dalbert Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 My brother Andy sent me some photos today of a Bridgeport Commercial 1928AC Thompson that Ruben Mendiola will put up for sale soon. I want to post some preview photos here, because this is certainly a niche collector Thompson, and I know that many will be interested in seeing it, and possibly provide feedback about it. I really enjoyed seeing the photos myself. Here they are: I'm away from my gun books, at work in Nashville at the moment, so I'm going from memory, but I believe this Thompson was pulled from production for commercial sale. It does not have any military inspector markings, and the "U.S." in "U.S. Model of 1928A1' is ground off, and the "1" in the same marking is overstamped into a large "C," making it a "Model of 1928AC," and reverting back to the previous "AC" designation used to indicate the presence of a compensator. Basically, it is a U.S. Model of 1928A1 that was made during WWII, originally for military use, and was diverted to commercial sale, and its markings updated accordingly. Feel free to comment, as we don't see these very often, and like I said previously, it fits in kind of a niche collector area, but could also be a good Thompson for anyone who is looking for a '28. Just coincidentally, I believe Ruben is going to list this '28 for $28K. Thanks! David Albertdalbert@sturmgewehr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 i may agree with his pricing as the pics look very nice is the gun 100% correct? (are any 100%) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 (edited) i may agree with his pricing as the pics look very nice is the gun 100% correct? (are any 100%)i may agree with his pricing as the pics look very nice is the gun 100% correct? (are any 100%)I would expect a military AOC (Bridgeport plant) 1928A1 in this serial number range to have a smooth actuator. No idea if the Commercial or Police sales 1928AC's received a knurled actuator? Edited May 12, 2017 by Bridgeport28A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalbert Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 These are the only photos I've seen so far, so I don't know anything about the internals. If you're interested, give Ruben a call. I'll see if I can get some photos of the internals, but I'm not sure how long that will take... David Albertdalbert@sturmgewehr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalbert Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 i may agree with his pricing as the pics look very nice is the gun 100% correct? (are any 100%)>i may agree with his pricing as the pics look very nice is the gun 100% correct? (are any 100%)I would expect a military AOC (Bridgeport plant) 1928A1 in this serial number range to have a smooth actuator. No idea if the Commercial or Police sales 1928AC's received a knurled actuator? Good question. Maybe someone who has documented previous examples of this Thompson variation will share photos for comparison. That being said, I don't think we can say with 100% certainty that all '28's of this era should have smooth actuator knobs. It could also have been switched out at some point with another one in a PD armory. I don't know the origin of this Thompson, but a good assumption would be that it served in a PD....I don't know for sure, though. David Albertdalbert@sturmgewehr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aalbert Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 I will be back at Ruben's on Monday helping out as a guest photographer (his fulltime staff photographer is still recovering from surgery and can't shoot) and will have the gun pulled out of the safe so I can take some additional shots of the internals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 if upper/lower match and barrel is original anything else is just an easy swap of parts off gunbroker......couple hundred and its back to original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 The 1928AC Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB) Thompson guns are parts guns from the original manufacturer. While many look alike, there was no standardization of parts from one gun to another. It appears most were commercially sold to law enforcement organizations during what appears to be the 1943 to 1946 time frame. This is not an absolute proclamation. Exceptions probably exist. This is not a GI or military Thompson gun. There is no way to know how it looked when it left the AOB factory. I talk about the "AC" Thompsons in my story, The NAC Thompson Guns, published in Small Arms Review magazine. If Ruben wanted to do the next owner a big favor, he would obtain the ATF form from the prior owner showing where the prior owner purchased it. This may enable the new owner to trace it back to the original purchaser, most likely a law enforcement organization. That would add real provenance to what appears to be a nice looking Thompson. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 The 1928AC Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB) Thompson guns are parts guns from the original manufacturer. While many look alike, there was no standardization of parts from one gun to another. It appears most were commercially sold to law enforcement organizations during what appears to be the 1943 to 1946 time frame. This is not an absolute proclamation. Exceptions probably exist. This is not a GI or military Thompson gun. There is no way to know how it looked when it left the AOB factory. I talk about the "AC" Thompsons in my story, The NAC Thompson Guns, published in Small Arms Review magazine. If Ruben wanted to do the next owner a big favor, he would obtain the ATF form from the prior owner showing where the prior owner purchased it. This may enable the new owner to trace it back to the original purchaser, most likely a law enforcement organization. That would add real provenance to what appears to be a nice looking Thompson. Thanks for sharing! TD is correct about this gun. they were put together from existing spare parts. There was no standardization on these, generally post-WWII, guns sold to law enforcement by Maguire Industries. This gun could have been put together with a knurled actuator, or it may have been changed years later, there is no way to tell. You can't go by the general appearance of the late WWII guns with smooth barrels, that it should have this or that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 (edited) It is a nice looking AO 1928 AC, a FOIA would be interesting. It has been listed by Reuben. Edited May 12, 2017 by Bridgeport28A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 This AOC 1928AC is listed as SOLD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 price seemed in line and not $3k over priced as usual from him....if i were in the market i would have bought it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtscott Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 New member to the forum and the one who bought the Commercial 1928AC from Ruben. Not my first SMG but I've always wanted a 1928 Thompson. I'll post some more pictures when I get it out of the penalty box. In the mean time I'll collect some spare parts such as an original barrel and any recommendations you folks might advise me on would be most helpful. It will be a shooter.... You folks are a wealth of knowledge...I've also got Tracie Hill's Ultimate Thompson book. Cheers!