Oslow...(anyone)....please tell me some positive facts on the thompson guns...is it really worth it or just an expensive habit? (HA-HA) really, i`ve been eyeballin` em`, but maybe cash spent better elswhere...DON`T KNOW......B&G....[heavy]

If you are talking about the 16" barrel semiauto Thompson types, they are mildly amusing, but not very practical.

If you mean real Thompson SMGs, they are [b]HIGHLY[/b] amusing, but still not very practical. [;)] My local range rents a whole range of full auto toys, modern and antique. I always find myself going back to the Thompson SMG.

I have 2 a a1 and a comando they get looks every time the get brought out. I have to shoot
+ p ammo to cycle the heavy bolt.. and yes they are heavy very heavy... the 11.5Lb is empty
but if you do get one plan to spend almost as much for a drum as you did for the gun!!!
one last thing the 10 rnd drums will fit the delux only

at my last 4th of july party a guy had one( of the semi types) and he had to screw with it for a while just to get it to fire, the mag was hell to. its only positive was rthe cool factor. the guy had it is a violin gun case.

So i`m probably correct in thinking on a fal another ar, or something like that... more modern/practical?????...[sniper]

If you are looking for something more practical than an expensive toy, yup! [:)]

b&g

I have two. The 1927 A-1 Deluxe is indeed a heavy gun. The 1927 A-1C Lightweight has an alloy receiver and is much lighter. It takes a man or a big boy to hold one or pull back the bolt. My daughter likes to shoot an AR but will have nothing to do with a Thompson.

These carbines look cool and shoot well. I was impressed as hell the first time I fired one and everyone that has tried one of mine has the same reaction. I would have no problem taking one to a gunfight. They were, after all, a military weapon.

I have a 50 round drum (it came with the A-1 which is preban) but I would have no interest in another. The 30 round stick mags will do just fine. 30 rounds of .45 is plenty of extra weight.

I think the Thompson is a lot of fun to shoot. And I do have VIOLIN cases for both of them. That is just too cool to pass up.

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=178263&a=11224817&p=28974357[/img]

This is the Lightweight. They look the same. You don't have to shoot +P ammo and you don't have to mess with it to get it to shoot. It would be a match for an AR in a hallway. I have one under my bed. And it takes the same ammo as that .45 pistol.

Oslow, thanks alot for the pic. Now ya got me droolin' all over again. I've been wanting a Thompson since watching Combat when I was a kid in the '60s. I found one at Knob Creek , but the local Gestapo (Simon Leis) won't sign off on a F.A. in my area. I've been thinking about buying a semi. I believe Kahr Arms took over Auto Ordinance. Does anybody have any experience with them? I load my own 45acp, so +P isn't a problem. I just want to know if they are reliable. I have an AR, but, I really love the look and feel of heavy metal!

NoSheep, picked up a 1927A1 (PRNJ is not a class 3 state, big surprise)about a year and a half ago just after Kahr took over. By eyeball, quality was excellent. First trip to the range was a different story. Several failures to fire on the first stick. Examination of the ammo (which was brand new Winchester .45 ball 230 grain) showed firing pin strike so far off center that even the ones that fired had a huge bulge/ripple going across the primer. Sent it back to Kahr. After about 6 weeks, came back with no paperwork indicating what had been done. Same problem, although more of the rounds fired. Contacted Chick Blood at AGA. He knew the guy who was in charge of production. After a long conversation with him, shipped it back again, and this time it came back done right - new bolt, new sear, and a couple of other items. Works great now. The excuse they gave for the problem was that they had just moved all the machinery to a new plant and were still "working the bugs out". Hopefully, QC has improved, but you'd need to talk to someone who bought one recently. They are fun when they're working right, and if you live in a non-class 3 state or a class 3 state with an a**hole chief LEO, gotta get one - maybe a pre-Kahr if QC still sucks.

I have never had a problem. You stick in a mag and you shoot. I've fired Russian .45 and about every other kind of .45 ammo. I paid about $700 for the Lightweight. The preban with the drum was slightly more.[smoke]

Thanks for the info guys......have to think on this one a while longer.......[heavy]

Fun, but for the price why not get a rifle instead of an overgrown pistol?
If you are looking to turn heads, go for it, every other guy has an AR, I have only seen two Thompson's in use.
It would be really cool to get one of the WWII ones. Imagine the history.

SS109, yeah it would be really cool to get one of the WW2 ones, or even better, one of the 1928 full auto models, but if you're not fortunate enought to live in a state where it's possible, you make do. Turning heads was not why I got mine. Always wanted one ever since I saw the "Untouchables" as a young kid. Got to use much better full auto guns in the Army,  but somehow the Thompson never lost its allure. Yeah, mine's a fugazi "Thompson", but until I can move to a class3 friendly state, it will more than do.

arnt the drunms alone going for about 500-600 dollers

The fifty round drums can cost $600, the 100 round drums go for $800. I've seen WWII 3 cell 30rd mag pouches sell for $60+ and 5 cell 20rd pouches for $100. The 20 round mags are harder to find than 30s. The WWII stick mags don't fit the semi-autos unless you ream out the catch hole (takes about 2 minutes).

