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  1. 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.
    7 points
  2. I finally received my long-awaited e-mail from reconbob that my M1A1 BFONG was completed and ready to pick up. I live a 2 1/2-hour drive from his shop. Decided to make the trip on Monday. Spent a couple of hours with Bob discussing many topics. He was very gracious. On to his "range" for a quick test fire. It functioned flawlessly. I was able to see his setup for making the blanks from new Starline .45 ACP blank cases. These have just recently been made available again from Starline. Our discussions verified to me that the production stoppage by Starline had a major effect on his ability to complete the guns. I was able to purchase 1000 blanks while there. I am very impressed with the engineering that went int the design to allow ATF approval and reliable function. The fit and finish is beautiful and has been well worth the wait on Bob's list. Thank you, Bob!
    4 points
  3. I purchased a parts kit several years ago and noticed the grip panels did not fit well. I took the grip panels off and noticed the deformed metal in the grip frame and this confirmed that the metal pistol grip frame was bent. I took it apart and bent the pistol grip back into shape and the grip panels fit perfectly. You can see the before and after pics.
    3 points
  4. I’ve used Doug’s tool for years. I slip a business card under the pivot plate so I don’t have to worry Frank
    3 points
  5. Honoring those who served. Don't envy a man and his medals, all those ribbons on his chest, He did not try to get them, they're not there at his request, They were earned in stinking hell holes, where no man would like to go, Or in cold and wintry places, where there's only ice and snow. He did not know he earned them, till they were awarded at parade, They were bright when he first got them, but in time the colours fade, He was told he had to wear them, and to wear them all with pride, But when the memories come to haunt him, those same medals make him hide. Cause those medals will not bring back, all those guys he left behind, And he would trade them all forever, for a little peace of mind. So don't envy a man his medals, you don't want to take his place, Thinking back to long gone battles, and meeting dead friends face to face. There is discipline in a Soldier, can see it when he walks, There is honour in a Soldier, you hear it when he talks, There is courage in a Soldier you can see it in his eyes, There is loyalty in a Soldier that he will not compromise. There is something in a Soldier that makes him stand apart, There is strength in a Soldier that beats from his heart, A Soldier isn't a title, any man can be hired to do, A Soldier is the soul of that man, buried deep inside of you. A Soldier's job isn't finished, after an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week, A Soldier is always a Soldier even while he sleeps. A Soldier serves his country first, and his life is left behind, A Soldier has to sacrifice, what comes first in a civilian's mind. If you are civilian, I am saying this to you, Next time you see a Soldier remember what they do, A Soldier is the one that is brave, protecting you and me, And If you know A Soldier, I am saying this to you. Lest we forget
    2 points
  6. Thank you Mark, The memorial in Newcastle was unveiled 100 years ago this year, by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII. The Inscription beneath the bronze marching men on the granite memorial reads 'Non sibi sed patriae’ in Latin, translates as ‘not self, but country’.
    2 points
  7. I’m 27 currently… bought my 1921 Colt Thompson at 25. We young guys are out here lol… an we want them.
    2 points
  8. Mark you bring up a great point. Most families never get the respect they deserve. They sacrifice so much being alone when we are deployed, spouses having all the burden and worry about us. Absentee Moms or Dads with kids home alone. The nightmares they have when we are in harm's way. You can ask my daughter about that. Fallujah and Ramadi were good places to get hurt in... Having said that Veterans day also should include those families, because many times they are the ones still struggling with the Veteran in a too early grave. So thank you everyone when you thank a veteran or help some mother get the groceries in her car etc when they need a kind word or hand. Semper Fi, Steve
    2 points
  9. That is really noteworthy! I have not seen that before. Very well done! Thank you RCBCrPS. Been a tough go the last several weeks. Was at my best friend's side as his condition worsened and he finally passed on. CLNC water. It is what it is. I was very thankful I could assist his family. Yes, for those Veterans who have always protected those who appreciate it, and others who have no clue. We just lost a very quiet unknown Hero. We did the service at the Marine Corps Museum Chapel with the internment at the Quantico National Cemetery. Celebration of life was at the Museum. Very fitting and uplifting for his family. I served with heroes and he was one of them. He had given away his Dress Blues. I set up his Awards and Medals on my Blues. After the Colors were removed from his coffin and the 21 Gun salute sounded. Members of 2d Force Reconnaissance Company rendered the final honor pinning our gold wings on his coffin. There was not a dry eye in the crowd. These men were there to honor him. And we have always been there to protect you. Until Valhalla.
