I will commend you on your proactive customer service, but might I suggest you try having the Amish make not just the crate, but the gun as well?

      • I laughed.

        We had an Amish community down the road from where I grew up and I pictured them test firing the MP40’s with their staw hats over their earmuffs and delivering them in their horse and buggies.

    • That’s a promising note from customer service.
      Now I might consider one…

    • I bought a GSG MP 40 9mm this past weekend. I am still evaluating it. I’ve tried Mag Tech 124gr sub sonic and some factory FMJ reloads both with about 15-20% failure to feed or eject after about 200 rounds. I will continue to experiment
      with it before reaching any conclusions. I will admit that after the first few failures I came very close to retiring it as a display gun.
      In addition I somehow managed to loose my rear sight which I thought was one of the better aspects of the gun. Can you tell me where I may order another rear sight and possibly a spare?
      Michael

  12. “All guns should have a purpose: defense, hunting, competition, punching tiny groups in paper or causal plinking.”

    Nope.

  13. Well, at least the cool factor is way off the chart. I wont get into my dads Vet Nam (thats right) bring back MP40.

  15. “The reliability issues really killed the overall rating. It just won’t work right and is not made well.” That describes a lot of guns on the market today. And yet they still sell and the mfr stays in business. Go figure.

  16. i would have to say to anyone that asked “whats it for”, “you obviously wouldn’t understand”

    sucks reliability is so bad cuz DAMN i want one. maybe i’ll wait for the gen 2. if there is one.

  17. Hmmm…..has that been your personal experience with the 522 Shawn Graber? I purchased a 522 a couple of years ago and have had very few issues with mine. Although I haven’t used every make of 22LR in mine (only CCI Mini Mags, CCI Tactical and Winchester), I rarely experience cycling issues, FTE’s or FTF’s. My only real issue with the 522 is disassembly and cleaning (not a quick and easy task), otherwise I really enjoy shooting mine.

  18. So, I’m assuming you’re going to give the factory 3 more chances to get the gun to run right (which they will be unable to do), meanwhile constantly referencing it as the end-all-be-all uber-gun in every other article, regardless of what the topic of that article is? Or do you only do that with your $10,000 Cabot 1911s when they run worse than a Jennings that spent a decade at the bottom of the sea?

  19. After my experience with the Sig Mosquito–which I found out years later is really a GSG–I will never buy one of their products again. My Mosquito is actually reasonably reliable with MiniMags, but it is hideously inaccurate, and has so many safety “features” that it is difficult to operate, making it virtually useless as a gun to introduce people to the world of shooting.

  20. It does look cool and I can definitely see it attracting attention wherever it goes. I’m with you: every gun should have a purpose. Plinking is perfectly legitimate, so long as the firearm actually is fun to plink with, which presupposes that it is reliable.

    My first handgun was a Glock. So that pretty much set the standard for reliability with me. In fact, I first found TTAG while looking for reviews on a gun I was interested in at the time. I won’t put up with an unreliable gun.

  21. For all outdoor YouTube videographers, when the wind kicks up, just call it a day and try again some other time. Either that or cut the audio and then dub in a soundtrack later. A crappy annoying video does you no credit.

  22. German Sport Guns, huh? I didn’t realize that clearing jams was a sport in Germany.

    “Hey, Franz, are you going to the Feuerwaffestörungkorrektur match today?”

  23. Seems like I read pretty good things about their STG44 in 22LR.

    Anybody have any complaints about that?

    • I really like my GSG Stg44 in 22lr. Functions great, even with most subsonic 22, and is very quiet with my suppressor. Made a couple minor adjustments and it shoots very good at 100 yds. My Hk93 scope mount fits on the GSG Stg44 !
      I enjoy shooting it, even though I’ve already shoot 22lr in my Ruger full auto AC556 and full auto AK47.

  24. Well that’s a shame…If it were more reliable and were a solid hunk of good old-fashioned steel, I would have bought one in a heartbeat. Maybe someone will make a good Steyr-Solothurn MP34, AKA the Rolls-Royce of SMGs, clone.

  25. I got mine 6/20/2017. so far ive run over a 150 rounds through it without one glitch… im shooting fmj 115 grain blazer bullets. actually some cheap ammo I buy from the pawn shop. I bought 5 extra magazines for it. all fit and theres no problem with them dropping out. this is the closest I will ever get to the real deal. I would like a stock for it that is welded shut. I have 3 sbr guns and its not really worth it . im sorry you had a problem with yours. when the mag wont stay in that’s a problem that can cause all kinds of issues. send it back and lets what you have to say after its fixed. I bought a gsg stg 44/ 22 for my grandson and it runs like a top.

