Thompson sub gun
My friend just had his boss give him a Auto ord. .45 acp semi only gun. Model 1927 a1. I had never got to see 1 up close before. This gun is amazing, but heavy. Had to imagine all those soldiers carrying em during WW2. The action is fairly stiff to work and its difficult to insert mags compared to a modern rifle. Cool piece of history though. Will see if I can get a few picts .
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They are a classic firearm, but I sure would rather have toted a M3 Grease Gun around than the Thompson.
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I finally got to fulfill a lifelong wish last summer: fire a full-auto Thompson. It was at a .50 Caliber and Machine Gun Shoot in eastern Colorado....
After the first magazine, I found out that if you lean into it the recoil was completely managable and you can fire a full mag with total muzzle control.
The sights really sucked, though.
On another Thompson note, I was at a local gunsmith's shop here in Denver (Gunsmoke) and on the wall they had a black & white photo of Jeff Cooper firing a Thompson one-handed with the butt-stock on his chin...
After the first magazine, I found out that if you lean into it the recoil was completely managable and you can fire a full mag with total muzzle control.
The sights really sucked, though.
On another Thompson note, I was at a local gunsmith's shop here in Denver (Gunsmoke) and on the wall they had a black & white photo of Jeff Cooper firing a Thompson one-handed with the butt-stock on his chin...
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AAHHHHHH, Thompson!
Just gotta have me one of those someday......wanted one for about 30 yrs now.
Pretty sure a Tommy Gun will be my next purchase. SWMBO placed a 1 yr gun purchase restriction on me after the AR, which was the 4th new gun in about 8 months. (Plus lots of other expenditures due to starting IPSC.)
It was my Dad's favorite weapon in WWII. I've shot them several times in the military...one of the ships I was on in the early '70's had 'em in our armory. We used to heave junk (barrels, pallets, etc) over the side for tgt practice.
My life will not be complete til one resides in my safe!
Just gotta have me one of those someday......wanted one for about 30 yrs now.
Pretty sure a Tommy Gun will be my next purchase. SWMBO placed a 1 yr gun purchase restriction on me after the AR, which was the 4th new gun in about 8 months. (Plus lots of other expenditures due to starting IPSC.)
It was my Dad's favorite weapon in WWII. I've shot them several times in the military...one of the ships I was on in the early '70's had 'em in our armory. We used to heave junk (barrels, pallets, etc) over the side for tgt practice.
My life will not be complete til one resides in my safe!
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Seems fitting I chime in on this one.. The Thompson's weight, empty is 10 3/4 Lbs.. and 32 inches in length.. Cyclic rate is about 700 RPM... The "L" drum weighs about 4 LBs full, and the "C" drum is about 9Lbs full...They also had 20 and 30 Rnd "stick" mags.....I have 3 Thompsons....the 1921 Colt, also 1921/28 "overstamp" (wich was a 1921, with an "8" stamped over the "1" also with the Cutts Compensator added) and then the 1928 Savage Arms Mfg Thompson. They're really weird to shot, as you need to raise your head and strain your neck to shoulder shoot the weapon. Recoil?? what recoil..LOL.....nothing at all, due to it's weight..These have been in my possesion since around 1980-82, and were bought VERY "expensive" at THAT time.(.850.00 to 1500.00 each) Today however, I believe they're upwards of around 25-30K each.. :biggrin:
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All this Thompson talk has me considering a trip to the local indoor range today to rent the Thompson there. $10 to rent it plus you have to shoot their ammo.
Weight with a loaded drum is up around 15lbs or so. You get used to it after a while, but since I work in sheetmetal I have an advantage, my upper body gets a pretty good workout 40 hours a week (in addtion to weightlifting).
The drum for semi autos is more of a PITA than anything. Since there's no BHO with an empty drum, you need three hands to remove it. One to hold the bolt, one for the mag release, and another to push the drum out. AO sells a third hand for locking the bolt, but it gets lost too easily (I've had three). Also, 30 round sticks run about 20 bucks, and new drums are somewhere between $250 and $300. I still feel that you should have at elast one drum, just to piss of the antis.
The sights do indeed, suck. The flip up sight is much better, and how I normally shoot mine. The front pistol grip looks good, however the horizontal foregrip of the M1 and the 1927 commando feels much better IMO.
Reliabilty isnt an issue, I havent had mine apart in a year or more. I simply lock the bolt back and squirt some break-free in it.
Mag changes arent bad, radiusing the mag where it slides into the gun helps, but of course there's no substitute for practice.
Accuracy? Depends on the shooter, the gun itself does its part very well. I havent got to shoot my recent purchase (a commando model), but my other 1927 (below) is a blast, and always attracts a crowd at the range.
