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M1 Spares


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New member here.

I just sold my WH 1928 and am waiting for the paper to clear on a Bridgeport M1.

I have a pretty full set of GI spares for the lower but the majority of the 28 spares for the upper won't work in an M1. So what parts should I be looking for? I have firing pins and extractors, I know I need different hammers and ejectors. I haven't found an M1 bolt anywhere. Does anyone have advice as to where to look? Original buffers are common but is there an upgraded buffer available/advisable for the M1?

 

Also one last question (for now): Will an M1A bolt work in an M1? I can't find one of those either but if it would work, I'd keep an eye open.

 

 

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First welcome to the board, for a Thompson m1 bolt your best bet would be gunbroker or you could look at ima-usa.com also because they usually have some,for buffers someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think Diamond K Precision Machine makes good ones ( username PK on this form), and last but not least yes a M1 and m1a1 bolt are interchangeable
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i bought my spares 1 piece at a time...got a bunch from reconbob here on the forum....it all depends on what quality you find in a parts kit...i always look for excellent/mint condition....russian federation has some parts on ebay....ive never lost $1 on using them..just takes 5-6 weeks to get in your hands

 

ive slowly found all my upper parts....im still searching for a full lower.....if your like me you will shoot your gun 2-3x a year and you will never break anything

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​Of all the Thompsons I have owned my M1 got the biggest work out . After 15K rounds I stopped counting . Shot it most with M1A1 Bolt but a few Thousand with a M1 bolt also. Had spares for every thing and never replaced anything that includes the barrel . 85% of the rounds were hand loaded cast. And the barrel looked almost as good when I sold it as when I bought it. If you run a M1 bolt I would have a extra hammer and firing pin and maybe a barrel .

 

​I might ad a ejector & extractor to the list just in case easy to find and cheap.

Edited by Melvin
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I bought a bunch of spare parts for my Thompsons, it looks like it was a waste of money.

 

what exactly is going to break or wear out?

 

can anyone testify as to a thompson part that they installed new and it broke or wore out?

 

probably some springs and extractors need replacement because of being installed in the gun for 70 years

 

but has anyone actually ever worn out a NOS part?

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https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-u-s-wwii-thompson-m1-smg-bolt-with-floating-firing-pin

 

I've got a "nickle"/bright finish one from IMA. The only thing I had to do was do the hand-picked option and leave a note for what finish you would like (if they have any nickle left). They have gone up a little since I got mine though.

 

 

Waffenmiester is good: http://waffenmeisters.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=71_80

 

They have NOS barrels, bolts etc. Lots of stuff for M1 and 1928s

 

Andrew

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If you put enough rounds thru it you will wear out a barrel. Based on the rental

range guns I have built/serviced a barrel will last 50,000 to 100,000 rounds or more.

 

Extractors can break or lose their ability to "flex". Some people believe this and

some don't and this has been discussed here at length. If you get a new extractor

check it right away instead of assuming it will be ok.

 

Most of the Thompson parts are indestructable but if you routinely lightly pull

the trigger the sear will rub against the bottom of the bolt and slightly nick the

sear slot in the bolt on recoil. This will over time cause a slight rounding of the

edge of the sear and the sear notch in the bolt. Only a very slight smount of

wear will enable the bolt to jump the sear and .cause doubling. This is completely

avoidable if the gun is properly handled, but once it happens both parts will need

to be replaced.

 

Bob

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it's easy enough to picture a barrel getting burned out eventually and the extractor giving up the ghost.

 

i have noticed certain guns will beat the crap out of the recoil spring and require a swap once in a while.

 

being heated and violently worked makes metal undergo changes to the crystal structure

 

if you bend a coat hanger wire back and forth, the energy you are putting into the wire will make it change from dead soft to very hard and brittle. then it snaps.

 

 

There are two things about gun collectors that I find flabbergasting:

 

1. The insistence by some gun guys that springs don't lose power. Every spring manufacturer on earth will tell you that springs lose power over time under certain conditions, usually on the order of 15%. But there is this legion of gun guys who insist that it doesn't happen.

 

2. The insistence on using non-wood products to refinish gun stocks. Like as if guns have some magic fairy powers that render them immune to normal wood stripping and finishing products, you must use fingernail polish and oven cleaner and sharpie ink to finish the stock. Nobody has a clue what they're doing, they apply products without understanding anything about wood staining and finishing, the stocks often come out bizarre looking. But it's this "thing" that won't go away.

 

It's like if you went to a car forum and everyone was saying to use moonshine instead of anti-freeze and take half the spark plugs out and pour elmers glue into the cylinders. Totally bizarre.

 

(rant over)

Edited by buzz
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  • 1 month later...

i look at the spares my gun has needed...i know its on its 3rd barrel....i know the previous one got bulged from using ww2 ammo in the 2000's

 

i can also see the ejector was changed out once as its got scratches around it...so parts do need replacing occasionally...probably a good idea to change out your main spring when you get a new gun

 

parts will never cost less....you may pay $1,000+ for a parts kit today...in 20 years they will be much harder to find and be worth $2,000....and if you need a part you have it...i have a parts kit for each of my guns.....luckily many are under $1,000.....the uzi is the best..$250 and ive got a brand new cut up gun...

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