Confused About User Feedback On The Kahr / Thompson M1

[RAZORBURN]

Ok, here goes...

 

First, I am not trying to offend anyone. I am seeking straight answers before I make a significant purchase decision.

 

I have asked for feedback on the Karh/AO Thompson M1 on several forums.

 

I am getting highly mixed responses...but most of them are NEGATIVE on this product. More than a few say the gun is a "POS" and say they could not get it to work and sold it off in disgust.

 

There is an M1 on Gunbroker right now. I asked the owner if he has had reliability problems and he completely evaded answering my direct question.

 

Yet others say they LOVE the gun and will never sell it.

 

What the heck is going on? Either the product works or it does not. I have no way of verifying any of this.

 

So. I need honest, unbiased opinions, especially since I am considering a factory SBR and that is serious business.

 

PS: there is a video on YouTube of a guy firing an SBR M1 -- he says it is "very reliable...and pretty darn accurate". It sure looks awesome and seems to fire great. But is this video a paid marketing tool for Kahr? Hell if I know.

 

So OWNERS please weigh in with your experiences and honest opinions...it would be even better if you were shooting a factory SBR.

[Z3BigDaddy]

Well lets be completely honest here. Most of this board is centered around the full auto Thompson guns so replies to your semi auto gun questions may be on the weak side. A significant purchase to them is whether you pay $25,000 or $35,000 for a gun or $5,500 for a drum. It seems that a lot of people do not like the new production semi-auto guns but even that is not a constant. I have owned several semi-autos and all have been good shooting guns. They can always be made to run right with the right person working on it and enuff $$. You will NEVER get true "accuracy" out of a Thompson, just by it's design, without modifications. If you want accuracy you need a true rifle designed firearm. Most people buy a Thompson just for the cool factor. It is not really a hunting or home defense gun just a fun ammo burner. I've never paid more than $650 for a semi gun but that is waiting for the deals that were out there til a month ago. I think that the current retail is overpriced for the new guns but all this is just my opinions so take it for what it is worth. Good luck on finding the right gun at the right price. Edited December 27, 2012 by Z3BigDaddy

[Lancer]

+1 Z3's comments. If you value form over function....you'll love it. If you want it to work and you're on a budget, you might be better off looking for something else.

[emmagee1917]

I am not and have never been a semi - Thompson owner , but have two of the WH full autos. They are made by a company that cares little about quality control. In this case , they can ship guns that are fine one day , poor ones the next. Which one you happen to get will color your point of view. If you decide to get one , just be sure to try it out before buying. If not posible , at least get a video of it working . If they won't do that , move on .

Chris

[JimFromFL]

I have read enough posts to know that I would never purchase one of their Thompsons without trying it first.

Whether its their Thompson or Drum, they are notorious for not working direct from the factory.

There are others who claim they get one that works.

Not sure how such an item runs the entire spectrum of feedback.

I do have experience with a couple of drums purchased directly from them.

All were sent back as they mostly wouldn't even fit on the gun.

After sending a few back they eventually sent me one that works great. So, how is it that items made on the same machine have such varying results???

If you ask those who work on these items for a living will tell you what they have done to get them working.

Its not always something as simply as polishing the ramp but usually requires machining.

Buying one sight unseen is a gamble.

[dalbert]

RAZORBURN,

 

I agree with what has been posted about this so far. Some folks have good luck with them and some don't. I will say that I think Kahr's quality has improved over the past several years, so the chances of getting a good, new one, is probably better today. For a used one, a test fire would be in order, unless the price were so good that it couldn't be passed up.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

[Embalmer]

I've owned 4 kahr Thompson's over the years (always sold to get dif model) 2 worked flawless, 2 needed minor warrenty work to function. Overall a fun toy.

[bartomark]

I bought a used Kahr Thompson about 2yrs ago for 850.00 at a local shop. It was never fired, the story was that it was won in a raffle. I ran about 4-500 rounds thru it before it didnt jam at least 2-3 times in a clip. The more i fired it, the better it ran. I polished the ramps and now it runs flawlessly. A word of warning , it sparked an interest in me and I recently took posession of a Savage Thompson SMG. Be careful this is addicting.........

[ghostsoldier]

SBR M1A1 SA owner here. Bought mine new from Sarco around 2005 or so, ran like a sewing machine out of the box...and still does. Never have had a jam, stovepipe or any other issues....as a SA, I'm happy with it.

 

Rob

[David]

I had a west Hurley 1927a1 semi auto thing and it sucked big time. I don't think I ever got a full mag to run through it and never wanted to attempt a drum. Never shot it again and no longer own it.

[elkoholic]

Just great, I'm about to send it my order for a semi.......maybe not.

 

 

Is Paul Krough on this forum? Maybe he could shed light on the new semi-autos?

 

Does Paul have a website?

Edited December 28, 2012 by elkoholic

[Z3BigDaddy]

Top of the page under FAQ....

 

Is there a reputable, competent, Thompson gunsmith I can send my semi or full auto Tommy to for work, modifications, or tweaking?

Diamond K/Paul Krogh

p-k@[NO SPAM]q.com **Remove NO SPAM

1390 East 7th Street

Delta, CO 81416

970-874-5750

[reconbob]

I think the feedback you are getting here is exactly what you would expect. Bear in mind

that when people buy something that does not work they are more likely to complain than people

who are happy and just quietly go on their way without to telling how great something is.

There has always been feedback that some guns don't work out of the box.