    2 points
  10. Yes mbc 20 you are right in that remark a price point.I retired out of the tommy fun about 15 years now after being in it for 40, so yes i look at most today as not that great shape.Since many i had , most only one or 2 owner guns, and some direct from p.d. so one owner.THE MORE OWNERS THE MORE WEAR.AND OF COURSE DREADED CHANGES TO IT. parts, wood, barrels, finish, many things.i did not have a ton of Thompsons like some really big players. at high count was over 125,but way most by 98% of those out there. Even offered to buy EARL OUT, BACK IN 98/99 {AFTER WE HUGGED AND MADE UP HA HA} SO ITS BEEN A FUN RIDE AND KEEPING THAT HISTORY ALIVE.AND I ALWAYS WANTED ONE THING. COND.AND ORIGINAL. AND I MADE THAT MY GOAL ALWAYS IN THOMPSONS.AND ALL THE EXTRA GEAR FOR THEM HARDCASES SOFT. MAGS DRUMS YOU NAME IT I HAD IT.IN THE HUNDREDS.SO IF I COME ON STRONG TO SOME OVER THE YEARS WELL THAT' S TOUGH. I DID IT ALL A THOUSAND TIMES OVER. AND MAINLY BEFORE MANY EVEN GOT STARTED.WHEN DEALS WERE REALLY GOOD. AND QUALITY WAS WAY UP.THERE ARE STILL A FEW GUYS AROUND LIKE THAT BUT NOT TOO MANY.BESIDES I ALSO COLLECTED OTHER CLASS 3 HAD HUNDREDS, SO YEAH I GUESS I CAN SPEAK FROM SOME EXPERIENCE ON THAT.ONE DAY YOU WILL GET THERE ALSO. and know you had a lot of fun doing it.
    2 points
  11. Thanks. I removed the pistol grip frame from the lower and stripped it completely. I took an "L" shape custom punch that I made and removed the bent/deformed areas on both sides. Flattened about 50% of the way. Then *carefully* clamped the stripped lower in a padded table vice and hit with a plastic mallet. Hit a couple of times, then checked for movement using one of the grip panels. After it moved about half way, I took my "L" shape punch and flattened the bent metal so it is completely flat. Then put back in the padded vice and hit it a couple of times and checked with the panel. Kept doing this until the grip panels fit perfectly. It did not want to go back into shape and had to hit the pistol grip frame with quite a bit of force. The plastic mallet did not cause any cosmetic issues and it turned out great.
    2 points
  12. voici une fabrication d'une crosse pour une restauration complète d'un UD il me manque les détailles soit par plan ou par photo du schéma de remontage des pièces de la détente. a bientot
    2 points
  13. I may have posted a long way back but it's a great pic... Bob
    1 point
  14. The new blanks are exactly the same. Made from new Starline .45ACP blank brass.
    1 point
  15. I just pulled both my "extra" buffers out and the piece that fits in the firing pin retainig nut on one is tapered, two piece. The other is not tapered two piece. So here is the official answer. The buffer piece that fits into the firing pin retaining nut is removed ONLY when you remove the firing pin. It then slides out the hole. the firing pin retaining cross pin (that holds the firing pin in place) will have to be pushed out and the firing pin removed. Only then will the two piece smaller buffer(s) with spring be able to be removed. So we were wrong.
    1 point
  16. Picked this up for $3,000 on Gunbroker when they were for sale to the general public for a super short period of time about 2 years ago. Knew it was too good to pass up and probably wouldn’t happen again. Completely pointless, but it’s neat saying I have a brand new RPG. LOL
    1 point
  17. Same for me really. I’m in my 30s and have over 40 transferables. Plenty of us young guys here.
    1 point
  18. First post. I recently inherited my grandfathers unfired 16” Civilian semi auto Thompson. Naturally, I wanted to SBR it, so I E-filed a form 1 and got approved in 4 weeks. I then ordered a 10.5” barrel, front sight post, and horizontal hand guard from Apex. I found this forum after doing some research on removing the original Thompson barrels. Although I found some good information on removing old barrels, it didn’t sound like there were too many makers of the jigs and barrel vises. I also read in another post that one of the main guys that made the barrel jigs died. I watched a few of his YouTube videos and decided I would make my own barrel vise due to the availability and cost of existing vises, most in the range of $250. I am posting this for educational purposes in case there are folks out there interested in building their own barrel “wrench”. I am also happy to build one of these wrenches for forum members for $150. The wrench worked great for removing the 16” finned barrel that was on my Thompson. It was almost too easy. Once it’s broke free, I had to RR lock the wrench a few times but was eventually able to spin it off by hand. One design element I incorporated was maximum barrel surface area contact. The tubing section that makes contact with the ~1.00” barrel section is as long as it can be without hitting the post on the hand guard mount. the construction was with common materials including .995” inner diameter X .062 wall steel tube, 1/4” steel plate. The design was completed in solidworks, laser cut at a local fab shop, and welded at home. I used the remainder of the steel tube to extend the handle. The premise of the design is to use clamping force to remove the barrel or to tighten a new one. I cut a slit down the 4” section of tube with an angle grinder so there is roughly an .080 gap that can be clamped together. My old and new barrel are roughly .995 in OD but this should also work with barrels that have smaller diameters As the clamping force will force the tube to conform to the barrel. Please check out these photos and let me know if you have questions on building something similar or if you would like to purchase one of mine. Thanks for looking.
