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Looking for advice on this M1A1


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Always hard to tell from just a few photos, but this gun is refinished, possibly several times since the roll markings are starting to lose depth and their edges are smooth. The original final surface grinding on the receiver is largely gone due to buffing. The rear sight should be attached with rivets, not screws. The mag catch is for an M1 or M1928A1. That said, if the price is right and a really nice collector example is not necessarily desired, then why not?

 

It's just an opinion; I have no money on the table.

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Can you explain the writings under the rear sight? Have you looked at the current ATF Form? I would be interested in what is stated in the manufacturer box.

 

I have not studied the M1 Thompson to any great degree but others on the Board have and I am sure will offer some great opinions.

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There are no inspector markings or Ordnance stamp visible. Is there a manufacturer S or AOC on the bottom of the receiver behind the front grip mount?

 

Is it me or do the markings look a little suspect? The top edges of the receiver look too square ?

 

The markings under the rear sight as Tom Mentioned...

 

I would check the forms to see who the manufacturer was.

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As already mentioned, the markings under the rear sight are odd as well as the screws. The US property marking is technically Savage as it is on 2 lines. It also seems strange that the receiver looks way too clean like someone remachined it. Usually you can see the milling marks on an original. Not sure what the stamp on the sight is either, or the numbers on the side of the trigger frame. The M1A1 stamp looks to be done on the same roll stamp rather than later which seems odd on a early number gun (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Interesting to say the least.

 

Andrew

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It looks like an Urich manufactured gun. There is a thread about guns he registered just before the ban. Some question as to whether the receivers were welded or completed form Richardson or PO receivers.

 

 

http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15604&hl=%2Burich+%2Bthompson

 

Hopefully that link will work

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I would not buy that gun.

 

Find a nice genuine USGI M1A1. A nice one will turn up soon.

 

There are a lot of real nice arsenal rebuilt M1A1s out there, in excellent condition, they show up on the market every few months.

 

Act in haste, repent in leisure.

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We have close ranks and help Brother Petroleum to find a nice M1A1.

 

He's got the fever.

 

 

I have to say, as the owner of a Savage M1A1, it is highly gratifying to shoot. It might be my favorite gun ever.

 

i wonder what percent of the posters here have fired an M1 or M1A1.

Edited by buzz
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I am positive it is a Urich gun. We have already discussed 817, and another forum member has one. I have seen and fired both. They are solid guns, but they are not C&Rs. Depending on the price the buyer wants to pay, Urich guns are great shooters if C&R status is not important.

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The gun is a a Urich manufactured example and his name is under the sight. These are excellent reproduction guns of very high quality and excellent machining. I have handled several of Urich's guns in the last couple years and can recommend them if a repro is what one wants to buy. The screws holding the sight probably should remain so that the maker's ID can be fully accessed if need be by removing the sight. FWIW
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If I was in Pet 1 shoes, I'd look at a nice vintage WWII 28 as a shooter, the ability to use drums is

a huge plus. We all can see that Buzz is very bias towards the M1A1, since he owns one.

 

As a owner of Colts, 1928s, M1s and M1a1s, I'm not bias towards a particular model.

 

I agree that the M1 family are built like tanks, the 28s are also very solidly made too. Pet1 should

know that the M1A1s were the final models made , cutting the out the frills and costly details of the

original Savage 28s that were made on a par with the Colt guns in many respects. Each succeeding

model was increasingly cheapened to meet the demands of the escalating war effort and to save cost.

 

Pet1, you should give this thought before buying your shooter gun. Is it your intent to buy several

guns? If so, it really doesn't matter which one you buy first. Thompsons are like potato chips, it's

hard to satisfied with just one, I personally have 8.

 

Food for thought,

Darryl

Edited by darrylta
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Search the forum for "Urich". You will find a 3 page thread from 2013 where I purchased #817

 

Here is one post from that thread where I spoke to Richard Urich. He is a great guy.

 

My gun had been not well taken care of, so I ended up speaking to ReconBob at Phila Ord. I shipped him the gun and he did a fantastic re-work. He replaced nearly all the parts from barrel to bolt to grip hanger. I also had him replace the rear sight. He took a USGI sight, re-tapped the screw holes to fit modern Thompsson screws, and then milled out the bottom of the sight. you can now read the mfg data very clearly. No need to remove the screws, but clearly, the screws are now easier to remove if needed. Add an overall re-park and the gun is now my favorite thompson. Shoots like a champ.

 

After all of the work, I called Richard Urich again and sent him some pics and videos of 817.

 

 

---old post---

 

 

Posted 21 February 2013 - 06:53 PM

Thanks to all that have replied. I think we have an answer....

So, I actually spoke to the gentleman that made the receiver. First I apoligize, I did not initially post clearly some information. I just did not think it to be super important (newbie mistake). The manufacture on the ATF forms is R.W. Urich. of Allentown PA. That is stamped very clearly under the rear sight. The ATF forms very clearly disclose him as the manufacturer NOT Auto Ordnance or Savage.

So, again, my bad, I thought that had something to do with Rewatting

But, again, I physically spoke to R.W Urich today. He is a very nice person. Very much into WWII history and I cannot thank him enough for his time.

In short, he did indeed build about 100 Thompson receivers and register them back in the late 1970s and early 1980s using either rewelds (which this one is not), or Phila Ordnance or Richardson receivers.

He asked me to send some pics and he would look at his records and confirm which receiver he used.
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