Thompsons(!) For a long time, Ike, a retired law enforcement officerwho is also a gun collector, wasn't interested in owningThompsons. The pistol used a .30 (7.65 mm) Luger barrel attached to the frame. 6 is in the Rock Island Museum, and Serial No. "The Tommy Gun in Jungle Warfare: The Use and Usefulness of the Thompson Submachine Gun for Australian Soldiers on the Kokoda Trail, New Guinea, 1942,", Rice, Glenn E. "$210K for Bonnie & Clyde Tommy Gun, shotgun", The Ultimate Thompson Book by Tracie L. Hill, sfn error: no target: CITEREFSmith1969p461 (, As mentioned in a notorious reportage on the death of outlaw, sfn error: no target: CITEREFSmith1969p516 (, "Thompson Submachine Gun: Principles of Operation 1943", running various parts of the fragmented country, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Front de Libration de la Cte des Somalis, List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation, "Diario de la Guerra de Honduras: 30 de enero-30 de abril 1924, Mario Rivas", "Forgotten History of Thompson SMG in Secret Police and Army of Soviet Russia", "Silah Report Podcast V33: Iranian Submachine Guns (19411979)", "SOMALIA: Weapons We Used, Weapons We Captured", "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia", "Full Power/Full Auto: The Thompson Goes Metric And the MP5 Goes American", "Digital Resources: The Sandino Rebellion Digital Historical Archive, Nicaragua, 19271934", "Development of the Thompson Submachine Gun", "An Official Journal Of The NRA | Guns of the Battle of Blair Mountain", " : - ", "St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Tale of two guns", "Thompson Submachine Gun: The Tommy Gun Goes to War", "12 Viet Cong Homemade Thompson Submachine Gun", "Thompson "Tommy Gun" SMG .30 Carbine Version -", M1 Vs M1A1 Thompson Submachine Gun Cyclic rate, "Submachine guns of UK BSA Thompson 1926 Thompson 1928A1 Lanchester Sten and Sterling", List of Restricted and Prohibited Firearms, "Handvuurwapens van de Belgische Rijkswacht", "MEMRIA E IDENTIDADE NA TRAJETRIA DOS RFOS DE PAU DE COLHER: ACONTECIMENTOS, PESSOAS, LUGARES", "Police Small Arms Arsenals in the Northern Central American Triangle", http://www.ilcassetto.it/notizia.php?tid=148, ":: Revista Militar::-Revistas As Indstrias Militares e As Armas de Fogo", " , ( 1)", "Viet Cong Weaponry: 14 Small Arms From the Vietnam War", "The American "Tommy Gun" In The Pak-Afghan Region Report", "La fusillade de Loyada: Quelle balle a tu? In contrast, the "XX" twenty-round box magazine was light and compact. When the trigger is depressed, the bolt is released, traveling forward to chamber and simultaneously fire the first and subsequent rounds until either the trigger is released or the ammunition is exhausted. [56], During the Greek Civil War, the Thompson submachine gun was used by both sides. Thompson submachine gun, byname Tommy gun, submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, John T. Thompson. Serial No. However, another Army showed interest - the Irish Republican Army, which. The perceived popularity of submachine guns such as the Thompson with violent gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s was one of the main reasons given for passage of the National Firearms Act by the United States Congress in 1934. after construction of a federal road in Sergipe was disrupted by armed Cangaeiros in December 1937. Many of the Colt models had French-language manuals packed with them as they had been abruptly diverted to England after the fall of France. When loaded, the bronze lock closed on the chambered round. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/technology/Thompson-submachine-gun, Auto-Ordnance - The Thompson Submachine Gun, GlobalSecurity.org - Thompson submachine gun, Warfare History Network - The Thompson Gun's Curious History, from World War I to World War II. Stay in the know. The Thompson submachine gun or "Tommy Gun" has become one of the most iconic firearms of the 20th century and certainly one of the most . Adopted by the German army in 1898 to replace the 1888 Commission rifle, the Mauser Gewehr 98 and derivatives became among the most widely produced and distributed rifles of all time. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Submachine Guns Caliber .45 M3 & M3A1 Army Manual~NEW at the best online prices at eBay! 3. However, the Annihilator III, Model G, with serial No. Be the first to know of our latest discoveries and exclusive offers. Variants include the1928A1, M1 and M1A1. On these guns, the model number "1921" on the receiver was updated by stamping an "8" over the last "1". Sort By. In addition, the gun performed better than most after exposure to rain, dirt, and mud.