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#1 1974 THP Tact squad member Paul Tackett #2 Late 30's early 40s JJ Jackson on right fender sporting a Thompson #3 Sgt. Oscar Stone, right, assistant training instructor, demonstrates on March 20, 1964, the Thompson submachine gun for Metro police recruit Joseph Herrod during the training session.

This weeks favorite..... the Vollmer MP. Who doesn't like a built in monopod? With 3 additional 40 round mags and pouch. Have a manual copy and WW2 bring back paperwork with it. Wonder what they would offer in the Cabela's gun library? We'll see what the next few weeks bring, but I'm sure it will be Russian?

This should work - The Unofficial Tommy Gun Page (archive.org) Bob

Yes, that is a used blish lock. I would also say that the wear rises to the level of damage vs. normal wear. In a properly functioning gun you don’t see wear like that. A lot of people sell used parts as new either because they are dishonest or because they don’t know the difference. There was a breech oiler listed as MINT/NOS up on GB for the longest time and the felt was worn and dirty and the bluing was 50% gone and you could see the ring shaped wear marks where the buffer hits. Really at a glance you knew it was not MINT, but there it was. You have to be careful with cosmoline. I bought some NOS mag catches from a reputable seller, they were packed in little zip lock bags and all gunked up so I just put them in the bin. Months later when i degreased them to use them they were all badly pitted. I am sure the seller did not know and was duped by whoever he got them from. Bob

I am constantly checking the price and availability for the parts in the trigger frame because we need them and use them to complete trigger frames for the blank guns. You cannot buy a set of those parts for less than $200. I just added up my most recent list and it was $283. This does not include the frame itself. We also make trigger frames and it takes about 3 1/2 hours to machine one from a solid bar 2 1/2” x 2” x 9 5/8”. This does not include the time it takes to engrave the fire control markings. You also have to add in the cost of the steel, the cost of stress relieving, and the cost to black oxide (blue). CNC machining costs about $90/hr. If you take all of the above into account, you’re looking at not less than $400 to make a trigger frame and if you were to sell it for $500 you’re theoretical profit is only $100 which would put it in the “don’t bother” zone. And if you add $283 for the small parts, if you sold it for $750 your theoretical profit is $67 - even more of a don’t bother. And this example is for a NEW manufacture frame - an original WW2 frame is worth more. About a year ago I helped out a guy who had 10 new manufacture frames and the small parts and he wanted me to assemble and blue them so he could sell them. He sold them all for $995 and could have sold more. Again - not original G.I. So based on all this an original stripped frame is worth at least more than a new mfg. one, and a complete one is worth not less than $995. I mentioned in a different thread about how a lot of guys are living in the past and their frame of reference is 1980’s $195 complete parts sets. Talk to someone today who was born 15-20 years later and has no memories of that and you will be surprised at what they consider values to be. One last note - many Thompson parts will never be made again because the cost to set up to make them will never be returned because at best you would sell dozens adding up to hundreds, not hundreds adding up to thousands. Bob

Found these photos while looking for photos of my great uncle's unit.

sport10990, Welcome to the Thompson community. And the Thompson forum. Congratulations on your "new" Savage M1A1. I am sure it will bring years of fun. Your extra M1 frame is worth $500 plus depending on condition and finish. Since the transfer has not taken place, I suggest not being in a hurry to sell off any extra parts until you are certain the Savage M1A1 functions properly with the frame on it now. One frame may fit and work better than the other one. Simple things like a worn magazine catch can make life miserable at the range. There are two Thompson associations in the USA: The American Thompson Assocation (TATA) and the Thompson Collector's Assocation (TCA). Both have annual Shows & Shoots in Ohio each year. If you live close enough, you should consider joining one or both and attending these events. This year, the TCA S&S is the last weekend in April; the TATA S&S is the first weekend in August - both on Friday (show) and Saturday (shoot). You will meet many of the Thompson forum members and see more Thompson guns than you have probably ever seen in one place. I guarantee a great time. You do not have to own a Thompson or have a Thompson with you to attend. Loaner guns at the range are usually available for those that bring factory ammunition. These are private events for members only. If you have any questions about the show and shoots, feel free to Private Message me or reach out at: tkd5501@fuse.net TD.

