Doug Richardson catalog

[DINK]

Guys;

 

I was cleaning out a bookshelf and came across an old Doug Richardson catalog (Number 45, copyrighted 1981). I have no further need for it and if someone wants it, just IM me an address and I'll send it to you.

[Autorotate]

If no one else needs it for a collection, I’ll take it so I can see what I missed out on “back in the day”!

[TennesseeTaylor95]

 

If no one else needs it for a collection, Ill take it so I can see what I missed out on back in the day!

You sound like me looking through Shotgun News magazines.

[DINK]

OK, I'll send it out to Mr. Autorotate. Thanks for looking.

[Rimcrew]

 

Ill take it so I can see what I missed out on back in the day!

Speaking of missing out, Doug told me that he was planning to manufacture a new Colt Thompson until the Hughes Amendment shut that down. Knowing the quality/faithfulness to the originals of his parts, we all lost out when Reagan caved. Can you imagine being able to buy a new Colt 21? 😞 Edited July 8, 2022 by Rimcrew

[Got Uzi]

It would't be the same. It would look like a "new colt 21" but it wouldn't be a real Colt 21.......They would fall into the catogory of those damn parts boxes-some call them authentic reproductions while other consider them forgeries. Its all in how you look at it. To me they could be considered a forgery/fake as they should have had something done to them so you'd know instantly if it was a real one or not. Soon enough those ones will be passed off (if not already) by someone who has no clue that its a fake and some newbie will pay $5k-$7k for a fake. If he would have done this with, making "Colt Thompson's" I would suspect he would have not used original known to exist serial numbers, but rather ones that have been lost to time.....then who would have known in a generation or two if they were real Colt guns or not......food for thought.

[StrangeRanger]

Didn't he always marked his stuff as a repro in an unobtrusive spot?

[jim c 351]

Without Colts permission Doug could not have stamped them Colt.

And, without AUTO_ORDNANCE permission Doug couldn't have stamped them AO.

Doug could only Call them a 45 SMG.

Jim C

[Got Uzi]

Nope he never marked them differently

[2ndArmored]

His initial was deeply engraved into the slot for the grip mount.

 

[Rimcrew]

Call it what you want, a new Thompson-type SMG made to Colt specs would be fun to own.

[Got Uzi]

Well thats a new one on me that he marked that. Still would be nice to see without taking the entire gun apart to see what it was tho.

[ppgcowboy]

His actuators had an R stamp too.

[TD.]

Doug Richardson most likely would have used the Colt's name along with the Thompson bullet trademark if he had been able to market a live Thompson submachine gun to the public. How long that would have lasted is anyone's guess, but he was hardheaded enough to try. I would assume Kahr Arms and Colt's would have put an end to it quickly. That said, they did nothing regarding his display receivers.

 

 

I believe all of Doug's products that are based on original Colt production items are marked, i.e., fore grip, actuators, display receivers, etc. Doug was one of the main people responsible for shaming Gordon Herigstad into marking his reproduction Spare Part Kits. I only wished Doug would have done the same for Gordon's long cleaning rods! Doug (and Gordon) were definitely a force in the Thompson community and we miss them both.

[reconbob]

I don't think Doug was ever going to make guns because he never even had an FFL

because he did not want the ATF to be able to show up anytime, un-announced.

 

If you are a student of Dougs stuff you know that when he made his stuff he often did

things that he thought were "better" than the original design. Original Thompson receivers

were Blanchard ground (and polished in the case of the Colts). Doug's were profiled all the

way around with an end mill and you could see the longitudinal striations. At the end he

had started drilling a long 1/4" hole thru to what would be the bolt pocket before the

barrel/bolt head hole instead of cutting a square

extractor slot. He completely rounded off all of the corners of the M1921/28 mag well with

a corning rounding mill because it was easier - but no original Thompson looks like this.

 

Each one of his "improvements" moved you a little farther away from a true, original

Thompson. The M1921 buffer pilot that used a M1928A1 buffer with a M1921 recoil spring

is another example, and his scope mounting base to replace the Lyman 55B sight with

a scope...really?

 

He was really something...I miss him...

 

Bob

[2ndArmored]

I'm sure some of the Doughboys in 1917 would have preferred a Garand over their 1903 Springfields. But neither time nor technology were on their side. Richardson had the luxury of both when making "his" Thompsons. (Though I opine that putting a scope on a Thompson borders on blasphemy.)

[laurencen]

I could see todays crowd wanting a scope option, they seem to put scopes on everything these days or a red dot

Edited July 12, 2022 by laurencen

[2ndArmored]

I could see today's crowd wanting a scope option, they seem to put scopes on everything these days or a red dot