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New Numrich 100 Round Drums


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Can you wind it more clicks than 15 clicks, would that damage the spring? I think, it didn't seem as hard to wind the second outing as the first. Maybe I could have wound it another click. Did not grease it, not sure if I'm going to send it back yet. Going to see what other results members have!

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it didn't seem as hard to wind the second outing as the first.

 

That was a similar problem with the old West Hurley C drums. The spring tension wasn't consistent, mine did fine the first time out then the spring was done. Merle explained the difficulty of getting the clock spring correct to run that much ammo, he fixed my WH to run properly.

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So I'm still new around here, but how come so many of you act like you've never picked up a screw driver and troubleshooted something before..?

 

A small hiccup and "yup, take it back. must be crap"

 

Cmon guys you gotta try and help yourself a little bit too! Think about the problems and how you can start tackling them.

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So I'm still new around here, but how come so many of you act like you've never picked up a screw driver and troubleshooted something before..?

 

A small hiccup and "yup, take it back. must be crap"

 

Cmon guys you gotta try and help yourself a little bit too! Think about the problems and how you can start tackling them.

 

Basically, The Principle of Comparative Advantage. Pay an expert to fix it once and fix it right. "Zapateros a tus zapatos." Thompson C drums are not for the novice. Go to YouTube and see how many "How to repair a Thompson drum magazine" videos there are. And so on.

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drum came today...very greasy...looks/feels very solid/strong/heavy......im going to try greasing the spring tonight and probably wont get out to try it for a couple of weeks....

 

i was hoping it would come in a nice box for storage like the 50's i saw did...nope...plastic wrap, bubble wrap, large box(enough to fit 2 in).......would have made storage easier...also was hoping it would be #'d

 

still excited as hell to try it out and Dump 100!

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So I'm still new around here, but how come so many of you act like you've never picked up a screw driver and troubleshooted something before..?

 

Seriously? Spend a few days reading pages of material here before you condemn the rest of us as fools who can't handle a screwdriver. There are a few true experts that spend time educating the rest of us on this board and have for years. There are men of great knowledge in machining such as Bob, PK, Merle, Dan, Doug and others we are fortunate to have contact through this venue. All of the money and resources of Kahr/Auto-Ordnance's engineering department can't make a C drum run right, nor could WH-AO before them. Merle's expertise in metallurgy with drum springs is unmatched.

 

But please, let us know how that screwdriver works out.

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We finally made it to the range this afternoon to try the Numrich C drum. I ran 100 rounds each through a Savage 28 and a Colt 21. It turns out I didn't have a full 200 rounds of factory ammunition so I had to use some of my reloads. Unfortunately, the video wouldn't upload from my phone.

The drum was NIB and tested as delivered. It easily wound to full compression with 15 clear distinct clicks. I know, it's supposed to do that, but if you ever tried one of the WH C drums you would appreciate why I made the comment.

The 28 action was first. I fired 3-4 bursts and then dumped the rest without a hick-up. If it works that good on the slower 28 you know it's going to work on the 21 and it did.

I did have 2 "failures to feed" with the 21. This is usually a magazine problem but since it worked fine on the 28 I'm not so sure what caused it. When I have a chance, I'll check dimensions, especially the feed lips, and compare it to an original working drum.

Based on the test, I'm happy with the drum and I'll probably buy a second one.

 

Greg Fox

 

Edited by 1921A
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Merle just called... he bought a drum plus an extra rotor thinking it was as a rotor from these same drums... it was not. Just the top shell from an old west hurley c drum. Don't buy the listed rotor the joint you will fix up a west hurley drum. He is wanted the word spread. Drum looked good but he didn't test yet...

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There are two that are supposed to be left empty. The one at 12 o'clock at the feed lip, and the 3 arms to the left, counter clockwise will have one too, the next two will remain empty. Make sense? Edited by ppgcowboy
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Just spoke to Merle Bitikoffer a/k/a "The Drum Doctor". Merle is probably the foremost living expert on the repair and adjustment of Thompson drums of all makes, models and manufactures. He received and tested the new Numrich C drum and the C drum rotor Numrich lists for sale separately. He gave me permission to post his results here.

 

On the C drum: IT WORKS right out of the box! Ran a drum full of reloads with no problems. Ran one burst of about 20 and the rest in short bursts. Merle didn't want to run a full 100-rd burst in his barrel (can't say I blame him there). He also said said the internals look just like an old Colt C drum. I haven't heard Merle this happy in a good while. He said this is the C drum we've been dreaming of for years!

 

The Drum Doctor has spoken!

 

Time to back the truck up and buy a few of these while they're available and at the sub-$400 price!

 

On the Numrich rotor: IT'S JUST AN OLD KAHR C DRUM ROTOR FACE. It's not even the whole rotor. It's from the old Numrich C drums that gave nothing but problems. Merle called Numrich and told them they should not be playing such "shenanigans" with Thompson shooters. Numrich is sending him a shipping label to return it for free though.

 

Durn shame. If Numrich would sell the C drum rotor from these new drums separately, it might be a way to easily make the old Kahr drums functional. But alas it appears not to be the case.

 

Here endeth the lesson.

 

ALSO: For any who haven't heard the news, the Albany, Oregon Saddle Butte MG Shoot scheduled for May has been cancelled. Insurance problems.

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Stampcollector,
I would advise you to play with it for a while before deciding to give up. Just so you know Colt era drums can be problematic too.
C drums were originally designed to work with the 1921 internals. Yes, C drums will work with 1928 internals but sometimes it takes a while to find the right recoil spring to insure proper function. Ammunition can be a culprit. Some guns like specific ammunition with drums. Reloads are not a good way to test the drums. Spend some time making sure the rails are not binding the rounds as they travel around the drum in a circular motion. One little bend can make the run stop - same with the L drum. Some graphite on the inside of the drum can reduce friction. It can be expensive doing all this testing - but fun!
Based on what I have read thus far and the superb function of the earlier Taiwan L drums, I believe this new Taiwan C drum may be a winner. At a retail price of under $400, it almost seems like a steal.

 

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Didn't know that about the Colt C drums. Thanks TD for the tips, will check it out, and use some of the graphite also. Different ammo. I changed the spring out to a new one after the first try with the drum. I will play with it and see what happens. Took a break form it, will get back to it in a day or two . I bought 2 of the Taiwan L drums and they have both been perfect. Will post my results after the next test.

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Stampcollector,

Go back to the old recoil spring. I know one person who dumps C drums regularly that has a dedicated recoil spring when he uses 28 internals. There are a lot of factors in play when dumping C drums, i.e., different guns, different internals, different ammo, different C-drums, different makers of recoil springs, different lengths of recoil springs, etc. You have good start on the process as your drum worked when you first tried it. Most of the original Auto-Ordnance West Hurley C drums and many of the later modern Kahr C drums will not even begin to work in full auto guns. It is a mess as soon as you pull the trigger. These Taiwan drums seem to have a good spring - and that is key!

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Great advice TD, there is a lot more to think about than I thought. Will test again tomorrow morning, and will bring different springs with me to test, plus other lubes. And a few different ammo's. I was in such a hurry the first 2 times, I will slow down and pay more attention to everything this time!

20170101_134432.jpg

Edited by Stampcollector
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Can you wind it more clicks than 15 clicks, would that damage the spring? I think, it didn't seem as hard to wind the second outing as the first. Maybe I could have wound it another click. Did not grease it, not sure if I'm going to send it back yet. Going to see what other results members have!

The instructions state- wind to 15-17 clicks but no more then 17 clicks.

 

Cdrum.jpgimg upload

Edited by timkel
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