Jump to content

AO Bridgeport Thompson Model 1928 AC


Recommended Posts

After almost a one year wait for my stamp, I got my AO Bridgeport Thompson Model 1928 AC. I understand it came out of a PD which obtained it in, if I recall correctly, 1941 or 42. I'll do a FOIA request now that I have the gun. No PD markings, and smooth as silk. The trigger frame matches the receiver.

 

Robert

Thompson 1.png

Thompson 2.png

Thompson 3.png

Thompson 4.png

Thompson 5.png

Thompson 6.png

Thompson 7.png

Thompson 8.png

Thompson 9.png

Thompson 10.png

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats...dont see 1928ac's for sale very often

 

do you believe the finish to be original? (i notice the rivets on the rear sight are not silver)...the type of sight is most likely correct for your year

 

i prefer the police guns as they are often matching # and original finish....

 

cant tell from your pics...who is the maker of your drum? (united industries?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Robert Henley,

Congratulations on your purchase. If the serial number is No. A.O. 44002, I know the department that originally purchased it. A FOIA request is a very smart move. I suspect this 1928AC Thompson was originally purchased in July 1943. That said, the FOIA response will provide that information.

 

I am interested in the markings on the buffer pilot. Can you let us know the manufacturer of that part?

 

All good stuff!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats...dont see 1928ac's for sale very often

 

do you believe the finish to be original? (i notice the rivets on the rear sight are not silver)...the type of sight is most likely correct for your year

 

i prefer the police guns as they are often matching # and original finish....

 

cant tell from your pics...who is the maker of your drum? (united industries?)

 

Huggy,

 

It looks like the original finish to me, but I'm not sure. I've told the story before of me sending my 6" Colt Python to the Colt Custom Gun Shop to be refinished about 20 or 25 years or so ago, and to this day I can't tell it's been refinished. Someone more capable than me needs to look at it and answer that question. The pictures, however, don't really do it justice. I used my three year old Motorola phone in not the best light conditions. I probably need to get my Canon camera out and take some high quality pictures. It's a beautiful gun IMO.

 

The "L" drum is a United Specialties drum which I bought while waiting for the transfer. I researched it in The Ultimate Thompson and, if I recall correctly, it's a 4th generation model.

 

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the #1 thing i look at is the rivets on the rear sight...if they arent silver i think its refinished....ive yet to see an original gun w/o silver rear sight rivets....

 

the finish wear on your gun looks somewhat correct...its been used......maybe someone tossed on a new rear sight at some point and did blued rivets....does the rear sight color match the rest of the gun? are the rivets the same color as the rear sight(like it was finished together)

 

its a nice gun no matter what...guys here can never decide on whats original or not unless its park'd.....

 

enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rivets? Really. How many Thompson guns have you examined without "silver" rivets where you can document a rear sight replacement?

 

Question: Has the rear sight been replaced on the below Thompson?

 

IMG_1639 crop resize.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Petroleum 1, on 24 Aug 2018 - 06:51, said:

TD i think what huggy is saying is if the rear sight rivets have bluing on them the gun is typically been refinished. If they are white metal the gun has its original finish.

Petroleum,

 

Right, and what TD is saying is that all Thompson guns with original finish do not have silver rivets. Not sure where Huggytree is getting his information.

 

The best way to tell on Robert Henley's gun would be to check the area where the US is ground off on the 1928AC variation. Quite often they left this area bare metal and didn't touch it up with any finish. Most have developed a brown patina in this area where the original finish was removed. The other area to check would be where the C is stamped where the 1 (in A1) was removed.

Edited by gijive
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that Huggy has confused the fact that my original finish gun has bright rivets. I have seen far more with blue colored rivets. The way I tell with an AO gun is the shape of the rivet head. It appears to me that AO built guns have rivets with dimples in the center of the head. Savage guns have flat headed rivets.

 

Dan

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the range this morning, and put a couple of hundred rounds through it and it ran absolutely flawlessly--smooth as silk.

 

Let's see if this YouTube video is visible:

 

https://youtu.be/BlhQ0-5ZYrA

 

This is a fully loaded "L" drum, which worked flawlessly.

 

One thing that surprised me was I ran a magazine through it on semi-auto just to test it, and it was unbelievably accurate. I literally was able to hit the small numbers on the target at will. A bullseye every shot. And again flawless performance.

 

I can see why the troops like this gun.

 

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own AO 51983, must have been made close to the date yours came off the line. Mine is a U.S. Model of 1928A1.

Happy it runs well as mine does. Start laying in parts to keep it running and have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the #1 thing i look at is the rivets on the rear sight...if they arent silver i think its refinished....ive yet to see an original gun w/o silver rear sight rivets....

 

the finish wear on your gun looks somewhat correct...its been used......maybe someone tossed on a new rear sight at some point and did blued rivets....does the rear sight color match the rest of the gun? are the rivets the same color as the rear sight(like it was finished together)

 

its a nice gun no matter what...guys here can never decide on whats original or not unless its park'd.....

 

enjoy!

Just to add my two cents here also, my AC which was a police gun and never refinished does not have "silver" rivets either.

 

Generalizations on the internet are a bad thing and this is a great example. One person makes a statement, ten people quote that, ten people quote that ten and now as 100 people have said it, it is fact.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...