    1 point
  19. Doug now that is a down to earth honest post.Now if i could get dibs on all the colts i sold for $5g that would be great.lol.I have been at it just too long.need the youngbloods to take over anybody now over 50. 5 to 10 years in money back you may be right. in 20 or 30 some will be around that long.another gen or 2 will be gone.that might be the hard road for some. my byline when i first joined in the forum was" IN the future only the rich will own Thompsons" that is one thing i did get right.i ended up with that$ 900 buck Thompson from Mike from this we became good friends for 20 years.
    1 point
  20. I am about done running the "American" powders and will run VV. Cleaner & better powder for the same or less $ these days. I have several old Speer manuals, including no. 8. Keep in mind when that was published in the early 70s, pressure testing was not near as advanced as today. There was not piezo electric transducers, a lot of the data was done by inspection, i.e., we have to beat the cases out with a rod and mallet, we've hit max. If you find a copy of the A Square manual, it has pressures listed. It is a very informative manual if you like data. It is out of print, if you track one down, it will be $150-200.
    1 point
  21. Super man! Thanks so much. I ordered one!
    1 point
  22. Indeed my friend. I know a handful of guys my age or younger who’ve bought an mg or a few… every single one of us didn’t buy them as investments or think of them as that unlike the previous generations… we are all using them as a tool to hopefully defeat the NFA… get them out get folks to shoot them teach them about the NFA an how stupid it is. Every guy I know personally wants to some day have a “worthless mg” because the NFA gets repealed. So I am personally very hopeful for the future.
    1 point
  23. At the weekend I went to visit relatives and friends and while in Merseyside I visited Port Sunlight. It is a model garden village built by Lever Brothers to accommodate workers in its soap factory (now part of Unilever). It was originally designed to provide industrial workers with decent sanitary housing in a considered architectural form. As well as houses, a school and a cottage hospital, Port Sunlight also has an art gallery a museum and a poingnat war memorial. William Lever, was anxious to have a memorial to commemorate those of his workers who had been lost in the First World War, but what struck me was the figures in the memorial not only represented the soldiers and sailors, but also their families.
    1 point
  24. I was watching a footage of Marine Raiders returning from Makin Island Raid and noticed that (at least) one of them carries an M55 Reising. 02:06 - M55 Reising seen in the hand of the Raider on the right, coming into picture 00:38 - Raider on the left can be seen lowering the M55 Reising; 01:27 - Raider second from left waves his Reising 01:18 - very recognizable M55 Reising Could this be considered a proof of Reisings being used during the raid?
    1 point
  25. Hello, Here is an unmarked Pouch that I believe is an original Rusco bag. It is in decent shape with a bit of soiling but looks very nice yet. The only negative I have found is the snap on the inside for the cleaning rod is partially pulled through the loop. I tried to get a decent picture of that. The snap on the back looks to have the correct marking and all else looks correct. I am asking $450 plus shipping for it. Will not ship out of US. Any questions ask away. If someone sees something wrong or not correct please let me know as I want to make sure it’s represented correctly. Will go by first person to PM me as to who would be first in line for purchase. Item is in PA. Thanks for looking
    1 point
  26. I do call it patina and never try to remove it. To me it's another proof of originality of the finish . It probably takes decades to develop. I do see it on my parkerized WW1 and WW2 guns ( 1911 , Garands , 1941 Johnson , Reising , M1.. ) . Could be something in a parkerized solution that makes some guns get more affected with this process then the others. Would love to hear more opinions .. Thanks. BORE.
    1 point
  27. I'm 6'-5", and the first time I ever shouldered a 1928 Thompson I was amazed by how perfect it felt. Like it was made for me. When you are as tall as me, EVERYTHING is ALWAYS way too small, so anything that is the correct size is amazing and you remember it. Since the Thompson fits me so well, that must mean that the LOP is way too long for an average man. There is a possible explanation for why the Thompson stock is so long: Commercial firearms have stocks that are a little long, because they figure that the customer can cut the stock to fit. But military stocks are always short, because short guys have great difficulty in shooting a long stock, but tall guys can hunch up on a short stock and shoot pretty decently. Look at the LOP on the Garand, it's tiny. AO might have decided to go the "commercial route" on the stock. Make it long so it can be custom fit.
