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Finned barrel question


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Hello,

 

Yet another barrel question-were finned 1928 style barrels produced with a smooth end instead of being threaded for a compensator or would this be an after market reproduction piece? I do have the American Thunder III book ordered but it's taking forever to arrive from the seller so I apologize if f I'm asking questions that the book could answer. Thank you. stingray656667

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Great question. Savage Arms did manufacture a small number of Model of 1928A or without compensator Thompson guns. All known originals have finned barrels and are very early guns. I cover this in my book, Great Britain - The Tommy Gun Story. I wrote a more detailed story about this very rare factory variation that was published in Small Arms Review magazine in 2013. I have never seen an A model Savage with the front sight removed. I suspect the barrel boss was not threaded (why waste the time) but I don't have a definitive answer. I do know the ring front sight on a Model of 1928A Savage Arms Thompson appears identical to what was later used on the M1/M1A1 Thompson guns. That said, at the time of the Savage Arms Model of 1928A production, the M1 Thompson was not envisioned by anyone.

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Hello,

 

Thank you for the reply to my question. I'll be certain to add your book to the growing number of Thompson books in my library. Would this type of barrel carry the Savage stamp or would there be a horizontal alignment line in place on the ring closest to the receiver? Thank you again. stingray656667

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I believe Savage Arms manufactured all the parts except for the compensator on the first 10,000 guns in the first contract. All barrels should be marked with the Savage "S" on the barrel collar, usually on the left side in the 9:00 o'clock position. When production began, it was unclear if any additional contracts would be executed as none of the 10,000 Thompsons were presold and Colt's were still in AOC inventory. Only after additional contracts between Savage and AOC were signed, mainly because of the British orders, were subcontractors used. The first subcontractor was probably Stevens Arms.

 

Index lines on the barrel collar were not standard on the very early Savage Arms Thompson guns. I have seen many examples of original early Savage Thompsons without the Index line on the barrel collar. As production increased, the line became standard.

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Are the fins on these barrels flat in their appearance or do they have a rounded over look to the leading and trailing edges? The one that I recently saw at a show did not have an "S" stamped into the barrel collar and it had a flat appearance to the rings with sharp, well defined leading and trailing edges.. Would this be indicative that the barrel is likely a reproduction or an after market piece? It did,however, have some wear on it that gave it the look of having some good age to it. Thank you again. Joe

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I would have to see the barrel to make any type of judgement. However, if the barrel did not have a manufacturers mark on the barrel collar, I would be highly suspicious of it being an original WWII GI barrel. If you need or want a GI barrel, an unmarked one, even if original, would not be the best choice. Based on your posts, I would assume the barrel in question does not have an index line on the barrel collar and the boss at the end of the barrel is not thread for a compensator. If my assumptions are correct, this does not sound like a GI barrel. But I am very open minded about such things.

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Stingray, the Semi Auto forum will have some pictures of the current Kahr barrels that no longer have threads for compensators, they are pressed on. Of course it would not have to be 16" in length either since they have been producing an SBR semi auto for many years now also . There are aftermarket barrel manufacturers producing them as well.

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Unfortunately, I did not take photos of this barrel when I saw it at a recent show. I did look at it closely, though, and it definitely does not have an "S" manufacturer stamp nor does it have a horizontal reference/alignment mark. The fins looked "funny" to me. With the information already provided by responses to my questions, I will back away from this piece because it does not feel correct to me. The more I think about it the more I lean towards this barrel being a reproduction or newer production one. I sincerely appreciate all responses and wealth of information provided therein. Thank you all. Have a great day.

 

stingray656667

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