If you have a very nice matched original barrel on your gun, I think id remove a little material from an inch or so of the outside of the 22 barrel and see if it would slide in another inch. A few thousandths off the 22 barrel isnt gonna effect anything.

I was not planning on another book but when I had the opportunity to inspect and take pictures of a beautiful 1928 Colt NAVY...yes, another book. This former police department Thompson submachine gun is owned by none other than Roger Allen, the Class 3 dealer from Kentucky that rescued all the St. Louis Police Department Colt's for Thompson enthusiasts to enjoy forever. I had thought about a smaller (8.25" x 6" - 51 pages) inexpensive book like this for a while based on comments I had received from purchasers of my third book, An Amateur's Guide for the Colt Thompson Submachine Gun. Roger's Colt NAVY, located just down the street in small town Kentucky, made this book a reality. One recurring comment I hear from readers is the Amateur’s Guide book is a great reference book. However, it is just a little too large to drag around to a gun show, auction house or Thompson show when inspecting a Colt Thompson. I have been told many times something smaller and easier to carry around would be perfect – but keep the pictures and captions. This book is mostly pictures and expansive captions! All Colt Thompson submachine guns are very expensive in today’s marketplace. Some are astonishingly high priced. Reference books about Thompson submachine guns are also expensive but can identify many pitfalls that can save buyers a lot of remorse if utilized properly. This pocket size book is designed to allow a prospective buyer or enthusiast the opportunity to correctly inspect a Colt Thompson in a systematic step by step process from one area to another - at a very reasonable price. It is not a replacement for my Amateur’s Guide book; it is a supplemental guide. It is also an inexpensive introduction to the Colt Thompson submachine gun for those new to the machine gun community seeking to learn about the iconic Tommy Gun. It is available on Amazon.com for $24.99 plus shipping and tax. My price is $25 for a signed copy postage paid. I will have copies available at the upcoming Thompson Collector's Association (TCA) Show & Shoot as well as the May, Ohio Gun Collector's Association (OGCA) display show. If you cannot make these events, contact me via Private Message or at: tkd5501@fuse.net for ordering information. Thank you for all your past support.

Its that time again already, time for the Thompson Collectors Association 2024 Show and Shoot held on April 26-27 at Tusco Rifle Club. The show will be on Friday, April 26th and the shoot will be on Saturday, April 27th. You will be able to shoot on the 26th for fun if you wish, as long as a club represenative is on the range to keep an eye on things for liability reasons. Here is the following information for your 5320.20 if you need to file one: Tusco Rifle Club 2132 Midvale Mine Road Dennison Ohio 44663 There are hotel rooms blocked off at the Hampton Inn located in New Philadelphia, which is only 10 minutes drive from the range. Any questions, feel free to contact me and I will get you the information you need.

If it is not too late, come to the TCA Show & Shoot for a great weekend of Thompson fun. I am sure Bill and John will allow all Board members to join TCA and pay at the door. Mention my name and I will be the first to welcome you. Me, I am going to give my Merle kit a good workout!

It appears to me that the magazine in the first picture is for the shot filled riot cartridges. No gap in the magazine well.

The week is upon us….if you want to see the displays or shoot, come on out. Can’t make it anymore plain than that, this only comes around once a year for this event.

