rpbcps Posted June 29, 2019 Report Share Posted June 29, 2019 After several weeks away, I finally got home to find a number of packages awaiting my return. In one package, I discovered a catalog dated Sept. 1921, from the St. Louis 'The Sporting Goods Dealer', which contains two AOC adverts for the Thompson gun. The 2nd advert provides more details on the gun, and also has a photo of a man holding a Thompson with a Drum magazine, which attracted my attention. The rear sight on the TSMG appears not to be a regular Lyman site and there is also an attachment on the barrel, which I think be may designed to attach a sling. Stay Safe Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted June 29, 2019 Report Share Posted June 29, 2019 How I would love to go into a hardware store and buy a Thompson off shelf for $200 with no questions asked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted June 29, 2019 Report Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) Caption says Thompson submachine gun ready for action...not holding it like that!!! Edited June 29, 2019 by Petroleum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villafuego Posted June 30, 2019 Report Share Posted June 30, 2019 Looks like 1919 Serial # 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSMG28 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 I have seen a pic of that sling attachment somewhere else recently, but I dont remember where. Im wondering if the pic is of one of the Model of 1919 guns, perhaps taken in the Cleveland area. I agree that the drawing in the first ad definitely looks like Model of 1919 serial no. 17, except for the rear sight. Very interesting ads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thanks for the replies to my post. Last year I bought a couple of ads pulled from 1921 issues of ‘Arms and the Man’ and the TSMGs in those, admittedly one is only a line drawing, which appear to have another version of the rear sight. Both those ads are now framed and hang on the wall next to a framed 'Providence Journal' from June 1922, which has an article on Marcellus Thompson being accused of arms shipments to the Irish and a report on a Thompson being used in the Clones attack in Ireland. A member on the board sold me the Providence Journal for a very good price back in 2014, indeed it cost me more to frame the newspaper than to buy it, but as it was crumbling at the edges through age, to preserve it, I decided to have it framed. Stay safe Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliaferro Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) The line drawing and the photo are both showing M1919s. However, the photographed TSMG haswhat appears to be a very long and thin barrel. This seems to be another image of Mitchell Hedges (Crystal Skull Fame)shooting a M1919. Hedges led a life like Indiana Jones dreamed of .Tracie Edited July 1, 2019 by Taliaferro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Mills Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 That is the oddest thumb position on holding a Thompson that I've ever seen. Very different. Thanks for all the info on this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halftrack Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thanks for the replies to my post. Last year I bought a couple of ads pulled from 1921 issues of Arms and the Man and the TSMGs in those, admittedly one is only a line drawing, which appear to have another version of the rear sight. Jan 21 'Arms and the Man' Magazine.JPG 1921 'Arms and the Man' Magazine.JPG Both those ads are now framed and hang on the wall next to a framed 'Providence Journal' from June 1922, which has an article on Marcellus Thompson being accused of arms shipments to the Irish and a report on a Thompson being used in the Clones attack in Ireland. A member on the board sold me the Providence Journal for a very good price back in 2014, indeed it cost me more to frame the newspaper than to buy it, but as it was crumbling at the edges through age, to preserve it, I decided to have it framed. Providence Journal Headline.JPG Providence Journal Clones article.JPG Stay safe RichardAmazing! Reading the articles on the page shows me not much has changed over the years in regards to politics and and world affairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halftrack Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Would love to know the length of that longer barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 The line drawing and the photo are both showing M1919s. However, the photographed TSMG haswhat appears to be a very long and thin barrel. This seems to be another image of Mitchell Hedges (Crystal Skull Fame)shooting a M1919. Hedges led a life like Indiana Jones dreamed of .TracieTracie,Thank you for your reply, with the Mitchell Hedges attachments, two more articles to look for now. Stay safeRichard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 (edited) There appear to be two different guns shown in the photos on the scanned page in Post #7, and neither are a standard Model of 1921, nor a Model of 1919 variant. The gun in the main photo being shot by Hedges appears to have a barrel longer than the 10.5" one normally seen on the Model 1921, but it is not of a heavy profile like that of the Model 1923. Speaking of the Model 1923, the gun has a Model 