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RTI has put Thompson parts kits on sale for the 4th of July holiday


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Too bad that all who voted for the Hughes Amendment can't be torch cut.

Agreed, noting irritates me more than being burdened by a load of bull that politicians and bureaucrats passed/enacted decades ago. The only thing that the Hughes Amendment did was price the average american out of being able to afford most MGs. Being born in 1995, the "golden days of machineguns" was long gone by the time that I could legally purchase a MG. Come to think of it, I don't think that I have ever seen a fully transferrable WW2 1928A1 go for less than the cost of a new car, which makes it feel like most of the MG hobby is now left for only those that are well off or those that have had MGs for decades back when they were more affordable. I wish the Hughes Amendment would go away so I could at least file a Form 1 to make a MG, but as my grandmother always said," spit in one hand and wish in the other, and see which one fills up quicker."

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Good point, enough hard work and enough overtime put in is the name of the game for the things we want most in life. Unfortunately I have filet mignon ambitions and Bar-S hotdog finances right now.
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The 1986 Hughes Amendment stopped new manufacture of MG's.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 stopped the import of MG's.
The 2005 re-interpretation of regulations stopped the import of live MG barrels and semi-auto receivers (like FAL's)
President Obama's "Rose Garden" speech in 2010 blocked the import of US origin surplus (like the Korean M1 rifles and carbines)

 

All these rules and restrictions, none of them ever provide the "safety" that the politicians promise.

Richard

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Another thing to consider-if Guns werent turned into parts kits, wed be running out of parts for those surviving guns. Same thing with cars....sadly some have to become parts so others may continue to shoot on.
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Im not a well off person, nor had them for decades.....I just pick what I want to own and bust my ass to get it. If you want it, really want it, then youll find a way to make it happen.

 

While most I had for decades are long gone due to changing interests, I agree "if you want it, really want it, then you'll find a way to make it happen". My first MG was a MG42 purchased in 1983. To make it happen I had to borrow the money at the Ft Rucker Credit Union, a 1LT's pay at the time didn't allow for luxuries such as a MG42.

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The only thing that the Hughes Amendment did was price the average american out of being able to afford most MGs. Being born in 1995, the "golden days of machineguns" was long gone by the time that I could legally purchase a MG. Come to think of it, I don't think that I have ever seen a fully transferrable WW2 1928A1 go for less than the cost of a new car,

 

On principal I fully agree, however the average cost of a new car topped $47,000 earlier this year, so the 1928 may indeed be a bargain? There are likely less than a few thousand Thompsons available in the registry, making them significantly more scarce than a new car....you can do the math from there.

 

With the scarcity of MG's, they are not average firearms, thus not necessarily for the "average" person? They brought in millions of Mosins for those people and stamped out tens of millions of glocks? LOL

 

As Got Uzi points out, if you want it bad enough you'll find a way to get it. Over the years the convoluted deals, miles traveled, and time and money spent acquiring what I believe to be rare, scarce and desirable items can be obsessive, but I've always enjoyed hunting one thing or another over the years. Back in the day when it was easy to get MG's, there was little interest.

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I will be honest, my father recently passed away and I have come into a small inheritance. If it were not for my father's gift, I don't think I would have ever bought a machine gun. I have wanted one for years. It seems to me that a machine gun is the holy grail of gun collecting, but with home and a child, it was just never in the cards for me.
But I am having the time of my life with this gun. I can afford the accessories, and there are many accessories associated with the military Thompsons. I am having a blast working my way through the list, and I have the rest of my life to acquire them all! I have a feeling my daughter will be kind of mad when I pass and she has to deal with all of this gear, but for me, it is almost a religion, it is that consuming. And who knows, she or her husband may grow to enjoy this stuff as much as me!

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On principal I fully agree, however the average cost of a new car topped $47,000 earlier this year, so the 1928 may indeed be a bargain? There are likely less than a few thousand Thompsons available in the registry, making them significantly more scarce than a new car....you can do the math from there.

 

