New Thompson Buyer With ?'s

[Navalgunner]

Last year I bought a Thompson M1A1 parts kit with the center receiver part cut out and missing. I have been looking into the receivers at Philadelphia ordnance, and was wondering if the 80% receivers are the way to go. I would either like to blank adapt the kit for WW2 reenactments or convert to semi-auto. Dont know the legality of either, and want to make sure I do it right. Also the barrel is welded to the front receiver part. Anyway to detach or do I get another barrel? Does anyone know of someone who sells M1A1 barrels that are actually in stock?

thanks, Hobie

http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ph34r.gif hey, this one looks like the women out here! Scary!

[NDLawyer]

Naval Gunner:

 

Welcome to the board.

 

The topic of blank firing Thompsons was addressed quite a lot on the old board. At this time, there isn't any BATFE approved full auto blank firing design that I am aware of that can be manufactured from a parts kit.

 

You cannot legally make a semi auto from a full auto parts kit. This was also a frequently asked question on the old board. The BATFE has a little bit of a problem with newly manufactured open bolt firing semi auto weapons.

 

Check out the posts pinned to the top of the board, including the FAQs. The FAQs attempt to address most of the questions a new member asks (I asked most of them myself when I joined).

 

If you want a semi auto M1, you will have to go with one manufactured as a semi auto. As described in the FAQs, the semi auto receiver is .10 inch shorter than a full auto (which prevents installaton of full auto internals without machining) and fires from a closed bolt. These were changes necessary to obtain approval from the BATF to manufacture a semi auto Thompson.

[PK.]

Hi and welcome, tell us a little about your duty station.

 

In a word, you can not resurrect your parts kit into a transferable MG. Certain smell parts may be used on a legal semi, but few indeed. Better to buy a Kahr. If the barrel is in good shape otherwise, a machinist should be able to separate it from the receiver nose.

 

I assume this kit is here in the US, if it is a gun you picked up overseas and had cut, I don’t believe you can legally bring the parts back.

 

HTH