If you are a fan of the World War II German MP40 submachine gun and want to have one of your very own, you are pretty much out of luck unless you are willing to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a transferable original. However, it has been possible to buy “trainer” replicas in .22 long rifle, made by German Sport Guns (GSG), which for many was as close as they could come to owning an original “Schmeisser” machine pistol.

Now, though, GSG has introduced something just a little closer to the originals: A visual replica in the original 9mm caliber. It should be said up front that this new gun is not a true replica MP40, but a new weapon in 9mm Luger than visually resembles the MP40. The differences between the GSG 9mm MP40 and the Nazi originals should be obvious from the photos I took of the weapon at the 2017 SHOT Show.

The GSG MP40 was announced all the way back at SHOT 2015, but was only approved by the ATF (as a pistol without stock) for import in February of 2016, making SHOT 2017 the first year when the pistols are being imported currently. However, it seems the guns are only trickling into the country, as the few examples are selling for $800 or more on GunBroker right now, far above their $649 MSRP.

Also on display at GSG’s booth was a prototype optics-ready GSG-16, an update to their .22 LR visual clone of the MP5. These weapons sport a full-length rail and compartment for a spare magazine in the stock. No MSRP was given, as these seemed to be in an early prototype stage.