  26. Well that sucks. Glad to hear someone else has one with no issues. When I first saw the GSG MP40 I thought WOW! Unfortunately, the same reason that prevents me from buying the Sig MPX pistol keeps me from the GSG MP40 – it’s not full auto. Yes, these weapons absolutely have a “cool” factor but that doesn’t compensate enough for me. I had a chance to buy a brand new Sig MPX pistol for $980 and passed. My buddy bought it.

  27. Here’s another GSG MP40 success story. Bought mine three days ago and have been trying to make it jam! Fed it all the junk I had in my ammo box. Finally had one failure to feed when I canted the mag by pushing forward. Put a piece of velcro tape on the front of the mag to snug it up in the mag well and prevent accidentally pushing forward on the mag. Not a single jam since, even when trying to push foward. I’m close to 300 rounds through it now and no hiccups. And that’s without cleaning. Gun is solid. Not a bit of rattle or loose fit anywhere on it. Do wish they could make the charging handle a bit more original. The rest of the fun is really close in appearance. Also, some period markings would have been a plus. But then, how much can you expect for $529.

  28. I received my European spec (with folding stock – I live in France) yesterday took it to the range today and can report it was without problem with S&B 124gr fmj’s. A couple of misfeeds with my reloads that are specifically for my Walther P38 (P1) with the lowest powder charge so clearly they don’t work well but standard ammo perfect.

    No FTF, FTE etc. no magazine falling out (you may have pushed the mag release button by accident?) First time shooting all within 6″ at 25 metres, slightly left so some adjustment required by me or to the gun, it is an absolute blast, sounds to me that you have got a bad example, mine is bang on and a pleasure to own. Sure it’s not a target rifle/pistol (but shoots pretty damned well for a first outing) but that’s not what I bought it for, it’s a recreation of a historical weapon that created quite a reponse from fellow club members – I think they shot more rounds than I did………

    • To Giles24:
      Fantastic or tres bien, that you live in France and can get this weapon and shoot it. Does my heart good to hear that you can actually do that in France. I have “family” in Paris and friends outside the city, have been there and love it for the most part. I just thought that kind of stuff was not possible. Write me and lets talk about guns, shooting and France!!!
      Thanks for the shooting sport encouragement!!

      • Hi Tim

        At first glance France and most of Mainland Europe (the U.K. is completely different you can’t own anything more than a 22lr in semi and that’s difficult) have relaxed gun laws but require loads of paperwork and controls before you can own handguns and anything semiauto apart from hunting weapons. Full auto is a no-no and quite rightly so. If you own a gun and don’t use it in competitions then the question will arise “why do you need it?” As a referee for the federation français de tir ( not bad not being French) I shoot regularly in competitions with most of my guns to prove I have need of them and so far so good but following the massacres in Europe converted to semi-auto guns may be banned and/or magazines limited to 10 shots. Shouldn’t affect the gsg mp40 as it’s only semiauto but may affect my vz58/ak47 type weapons. I love shooting historic weapons so I hope that ruling doesn’t come in or I’ll have to stick with my mosin nagant or sks45 which would be a great shame. Cordialement. Giles.

    • Thanks for the stupid comment. Germany lost the war because Hitler mismanaged it on every level (which is why the German generals tried to assassinate him, and why the Brits decided not to).

      Historians point out that had Hitler allowed the luftwaffe to continue attacking the RAF airfields & radar, UK would have been forced to surrender. INSTEAD, Hitler took his eye off the ball to attack London (which had NO military value, and actually had the opposite effect of unifying the Brits in destroying Germany).

      The biggest blunder of all was declaring war on the USA, when the USA was perfectly happy to be neutral throughout the war!! In fact, MOST Americans at the time didn’t even give a sheet about Germany attacking other countries.

      Please get a clue

      • Tom, what you say is true. However, I think Hitler’s worst mistake (and that’s saying something!) was in invading the Soviet Union. According to most historians, the Germans lost more casualties in Russia than in any other theatre.

        • Hitler beat Stalin by a margin of only days. And because the Russians were stacked up for invasion instead of defense, they lost large amounts of material and personnel during the first few days.

          If anything, the invasion was too late, as the Soviets were mass producing T-34s while the Germans were still hand crafting Tigers at a much lower rate and the balance tipping if favor of quantity over quality was predictable.

  30. Other than Gun Tests this is the 2nd person that did a review on a gun that was bought at retail and not sent to the reviewer by a manufacturer or supplier who goes over it with a fine tooth comb, so there are no flaws and no failures when the gun is fired. I commend you and Thanks for an Honest review..