1923 buttstock equipped, which has much less drop and is fitted with an M1903 butt sling swivel. Another sling swivel is fitted to a band in a machined recess on the barrel, or possibly just a thin steel band that is difficult to discern. The disassembled gun in the inset photo by comparison has what looks like a standard-length 10.5" barrel, but fitted with a device for mounting some kind of attachment, maybe a bipod or possibly a proprietary bayonet. It too has a Model 1923 buttstock. Edited July 4, 2019 by Big Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 There appear to be two different guns shown in the photos on the scanned page in Post #7, and neither are a standard Model of 1921, nor a Model of 1919 variant. The gun in the main photo being shot by Hedges appears to have a barrel longer than the 10.5" one normally seen on the Model 1921, but it is not of a heavy profile like that of the Model 1923. Speaking of the Model 1923, the gun has a Model 1923 buttstock equipped, which has much less drop and is fitted with an M1903 butt sling swivel. Another sling swivel is fitted to a band in a machined recess on the barrel, or possibly just a thin steel band that is difficult to discern. The disassembled gun in the inset photo by comparison has what looks like a standard-length 10.5" barrel, but fitted with a device for mounting some kind of attachment, maybe a bipod or possibly a proprietary bayonet. It too has a Model 1923 buttstock. Big Al,Good points, but I note the article from the Illustrated London news is dated July 1921, (in the same post which appears to be from the same photoshoot as the undated Mid Week Pictorial), which is approx. 5 months into the production of the Model of 1921's. I would have thought with the award to Colt for the manufacture of 15,000 Model of 1921's, that AOC would have thought they had perfected the development of their submachine gun design, and would therefore be marketing the 'standard model' coming off the assembly lines at that stage. As, I understand it, maybe incorrectly, it was only due to lagging sales of the Model of 1921's, that AOC began to look at modifications of the original Model, in an attempt to market the static stock they had. Stay safeRichard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 The complete page from the Illustrated London News, July 16, 1921. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Player_To_Be_Named Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Thanks for posting and sharing. I love to see period ads for guns. I am new to the Thompson world but have 30 year old passion for Colt M1911s and part of this involves period ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2019 Same article & photo from the Irish 'Cork Examiner', which I am advised was dated the 30th Dec.1920, I don't have the original, unfortunately Stay safeRichard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSMGguy Posted July 12, 2019 Report Share Posted July 12, 2019 (edited) "Making 47 hits out of 50 shots in two seconds at 250 yards..." What was he shooting at, a barn? Edited July 12, 2019 by TSMGguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2019 "Making 47 hits out of 50 shots in two seconds at 250 yards..." What was he shooting at, a barn? I think they were 'aiming' at good publicity to sell their product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted July 15, 2019 Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 This could then mean, Richard, that the stock design we know of as being of the M1923 actually came about during the initial design experiments to find the final shape of the Model 1921. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted July 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2019 (edited) This could then mean, Richard, that the stock design we know of as being of the M1923 actually came about during the initial design experiments to find the final shape of the Model 1921.Big Al,Indeed, maybe that was the case. Like a lot of Thompson history, I don't think we will ever know for sure, but we can always speculate at the time line of the unrecorded events in the TSMG development, the fun of the hobby. Stay safeRichard Edited July 15, 2019 by rpbcps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 Check this out. A very similar stock was on the Thompson Model of 1919 that was fitted with the Warner & Swasey sniper scope. There is an image on page 5 of the PDF linked below. https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2010-B102-The-Thompson-Submachine-Gun-Model-of-191.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 It has the exact same profile at the wrist and sling swivel placement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted October 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Big Al,Just back on line, after four weeks away while in North Africa, and checking what I have been missing. Thanks for posting that pdf., I found that very interesting to read. Stay safeRichard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thompsonteenager Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 How I would love to go into a hardware store and buy a Thompson off shelf for $200 with no questions askedthank your elected leaders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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