And his little helper, "Ivan the Terrible!" My wife named this one!
Hey, it works!
Norm
My Thompson
Started by
Norm
, May 21 2005 12:16 AM
17 replies to this topic
#1
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 12:16 AM
My Thompson (close up): "ELVIS!"
And his little helper, "Ivan the Terrible!" My wife named this one!
Hey, it works!
Norm
And his little helper, "Ivan the Terrible!" My wife named this one!
Hey, it works!
Norm
#2
21 smoker
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 1333 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:West coast ,FL
-
Interests:collecting nfa, old cars, huntin` n fishin`, reloading ammo
NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR
MVPA RESTORATION MEMBER
MARINE CORP LEAGUE PISTOL TEAM MEMBER
Posted 21 May 2005 - 06:17 AM
Norm,.. that is a great looking Thompson..well done!...I wish my 21 looked as good...
#3
full auto 45
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 4980 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Looking over your shoulder right now
- Interests:Thompson's, Any Machinegun, Harley's and scuba diving. In that order.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 08:05 AM
15041. Wow. Nice job.
#4
Elbow
-
- Regular Group
-
- 249 posts
Long Time Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Michigan
Posted 21 May 2005 - 08:31 AM
Looks great.Do you have a full picture of it?
#5
Ron Mills
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 1509 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Cowpoke country
- Interests:All Thompson; WW2+Korea
Posted 21 May 2005 - 08:39 AM
I agree with Mike: 15041 W O W ! Fine piece there, Norm.
#6
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 09:33 AM
| QUOTE |
| Norm,.. that is a great looking Thompson..well done!...I wish my 21 looked as good... |
I wish I had a real 21!
#7
colt21a
-
- Regular Group
-
- 4227 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:U.S.A.
- Interests:Everything IN GUNS AND HISTORY
Posted 21 May 2005 - 01:30 PM
norm you have the best 1927a1 semi around....{and if you ever decide to sell it.} i will buy it!!
thats only when you decide to get a full auto baby! wink!
nice shorty also.......fun gun's for fun people...take care,ron
thats only when you decide to get a full auto baby! wink!
nice shorty also.......fun gun's for fun people...take care,ron
#8
LIONHART
-
- Regular Group
-
- 2785 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Interests:Thompsons of course. All Manufactures and Models.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 01:46 PM
Hey Ron, that ain't no Semi! 
#9
colt21a
-
- Regular Group
-
- 4227 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:U.S.A.
- Interests:Everything IN GUNS AND HISTORY
Posted 21 May 2005 - 02:36 PM
| QUOTE (LIONHART @ May 21 2005, 01:46 PM) |
| Hey Ron, that ain't no Semi! |
really i never knew when they stopped the last colt at 15040,they started another at 15041 and it became a full auto navy model!!
and as far as i know they never did locate 15040.........
so this is the hidden holy thompson grail worth the one million???wink!!
you's guy's always tryin to fu yoda..........take care,ron
#10
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 04:46 PM
Yeah Ron, it's a real full-auto 
, but not a real Thompson. 
Uses a "Registered Conversion Device" to do it.
, but not a real Thompson. Uses a "Registered Conversion Device" to do it.
#11
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 04:59 PM
Elbow,
Here is a link to some pictures before I added the white paint in the letters....
Old photo link
Norm
Here is a link to some pictures before I added the white paint in the letters....
Old photo link
Norm
#12
colt21a
-
- Regular Group
-
- 4227 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:U.S.A.
- Interests:Everything IN GUNS AND HISTORY
Posted 21 May 2005 - 06:01 PM
well let me see originally a semi 1927a1 correct??then new f/a/ device.then all the masterwork??
so now it sport's new paint new part's and nice marking's...and great wood.but originally a 1927a1semi??
it go's full auto then,so you have a thompson {non-colt}
be proud of it.all i get to play with now is uzi's!!
but what the heck i can shoot the heck out of them......and not have a panic attack like shooting a colt!!
and i love the quick barrel change's. and suppressed a nice soft speaking gun.......
enjoy the life...take care,ron
so now it sport's new paint new part's and nice marking's...and great wood.but originally a 1927a1semi??
it go's full auto then,so you have a thompson {non-colt}
be proud of it.all i get to play with now is uzi's!!
but what the heck i can shoot the heck out of them......and not have a panic attack like shooting a colt!!
and i love the quick barrel change's. and suppressed a nice soft speaking gun.......
enjoy the life...take care,ron
#13
Walter63a
-
- Regular Group
-
- 1430 posts
RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Interests:Guns (Thompsons, Lugers, and Walthers mostly), History, Politics, Education, Nature, etc.