    • I see a LOT of negative posts here with regards to FTF, FTE. I even saw one where the individual was firing while “resting” the weapon on the magazine. Prior to purchasing mine, I viewed numerous “back yard” reviews. As previously mentioned, the vast majority of these posters were holding or supporting the wep by the magazine. Due to the free play of the mag in the well, ANY outside influence will change the angle of the feed. I have had no issues with mine. ATI did tell me that they had some early issues with problems, but were rectified. Too many people rely on Hollywood to teach them how to use firearms. With that in mind, I agree with the above poster that the VAST majority of end users with problems are operator error.

  32. You must have a lemon that slid through the cracks. I just bought one (MP40) and it eats anything I put through it and I haven’t had a single jam. It makes me curious if you might have held it by the magazine while shooting instead of locking your thumb and fingers into the mag well area like it was designed to be used. I have heard about jamming problems if they are held by the magazine and the instruction manual specifically warns of holding it this way. Mine just runs perfect. Also I have the STG mp44 in 22. It had problems feeding and ATI paid the shipping to their factory and back, Made all repairs at NO CHARGE and it now runs like a Swiss watch. They really stand behind their product and I am very happy with both the MP40 and their MP44.

  33. First thing I did with mine was….pull it apart..and see why the original mags did not work.. They do now. When you look inside the open bolt area…you will see a ejector – riveted with one rivet — goes out the side… I drilled it out….folded a “dog tag” in half—and riveted it in on top of the ejector…Takes ISSUE MAGS now….and feeds flawlessly… I also removed the long bolt /magazine safety… Do not need it… The safety is ” the bolt in the rear slot”… The stupid safety knob … is junk..I will remove the parts from it and just leave the worthless knob.. The barrel – muzzle nut is also a joke.. I goofed..and screwed it off — did not see the friggin spring loaded pin…knocked off all the notches.. So — I cut 4 of the slots — for the “key”…all the way front to rear.. Now..the key slides all the way to the pin..pushes it in while unscrewing the nut… That was a REAL BAD piece of crap for sure ..bad engineering..
    Now…?? How do I get a new nut..?? hmmm…sounds weird… 🙂 Like when I went into ABBA and asked for a screw….. The women went hysterical;… I needed a screw for my glasses.. 🙂
    Next thing is…take it to my Class 3 and register it as a SBR….I want a stock…Where can I buy the factory one.. They do make them…

  34. It seems like there might have been some QC issues with some of the originals, that shipped in the wooden crates? I got a new one in September (came in the cardboard box) and I’ve had absolutely zero issues with it. No FTFs or FTEs. I’ve about 200 rounds through mine, though all of it was FMJ (mix of Federal, Perfecta/Fichoci and Monarch). I also think some issues may be “user induced” by folks trying to fire at it by holding on to the actual magazine, rather than the mag well or the actual rifle. My “cardboard box version” even came with a full-color warning card indicating not to hold onto the magazine. It would have been nice if the “cardboard box versions” did ship with at least two magazines (as there was even an area that could’ve been punched-out in the cardboard insert to hold a second mag), but it only came with one. However I was able to purchase two additional mags and have run mine with all three magazines and no issues. I was also able to unscrew the front thread protector and change out the front sight to one of the included other four to adjust for POI/POA and had no issue with that. It is threaded metric 13×1. However ATI sells a 1/2 x 28 converter-nut to use with NFA suppressors. That converter-nut will also hold the front sight hood in place when using a can. My only two issues/suggestions would be: it would’ve been nice if the thread protector more closely mimicked the style/appearance of the originals and it’s a shame the single takedown pin is not more of a HK style pushpin to make it easier to disassemble, without having to use any tools. I do plan on “SBRing” this one, once ATI makes a 922r compliant folding stock available and of course the corresponding NFA paperwork wait. In short it’s a really “fun” firearm (that I got for about $500) and I can’t complain, since I thought I’d never be able to afford any type of 9 mm MP 40.

  35. I just got my mp40 yesterday. Took it out and fired 50 rounds through it without any issue. It looks cool and functioned well. Just got to work on my accuracy with the gun. The target was set at 50 yards down range so it was shooting quite high as it’s effective range is at least 100 yards.

  36. Yours is either a lemon, or you’re shooting only hollow point ammo, or you’re holding the magazine when you shoot… I have had my GSG MP40 for over 8 months, I take it regularly and have cycled through over 2000 rounds of various weights without a hitch – In fact, only two times did it jam, once when I ran out of ammo at the range and friend gave ten hollow points… it jammed every other shot (apparently they don’t feed correctly). And the other was when a friend tried shooting it while grasping the center magazine… it jammed then as well. Every other time it has worked like a dream.