The drum for semi autos is more of a PITA than anything. Since there's no BHO with an empty drum, you need three hands to remove it. One to hold the bolt, one for the mag release, and another to push the drum out. AO sells a third hand for locking the bolt, but it gets lost too easily (I've had three). Also, 30 round sticks run about 20 bucks, and new drums are somewhere between $250 and $300. I still feel that you should have at elast one drum, just to piss of the antis.
The sights do indeed, suck. The flip up sight is much better, and how I normally shoot mine. The front pistol grip looks good, however the horizontal foregrip of the M1 and the 1927 commando feels much better IMO.
Reliabilty isnt an issue, I havent had mine apart in a year or more. I simply lock the bolt back and squirt some break-free in it.
Mag changes arent bad, radiusing the mag where it slides into the gun helps, but of course there's no substitute for practice.
Accuracy? Depends on the shooter, the gun itself does its part very well. I havent got to shoot my recent purchase (a commando model), but my other 1927 (below) is a blast, and always attracts a crowd at the range.
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don't get upset
my dad "brought" his tommy gun back from ww2. my mother caught my brother playing with it in the summer of '60 and freaked. even though there was no ammo in the house, the old man got rid of it. gave it his friend who was living in upstate ny.
my dad "brought" his tommy gun back from ww2. my mother caught my brother playing with it in the summer of '60 and freaked. even though there was no ammo in the house, the old man got rid of it. gave it his friend who was living in upstate ny.
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went out and shot it this weekend. As well as almost no recoil it was really quiet to shoot. The ladder sight with peep was fun too. We could get hits on old M 60 tanks at a couple hundred yards. Also the weight may vary between guns due to barrel length and stock material.
Yeah, I forgot to mention how quiet they are. I can hear the bolt cycle over the report of the gunshot. My little brother was shooting it last weekend and I took my ears off to get an idea of how loud it was indoors, and, while it was loud, it wasnt loud enough to give me a dial tone.
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If you can’t stop something that’s attacking with 50 rounds of .45 acp save the last one for yourself.
Beautiful but a bit on the heavy side, Recoil is tamed by the weight and shoots great.
1927 A-1 Deluxe With 50rd Drum & 30rd Stick Model T150D It came with a nice Thompson Rifle Case with Logo / #T50 / .
Caliber .45ACP
Barrel 16 1/2", Finned & Threaded (with compensator 18")
Weight 13 lbs.
Length 41" overall
Sight Blade front, open rear adjustable
Stock Walnut fixed stock and vertical foregrip
Magazine 30 Shot stick
I do a lot of physical work and have fairly long and strong arms so handling the Thompson is no big deal.
For the weaker armed the aluminum receiver model may be the answer.
The Thompson may be pricy to some but you own a piece of history and still get to shoot a real cool gun you can see in hundreds of shows and movies.
Between the 1911 .45 and the Thompson it would be hard to make a better gun that shoots that great .45 acp round that had stopped so many dead in their tracks for so many years.
My father missed seeing my new Thompson by hours, After I dropped my parents off at the airport I picked it up, But he did get to see my new 1911 .45 and he wishes he had kept his service gun, A Remington 1911, He was at Wheeler field when the japs bombed Pearl Harbor and now is the Vice President for the Survivors of Pearl Harbor in Arizona.
Paul aka Sporty
ara:
Beautiful but a bit on the heavy side, Recoil is tamed by the weight and shoots great.
1927 A-1 Deluxe With 50rd Drum & 30rd Stick Model T150D It came with a nice Thompson Rifle Case with Logo / #T50 / .
Caliber .45ACP
Barrel 16 1/2", Finned & Threaded (with compensator 18")
Weight 13 lbs.
Length 41" overall
Sight Blade front, open rear adjustable
Stock Walnut fixed stock and vertical foregrip
Magazine 30 Shot stick
I do a lot of physical work and have fairly long and strong arms so handling the Thompson is no big deal.
For the weaker armed the aluminum receiver model may be the answer.
The Thompson may be pricy to some but you own a piece of history and still get to shoot a real cool gun you can see in hundreds of shows and movies.
Between the 1911 .45 and the Thompson it would be hard to make a better gun that shoots that great .45 acp round that had stopped so many dead in their tracks for so many years.
My father missed seeing my new Thompson by hours, After I dropped my parents off at the airport I picked it up, But he did get to see my new 1911 .45 and he wishes he had kept his service gun, A Remington 1911, He was at Wheeler field when the japs bombed Pearl Harbor and now is the Vice President for the Survivors of Pearl Harbor in Arizona.
Paul aka Sporty
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