Where's the Thompson love?

Why don't I ever see any posts in here about the Thompson. I've been thinking about picking one up but haven't been able to find anything about them on the site. Anyone have any experience with the auto-ordinance Thompsons?

http://www.auto-ordnance.com/PA-1.html

I've always "kinda" wanted one, but the weight and cost have always kept me from biting.

If a sweet enough deal presented itself, I could probably live with the weight...

Try one on FA if you haven't already and ever get the chance.

I have a friend (local FFL) who owns a FA Thompson (he's had it forever) and one trip shooting that one was all it took to put a real hurtin' on me... but I just can't justify the cost of one at today's prices so if I ever do get one it will be a semi.

I have a Savage M1and it is a lot of fun to shoot.

I don't shoot it as much as I used to, due to ammo costs. She has a healthy appetite (850rpm or so). The rate of fire depends to some degree on the ammunition in question, as you would expect. Oddly the weaker ammo seems to have a higher rate of fire- the bolt probably doesn't go as far back in the frame so it essentially cycles quicker.

The Thompson is a period piece. The ergos on it are downright bizarre to someone who first picks it up. The stock drop is epic but you do adapt pretty quickly.

I shoot mine like I shoot a shotgun. Leaning slightly forward, I stare at the target and don't move my head. The weapon is brought up and the front sight comes into vision. The trigger is depressed and I "paint" the target with a quick burst. It is not a precision weapon, but it is surprisingly accurate in semi-auto. The trigger is !heavy! for safety reasons, and there is a big mass of metal that comes slamming forward when you depress the trigger- but you get used to it.

The Thompson can be lethal in the right hands, that much I know.

I chronographed the Thompson and the velocity was essentially identical to my 1911.

There is now a good .22lr conversion kit available for the Thompson that I may purchase in the coming year.

I love my M1 but it is a heavy and was obsolete even when it was made. Mine also shoots very fast at over a 1000 rounds a minute which is not very practical.

I have a pre-kahr, and while a pretty gun and fun to shoot, it's not standing up to even a small round count. Less than 1000 rounds over the course of 12 years, and the Cutts came loose, the rear sight rivets are loose, along with the vertical grip and buttstock.


It sucks because I love it to death!



On the plus side, with the long barrel, it sounds suppressed.

Have you considered getting one of the .22lr conversions?

http://blackdogmachinellc.net/thompson-22-lr-conversion-unit.aspx

They must be better than Ciener's version and you get the bonus (worth a premium in my opinion) of NOT dealing with that insane fool Ciener.

I did not know that BDM made such a kit i think I will have to get one for my NFA Tommy

I need a Thompson so bad. While not the most practical gun by any means it is such a peice of American history I would just love to have it.

Kahr is making SBR ones these days and it is so tempting to get a semi-auto WWII style version.

Here's my Kahr - Auto Ordnance SBR that I finally got finished. I just modifided the mag catch so regular USGI Thompson mags work and I can dump the factory 30 rounder. She runs great and is accurate for the type of platform she is.

Here is some love for you Gangsta Style

I love the Thompson.

Back in my dealer days I had an M1a1 and a 21. Both were fun and great to shoot. I really wish I had the cash for a transferable one.

maybe some day I can pick up a west hurrley.

Until them M10 with Lage upper will have to do. It shoots slower at 650 rpm but I still would love to have a good ole tommy.

I sure do wish people knew there was a difference between a real Thompson machine gun and the copy produced currently by the people who bought up the trademark. I owned one of the semi guns and it was a piece of crap, with potmetal magazine release and a compensator that spun around on the barrel when it was brand new.

Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to handle a real Colt-built Thompson and realized what a pathetic, poorly-made, heavy, copy I owned. I could hardly wait to get rid of my "tommy gun" after that.

The Moonies may own the Thompson name and logo, but that does not a Thompson make.

Yikes!!...And I was actually contemplating purchasing one as a range toy. Anyone else have similar, negative experiences?

Is this one of the current, Kahr produced versions?.....I would really like to own one someday if they are functional

I had one of the Kahr made semi versions. Model 1927.

Positives -
The gun was nicely made. Wood was very nice. Blued finish was good. Fun to shoot.

Negatives -
Extremely heavy. As in rupture yourself when picking it up if you're not ready heavy.
Trigger pull was horrible(think looooong and scrunchy).
Sights sucked balls. The rear sight kept working loose. Eventually had to Lock-Tite the mounting screws.
Inaccurate. Never could get it to shoot better than about 6"-8" groups at 50yds.
Had to run thru about 25 different stick magazines to find 6 that worked 100%. Never did have a drum as they were so expensive.
Gun only ran good with plain old 230gr RNFMJ's. Hotter hand loads worked better. Hollowpoint ammo never did feed worth a shit.
Takedown is somewhat complicated but not difficult once you learn how.
Expensive to feed.

Once I got the ammo and magazine situation figured out it ran pretty good.
Always got lots of slobbers at the range.
Pretty good home defense weapon. Intimidation factor even more awesome than racking a pump shotgun.
Local Po-Po crapped their pants until they figured out what it was. Be prepared to explain.
Really just a glorified plinker.

Sold it and haven't missed it.

You have to do a bit of labor, money and love to improve Kahr's abomination. Here is my beauty.

Love mine. Late model Kahr. Gave me some problems for about the first 100 rounds, and hasn't hiccuped since. I've only ever fed it 230 gr. FMJ...That's what Dad used on Okinawa, it's good enough for me!
I shortened the barrel and welded the cutts on to keep it at a legal length (wish I could SBR it proper, but my masters won't let me do that in this state), and lately have been Dremeling an edge here or there. I plan on eventually parkerizing it like Canaris did. It's a fun gun...definitly a niche piece for those who value nostolgia over tacticool.

