You'll get almost exactly 50% statements to buy an older gun made by Numrich Arms/Gun Parts, and 50% saying to buy a Kahr.
The Thompson is HEAVY, just like the original Thompson Submachine Gun.
That's because its still made of solid forged and milled steel and American walnut.
The gun's trigger pull is long, heavy, and gritty. Little can be done about that because of the gun's design.
The mechanism is an involved, complicated design, made necessary by the ATF's resistance to allowing Numrich to make the gun back in the late 60's.
Back then, the ATF refused to allow ANY gun to be made that even resembled a TSMG, and George Numrich had to threaten to take them to court.
In order to satisfy the ATF, the trigger design is heavy, and there's not much that can be done about it.
The gun is set up to shoot 230 grain, full-metal jacket ammo and that's the only ammo the factory recommends. It will shoot lead bullets, but these lead the Cutts Compensator up BADLY, and it's HARD to remove.
Some people do have good results with steel cased ammo, but the gun "usually" does NOT shoot steel case ammo very good, and has a rep of breaking extractors when used with steel. .
The gun is accurate, but since the sights are NOT like the original Lyman adjustable sights, there is no windage adjustment, and only coarse elevation adjustments.
The gun usually shoots great groups, but they may not be centered on target.
The action has HEAVY springs, and again, nothing much can be done about this due to the design.
As an automatic weapons design, the gun is usually very reliable.
When it isn't, it's almost always the fault of worn out magazines, or magazines improperly alter to fit the semi-auto gun.
On magazines in the semi-auto, you have three options:
1. Alter original commercial or GI magazines to work by filing the magazine catch hole SLIGHTLY upward until the magazine catch will engage the magazine.
2. Alter the magazine catch to work with unaltered magazines.
3. Replace the semi-auto magazine catch with an original full-auto catch.
When magazines don't properly fit the gun, you get stoppages.
The gun is an ABSOLUTE HOOT to shoot.
Be prepared to reload or buy bulk ammo, it EATS ammo.
It always draws a crowd at the range and everyone wants to shoot it.
What it ISN'T, is a modern light-weight assault weapon, it isn't a target weapon with a light, smooth trigger, and it isn't a really a good home defense gun due to the weight and bulk.
What it is, is a fun gun. It's a plinker and can roller.
Look at it like the modern copies of the Winchester lever rifles and the single action revolvers: A shooting replica of a historical full-auto weapon, that's legal to own.