When I made the comment on not being able to find a Bridgeport 1928 for less than a new car, I should have been more specific about the kind of cars that I was referring to. I wasn't talking about the 2022 national average of all cars for the US market that went up approximately 14% (about $6220 increase) from the beginning to the end of 2021 where the national average is currently (if not up a little higher by now), but rather the cost of new 2022 cars that I see people my age currently driving/being able to afford (Nissan Sentra/Altima/Maxima, Honda Civic/Accord, Chevy Malibu/Equinox, Volkswagen Jetta/ Passat, Subaru Forester/Outback, etc.) that are from the low 20k-low/mid 30k MSRP range and are selling in the mid 20k-mid 30k range after dealer markup right now. So now that I have clarified the parameters of what I was basing my comment on, let's bring in some "recent" auction prices for Bridgeport 1928/1928A1 thompsons being sold to see how they compare in price. RIA Premier Firearms Auction, December 4, 2021, Lot#:1644, Savage 1928A1 with a realized price of $43,125. RIA Premier Firearms Auction, May 14, 2021, Lot#: 488, Auto-Ordnance 1928A1 with a realized price of $40,250. RIA Premier Firearms Auction, May 16, 2021, Lot#: 3488, Auto-Ordnance 1928A1 with a realized price of $34,500. Morphy Auction, March 2018 (the most recent one I could find realized prices for), commercial Savage 1928 with a realized price of $37,375 (the national average of a new car in 2018 was $35,742 according to Edmunds if we want to use that data point, or use an estimate of low 20k-upper 20k range for the same group of cars I mentioned earlier). So from these data points and others that can be found on older previous auctions for Bridgeport 1928 Thompsons, they have been and still are more expensive than the class of cars that I was talking about, but in recent years due to pandemic induced labor and material shortages and economic inflation, the car market is rising to being closer to the current cost of transferrable Bridgeport 1928/1928A1 thompsons (unless transferrable MGs start going up in cost at the same or higher rate than the cars do).

 

Your comment on there only being a few thousand transferrable Thompsons (I assume that you are referring to 1928/1928A1 model Thompsons since I have seen older threads on here speculate that there could be approximately 20k-25k transferrable TSMGs of all makes and models out of the 182k transferrable MGs on the market in all) boils back to my sentiment towards the load of bull the politicians and bureaucrats passed/ enacted over the decades. Without the NFA of 1934 there wouldn't a registry and restrictions for the manufacture and ownership of MGs, SBRs, SBSs, AOWs, suppressors, DDs, etc.. Without the FFA of 1938, people wouldn't have had to have a single FFL to produce or sell firearms and felons that served their time would be able to purchase and own firearms again without years of legal costs of having a lawyer fight to regain some of those lost rights. Without the GCA of 1968 (revamped and more intrusive version of the FFA of 1938 in my opinion) we would be able to go across state lines and purchase any type of firearm we wanted without going through a dealer, there wouldn't be import restrictions (i.e. we would have been able to bring as many WW2 era thompsons back into the states as possible as live MGs, increasing supply and more than likely reducing the cost due to the demand to supply ratio) on guns depending on their physical characteristics, and manufacturers would also be able to still produce firearms without serial numbers. Without the FOPA of 1986 (which did help loosen some firearms and ammunition restrictions and protect firearm owners from persicutions by the ATF that was mentioned in a 1982 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee report, but those restrictions and persicutions inevitably would not have existed if there were no previous gun control efforts), we would still be able to manufacture and import MGs from other countries around the world further adding to the supply of full auto MGs (and FA thompsons) and further bringing down the overall cost of all MGs in the US. I can go on, but what I am trying to say is that if we never had any restrictions or out right bans on making, selling, importing, owning any MG, then there would be a much bigger supply of MGs (millions instead of less than 200,000) here and their average associated values would be lower than what they are right now (excluding rare or prototype MGs that have few surviving examples, which would always stay very expensive). I hope that I was able to get my point across on this because my eyes are almost going cross-eyed looking at my screen this long to form this rather long winded reply. Haha

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I will be honest, my father recently passed away and I have come into a small inheritance. If it were not for my father's gift, I don't think I would have ever bought a machine gun. I have wanted one for years. It seems to me that a machine gun is the holy grail of gun collecting, but with home and a child, it was just never in the cards for me.

But I am having the time of my life with this gun. I can afford the accessories, and there are many accessories associated with the military Thompsons. I am having a blast working my way through the list, and I have the rest of my life to acquire them all! I have a feeling my daughter will be kind of mad when I pass and she has to deal with all of this gear, but for me, it is almost a religion, it is that consuming. And who knows, she or her husband may grow to enjoy this stuff as much as me!

That is an amazing story to hear. I am glad that it worked out for you and that you will now be able to spend the rest of your time piecing together your accessories collection for your thompson. The accessories seem like drops in a bucket compared to price of the gun (unless you look at Colt era accessories for the 1921s, then everything is just expensive haha).
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Also there is the whole video on YouTube of the passing of the Hughes Amendment.

 

 

I believe that some people were saying that the initial vote was no only to be ignored by the leading chairman and proceedings continued which lead to the passing.

 

Also with the recent overturn of R. VS W. Which was a long standing law , I wonder what’s the probability that some entity would now challenge the Hughes Amendment ? Like some other people, it sucks cause I was in elementary school in 1986 and not even thinking about Thompsons. It’s not really fair to the middle and newer generations. I bet people would be even willing to pay a higher stamp fee to register MG if the opened it back up. I do have the means to purchase a transferable Thompson but it would also lead to my wife divorcing me if dropped that kind of money on a firearm lol.

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One thing that your data points are off on is the fact that you are using auction house prices for the basis of your arguement. Yes that is what those guns sold for, but those prices do not typically reflect that of the regular/day to day market. It is a proven fact that auction prices typically are 15-25% higher than that of the open market. If you priced out a shooter grade "Bridgeport 1928" on the open market with an auction house based price, it would take awhile for that gun to sell. Also, the guns at said auction houses are the cream of the crop most times and guys with more money than brains, who sometimes are VERY uneducated to the realistic MG market, will overpay and gorssly inflate the market.