That being said, I have never known of a gun that could not be "fixed" so that it ran reliably.

While the design is rough and very difficult to cock, these guns are safe as long as they are in

the proper condition which is what you would say about any firearm.

I have worked on alot of these and my personal opinion is that most reliability problems are

caused by defective magazines and/or the Magazine catch. This is frequently caused by unskilled

modification of full auto mags to fit the sem gun. The ideal fit of a mag (and I would say this for a

full auto as well) is that when you slide the mag into place the mag catch catches, and when you

hit the mag with the heel of your hand the catch engages fully and the mag is tight with no rattle.

I think that polishing or modifying the feed ramp does more harm than good. Much experience

with this has shown (at least to me) that the real problem is the mouth of the chamber not the

feed ramp when there are feeding jams not attributable to magazines.

If you can test-fire to verify you have a good gun thats the way to go. If you can't do that you

are taking somewhat of a chance, but any problems can be fixed and you will have a lot of fun

with your semi.

 

Bob/Phila Ord

[elkoholic]

Thanks Bob, my order goes in today!

 

Anyone else looking to get one, only one place that I know of.... www.tommygunner.com

 

Bob, how much to modify mag catch for ww2 mags? New A.O. ones are pricey!

[RoscoeTurner]

 

Anyone else looking to get one, only one place that I know of.... www.tommygunner.com

 

 

 

Any FFL can order one from a distributor, Jerry's Sport Center is one distributor that carries AO/Kahr. The trick right now is finding someone that has one in stock.

[T-Bone]

My Kahr 1927 works very well, and a lot of the gripes that I found online were addressed (e.g. sight rivets needing peening, etc).

[T Hound]

I have two Kahr/Auto-Ordnance 1928 Model Semi-auto Thompsons and have NEVER had

a problem with either one that cleaning wouldn't cure. The problem with the difference in

opinion about the semi-autos---at least the Kahr version---is easily explainable. During the

early years that Kahr was building their semi-auto Thompsons there was somewhat poor

quality control (Although I do not know the details of this). As a result many customers sent

their Thompson SAs' back and so it gained a poor reputation among some. Since that time

Kahr/Auto-Ordnance has worked out those issues and the guns have been just fine.

 

While the semi-auto is certainly not of the same functionality of the Full-autos I still wouldn't

want to face one in urban, close quarters combat. We all know the 45 ACP is a lethal round.

Just ask any big city medical examiner.

[T Hound]

.

I have worked on alot of these and my personal opinion is that most reliability problems are

caused by defective magazines and/or the Magazine catch. This is frequently caused by unskilled

modification of full auto mags to fit the sem gun. The ideal fit of a mag (and I would say this for a

full auto as well) is that when you slide the mag into place the mag catch catches, and when you

hit the mag with the heel of your hand the catch engages fully and the mag is tight with no rattle.

I think that polishing or modifying the feed ramp does more harm than good. Much experience

with this has shown (at least to me) that the real problem is the mouth of the chamber not the

feed ramp when there are feeding jams not attributable to magazines.

 

Bob/Phila Ord

 

As usual Bob, your comments, and your 80% receiver products, are superb. I concur about the Magazines. That is

indeed the Achilles heel of BOTH the full-auto and the semi-auto. Careful with those Dremel tools boys! But I would also add something I discovered when I built a Thompson semi-auto from your 80% recievers Bob(sorry, stupidly I took no photos of the build to post). A lot of the magazine catchs' sold at Numrich and, maybe, SARCO, are

the West Hurley ones that are slightly defective. What I found was that the end of the Mag Catch that actually

fits into and catches the magazine hole are slightly too short making it likely that they will slip spontaneously due

to gravity or by vibration during firing. I have tried "adding" material but it looked ugly. Finding a suitable mag

catch, that is NOT West Hurley, is the only excellent fix.

Edited January 3, 2013 by T Hound

[vedearduff]

I have one of the T1B50D versions and have had no problems at all. I have put nearly 1200 rounds through mine in less than a year of ownership.

 

Here are a couple of photos.

 

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/vedearduff/Shooting/Guns/Thompson/Thompson-03.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/vedearduff/Shooting/Guns/Thompson/Thompson-02.jpg

 

Vernon

[T Hound]

Removable buttstock--nice. Would love to be able to have one of those.

It would certainly be a lot easier getting the rifle bag into my jeep.

[airborne118]

I have a Kahr Arms M1 SBR and love it....I know its not a real FA Thompson but I have never had a jam and its fun to shoot.

Edited January 21, 2013 by airborne118

[elvis3006]

I have a Kahr Arms M1 SBR and love it....I know its not a real FA Thompson but I have never had a jam and its fun to shoot.

That is a beauty, is that the original furniture ?

[airborne118]

I have a Kahr Arms M1 SBR and love it....I know its not a real FA Thompson but I have never had a jam and its fun to shoot.

That is a beauty, is that the original furniture ?

Yes sir, it is original wood, I had to fix the handguard to fit but it worked out......thanks again....

[Gunslinger]

I have two semi auto SBRs - a 1927 and an M1. They both have occasional problems with stovepipes or other feeding/ejection issues. Sometimes I can get through a full mag and sometimes I have one or two problems getting thru a mag. Doesn't seem to matter what kind of ammo I'm using.

 

Still, they're a lot of fun.

[T Hound]

Have you tried taking them apart and doing a thorough cleaning of the bolt, springs, internal bolt space?

I think you will find that doing that may relieve that problem.