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azboater Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 New member to the forum and the one who bought the Commercial 1928AC from Ruben. Not my first SMG but I've always wanted a 1928 Thompson. I'll post some more pictures when I get it out of the penalty box. In the mean time I'll collect some spare parts such as an original barrel and any recommendations you folks might advise me on would be most helpful. It will be a shooter.... You folks are a wealth of knowledge...I've also got Tracie Hill's Ultimate Thompson book. Cheers!!Congrats on your 1928AC & Welcome to the Boards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorcar Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 (edited) Welcome, that's a great looking 28AC. Have had a bunch of fun with mine, only thing I've done is put a Dan Block (Deerslayer) front pistol grip on. It changes the way it handles with the drums especially the C drum. I keep a spare stock, horizontal grip and Kerr sling attached to both for a quick change out to the classic military look. Reconbob (http://philaord.com/PartsList.html) has NOS WW2 barrels if you want one on the shelf. RTG Parts has small parts like smooth actuators if you want to go that way. Enjoy! Edited June 3, 2017 by Motorcar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtscott Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I'm thinking the same about a vertical grip. Will check with Reconbob. Thanks for the info!S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtscott Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 New member to the forum and the one who bought the Commercial 1928AC from Ruben. Not my first SMG but I've always wanted a 1928 Thompson. I'll post some more pictures when I get it out of the penalty box. In the mean time I'll collect some spare parts such as an original barrel and any recommendations you folks might advise me on would be most helpful. It will be a shooter.... You folks are a wealth of knowledge...I've also got Tracie Hill's Ultimate Thompson book. Cheers!!Congrats on your 1928AC & Welcome to the Boards!Thank you Azboater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 congrats....price was good and gun looked great....my only advice is to check what is not original and buy the parts to make it correct.... seems like few of these guns has 100% correct parts in it...hopefully yours does.....as a shooter this may not matter to you anyways beautiful gun!...one of the nicer ones ive seen in that price range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtscott Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 Huggytree...thanks for the advise. One of the reasons I went for this 1928AC was that the top and bottom frames had matching numbers which indicated to me the attention to detail/fitting to this piece. The serial number suggests to me that it could have been built in early 1942. So the internals may have been Savage, AOC or any of the contractor internal parts... or a combination of all of them. Not sure what the correct parts would be based on the information or lack of at my disposal. If I am not mistaken, Remington also made knurled actuators...which this one may have. Internals are a mystery at this point but I will post what I find when I finally receive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzz Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 I have to differ with Huggy on the idea of making it "correct". First, if the gun is an arsenal rebuild, then it's correct as it stands. The rebuild is a legitimate part of its service history. Second, a lot of times when gun collectors make guns "correct" by replacing parts, they unwittingly remove factory original parts from the gun and make it incorrect. Third, a gun assembled from spare parts by a collector is not an original. Nothing is original except for an unaltered factory original gun. Just some food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 dtscott,Congratulations on your purchase. Ruben is a great dealer. I am sure the transfer experience, while long, will be positive. Just so you know, this is parts gun - period. See my above post. The internals and externals could be any World War II manufacturer. The receiver and frame may have been manufactured in 1942, but the actually assembly into a working Thompson gun may have taken place as late as 1946, perhaps later. It is very possible the frame was numbered to the receiver long after the receiver was manufactured and serial numbered. It appears you have purchased a nice Thompson gun and a legitimate Thompson variation. Appreciate it for what it is. Do not think you will ever be able to know what parts were present when it left the Auto-Ordnance/Maguire Industries factory. When the transfer of this AC Thompson is approved by ATF you can file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and learn when it was initially born on the NFA Registry. That will most likely tell you the year it was assembled and readied for sale by AOC/Maguire Industries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorcar Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 First, if the gun is an arsenal rebuild, then it's correct as it stands. AC guns were never military accepted, thus wouldn't be "arsenal rebuild". As TD said assembled for commercial sales with what was available. With few exceptions they tend to fall in a certain serial number range also (exceptions exist). Most seem to have smooth barrels and actuators but, exceptions exist. You should be quite happy with what you have, and it is correct by all pictures for an AC gun. Short of having WH internals, which is doubtful, enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 Gun in question is not a arsenal rebuild. So any incorrect parts can be identified If the parts are correct for the gun but not original to the gun who will ever know? Making it correct will make it worth more To each his own though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 Gun in question is not a arsenal rebuild. So any incorrect parts can be identified If the parts are correct for the gun but not original to the gun who will ever know? Making it correct will make it worth more To each his own though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 dtscott, Buzz is giving you some good advice. There is nothing "correct" about these AOC guns sold to law enforcement Post-WWII. Yes, your gun was made in 1942; 1928 Model production ended in 1942, so none were made after that. The AOC guns sold to law enforcement by Maguire Industries, a division of Auto-Ordnance Corporation, were left-over guns, in some cases whole guns, in some cases probably just spare parts. The speculation is that they were production overruns or possibly from canceled contracts. The earliest known example of these law enforcement guns is 1943, but the vast majority were sold after WWII during the late 1940's. AOC usually used a mixture of Savage, AOC, and sub-contractor parts, so there is no way to tell what was originally on the gun. Some of these guns exhibit finned barrels and Lyman adjustable sights, but the majority of those seen are the type you purchased with smooth barrels and fixed Lyman battle sights. Enjoy the gun for what it is, a nice shooter and don't get too caught up on what parts it was supposed to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now