    1 point
  28. No. 8251 was not stolen by the Barker-Karpis Gang from responding officers outside the Post Office in 1933; Roger Cox claimed that in his book but he was wrong. They took No. 7679. Cheers HANS
    1 point
  29. One I have is an FM 30 in 7.65 Argentine........it is the one for the mount pictured on 1919. PJH
    1 point
  30. Richard, Steve, I lost my father a few years back, we held the ceremony in San Diego. He did 20 years in the Navy, words can't express how proud I was when we attended his service. I think the thing that I remember the most about my father when he talked to me about his time in the military was that he never got the same feeling of purpose in the civilian world as he did when he served in the Navy. He served, he sacrificed, our whole family did. I am grateful and proud of my father's time in the military. Richard, Steve, much respect. Mark
    1 point
  31. If you're talking about Little Fat Guys Gun, I'd buy it yesterday! just because I like him! I'd even trade him a better gun for it! S/Fi!
    1 point
  32. Wow, excellent work. How did you bend the metal back into place? Did it naturally want to go back to original shape?
    1 point
  33. I thought I’d post a few pictures from my recent wedding as a teaser (more will follow in the TCA newsletter) but on October 14 I tied the knot with my best friend and partner in crime. I’d told her that if we were to ever get married I wanted to walk out to Thompson’s at high port (similar to swords at a military wedding) she took that idea and ran with it…the result was a 1920’s themed wedding that was an absolute blast!! Nearly everyone showed up in wise guy suits or flapper dresses. Instead of a unity candle, we were finger printed and photographed, and while we were printed….our cellist played the intro to “The Godfather” When we were announced, we came down the stairs and between 9 Thompson’s held by fellow Thompson collectors and enthusiasts. It was a really great time and I will say that GiantPanda aka Mike Wank was there in spirt as Julie brought a big panda to fill in his place in the line. Panda wore a proper fedora hat and had his own Thompson….Julie informed Diana and I that the bear had been at their wedding and they’d had it for 43 years….she said that we have to break that record. Good times were had by all and I figured I’d share a few candid shots from the day….
    1 point
  34. Thanks. I am a bit of a flight jacket aficionado. That is one of many leather flight jackets that I own. One of my hobbies is getting the blank jacket and fixing them up with Patches and doing a "Good Girl" nose art painting on the back, all of of my own design. I also make leather patches as well. The back of this jacket has the "Yippee-Ki-Yay" painting on it, here are a few more paintings that I did on some of my other jackets. Great stuff!
    1 point
  35. Does this help? https://64.media.tumblr.com/99cca88e6c7c183eaaa5088dbab0e182/tumblr_n1oat4ROfC1s57vgxo3_r1_1280.png The US patent number is on this sheet. I'm pretty sure that you can get a copy from the US Patent Office but I don't know the procedure
    1 point
  36. Google translate. here is a fabrication of a stock for a complete restoration of a UD I am missing the details either by plan or by photo of the reassembly diagram of the trigger parts. see you soon
    1 point
  37. Recently I decided to get a new Thompson case. I had been eyeing Gordon's new Viola case since he introduced it some time ago. My now venerable Ess & Ess customized violin case, though a great conversation piece, was not really made to carry all the weight of a Thompson, drum, etc. And, it is starting to show even more age than its already 80 plus years! So, I am going to relegate it as a museum piece. Enter Gordon's Viola case. True, it is several times bigger than a violin case. But as he has specifically designed the innards to hold the Thompson gun, drums, sticks, and what not, I saw it is a great range case and more interesting than a police style/FBI case. I placed an order for case #138, and it arrived yesterday. All I can say is wow! There is no doubt it is well designed. The external hardware is very robust, so no fear of the handle ripping off when you pick it up. I don't know if this was Gordon's work or that of the case maker. Interestingly, the case came with a John Pearce Strings bumper sticker. I don't know how, exactly, the case was designed or if the sticker is kind of a joke ("hey, you play strings? Me too. Lemme see yours..."). Nevertheless, outside, the case is wonderful. It does have brass hardware "feet" on the hinge side. I would have liked to see the same feet on the base so as to reduce wear when you open it up. A minor consideration. Inside, it is all Gordon. The fit and trim is perfect. The case holds--very well thought out I might add--the complete gun. A nice felt-like "blanket" come standard and