[36]. They soon discovered that the weapon was prone to jamming due to sand. Thompson Submachine Gun Caliber: M1928 - .45ACP; .45ACP Weight: M1928 - 10.8 lbs; M1A1 - 10 lbs Length: M1928 - 33.7 in; M1A1 - 31.9 in Barrel Length: M1928 - 12 in (w/compensator); M1A1 - 10.5 in Cyclic Rate of Fire: M1928 - 600-725 rpm; M1A1 - 800 rpm Feed System: M1928 - Box/Drum; M1A1 - Box 1 functioned satisfactorily, several needed improvements were incorporated into the next family of Thompsons. Order one for your collection, and own a piece of American history! He also has a Savage M1 Thompson that was made for the war. Because it could be obtained so easily, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States in the 1920s. Get Guns.com offers and news!! [64], Early versions of the Thompson, the Model 1919, had a fairly high cyclic rate of fire, as high as 1,200rounds per minute (rpm), with most Model 1921s at 800rpm. in Weimar Germany ISBN 0889353565, 9780889353565, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 16:17. They also created difficulty when clearing a cartridge malfunction ("jam"). First issued in 1943, the M1 uses a simple blowback operation, with the charging handle moved to the side. The Thompson had to be cocked, bolt retracted, ready to fire, in order to attach the drum magazine. The possession of any fully automatic firearm is prohibited in the UK by the Firearms Act 1968; prohibited firearms can be possessed on a section 5 certificate, but these are not issued for sporting purposes. They shipped their remaining stocks to arm the forces of Lon Nol's Khmer Republic in 1975. In addition to the .45 RemingtonThompson, the M1923 Thompsons were to be made available to prospective buyers in several calibers, including .45 ACP, 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Mauser, and .351 Winchester Self-loading.[72]. The company was the creation of retired U.S. Army Gen. John T. Thompson, one of America's leading firearm experts of the day, and he was backed by Thomas Fortune Ryan, a powerful Wall Street. The Thompson was an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. In addition, the Soviet Union received M1928A1s, included as standard equipment with the M3 light tanks obtained through Lend-Lease. The box magazine was quickly attached and detached, and was removed downward, making clearing jams easier. With the start of World War II, major contracts from several countries saved the manufacturer from bankruptcy. Payne then replaced the actuator with one that was heavier, and replaced the recoil spring with one that was stiffer; the changes reduced the rate of fire from 800 to the 600rpm of the U.S. Navy Model 1928. [66] The M1928A1 Thompson drum magazine was rather fragile, and cartridges tended to rattle inside it, producing unwanted noise. Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board. The Thompson was soon found to have limited effect in heavy jungle cover, where the low-velocity .45 bullet would not penetrate most small-diameter trees or protective armor vests. The Viet Cong liked the weapon and used both captured models as well as manufacturing their own copies in small jungle workshops.[61]. On July 1, residents with a clean criminal history of legal age in Florida will be able to carry concealed without a permit. This Thompson was originally built with no sights, no buttstock and no semi-automatic selector lever. This military model differs from the original commercial model in its 20 round magazine and its horizontal foregrip. Although Thompsons submachine gun received positive evaluations from both the Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, neither service initially opted to purchase it on a widespread basis. When opened up, the Thompson features a small number of parts that need to be removed including the spring, bolt, Blish Lock, and actuator bolt. This rate of fire, combined with a rather heavy trigger pull and a stock with an excessive drop, increases the tendency for the barrel to climb off target in automatic fire. Ike's oncebelonged to the Moline, Illinois, police department. Upon learning of the friction-delayed blowback firing action patented by John Bell Blish in 1915, Thompson, a U.S. Army ordnance officer, sought to incorporate that design into an effective trench sweeper weapon. It was originally designed to be used by both infantry and cavalry troops, but it quickly became standard now and be the talk of the town! "The FBI and the Thompson Submachine Gun". The company was the creation of retired U.S. Army Gen. John T. Thompson, one of Americas leading firearm experts of the day, and he was backed by Thomas Fortune Ryan, a powerful Wall Street financier. With modern technology, the Blish system is often considered massively outdated, with running theories that it actually failed to function as theorized. Models with the compensator were cataloged as No. In 1916, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation was established to create a new automatic rifle for the armed forces. 