First Time Out Wh 28

[Uncle Dudley]

I finally got both my sons together for the first shoot with the new toy. Papers arrived on the 17th so I've been anxiously waiting. It was worth every cent I invested to see the look on both the boys' faces after they emptied their first "L" drum. The gun ran great. A couple of surprises though, My KAHR drum (group buy) and an old rusty WWII drum both performed flawlessly. I did spec work on the KAHR drum according to PK's post and the old Bridgeport "U" drum needed some attention before I put it into service. My other drums, a WH (1980's) and a WH 39 round wouldn't feed, so we just set them aside to be looked at later. The other surprise was how accurate the TSMG is. My youngest son was shooting dead on like an old WWII vet after only a short time. We all did very well.

I did get a chuckle out of the boys. Before the shoot we watched the old WWII training film (on VHS) while we were loading drums and stick mags. On the way out the range they brought up the question of how much recoil there would be. I said that in the training film the GI's shooting the Thompson's were about 5'4" and 130lbs, so you guys at 6'3" and 220lbs should be able to handle it. NUFF SAID

 

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[21 smoker]

Excellent post!...one of the pleasant surprises of owning anything NFA is the simple joy of sharing and observing the many smiles from shooting them. Congrats on your new Thompson and sharing the fun!... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif

[full auto 45]

Now if the little dude in the first photo is shooting the gun, that's cool!

[Uncle Dudley]

Mike, that's my 4 month old grandson on his Dad's lap. He took a look at the Thompson and threw his arm accross the stock like he knew exactly what to do. We got a laugh and I got the picture. Yup, it's really gonna be hard to wait to see him shoot it and have the "smile". I guess it won't be that long, though.

 

Uncle Dudley

[Ron Mills]

Congrats and thanks for the post+pics. Sounds and looks like you guys had a ball, and a blast! Yep, get 'em started young. That way they learn the respect needed for firearms, get enthusiastic about the enjoyment and craft of shooting, and have fun with it.

[Uncle Dudley]

Ron, you are so right! I was really proud of the way my sons handled their first full auto shoot. They are both active sportsmen and hunters. After we had a safety briefing on handling the Thompson, I noticed that the safety was put on after each firing and rechecked before each new loaded magazine was inserted. The muzzle was always pointed in a safe direction and the firing line checked before firing.

Tonite both boys are actively participating in a Pheasants Forever chapter banquet.

 

Here's a couple pictures of the old WWII drum I got with the gun. It was pitted heavily, the rotor was stuck, no winding key, and the mag catch was rusted away and I had to weld the lips up and refile the gap. I put it thru the beadblast cabinet, brushed on some urethane 2 part fill primer to fill most of the pits without filling the stampings/lettering, sanded the primer and refinished it with a flat urethane automotive 2 part enamel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/overspray/DSCF0355.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/overspray/DSCF0504.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/overspray/DSCF0503.jpg