  37. So sorry to hear such bad news about the GSG MP40.. I bought mine at a south Fl. gun show a few months back. I have fired over 500 hundred rounds of 115 gr. ammo. Of the 500 rounds i had only 1 failure to extract. I had the 1 mag. that came with the gun and bought 6 more from different sites on line where ever i could find them. I have never fired a pistol with this kind of right on sights.. it was hard to miss my target. Never had a mag fall out while it was in use. No misfires, tho my rear sight did loosen up on me 1 times so i tightened it using lock tight on the sight screw… no more problems with that. So to all of youout there that have an MP40… dont give up on it because it truly is a beautiful machine.

  38. I purchased my MP40P when they first came on the market. I didn’t get the opportunity to fire it until last weekend. Winchester 9 Luger @ 115 gr. FMJ. Slow fire from a rest at 25 yards: Almost every round slow fired hit the 10 ring and bullseye with two 1” fliers. Kudos to whomever sighted it in at the factory. Slow fire @ 50 yards: Impacts 4”-5” groups @ 10 o’clock from bull. I’m not touching those sights! No failures, stovepipe, nothing. 375 rounds, with no cleaning.
    Lucky me. I got a great weapon!

    • Yes you did!
      These (and the original mp-40) were only meant to be as the 1911 was. “To put down enemies from across the street”.. Somehow though? My Sig Sauer 1911 is consistantly Dead on at even 75 yds…
      Now that there are .45 acp ammo that weigh 150Gr and do 1,150 fps. ( DRTAmmo.com)

  41. Tried out mine yesterday for the first time. It was very reliable. I went through a full mag no issues. I didn’t fully loaded after that I loaded 10 to 15 rounds. One time a round did not fire. I ejected it and moved on. I later shit that time successfully. No failure to feed no failure to extracts. I shot at least 75 rounds through it.

    Seems I was pulling to the right a little with the shot. My groupings seemed good though. It seems to be pretty accurate.

    I will also say that the loader that came with the mp40 worked better than my Lula loader.

  42. Purchased mine 11/17 along with 6 magazines. Been to the range 4 times with it have shot close to 1,000 rounds, have cleaned once. Used S & B, and UMC ammo, Have had 1 stovepipe reason it needed a cleaning. Since then nothing. Like you I wonder about the charging handle, wondering why the bolt isn’t threaded to screw the handle into. For now I just use a little RTV to help hold it against vibration. All in all it is what I expected, no surprises. Does draw attention, and when I add my Walther P1 everybody is asking questions. P.S. Anybody out there have the stock kit for this, can’t find one anywhere!

  44. This system is amazing. I’ve ran over 2000 rds through it with zero problems. Not trying to be a Marine telling civilians to investigate all the problems before complaining, but I am. If this guy who wrote the article actually tried to problem solve, he would find out making a small modification to the trigger bar solves most of those problem. This gun runs circles around my Sub 2000. Just bought my third mag and people stop shooting and just watch me shoot at the range.

    • I used a worn out metal sawzall blade for my trigger bar replacement, just 15 minutes on a bench grinder and 2 minutes to drill new holes. My MP40 now has a very tight trigger (not too tight though) and not a single hitch to date. AK underfolder stocks might work if you cut 2 1/2 inches off and weld it back together. instant SBR though.

  45. I just bought a GSG MP 40 in 9mm replica pistol at a recent gun show. I’ve fired only two magazines through the pistol and never had a malfunction of any kind using FMJ ammo. I consider this piece a fun gun only and don’t intend to use it for any serious situation. I’m very satisfied with its performance so far. Its trigger could use some help and I believe I’ll order a kit made to take much of the travel out of the trigger pull.

  46. A few months ago I sent for 6 VIG magazines in two 3 compartment magazine pouches. The magazines are just few millimeters too wide to slide into the mag well of an original legal WWII MP 40 that I’ve had for nearly 50 years. I thought I just wasted about $30 on the VIG mags. Last month I bought a GSG MP 40 9mm pistol at a local gun show. Just for the heck of it I tried a VIG mag into its mag well. Wonder of wonders the VIG mag fit snugly into the well and locked in place. The magazine loading tool that came with the GSG pistol fit right over the VIG mag and I loaded 10 9mm rounds into the VIG mag. I took the pistol and 10 round mag out behind my house, inserted the mag into the pistol and pulled the trigger. (You can do that here in Montana where I live and the neighbors don’t care.) I was careful to hold the pistol only by the mag well. The first 4 rounds functioned well. The 5th round stove piped but the next 5 rounds went off without a failure at all. The follower in the VIG mag does not sit high enough to lock the bolt open on the last shot from the GSG pistol. I believe If I replaced the follower in the VIG mags with a mag follower from ATI the VIG mags could contact the hold open lever in the GSG pistol and lock the bolt open after the last shot.

