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M1928A1 Wood Storage Crates (Green Painted)


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It has been a crazy week here!
I did finally manage to have a few pictures taken on the wood crates that we have for the M1 Thompson.
The 1928 crates are still black wrapped.

70313517_1594286324062369_52537032746362

 

 

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I want to start to get these listed, but I will be travelling next week on another "buying" trip!

Richard

Edited by APEXgunparts
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  • 3 weeks later...

I finally have all 4 types of Thompson crates listed.
They can be found in the "Thompson" category on the APEX Gun Parts web site.::

https://www.apexgunparts.com/machine-guns/sub-machine-guns/thompson-45-acp.html?product_list_order=name&product_list_limit=56

The crates are basically for the M1928A1 and the M1922M1 (M1) .
I didn't know we have 2 size crates for each model of Thompson!
That observation came to light while we were listing them.
The best way to order these is by calling my Customer Service (due to the shipping)
Most selections only had 2 in stock, one of the M1928A1 selections is down to 5 remaining (I listed it first).

Richard

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http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7160

 

I believe these crates were not made in the USA, but instead were produced by the Russians specifically to store TSMGs. Detailed lists of materiel provided under lend lease state that the TSMGs sent were part of vehicle equipment furnished two with each tank. Wish I could find the lists now, they were fascinating.

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I am just sitting here waiting or the return of cheap M1928A1 parts kits. I am not a fan of 2k IMA kits. Maybe the day of the cheap russian parts kit will never come again.

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http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7160

 

I believe these crates were not made in the USA, but instead were produced by the Russians specifically to store TSMGs. Detailed lists of materiel provided under lend lease state that the TSMGs sent were part of vehicle equipment furnished two with each tank. Wish I could find the lists now, they were fascinating.

 

The USA did provide all the OVM and small arms normally associated with each vehicle that was supplied to the Allies thru the "Lend Lease" program.

I was in Germany when the French Gov't was returning to the US Army the Half tracks they had received and each one had all the associated material crated up inside.

However, there is evidence that the Russians were supplied Thompson's at their request.

The one document I read related how the Russians were offered to be supplied with STEN guns and they (the Russians) clearly stated they preferred Thompson's.

You cannot fault their logic on that choice!

 

My thanks to the customers who have been buying these Thompson crates.

As I write this my people are wrapping and placing 4 on a pallet for the the gent who wanted one of each.

 

Richard

 

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I was at an importers when the Thompson kits came in and picked up one of the 1928 marked crates. The importer told me that the crates were Russian made, he could tell by the latches and hinges used in their construction. He had a lot of very similar crates that Mosin Nagant rifles were shipped in. He had so many of the crates he had to burn them to make room.

 

Still, a cool piece of Thompson history.

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Thanks for the photos, TSMGguy. These then are the crates that would have crossed the seas in the convoy ships.

 

I see they're made like I would make a "crate". No dovetails, biscuit-joints, metal corners, velvet interior, handles or paint.

 

Wood, nails, two bent hinges and a hasp.

 

Could you show a picture of the interior?...Phil

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  • 1 month later...

I have just tracked down one of those Russian 1928A1 case here in the UK, so I am going to grab that while I can, but it does not have any of the wooden inserts / dividers though.

 

Could I therefore impose upon someone, who has a 1928A1 case with the inserts / dividers, to do me a favor and trace the design and let me have a scan of it, so I can get them made up and added to the case?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Richard

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have just tracked down one of those Russian 1928A1 case here in the UK, so I am going to grab that while I can, but it does not have any of the wooden inserts / dividers though.

 

Could I therefore impose upon someone, who has a 1928A1 case with the inserts / dividers, to do me a favor and trace the design and let me have a scan of it, so I can get them made up and added to the case?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Richard

 

Bringing this topic back to the top, in the hope someone can assist Glen and myself with a 'trace & scan' ( template)

 

Richard

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APEX has a few Thompson crates in stock.
I didn't see many of the wood inserts, I think the one gent who purchased 3 crates received most of them.
Its rare that wood crates cross the ocean with the inserts as the importers want the interior space used for parts/surplus and the inserts take up space and add weight.

Richard

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I have four in my garage. Was going to build enough dummy guns to fill one, displaying that on top of two others.

Cheap Parts kits ran out too fast.....

Three are what appear to be for ten guns each and the fourth is larger, maybe for 12 guns? (A.O. vs Savage?)

Id like to keep one but mught cut the others loose. Will need to think on it a bit.

 

The picture in this topic above showing the M1A1 Crates, is marked '15' on the side and I found a picture on line from Zib Militaria, (Germany), on line, showing an M1A1 crate open and loaded with a number of M1A1's in it with the inserts, and I would say it was designed to hold fifteen Thompsons.

 

In the 1928A1 crates I have just received, both are marked '10' on the sides, although one is slightly wider than the other, but I have not looked in detail yet. Over the next few days, when I get a chance I will look at those in more detail.

 

I also found attached online, which I presume is the same model crate as I have now, and it will accommodate '10' 1928A1's, counting the slots on the insert which is visible, five slots in the top and there are two rows of 1928A1's, although in the picture there is also a M1A1.

1928 case.png

 

In my storage, I have four similar crates that came from Bosnia in the mid 2000's. They are great for storing things in, but they take up a lot of space.

Tranist chest of Mags.jpg M1 M1A1 & M53.JPG

 

I obtained them direct from the importer of the Bosnian surplus, which included 1000's of assorted rifles, RPKs, SMG's, MGs all with assorted accessories. He also received a lot of armored vehicles, including Yugoslavian APC's and a couple of T34's, both of which were sold to collectors in the USA I was told. The importer took all the weapons out of the crates and put them in steel 'cages' for storage, while they were awaiting deactivation, for sale in Europe or stripped and cut for shipping to the USA as parts kits.

 

The crates where then smashed up and destroyed, as Richard said above, they took up valuable storage space and for the importer they had no value. He told me to take as many as I wanted, when I asked him if I could have some. However, due to space in my vehicle at the time, I could only transport two at a time, on the two occasions he still had some when I called down to the depot, before he destroyed them all.

Stay safe

Richard

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