Pearl Manufactured Thompson - an evaluation and warning

[reconbob]

I recently had the opportunity to do work on a Pearl M1A1 Thompson. Of course

I have known about the guns for years and assumed that they were "right up there"

in terms of quality.

I was wrong. If a clean WW2 gun is a 10 I would give the Pearl gun a 4 or 5 at best.

It all comes down to the receiver as all other parts are original. The receiver was quite

rough. The cocking handle track was oversized, the receiver was bent thru the ejection

port (a sure sign that it was not stress relieved) but also bent thru the middle as well.

The corners at the front of the bolt pocket are square as opposed to rounded. The

extractor slot was improperly machined. The trigger frame was quite loose. The frame

latch is bigger in diameter than G.I. If this was original or reworked I do not know. The

bolt pocket had several depressions on the bottom (looking down with bottom

of receiver up) and I cannot figure out what happened (machining or wear?) to

make them. But the surface was not smooth at all.

I get it - these guns were made back in the good old days when an original gun

was no more than $1000 and Martin was just making shooters.

But here we are many years later and like it or not there is a hierarchy of guns.

I admit that have seen in person only this one gun. But anyone thinking of buying

one of these should take a close look and not assume it is original quality that just

happened to be made by someone else.

Maybe someone with a Pearl gun can chime in on their gun...

 

Bob

 

[wwiifirearms]

I have a Pearl gun. The receiver was out of spec in serveral dimensions. It was not reliable until I sent it to PK for a $4k overhaul. It is now working flawlessly and is one of my favorites to shoot. It also now looks great. I paid $9k when a WH was going for $15k, so I think I did fine, but caution is good advice. I am sure some are better than others. Martin told me they only made 68 M1A1, so each one is likely unique in some way.

[benedw60]

Older thread

 

http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2064

[wwiifirearms]

After PK pics

[TD.]

wwiifirearms,

Thank you for sharing. PK can fix anything!

[Ron Mills]

I only saw 1, at a show; it was bright nickel like a Colt revolver. Just not very attractive. i asked the guy how it ran and he said he didn't know. Hmmmmm.

Interesting thread here as always.

[Petroleum 1]

Here is one for sale on GB

 

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/766258650

[TD.]

There was an M1 Pearl TSMG at Knob Creek priced at $16,500. This may be the one.

[Petroleum 1]

I wonder how the drums worked with the M1 receiver modification.

[johnsonlmg41]

That is not the one that was at KCR. I know the KCR gun, it had some issues but has been worked on by a very experienced smith and now runs 100%, even with a ceiner .22 conversion. I would buy that one at 16,500 any day over a west hurley if I were in the market. HTH

[Petroleum 1]

Pictures are crappy but most likely the receiver on this gun was made by pearl?? i dont see any thompson markings so its probably not a reweld?