I'd buy a real Thompson in a second if I lived in a state that would let me, and if I could afford $30,000.00 for a toy, and another $30,000.00 a year to feed it. Meanwhile, the Kahr is fine. I used to own a West Hurly Auto-Ordnance, and scoff at people who claim they were made better than the current Kahrs. Mine wasn't. I also used to own a Kahr M1C with the aluminum receiver...that one sucked balls. The site bolts vibrated out and quickly stripped. It ran well though.
But I like my late model deluxe with the push button removable stock, and round charging handle best though.

I have a West-Hurley Thompson A-5 pistol. It was available for about 10 years, ceasing production in 1994, I think. Maybe because of the assault weapons ban.

As far as I can tell, it's the only pistol that you can legally own with a forward vertical grip, without going the AOW route. It's long, 26", the same legal length as a rifle. Long 13" barrel.
It cannot be fitted with a stock. Lightweight, with an aluminum receiver.
I'm not sure why it was grandfathered in as a regular pistol. Perhaps it's the long length that made it no more concealable than a carbine.
Anyway, it's pretty rare.

I had an M-1 style "auto-ordnance" copy that was a complete piece of shit. A buddy bought it brand new, literally jammed every other round. I bought it from him as a project gun, confident that the issues were mag or mag-release-related. After two years of frustration I finally sold it - that thing really pissed me off.

I really wanted a stick-mag fed 45 carbine, especially with so much history behind the Thompson, but the semi copy i bought was nothing but a disappointment.

Last summer I sold a full auto WWII vintage M1A1 that I'd had for about 6 years. I hadn't shot it in over two years. I was left with some spare parts, four 20 round and 19, 30 round stick mags and 2300+ rounds of .45 ACP ammo. I came across a new Kahr semi 1927A1 at a price that I could not walk away from. The gun came with a 30 round "semi" stick mag, a 50 round drum amg and plastic hard case. I had a spare mag catch from the M1A1 days that I modified and put in the 27A1 so that it would take the left over mags (as well as the drum).

The fit and finish are excellent for the price I paid.

Only issue I've had so far is the sights are not even close. Shoots way low and right. I plan to do more "shake down" shooting before I tweek it into pointing at the right spot.

The machinegunboards.com Website has a very active Thompson forum but mostly is directed to the full auto guns. Semi's do get occasional discussion and the people who post there a lot have plenty of knowledge that they share.

Not legal advice, MHO, YMMV, etc.

Nice. I bought mine in '93. At that time, AO was selling the 1928 butt stock conversion for about $3. Custom welding for that, plus the 1928 butt stock and the 1927A1, with the FBI hard case, 2-L-type drums, oiler. Overall, cost me less than what Kahr is selling their basic 1927-A1 for today.

My wife and I had a chance to shoot a full-auto M1 at the gun store in Las Vegas a couple of months ago. Quite a hoot. My wife's smile was priceless.

I've probably run less than 2-k rounds through it over the years, and while a range toy, it's certainly fun to shoot. No troubles with mine, and as accurate as I would expect for a range toy.

Next thing will be to SBR it.

Similar,

Had one of the Klinton-ban-era pre-Kahr 1927A1C Delux "Lightweights"
Still toooo heavy for what it was
Had to add the $50.00++ "E-Z Pull" spring sets so that I didn't need 3 strong men to help me charge the gun
Beautiful walnut, but not as nice as Kahr's new furniture sets
Wasted good money on a 50rd drum; there is a VALID reason the military gave up on drums. 'course Hollywood loves them; but then they never jam in the movies...
The fake Lyman ladder bounced on every shot - useless
Nothing like a Cutts comp with a bullet logo!
Still - an expensive, really expensive, glorified .45ACP plinker that looks cooler than a Camp45.
Sold it and never looked back

Look for used ones as their value drops like an MSAR or SIG556 once you say Kahr or West Hurley.

They gave-up on drums because bullets in a drum would rattle. There's some reports that the Brit's used a sheet of linoleum or such to prevent this, but I've heard of no solid reporting. I've never had an issue with my L-Type drums, and there are some misconceptions on how to measure "clicks". For every two-three small clicks you hear, that really means you've made the first of 9-clicks required to charge the mainspring.

I never had a problem with the charging handle on the 1927-A1 deluxe model, though certainly they are horrible on the M1 side-cockers, which had a "dimple" in the charging handle to accommodate the nose of a .45 round to assist with leverage during the cocking process.

The Lyman sight should never have been used on the original Thompson design; I suppose it was an expensive add-on to illustrate the range the gun had.

The manual indicates only 230-gr. ball ammo, so I would expect some issues if you're using any other type ammo.

It was always too heavy for what it was, that's been known for over 80-yrs. It is was what it is, a milestone in firearms development with an extra-kick of American ingenuity that at that time was ahead of all other firearms until the development of other, lighter and more economically produced firearms.

Certainly, the semi-auto version has been largely relegated to the hobbyist, and in most situations, a "range-toy". I believe the inaccuracy report is likely due to not becoming used to the weight. My West Hurley semi-auto is accurate at the distance of my local 100 ft range for groupings of 5 inches, which isn't that bad, and within my expectations.

Accuracy changes dramatically when using a full-auto version...as in a concentrated right shoulder roll to the left and down to keep it on target.

As I said; shop carefully and you will find used ones often selling for less than a "good gun" should fetch - for reasons. The proverbial "it was a good idea at the time".

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