Thought I would make a quick video of my M50 with Thompson Machine ISIS2 suppressor with a custom adapter they made me. Also installed a tall front Mauser sight from Brownells. The extra weight helps controlling the rifle during full auto firing. Allen IMG_0033.mov

I ask myself this question all the time. It really depends on the day... Right now, it's between the MG34 and MP5k. Other days, it's the BREN or AM180. Life is full of important choices

The officer on the left side of the hood, doesn't seem to mind having a Tommy gun pointed straight at him !!! LOL

Yesterday I tested my Merle Bitikofer .22 conversion unit with my Thompson M1 submachine gun, to establish the rounds per minute speed with each of the springs included in the kit. This is my range report. My kit came with two recoil springs, one is 9 1/4” long and the other is 11”. I also had a spring that was provided to me by Capt. Monty Mendenhall, who had written an article back in 2010 about a spring that he developed with Merle and Dr. Ed Shaughnessy, a firearms designer and a teacher of advanced engineering at Duke University. Capt. Mendenhall’s spring was 12 1/2”, but he had told me that he was sending me the spring long, so that I could cut it a little at a time, until I got the desired RPM count, and reliability. He explained that he had been looking at ways to slow the cyclic rate of the gun down to about 650 RPM. I ended up cutting about one inch off of the spring, I might take more, but maybe not. Let me explain why. I fired a full 30 round Black Dog Magazine full of Federal .22LR ammo, the bulk pack sold at Wal-Mart with the 36 grain hollow point bullet. This was the ammo recommended with the conversion kit, and it worked reliably for me. I clocked the round per minute speed of this ammo through my Thompson M1 submachine gun using a PACT shot timer with a RPM function. The results are as follows- 1. The 9 1/4” spring gave me a speed of 730 RPM. 2. The 11” spring gave me a speed of 913 RPM. 3. After first trying Capt. Mendenhall’s spring full size, I found it was not reliable. I cut the spring from 12 1/2” to 11 5/8’, This gave me a speed of 598 RPM, a nice, steady, noticeably slower speed. Capt. Mendenhall recommended a length of 12", but I ended up cutting a little more. YMMV I also found that when I used my 50 round drum, the drum converted for me by Dan Block, it was unreliable with the 11” and the 11 5/8” springs. It only worked reliably with the 9 1/4” spring, giving me a speed of 764 RPM. I had an issue with this drum in the past, but now I think the problem has been solved by using the right spring. I will do some more testing, and keep you guys posted on my progress. Using the Thompson with the .22 conversion unit is a lot of fun. It allows me to shoot a lot of cheap ammo, and gives me plenty of trigger time with my M1. The Mendenhall spring slows the cyclic rate down even more that the slowest spring provided with the Bitikofer kit, it reminds me of a M3 grease gun. The Black Dog magazines are pretty good, not fool proof, but very good. I believe I have sorted out my issue with the drum, but I do think a little more testing is needed, just to be sure.

Article on suppressing the Reising M50 http://archive.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=4066

Dogman, I had previously put my OOW 1918A3 rifle W/flash hider , in the M1950 padded jump case, so I knew it would work that way. I don't use the bipod so it never occured, and very surprised, me that the case wouldn't work with bipod installed. In 1950 the BAR was a important part of the rifle squad , so why make such a case. Nate, You are correct. The steel, skelitan butstock is one of the British jobs made to replace a broken wood stock. It is pictured with a Winchester M1918 Automatic Machine Rifle with British lend/lease stamps. I had Dan Block make a wood stock, which is currently on the rifle. Thanks for your interest. Jim C

To start the serial number change over to pinned threaded boss. My Savage M1 frame has 2861?0 stamped on the trigger guard. I have not been able to determine what the fifth digit is.

Guil58, Thank you for the additional pictures. It is definitely an early frame that was well used. The stories it could tell.... I have never seen a "R" mark in the magazine well. Perhaps other forum members will join in. Bridgeport28A1, Excellent information! It appears Savage Arms changed from the detachable threaded stock boss later in production and made the threaded boss a part of the frame like the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB) models. I would guess to reduce manufacturing time and costs. I have never studied the M1/M1A1 series of Thompson guns but this appears to be new information. Forum members with Savage M1/M1A1 Thompson guns could easily check this part on their guns and report. Perhaps we can determine about the time the change occurred via a serial number range. All good stuff!!!

