Posted 11 March 2006 - 03:16 PM
Sigh....I have mixed feelings when I see one of those guns. Back in the 1980's I tooled
up to make a true G.I. quality Thompson, because at the time the only Thompsons being
made were the West Hurley guns which left a lot to be desired. We made the receivers
from 4130 aircraft quality steel to
1942 specifications using drawings we got from the government via the Freedom of Information
Act. All parts were original MINT G.I. (which you could still get back then, most of the parts
we used were brand new in the wrapper from a NATO sell-off) except possibly
the trigger frame which may also have been made by us using the original drawings. If
we made the trigger frame it will have a keystone marked on the front of the trigger guard.
I did my best to make those guns perfect. I even had an endorsement from Thompson
guru Roger Cox.
As soon as we started making them the 1986 law was passed and an ATF inspector
came in and said if we couldn't shoot it it had to be stricken from the books, and boy did
that hurt! I known plenty of guys who were never inspected and were able to register
hundreds of pieces of raw steel which later became sideplates or tubes for SMG's - an
instant fortune for those able to do it.
Anyway, we probably only shipped 10-15 of those. The bright side is that sitting there
with all of the tools, fixtures, and programs I came up with the idea of the "80% receiver"
and we've sold 1000's of those...
Bob Bower/Philly O