22 replies to this topic

[mp40]

I was just wondering how many rounds you guys think that you have fired through your pride and joy? I know that some of the questions rate Thompson abuse! but needed to be asked

[brian]

in the 4 or so months that i had it, AND it was working. right around 1000rds.
pk has it now.

[full auto 45]

I would have to say I have put over 10,000 rounds through my gun. Hell the first time I ran it, I was it's first, I put over 1000 rounds through it. It's always nice to be the first. Hell last week-end I put right at 1000 rounds through my 1928 and M1. After all those damn pumpkins kept on charging over the hill!

[jfcastro]

About 200 rounds give or take. I used to use reloads with round head lead bullets and, as a consequence, has serious leading problems in the barrel. I shifted to FMJ heads which made the cost of the rounds quite expensive and is the reason why I don't shoot my gun so much.

[John Jr]

Round about 5K.

Put 600 thru the Browning today too. That thing eats ammo!

[Chopper28]

12-15k in 24 years. Can afford to shoot it more now an will be.

[SecondAmend]

An interesting question. As others have noted, MG shooting is expensive. I only use American factory-made ammo. I want to be able to sue someone real if I get a squib load that ruins the gun. As a result it costs about $2.58/second of air time to run the '28A1 I acquired in July.

I've put about 1500 rounds through it in four shooting sessions. I expect in about five years the value of the gun will have crept up to the point where I'll consider it too valuable to risk breaking. Shooting will greatly diminish then. I could be wrong but I don't think too many minty '21's are shot very much any more. Sort of like the '65 Corvette my brother bought in the early '80s and quit driving in the late '80s, then sold in the early '90s because it was too risky to take out on the road.

[JimFromFL]

Not sure how many but enough to have to replace the barrel as the barrel bent to where shots were shooting high and to the left.

[Chopper28]

The day my TSMG becomes to valuable to shoot will be the day they put me in the ground. It is a gun,it was made for shooting. It has no other use. I bought it to have fun with not to sit and look at. If you want an investment buy stocks, bonds, gold, diamonds or some other intangible items. TSMG's are machined out of solid steel with early twentith century technology. They were built to last and have held up amazing well. If a part breaks or wears out so what. Replace it and roll on. What fun is there in putting them away in a safe. That is like having a super model for a wife and not being able to touch her. TSMG's are hungry beast, they like ammo. I say feed them! Just mt .02

[hawksnest]

What good is a corvette if you can't drive it? I bought my thompsons to shoot!

[Glen Whittenberger]

207,250 since 1983 in a West Hurley ( and still running ).
Approx 9 barrels both GI and aftermarket.

[1919A6]

Got two Colt Thompsons. The 21 from J. Curtis Earl shows lot of hard ball wear in the barrel. The 21/28 Navy sharp clear rifling. Only shoot Round Nose Oregon Trail Laser Cast bullets that I reload on my 650 Dillion. Lead in Cutts Comp. but it comes right out with extra large dental tools bought at a gun show.

As far as shooting them - As long as the "Colt" doesnot wear off, don't think they will lose any value and I only got them in 1998.

Same goes with the Ithaca M3A1, the IMI Uzi and Mini Uzi, the RAMO M1919A6 in 30-06.

[must]

As far as using the Thompson is concern, I equate it to my 641/2 mustang I drive everyday to work. It would just kill me to look at it in the garage & not drive it. I've been driving it for 22+ years now & I have a ton of spare parts on hand to fix it with (thats why I'm not afraid to drive it). Even tho I shoot a PK improved West Hurley M1 Thompson, I have managed to squirrel away alot of parts to fix it also ( I intend to shoot it alot). By the way, thats where my handle on this board comes from is my car!

[john]

About 2K per year through my A.O.'28 Bridgeport......and I've owned it for about 5 years.
I just don't let it get too hot. Barrel rifling still looks great. There is a bit of bare (shiney) inside the receiver....I suppose I should get it reparked to minimize the wear.....

I bought it to shoot and shoot it I must!!

john

[DaveNH]

Yup, bought mine to shoot it. I usually go through about 500 rounds every time i take it to the range. I keep having to buy more cases of S&B, the stack in the garage keeps getting shorter, i just don't understand it.

I have a West Hurley that was built/rebuilt (?) by a gunsmith in CT. I don't know his name as i bought the Thompson from the original CT owner two or three years ago. The gun is an M1A1 that is really neat with lots of customizations:

- removeable front grip hanger
- easily removeable barrel (the screw that holds the front grip hanger unscrews and free's up the barrel to unscrew)
- cut for a drum
- removeable 28 stock
- both front grips
- lyman type rear sight that screws on
- finned barrel with cutts compensator
- several extra barrels

The finish is a deep chocolate black, an incrediblly smooth finish, looks painted, but it's not.

It came with 30 seymour 30rnd magazines, a drum, and a bunch of spare parts, stocks, and barrels. I usually use the drum and 5 or so magazines when i go out and shoot. Not bad for $5500..

My only complaint is that the rear sight keeps unscrewing and i have to keep an alan wrench with me to tighten it after every few magazines. I've tried locktight, but it won't hold it.

These might work if you have the right codec on your system.

http://www.mv.com/ip....50Rnds.dvd.mpg
http://www.mv.com/ip...um/DaveNH.2.mpg

[Bisley45]

around 25,000 rnds threw my uncles M1A1/M1 Tommy in the last 18 years, I remember four or five duds and one partial case seperation that prompted me to buy him an M1 bolt. Don't remember any jambs, a couple of times the bolt closed on an empty chamber but the most common stopage is running out of ammo. Still has GI barrel, not much for rifling, but shoots strait enough to hit hedge ball at aprox 25yards on semi.
BB

[LIONHART]

Hell, if I had a Colt '21 I'd shoot it A LOT!Though many folks who buy those don't, and keep them for investments. That's sort of like marrying a Virgin, and wanting to keep her that way!

[Jay Baker]

Since May 2000, when I got the '28, I bet I have yet to break 1500 rounds. Love to shoot it more, just never seem to have the time to go. I'm going to have to change my ways!

[JimFromFL]

QUOTE (LIONHART @ Oct 29 2003, 05:24 PM)

Hell, if I had a Colt '21 I'd shoot it A LOT!Though many folks who buy those don't, and keep them for investments. That's sort of like marrying a Virgin, and wanting to keep her that way!

The reason for not wanting a virgin for either my wife or my Thompson is because I already planned on having plenty of fun with both.

The fact I already replaced the barrel and a few other parts on the Thompson sort of shows which one actually gets more use;-)

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

A women is like a new Steinway Piano, the more you use it, the better it sounds. Comparing virigin super models to Colt TSMG's seems odd since a TSMG is not going to learn anything new from repeated use. The idea that people buy Colt TSMG's for investment only applies to those Colt's which have not been abused for the last 80 years. There is no downside to continuously firing rounds through a 50% Colt TSMG. Why one would take one of the last remaining 95% - 98% Colt TSMG and run the actuator till the top of the receiver looks like pot metal is just bizaar, if not a sign of sheer dunderheadedness. Considering the surplus of Savage and West Hurley TSMG's and their parts, why would someone feel compelled to resort to firing 1000's of rounds through such a firearm?

This reminds of a fellow on the net who recounted how he substituted just about every part on his Colt TSMG for G.I. parts (including barrel, bolt, actuator, wood, and a Savage frame) before taking it to the range. Now that seemed strange since the only thing left that was Colt, and totally irreplaceable, was the receiver. For all these swap outs, he might as well have been firing a Savage or West Hurley TSMG.