TD, not all Savage M1 frames had a pinned threaded boss. Some Savage frames had a machined threaded boss. The FULL AUTO marking on two lines and the George E Goll GeG stamp are the two best ID methods.

Submarine Thompson{that's what put it in the atlantic} and now all perfect.I had #894 21a done back around 35 years ago. the only Thompson i ever had restored. pitted barrel. and yes probably a 70% gun. more finish loss and some pits; came out perfect. and no place near that garbage pit they show here.WHEN I SOLD IT I PUT IT ON TABLE WITH OTHER 21'AS AND AC;S ALL HAD BEEN WELL OVER 95 TO 99% TEN GUNS, THE BUYER PICKED #894 and i said what it was he said that's good this is the one i want.

I call BULL$HIT......

That is correct, but what happened was trigger frames got mismatched with the receivers, and while secured in the rack, the wrong serial numbers were recorded. So around 1943-44 or so they were ordered to stop numbering M1-M1A1 trigger frames, there is more detailed info in American Thunder 3. That is a pretty low serial number, the lowest I had ever seen recorded was by Roger Cox, as I (vaguely) recall was #153

Thompson parts? There's a few suspicious regulars on gunbroker...like "TheGreek" who doctors WW2 parts to look like Colt parts and advertises them as Colt.

Bare trigger frame or complete with internal parts? Every now and then, you will see one on Gunbroker.com - both bare and complete frames which should give you an idea of the market price. Like you, I received an extra USGI bare frame when I purchased my model 1928 TSMG. I finished filling it out with USGI internals as a "spare" and to learn how to disassemble and reassemble it.

Make sure the firing pin is riding true in the bolt, and, more importantly, that the bolt is running true with the firing pin installed. Fit as necessary. If the gun wasn't doing this before the new firing pin, something is now out of alignment with the new firing pin, causing the entire bolt assembly to be off. The firing pin may be riding on the sear, or frame, changing the position of the bolt as it goes into battery. It could cause undue wear on the sear, or whatever it is riding against. Just my humble opinion, Karl, 68coupe

Guil58, Welcome to the Thompson forum. Thank you for posting. I don't think I have ever seen an M1 or M1A1 frame originally numbered in that location. That said, the M1 series of Thompson guns is not my specialty. The threaded boss for the butt stock (shown in your picture) will tell which manufacturer made that particular frame. If on the side of the frame you can tell the threaded boss is pinned to the frame - Savage Arms; if the threaded boss was made as part of the frame (no pin head showing on the side of the frame) - Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport factory. Since the circular GEG or George E. Goll inspector mark is present, I am guessing Savage Arms. I am interested in French literature on the Thompson submachine gun. Please post some pictures of your 1921 French documents.

Balder, Thanks for the additional pics. I never doubted you for a second. The worn finish and two-tone look have a certain appeal.

Nice looking Bren! Mine is V-XXX

I know a guy who was shooting 220 grain round nose surplus hunting rounds out of a open bolt BAR without issue. The Internet is full of horror stories about folks who have damaged Garands by deviating from M2 ball spec 30.06, even some damage from 150 grain milsurp stuff that is aged, like the MKE Turkish ammo that came into the country in 1000 round sealed cans a few years back. But the Garand and BAR are vastly different designs, the beefy receiver with Browning's buffer design allow for more strength in my opinion. I recently fired my Winchester m1918 followed by a 1903 Springfield, same ammo. The effect of that buffer was immediately evident. It seems like a lot of Garand damage with hot ammo happens to the stock rear of the receiver which seems unlikely in the BAR design.

