New Thompson

[Vernon/IN]

Here are a couple of quick shots of my 1927a1. I have not yet had a chance to get to the range.




I'll post better photos when I get a chance to set up the shots. I'll also have a full range report later.

Vernon

[Crossdrawnj]

These are nice. But they look pretty weird with the 16" barrel. I had the M1A model and sold it to a friend when I discovered I couldn't SBR in my state. They are so heavy it's like shooting a .38 wadcutter. Enjoy.

Crossdraw.

[St. George]

I got a Colt M1A1 from an ARVN tanker.

Carried it on a couple of patrols, but it was like having a boat anchor, so I swapped it to one of our pilots, and got a Swedish K, instead.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Vernon/IN]

Once I have a chance to verify function, I'll be submitting the paperwork so I can put a 10.5 inch barrel on it.

[Crossdrawnj]

If you go to their web site, AO offers a SBR model of their 1928 as well as their M1A. I live in NJ and this is not a option for me.

Crossdraw.

[Vernon/IN]

I thought about the factory SBR but decided against it.  It's actually less expensive this way and the wait time for the form 1 is less than that for the form 4.

Vernon

[PJ Hardtack]

Vernon/IN  - nice toy!

Ever wondered where, why and how the $200 transfer tax came to be? It stems from the 1934 Gun Control Act and was also applied to silencers that cost $2 in any hardware store. A Thompson could be had from the Sears catalog for $125.  A worker on the Ford assembly line at the time didn't make $200 a month.
Congress realized that because of the 2nd Amendment, it couldn't ban guns, so made the decision to make it cost prohibitive and a crime to own one without paying the tax; allegedly a revenue-raising measure.

The tax was also applied to short barrelled shotguns and rifles commonly carried by ranchers and farmers. Who was going to pay a $200 tax for a gun worth less than $10 or a war souvenir machine gun? Instantly, millions of Americans were turned into 'paper criminals'. It was intended to apply to handguns as well, but the outcry from women who wanted access to small pistols for personal protection quashed that.

Lest anyone think this is this stuff of conspiracy theorists and the tin foil hat brigade, Canada instigated handgun registration in 1934. Why did it work here? We don't have anything like your 2nd Amendment and our population at the time was less than 15 million. We still live with it.
Also, we are currently banned from owning handguns with barrels 4" or less in length, unless you are "grandfathered", and .25s and .32s are prohibited unless similarly "grandfathered". I own guns a younger Canadian cannot own and while my wife can inherit them, she cannot acquire any others.This is merely delayed confiscation.

EVERY one of our 'gun control' initiatives can be traced directly to either the 1934 NFA and the 1968 GCA. Our anti-gun law makers have been in lock-step with yours from the get-go. We're just a few steps further ahead with 'Big Brother's' agenda.

Since the 1980s, Canadian gun owners have had to be licenced. In 1996 we had mandatory registration of long guns.
This requirement has recently been rescinded by the government, but not yet ratified by the Senate. It matters not, as we still cannot own property without the permission of the government, guns included. It has taken us a while to wake up, but the sleeping giant has awakened and politicians are feeling the heat.

I strongly urge all of you to find and read "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross. Copies on the net go for $200 up (the cost of one tax stamp!) but it's available as a pdf. Published in 1996, it had four printings, but is hard to find. The copy I got from the library is one of TWO in the entire province!
When John Ross tried to bring 200 copies of it into Canada on a book tour, he was stopped at the border by YOUR people, not ours. Think the book has something to say that they don't want you to know?
Ever wonder where, why and how the BATF became the all-intrusive, all-powerful bureaucracy it is today? This book will tell you that, and more.

"Magnificent! Will terrify and appall jackbooted stormtroopers everywhere, and even more so the whimpering media geeks who squat to lick those boots."  Colorado Springs 'Gazette-Telegraph

"This is the most disturbing book I have ever read. That said, it ranks only below Holy Scripture as required reading. The most frightening book ever written about a federal bureaucracy spun totally out of control."  Editor 'Fighting Firearms'

"Describes the scenario I've been worrying about for ten years. That damn Ross has written my book!"  Col. James Jeffries III, federal prosecutor that forced Spiro Agnew to resign

[Forty Rod]

I carried a 1928 the first time I was in "nam and an M1A1 the second time around.  I also had brief flings with an M3A1, an M2 carbine, and an AK47.

The M1A1 is the love of my life.  Sure it's a bit heavy, but I grew up with an M1 Garand, so it wasn't very noticeable.  Also, most of my traveling was in jeeps, choppers, and C123s.

The gun was accurate to 75 yards on semi-auto, mild on recoil, and 100% reliable under every circumstance I put it into.

Has a 50 round L drum with the 28...along with a bunch of 30 round sticks...and got rid of it almost instantly.  It was impressive when it worked, but clockwork magazines don't much impress me for reliability.

[Border Ruffian]

Congratulations! on your Thompson.

Here's mine, a West Hurley gun from 1994 with Dan Block stocks.

[Vernon/IN]

Congratulations! on your Thompson.

Here's mine, a West Hurley gun from 1994 with Dan Block stocks.

Looking good.  I like the new wood, is the stock detachable?  Have you modified the mag catch, or do you modify the mags?

Vernon

[Border Ruffian]

The buttstock screws on, it's not detachable like the 1928 and some of the new Kahr guns.  I didn't like the look of the M1A1 type of buttstock that came on the gun.

I modified all my mags years ago so I kept the catch as it came on the gun, if I had it to do over I'd have modified the catch and left the mags alone.

[Vernon/IN]

I suspected that the stock was removable rather than detachable.  The position of the rear screw hole in the stock is further forward that the rear screw on mine.  It looks great, at first glance it looks just like the '21 and '28 versions.

Vernon

[Vernon/IN]

I finally had a chance to get to the range today.  My time was limited, I only put 100 rounds through the 1927a1.  Functioning was flawless, not one failure of any type.  The rifle was shooting 10 inches low at 25 yards using the basic sight with the ladder folded down.  Using the ladder sight at 100 yards, I was able to pick off pieces of clay birds that someone had left on the backstop.  All shooting was off hand.

I did not try the drum, I did not take the time to load it.

I expect to get to the range again this weekend and should have a good bit more time.

Vernon

[Vernon/IN]

I now have 5 20 round mags, I just need to modify the mag catch so that they will lock in place and function.

I'll shoot some before and after photos along with a few in progress shots.  I post a how-to for the modification.