  47. I just took my GSG MP40 out and shot 300 rnds without a problem straight out of the box. Not one failure and at 25 yards was pretty accurate, all withing a palm print. Was very satisfied.

    Gotta say I was kind of depressed after reading this article, but maybe I was lucky? Shooting some real cheap Winchester 115grn, 9mm FMJ I bought on sale at Academy Sports. The only failure I had was 2x’s the Charging Knob flew out and caused about 5 min looking around for it.

    Overall, very satisfied to have this reproduction in my collection!

  48. I have purchased the 9mm model…I have not experienced a single mis-hap through the thousand plus a few rounds I have shot. I want to SBR this pistol…and there we have it !

  49. You guys who paid around $500 for the mp40 are sooo lucky. I live in Canada and here that gun retails for $799. I gotta say I’m glad I read through all the comments though cause when I read the initial review I was heartbroken, the mp40 looks so badass, and here this guy was listing all these problems. But after seeing how many people responded with positive comments, I’ll definitely be getting one of these!!!!!! Not to mention the customer service rep. taking such initiative to resolve any issues!! I’m sold on it for sure, lol.

  50. I bought a gsg MP 40 P back in Dec. 2019 . I tried it out using commercial 124 grain 9mm ammo and had several of the same malfunctions described above. My impression of the gsg piece was not good. I picked up a box of commercial 115 grain 9mm ammo . After loading 10 rounds of the 115’s in the mag. I let fly with the muzzle pointed at my outside wood pile. Every round went off without a single hick up. I thought well now what have we here ? So I poked 15 more rounds into the mag. and let fly again. Same results as with the 10 rounds. Next try was with a 20 round mag. and all went off without a hitch. I policed up my brass and off to my loading bench I went. I happened to have a few hundred 115 grain hard cast lead bullets in my reloading supplies. After experimenting with a couple different powder charges in the cases I settled on 4.1 grains of Winchester 231 pistol powder under the 115 grain lead bullets. With 20 rounds in each magazine I seated in the gsg piece, every time I pulled the trigger the piece went BANG. I believe I’ve said enough.

  52. I bought one of these. Ordered six Vigneron 32-rd 9mm SMG mags; they’re very similar to the MP40 but need a bit more material in the magazine-catch cutout. I chopped up an old hacksaw and used JB Weld to secure the shims in place. Two of the six then fed reliably, the other four were a little short and those magazines set a little low in the magazine well, so I’m starting over on them.
    The factory mags have a long plastic piece on the follower, and another on the baseplate. I cut both of those down and can get 29 rounds in it now.
    The pin that holds the upper and lower together is idiotic; it’s a 5mm pin with a C-clamp that goes on one end. I drilled the hole to 6mm and put an MP5 push pin in there instead, so now it’s much easier to field strip.
    The 360 degree safety on this gun is idiotic. I cut a notch in the plastic on the bottom of the gun, drilled a hole in the safety, and added a small screw, so now it only rotates 90 deg and you can tell by feel if it is on safe or fire.
    Polished the feed ramp by hand; I do think I’m going to get the dremel out and do more to it.
    Accuracy is pretty darned good with these, and if I can make it reliable (thus far it’s only issue has been magazine-related) I’m going to Form 1 it.

  53. Sounds like your doing to much.Slapping the charger handle.Holding it wrong.Comparing it to girls.Just shoot the gun man.I can already tell it’s not the weapon.Try cleaning it chach

  54. Just got mine yesterday. First impression was good but I have hard time locking the bolt handle in the notch. It seems I had to pull the trigger then it will allow me to put the handle into the notch.

    Any idea why?

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  57. That is strange, I’ve experienced none of the issues you described. Maybe you got a dud? I’d contact ATI and see what they can do.

  58. I’ve had the same issues with my gsg40. Soft primer strikes. I found burrs in the chamber and found that the mags had sharp edges. After correcting those issues and using Fiocchi ammo I fired 150 rounds with only two soft strikes and one jam. Still super accurate at 35 yards

  59. Don’t hang on to the mass when firing, grab the magazine well and hol in to that. I have a sling for it as well and that added a lot of stability to it when shooting

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