If you are assembling/replacing parts in a trigger frame, consider yourself lucky if it works. I just finished assembling/testing a batch of trigger frames for the blank guns and it was a long, long way from assemble and shoot. We are getting to the end of the line with many parts (Sarco no longer lists Thompson parts.) And maybe the parts out there over many years have been rejected, sold, rejected again, resold, etc. and an increasing number of them are no good. Here are some of the parts and their defects - Sear - leg that engages sear lever is too thin = sear will not drop far enough to release bolt Sear lever - leg that engages sear is not thick enough = sear will not drop far enough to release bolt Disconnector - leg that engages sear lever is too short = sear will not drop far enough to release bolt Disconnector - leg that engages sear lever is too long = disconnector will not rebound under sear lever Disconnector - arced surface that engages sear lever is too flat = disconnector will not rebound under sear lever Trigger - hole for disconnector is too high/low = sear does not function properly Rocker - height is too short/low = not tripped by bolt on semi Rocker - height is too long/high = trigger frame will not slide onto receiver when set to full auto Sear spring - can have "kink" in the coils = sear does not drop all the way and/or "two stage" pull The defects in the legs of the sear and sear lever are easy to spot if you have seen enough of them but the other parts you can't tell until you try them. Bob

If this is an original military Thompson you should replace the barrel with an original G.I. barrel. The Green Mountain barrels are AOK, but down the line when you go to sell the gun a GM barrel is not going to help the cause. Bob

Lest we forget that these were working guns, back in the day these were beat to hell and used. Weren’t for sitting around and polishing like they are today. Given how this one looks and has been redone, I’d say it saw some use in its time.

A parts out parked Colt 21ac. a plain old shooter now. it is not original in any form today. like a guy takes a Luger rig with 2 matching mags. and holster and tool. tosses out the holster and tools,sells the 2 matching numbered mags. and finish it in black caracole. no value but to shoot it.ALL OR ANY ORIGINALITY is gone forever. and not coming back.you have a Thompson to fondle shoot and enjoy. Well the dept has. and if its form 10 at that place it will stay. Joliet p.d. and Stateville. THE PRISON HAD A FEW ORIGINALS AND SOME DONE OVERS. when checked a number of form 10's and they will remain there. also Will County Sheriff gun #3151 a 21a needed help.and #1875 out of Markham,il. a long ago reblue. but al least a transferable.THANKS FOR POSTING PICS OF PROOF OF LIFE. VALUE $15,000 THE SUM OF ITS PARTS. GOING BACK TO BLUE.....35 and 40 years ago. we did not take slews of pictures unless you ran around with a camera.we bought sold and traded. today they can take all the pics they want to preserve the find.

I had a chance to fully review a draft copy of this book, and I have to say it is a fantastic resource in a handy format. Another great job by Tom! David Albert

Yes, I evidently lucked out. The whole rig is in excellent, almost perfect condition. I had no choice of guns, only getting to choose the serial number with an FH prefix from the last St. Etienne (MAS) production batch of the late 1970s. The edges are bright. If the gun's been arsenal refinished, the process left each component with a slightly different parked color and finish, ranging from black to light gray. The date stamps make sense, with all being from 1977, including the nylon web holster. All major assemblies are MAS marked. The gun fits the pictured leather holster nicely. The web holster is particularly well designed. It fits the gun perfectly, allowing no movement. The flap is quickly opened, and the gun is very easy to draw. It cannot bind or stick. If the hammer is cocked, the flap cannot be closed. The holster also holds one spare mag and a cleaning rod. Slick! I'm very impressed with the M1950 design. It fits the hand perfectly, has a great trigger, and is utterly reliable. It's also just about the easiest service pistol to field strip and reassemble that I've ever handled. OWS was great to work with. They had this pistol in my hands exactly 48 hours after I ordered it online.

Prices rose on this gun because this fella helped clean up the zombie mess back then. Something that we need to do even more now.