Posted 21 May 2005 - 09:42 PM
Very nice gat Norm! 
#14
Arthur Fliegenheimer
-
- Regular Group
-
- 3787 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
Posted 21 May 2005 - 10:04 PM
Norm,
That is a unique combination of an AOC type frame one line "FULL AUTO" with early Colt south pointing arrows. Was that intended? I didn't want TD to think it was a Colt variant.
That is a unique combination of an AOC type frame one line "FULL AUTO" with early Colt south pointing arrows. Was that intended? I didn't want TD to think it was a Colt variant.
#15
Ron Mills
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 1509 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Cowpoke country
- Interests:All Thompson; WW2+Korea
Posted 21 May 2005 - 10:23 PM
OK, my dumb, ya fooled me, but that means I'm operating normally.
#16
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 22 May 2005 - 12:13 AM
Arthur,
There is a story behind the trigger frame.
It is actually a current production Numrich made steel trigger frame.
The steel trigger frames that Numrich sells now is not marked correctly (big surprise there, huh?!) The markings for the "FULL AUTO" and "SEMI AUTO" are correct (or at least fairly close) to AOC markings. The "FIRE" and "SAFE" markings are no good; in fact there is only a faint "F" and "S" stamped on it. And to make it worse, they are stamped in the wrong spot to correspond with the selector switch.
When PK called me (while building the gun), he informed me that these markings would have moved (by "erasing" them and having an engraver engrave them in the correct spot.) I asked him if he could put the early type "down pointing" arrows on it instead of the "double sided" arrow that was on higher number Colts. He said that it wouldn't look correct for the serial number which I am sure you are aware is actually one number above Colt's last gun.
I wanted it just because I like the look of it. As I told PK then, I was wanting a very nice replica of a 21A, not a counterfeit 21A; so I chose the style that didn't match. I even had Dave Janowski engrave "15041" on the bottom of the trigger frame.
As you know, the "Navy" model should also have Cutts comp on it; I didn't want that either. In fact the only reason the gun is marked with "Navy" overstampings is because it was already on the semi-finished (80% finished) 27A1 receiver when I purchased it. This is a Doug Richardson made receiver that was completed by Dave Janowski (07FFL) and PK. Doug said that he had made it for someone that had backed out of purchasing it. At the time (and maybe now) it was hard to get a semi-finished receiver (of any kind) from Doug (due to his travels and problems with his eyes.) I feel lucky that I got the one that I did. It had the Colt markings, and a non-Colt serial number, so I took it and ran with it. It has made the gun a much more authentic looking weapon, and some people who see it today still can't believe that it wasn't Colt made. I went with Doug's receiver because it was highest quality in both appearance and durability.
I wonder what J.C. Devine could get me for it?!
The serial number is proof enough that it is not a Colt. The photo below shows the tell-tale sign that it is indeed a 27A1 -the "step" at the end of the front end of the trigger frame.
I tried to make a 27A1 all it could be, and I think that this one is. It doesn't have any war history or PD tales to tell; it's just a great shooter!
Hell Arthur, it might even get you to like a least ONE 27A1 in this world!
Norm
There is a story behind the trigger frame.
It is actually a current production Numrich made steel trigger frame.
The steel trigger frames that Numrich sells now is not marked correctly (big surprise there, huh?!) The markings for the "FULL AUTO" and "SEMI AUTO" are correct (or at least fairly close) to AOC markings. The "FIRE" and "SAFE" markings are no good; in fact there is only a faint "F" and "S" stamped on it. And to make it worse, they are stamped in the wrong spot to correspond with the selector switch.
When PK called me (while building the gun), he informed me that these markings would have moved (by "erasing" them and having an engraver engrave them in the correct spot.) I asked him if he could put the early type "down pointing" arrows on it instead of the "double sided" arrow that was on higher number Colts. He said that it wouldn't look correct for the serial number which I am sure you are aware is actually one number above Colt's last gun.