9 used 18 parts. [52] The U.S. Marines also used the Thompson as a limited-issue weapon, especially during their later island assaults. It conjures up powerful images of the 1920s and 30s prohibition era. The bluing was not a hard-finish bluing like that on the Colts of this era, so it is even more remarkable that any remains. In its original design, it was finished more like a sporting weapon, with an adjustable rear sight, a blued, finned barrel and vertical foregrip (or pistol grip) and the Blish lock. $59.95 M1 Thompson Buffer Pilot TMP098 $8.00 Thompson Foregrip Screw Horizontal TMP100 $4.50 [78], A special purpose machine pistol variant of the Thompson is manufactured by RPB Industries of Atlanta.[79]. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "The Colt Thompson Submachine Gun". It is generally believed that 40 Model of 1919 prototypes were built by Auto-Ordnances Engineering Department in Cleveland. ), The staff of Savage Arms looked for ways to simplify the M1928A1, and produced a prototype in February 1942, which was tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground in March 1942. By the spring of 1942, cost-reduction design changes had brought this down to $70. The M1 bolt had a floating firing pin and hammer, the bolt of the M1A1 had the firing pin machined to the face of the bolt, eliminating unnecessary parts. 7, is the oldest American-made submachine gun in private hands, today. The plain Thompson (without the attachment) was designated No. With the full backing of Thompson, who had been instrumental in the original development of the .45 ACP and had overseen the development of the U.S. Model of 1911 pistol, the design team developed a series of submachine guns known as the Thompson Submachine Guns, Models of 1919. Under federal regulations, these changes make the Model 1927A1 legally a rifle and remove it from the federal registry requirements of the National Firearms Act. [42][43], In 1926, the Cutts Compensator (a muzzle brake) was offered as an attachment option for the Thompson. During one of the later tests, however, the .45 ACP cartridge was found to function flawlessly. The Cutts compensator, barrel cooling fins, and Blish lock were omitted while the buttstock was permanently affixed. Because of their quality and craftsmanship, as well as their gangster-era and WWII connections, Thompsons are sought as collector's items. These modern versions should not be confused with the original semi-automatic M1927, which was a slightly modified M1921 produced by Colt for Auto-Ordnance. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals. Thanks to Royal Range in Bellevue for bringing them out! The war Thompson's had a side actuator to charge the gun instead ofa top actuator on the M1921's. 1 was designed to have wings in the receivers magazine well to support a group of Colt M1911 magazines to feed the arm. These were the first 1919s to incorporate a round bolt face, centered actuator and redesigned firing-pin system, providing improved reliability. The success of the Auto-Ordnance Co., the Thompson and an American legend were all built upon these unique Models of 1919. Of those, only 11 are known to exist today, with only five known to be in private hands. It weighed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) empty and fired .45-calibre ammunition. However, their relatively low rate of fire and their overall size (typically more than 5 feet [150 cm] long with bayonet attached) made them unsuitable for the close-quarters combat seen in the trenches of the Western Front. Early model Thompson drum magazines were heavy and made a rattling sound when soldiers moved around with the weapon. A.O. [28] Thompson intended for the weapon to provide a high volume of automatic, man-portable fire for use in trench warfarea role for which the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) had been determined ill-suited. [31], In 1928, Federal Laboratories took over distribution of the weapon from Thompson's Auto Ordnance Corporation. [27], Thompson submachine guns were used by both sides during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. 11, the Model 1919 takes the final appearance of the later Thompsons with the rear sights and butt stock. The Thompson submachine gun is one of the most iconicAmerican gunsever produced. The testers considered both superior to either the "XX" box or "L" drum. Deactivated Thompson SMG, early WW2 1928a1 US army marked: Here`s a stunner of an early war US Thompson 1928a1 complete, early type with and coutts compensator and US army markings, condition is very good throughout. [18], During the Cuban Revolution, the Thompson submachine gun was used by both Batista's army and Fidel Castro's guerrillas. Although his Thompson is not for sale, he figures it'sworth around $120,000. Be the first to know of our latest discoveries and exclusive offers mud. 36! Gun, invented by John T. 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