I always say the biggest enemy to gun owners is other gun owners. Got Uzi's reply is the perfect example of that... 🙄 Welcome to the forum H2M! With regards to the serial number range, M1s would go up to about the 300,000 ish mark and then M1A1s would go up in the 900,000 range. 1928s and 28A1s I'm not so sure on. The world DOES need more Thompsons. Post sample or not. The more we can show the anti-gun crowd that machine guns are NOT dangerous OR unusual, the better.

Buy the book

Cool picture, a clearly posed, George Raft and James Cagney getting some Thompson guidance form an expert. Each dawn I die (1939)

It was from a belt feed, the brick pelts. Maybe wrong, but maybe right, told to me well over 45 years ago when i got the m.g.m. Thompson i called the studio and tracked down props dept and gun effects. one guy about age 85 was retired. left my info he contacted me and gave me some details. also sent me a great pic from the BIG HOUSE 1931 WITH WALLACE BEERY. Holding the m.g.m. gun i acquired in its 1921a appearance, later they added a comp for Bataan,{robert taylor version} and Never So Few. he retired by that time in early 60's.GOOD TIMES..GREAT PICTURE FROM JESSE A GREAT FIND.

GREAT PHOTOGRAPH! TRACIE HILL

My favorite NFA item is my RR PP MP5 that I have had since '87. It always goes bang. Even Dolf Goldsmith enjoyed shooting it.

mine is a russian ppsh-41, i got it from a kid in high school, around 1962, i trade him a reweld m-1 grand straight across for it, his dad brought it back from korea, we did the swap in the school parking lot ! then i took school bus home, i papered it in 1968,i still have it, myy oldest kiid will get it when i croak, im 79 now, just sayn

Took there years ago. I don’t think I have posted these pictures here before. Maybe not. If so, well then you get to see these again! Years ago, I bought my Colt 1921A from an amazing member here. A couple years after that my dad finally decided to buy his very first and only machine gun after watching me amass my machine gun collection for years. He decided to buy a Colt 1921AC. Here are pictures of both of our Colt Thompson’s, an original C drum magazine, a Colt era stick mag, as well as both my 1918 dated and my 1913 dated 1911s. Incredible works of art. Enjoy.

Simply magnificent! Truth be known, I like the 1911s as much as the Thompsons. Each were, and still are the apex of design.

I have what is left of the books Doug wrote and printed, and some of the manuals and catalogs he restored and printed. He was very careful when he copied manuals so they would not at a later date be thought to be original. he would change the size of his copy vs. the original, and also marked somewhere "Reprint and Restoration by Doug Richardson". I don't imagine any of these will be printed again. I have listed the title, a brief description, the price (using Doug's catalog #17 which is over 15 years old as a guide) and in parentheses the number available. Payment is to be by US Postal Money Order. You can email me at Philaord@aol.com and tell me what you want and your zip code and I can calculate the postage. Bob U.S. Army Ordnance Standard Nomenclature List May 11, 1936 Photos of the parts and part numbers for M1928A1 and "1928 Navy Overstamp" 35 pages (45) $10 Thompson submachine gun suppressor by Doug Richardson. 25 pages. (20) $15 Thompson Submachine Gun Box magazines by Doug Richardson. Very detailed treatise on manufacturers, markings, etc. 56 pages. (3) $20 U.S. Navy Parts Catalog. M1918A1, M1, M1A1. November 1945 12 pages (5) $10 Thompson Guns 1929 Commercial price list and catalog. 19 pages (48) $8 Fort Knox Manual 1941. All aspects of disassembly, assembly, functioning, etc. Doug describes this as a "picture book" manual and that it is the "best TSMG owners manual available. For whatever reason the pictures in this manual are quite dark, but still readable. 59 pages. (11) $15 Thompson Submachine Gun Patents by Doug Richardson 122 pages. Copies of patents related to the Thompson. (2) $25 Drum Magazines Type C & L by Doug Richardson. Detailed info on use, care, manufacturers, etc. 118 pages (13) $25 1936 Auto-Ordnance Catalog 30 pages (2) $8 TM 9-215 Thompson Submachine Gun Cal. .45 M1 October 1942 60 pages (1) $10 TM9-1215 Ordnance Maintenance M1928A1 March 1942 25 pages (27) $8 FM 23-40 Basic Field Manual M1928A1 December 1941 80 pages (22) $10 Auto-Ordnance Corporation 1936 Handbook of the Thompson Submachine Gun Model of 1928, Model of 1921 64 pages (37) $10 Tommy Gun Rifle and Bayonet. For British Home Guard September 1941. Doug deleted the parts about rifle and bayonet. 28 pages (1) $10 Thompson Submachine Gun Mechanism Made Easy London 1942 Manual for Thompson Submachine Gun Model 1928 32 pages (24) $8 Also have some original MINT manuals. This is the smaller manual - Doug made his reprint bigger. Original is high quality printing, glossy pages. 32 pages (5) $30 Thanks Bob