Even people that know absolutely nothing about guns recognize this weapon ("MACHINE GUN!"). People that do know something about guns usually say something like: "Oh, WOW!"

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=178263&a=11224817&p=46561029[/img]

A new one came in to the store last Wensday it looked pretty good.Kahr has a pretty good rep with QC.This one had a ser# starting with K.I didnt know they had bought them a year end a half ago.I know before they were bought by Kahr they had problems with there 1911.One other thing the Thompson had a 17 inch length of pull.Were the originalls like that? I was so giddy about the full auto one I shot a couple years ago,I didn't even notice. Enteprise Arms has 30 rounders for $15

On the heavy side, but great shooter.  I have been real happy with mine.

Hey,

I just bought a Auto Ordinance semi auto 1928-A1. At 11lbs, it is a little heavy. The friggin, MAGAZINES weigh almost a half pound!
Below is a picture of my gun, as you can see, it differs slightly from the earlier model Thompsons.
[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1678589&a=12876008&p=48220292&Sequence=0&res=high[/img]
I took it to the range, and, quite frankly, I wasn't expecting much in the way of accuracy. I own a Cobray 11/9 carbine, and I KNOW how bad that is at 100yds. I bought the Thompson because I always wanted one, they look so damn cool, and they have such history behind them.
[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1678589&a=12876008&p=48220289&Sequence=0&res=high[/img][img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1678589&a=12876008&p=48220290&Sequence=0&res=high[/img]
The Thompson Really impressed me. I bought 200 rounds, 100 of winchester and 100 CCI blazer. The win gave me 4-6" groups, and the Blazer 6-8" at 100yds. for a submachine gun, I consider that to be pretty damn good.

My advice is that if you like them, buy one. Oh, by the way, check out [url]http://www.auto-ordnance.com[/url] for more info on the rifles, and I'd go to [url]http:www.whatacountry.com[/url], where I bought SIX 30rd USGI tommy mags, still in the grease for $80, they also came in a pouch.

Hope it helps.

Samhain44

I fired my AO 1927A1 semi a few weeks back...every other round would jam and half the time i pulled the trigger nothing happened. no strike no audible click nothing. i only have 30rd stick mags made by Seymour that have the oval mag catch and they fit tight. anyone have any ideas? any smiths out there that work on tommys?

I get to use a Department registered Thompson and I love it. It looks exactly like an original Model 1921, which didnt use the Cutts Compensator.  The Cutts doesn't do a whole lot on a Thompson because it is so heavy anyway and its hell to clean out that compensator (and it adds cost).  They have a heavy long trigger pull and are so-so in accuracy on semi since the trigger isnt good and the heavy bolt has to slam forward to fire.  But with a little practice and using short 3-4 rd bursts they are real accurate on full-auto.  The one I use is quite accurate, even with a slightly modified modern production Auto-Ordnance clone rear sight.

I have heard good and bad on the semi-auto Thompsons.  It is actually a good design but the execution of it over the years has caused most of the problems with it.  Auto-Ordnance, before Kahr bought them, was starting to put out a poor product and the first Kahr ones had lots of troubles too I heard.  The shaping of the front and rear pistol grips leaves ALOT to be desired as they are no where close to originals and there are some quality control issues too.  The recoil sprigs are ungodly strong for some reason and require much more force than a real Thompson which pulls back with ease.  Feed and functioning have constantly been problems on the new Thompsons, including the full-autos when they were still making them.  I believe it was improper shaping of the feed ramps.  Make sure that the mags seat properly and the rounds are facing square to the ramps and are up high enough to feed right onto the ramp.   If it still isnt working then Kahr may need to do some work on it as the bolt may have a problem.  Make sure the mags are good as worn out surplus ones will cause trouble until the lips are reshaped.  I believe the lips have to be .55" apart and rounded to about what the shape of a 45 round is.  I have reworked several mags I have so I could use them.  Those mags will last forever if set up correctly.

Owning a Semi-auto Thompson is like having a Colt Single Action, or a Winchester '73:  If you have to ask.......
I've owned two and was pleased with both.  The Thompson design, being an automatic weapon design is completely reliable, IF there is no manufacturing defect.
A lot of fun, and that steel and walnut....
shades of Elliot Ness, Audie Murphey, and Vic Morrow.

Gotta go full auto with the Thompson. Its the only way to go.

Very true, Paul. Still interested in hearing if anyone recently got one the Kahr/Thompsons onf the QC issue. If you don't live, or can't move anytime soon to a class 3 state, gotta get one.