 

Now to the argument about getting rid of the NFA....aint gonna happen so forgive me for being blunt but wake up and look around....do you really wanna make that arguement that the NFA needs to go away? Stop and think about that for a minute on a couple different levels:

 

Congress gets to see they have a tax on the books that hasn't seen an increase for inflation since 1934.....so what could happen is not only do you not get to open the flood gates to "cheaper machine guns" but you could end up with a $4362.63 tax stamp (US Inflation Calculator-$200 in 1934 to 2022)

 

With the shootings and issues we have now as far as semi auto firearms are concerned, what do you think would happen if the establishment anti gun lobby got hold of that?

 

I'll be direct and blunt about something and I honestly don't care whose feelings I hurt with my next comment....many people in the shooting world cant handle a semi automatic firearm. They get their training from youtube or some other form of jokingly bad crap that would get you killed in the real world, and honestly how some gun owners have survived to this point is pure luck on their part. Now imgaine your world of which you are thinking.....walk into a gun store and see a Colt 6920 (semi auto AR15) for $900 and next to it a Colt M16A3.....yeah that scares the living hell out of me as I see the problems that happen at the range I belong to with untrained idiots who think they need a machine gun so they can balisticlly masterbate and not shoot themselves in the process.

 

Now if someone could come up with a training system to where people had to show compedency and how to safely handle an automatic weapon, I'm all for it, but I know there will be someone coming along very soon with the "shall not be infringed" arguement which I agree with....BUT there is also common sense and making someone take responsiblity for those rights they wish to take hold of. You don't see someone saying "I'm going to fly a plane" buy one and take off without one second of training other than a few youtube videos....odds are that person will get themselves and other killed.....same can happen in the MG world. Might want to look up the story of the little girl who killed the "instructor" with a mini uzi several years ago out west.......

 

So with those given examples do you really think its such a good idea? Oh and based on your car arguent.....I want a 1969 GTX MOPAR with a 440 six-pack.....yeah those can be $75,000 - $100,000 cars.....so does that mean Dodge needs to make more of them so the prices come down? Not gonna happen. Same basis for your arguement.

 

Oh and its more like 140,000 transferable MG's not 200,000......

 

I'm not anti gun, and if you wish to call me that you might want to step back and talk to some people who know me...I'm anti moron/idiot/knuckle-dragger/ect with whom I get lumped in with when something bad happens with any type of firearm. All it takes is one idiot with a machine gun doing something stupid and we all pay the price then odds are none of us will have anything....then where will your arguement be then?

Edited by Got Uzi
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Hi, so I wasn't referring to getting rid of the NFA but rather the Hughes Amendment......."Amendment". People would still have to get everything approved though the BATFE and pay the stamp, wether its $200, $1000 or $4362.63, just like how they have to do now for a SBR or such. I feel The "floodgates" wouldn't exactly be opened as it would obviously still be a process to make one. Is it gonna happen.... no prob not...., but I bet people thought that R. VS W. would never be overturned either. Can it be wishful think... sure thing ! The Supreme Court also recently blocked NY from creating stricter concealed gun laws, so one might think of that as surprising in todays times with all the shootings and issues we have now.

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yeah that scares the living hell out of me as I see the problems that happen at the range I belong to with untrained idiots who think they need a machine gun so they can balisticlly masterbate and not shoot themselves in the process.

 

Your comment reminds me of an incident at the last Knob Creek where an owner had to forcibly take a rental from a inexperienced shooter on the line who wanted to play Rambo. He was shooting from the hip swinging the gun back and forth until the owner stopped him. I may have still have the video for that one, if I can find it I will post it.

 

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The Hughes amendment actually failed, but no one challenged thr votes that were falsely recorded

 

Thank you ! That was my point in an earlier statement that I linked the video of the voting too. Glad someone else knows that info !

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You may want to take a look at Wayne Lapierre's and the NRA's involvement in the passage of the Hughes Amendment. Yes, this is a NPR article but what is said is true. Within a month of the passage of the legislation I wrote to the NRA about it and was basically told they allowed the amendment to go through because passage of the FOPA was much more important.


https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/01/18/169526687/the-decades-old-gun-ban-thats-still-on-the-books

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You may want to take a look at Wayne Lapierre's and the NRA's involvement in the passage of the Hughes Amendment. Yes, this is a NPR article but what is said is true. Within a month of the passage of the legislation I wrote to the NRA about it and was basically told they allowed the amendment to go through because passage of the FOPA was much more important.

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/01/18/169526687/the-decades-old-gun-ban-thats-still-on-the-books

Thx for the article... I read something similar.... it was more about like you said how they voted against it cause they wanted the things attached to it more like ammunition

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