I was reminded of this topic by a fellow forum member on the MP38/40 forum (How many MP40's are there?) and wanted to open this up for discussion and comment. Many of you may not know that the legislation in '86 closing off new transferrable MG's included an amnesty period whereby those of us, or anyone for that fact, could declare and register with the Feds MG's that were up to that time, essentially ghost guns. There was tremendous speculation about this amnesty being a sham for confiscation etc., but what really happened was that the Feds did in fact stick to their word and grant real amnesty for/to anyone or any business who declared and demonstrated possession of said MG (or what the ATF called/defined as a MG). Now, we also know that a lot (and we all know there was a lot!) of individuals did not trust the Feds, so they simply did not declare their gun. Problem. The legislation allows for up to THREE, yes THREE amnesty periods, of which only one has been implemented to date, that being the original '86 amnesty. During the Pistol Brace public comment period, I submitted a suggestion to the ATF that perhaps the time was right to offer yet another amnesty period. Doing so would: Allow those individuals (and it will be mostly individuals, not companies) who did not trust the Feds, and now know they will not confiscate the guns, to declare them, Allow children and spouses of WW2, Korea and Vietnam vets who many have spirited guns back to the US, and who are passing away in greater numbers, to legally declare and manage such guns,Allow the ATF to get a better handle on how many total MG's there really are, and keep them out of the hands of criminals,Increase the total pool of available transferrable MG's, thus moderating retail pricing,Keep unsuspecting relatives and family members from becoming possible felons, just because dad or grandpa has a gun in the basement or attic.Contribute to the historical value of many really cool C&R guns,Now, in consideration of the fact that since Vietnam, the military has without question instituted very strong policies on bring backs, I further suggested that the ATF limit the Amnesty qualified MG's (complete weapons) to guns manufactured on or before the last service member departed Vietnam (April 30, 1975). This will eliminate any openly illegal bring backs from then on, and specifically prohibit manufactured receivers "tubes", or domestic manufactured MG's after the declared date of April 30, 1975. In addition, any MG that was federal or state property, and declared stolen etc. would not qualify. So, as an example: My dad dies or moves to an assisted living facility, and when I clean out his attic/home I find a MP 40. Because most WW2, Korean and Vietnam vets are now sufficiently aged that their families are assisting in their care, we can assume that MOST, not all but MOST of the guns in question are now identified. So taking advantage of the amnesty period, I declare it and now the market has another great gun for collectors, this gun will not find its way onto the black market AND the Feds have one less "ghost" gun to worry about. Next example: Uncle dies and we clean out his house and find two M16's, both marked US Government Property. Seems that Uncle snuck them home during the Vietnam war and they are both stolen/contraband. I declare them and the Feds identify them as stolen, thus the guns are accounted for and returned to the Feds. Good ending. So what do you think? I don't know why the ATF does not consider this. Seems to me to be a great policy.