I wanted it just because I like the look of it. As I told PK then, I was wanting a very nice replica of a 21A, not a counterfeit 21A; so I chose the style that didn't match. I even had Dave Janowski engrave "15041" on the bottom of the trigger frame.
As you know, the "Navy" model should also have Cutts comp on it; I didn't want that either. In fact the only reason the gun is marked with "Navy" overstampings is because it was already on the semi-finished (80% finished) 27A1 receiver when I purchased it. This is a Doug Richardson made receiver that was completed by Dave Janowski (07FFL) and PK. Doug said that he had made it for someone that had backed out of purchasing it. At the time (and maybe now) it was hard to get a semi-finished receiver (of any kind) from Doug (due to his travels and problems with his eyes.) I feel lucky that I got the one that I did. It had the Colt markings, and a non-Colt serial number, so I took it and ran with it. It has made the gun a much more authentic looking weapon, and some people who see it today still can't believe that it wasn't Colt made. I went with Doug's receiver because it was highest quality in both appearance and durability.
I wonder what J.C. Devine could get me for it?!
The serial number is proof enough that it is not a Colt. The photo below shows the tell-tale sign that it is indeed a 27A1 -the "step" at the end of the front end of the trigger frame.
I tried to make a 27A1 all it could be, and I think that this one is. It doesn't have any war history or PD tales to tell; it's just a great shooter!
Hell Arthur, it might even get you to like a least ONE 27A1 in this world!
Norm
#17
Arthur Fliegenheimer
-
- Regular Group
-
- 3787 posts
Respected Member
- Gender:Male
Posted 22 May 2005 - 12:43 AM
Norm,
For what its worth, I wish your custom 1927A1 was not only included in the TSMG display at the William Ruger Gallery of the National Firearms Museum, but that it substituted for all the other WH/Kahr 1927A1's, M1's, and commemoratives, as the definitive example of what should have been the standard if these manufacturers cared a damn about carrying on the Thompson brand.
For what its worth, I wish your custom 1927A1 was not only included in the TSMG display at the William Ruger Gallery of the National Firearms Museum, but that it substituted for all the other WH/Kahr 1927A1's, M1's, and commemoratives, as the definitive example of what should have been the standard if these manufacturers cared a damn about carrying on the Thompson brand.
#18
Norm
-
- Board Benefactor
-
- 2514 posts
Long Time RKI Member
- Gender:Male
- Location:Memphis, TN
- Interests:Thompsons (of course), Electronics, Physics, History, Mechanics, Collecting License Plates.
Posted 22 May 2005 - 08:09 AM
I appreciate the complement; to compare it to with the TSMGs in William Ruger Gallery makes it seem like a better gun.
I think a 27A1 on this level (Richardson receiver, real Lyman, etc.) would be to expensive for the common semi-auto buyer. It might sell as a high quality collector SBR "replica" of a Colt that fires semi-auto only.
I have a Kahr 27A1 receiver, and I must say that it is finished very nicely. I almost used it for this project, but I went the distance with Richardson receiver instead.
I only wish that Kahr would put more "oomph" into their drums. This is something that all Thompson lovers (21,28, and 27A1) can enjoy. The fact that the springs seem weak and the guides do not line up on many of them is disappointing. It would be nice to know that for $220 I could buy as many drums as I needed. Even if the extra attention to detail pushed the price up to around $300, it would nice.
Norm
I think a 27A1 on this level (Richardson receiver, real Lyman, etc.) would be to expensive for the common semi-auto buyer. It might sell as a high quality collector SBR "replica" of a Colt that fires semi-auto only.
I have a Kahr 27A1 receiver, and I must say that it is finished very nicely. I almost used it for this project, but I went the distance with Richardson receiver instead.
I only wish that Kahr would put more "oomph" into their drums. This is something that all Thompson lovers (21,28, and 27A1) can enjoy. The fact that the springs seem weak and the guides do not line up on many of them is disappointing. It would be nice to know that for $220 I could buy as many drums as I needed. Even if the extra attention to detail pushed the price up to around $300, it would nice.
Norm