covers the gun, further protecting it. Two large finger holes allow you to lift the entire top "tray" out, exposing the bottom section. Here, miraculously, you can store a C and L drum, up to four 20 or 30 round stick mags, plus a box of ammo. I currently house three 20's, plus my shave brush oiler, and a copy of the TSMG instruction manual, plus a copy of my Form 4. Gordon advises against storing and transporting loaded drums/sticks in the case. This would impart excessive weight to be sure. Already, with just the three loaded 20's, it is heavy and becomes somewhat unbalanced when carrying it. Still, I think the case could carry the weight of everything loaded, but I'm not sure my arm could! There are more pics of the case at http://www.pbase.com...stad_viola_case Get one while you can! I don't know how many Gordon produced, or how many are left. His website would tend to indicate only 80 were produced? http://thompsonaccessories.com/ Rust
    1 point
  38. YOU GOT RIPPED DAMAGED GUN END OF STORY IN MY BOOK. SEND IT BACK.... THATS NEVER GOOD AND THEY MESSED YOU OVER AND FIGURED YOU ARE TOO STUPID TO FIGURE IT OUT.I HAVE SOLD 100'S OF CLASS 3 AND I NEVER GOT ANYTHING BACK. THEY BOUGHT MORE. SINCE I ALWAYS SAID PROBLEM DON'T LIKE IT YOU GET REFUND 100% EVEN ON OVER 5,000 SEMI GUNS. SO DON'T HASSLE YOURSELF DEMAND A REFUND AND LET THEM HANDLE THAT B.S. SINCE THEY STARTED IT. WHAT THEY GOING TO SAY A UPS TRUCK RAN OVER IT NOW.
    1 point
  39. Thought I’d share a picture of my project. I just finally got finished up. Got a few things to clean up in the front grip mount.
    1 point
  40. Based on current sales, I can say with certainty that you are incorrect. That turnover started quite a while back and is continuous. The buyer pool while perhaps not as well off, is dramatically larger today than 20 years ago, as is the population in general. The number of transferable guns continues to shrink as well.
    1 point
  41. With a 1" shorter stock both the LOP and the eye relief on my M1 would almost exactly match those of my polymer stocked Uzi so I'm going to give it a try.
    1 point
  42. Dear all I recently bought this book on german Mkb and MP43/44 magazines It is the ultimate (and only ) book about this subject and covers all the 10 manufacturers and about 100 variations in detailed color photos. It is written in german but the multitude of pictures makes it very interesting i think. It costs 150 euros plus shipping If interested i can give the author's email address Pierre
    1 point
  43. Here are a few more of the “Arch of Thompson’s” that I received today. Yes there were a pair of Thompson’s crossed at the top and we were not allowed to step forward until we kissed then we proceeded down the stairs into the ballroom. This angle you can see Mike’s Panda clearly. I really wish he could have been there to see it as I know he was really looking forward to it.
    1 point
  44. I found this pretty entertaining lol. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8kA9PuQ/ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8h4MLCe/ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8kAeCcC/ now which form is it that I submit for my Lego Thompson ???
    1 point
  45. I’m just glad I got my pre sample K when I did before they went stupid. I got mine and it wasn’t 6 months later they went insane with the rest of the pre samples. Timing was perfect….now I just need to shoot it more lol
    1 point
  46. I don’t have any S&W M76 sears…but I’ve got 10-15 Swedish K sears and 4-5 bolts. Don’t need all those so I’ll most likely be selling off some of those for sure. I’ll know more when I get home from my honeymoon Sunday afternoon.
    1 point
  47. I may have answered my own question, discovered this photo from the 1920's, showing what I am led to believe is a Chigaco police detective holding a violin case with a TSMG in it.
    1 point
  48. This is how it is related to Disney.
    1 point
  49. Hello everyone! Thanks to the recent activity around the Military Model of 1923, I can summarize the history of the "Model 1923". Thanks to all the experts and forum participants who took part in this! Maybe someone else will correct or add. The very name "М1923" never existed in the official nomenclature, that is, it was never put on receivers as in the cases with the pre-war modifications of the М1927 and М1928, for example. Obviously this is not even an internal term of Auto-Ordnance, which in an attempt to sell their 15,000 SMGs produced by the Colt Company in 1921-1922, tried to experiment and diversify their products to suit different consumers around the world. This is how the "Military Model" aka "М1923" appeared. I tried to figure it out a bit. Even in the Auto-Ordnance catalog dated 02/27/1922, drawings of the so-called "Model F of 1922" are mentioned. Which has the characteristics of the "Military Model" In the rare Auto-Ordnance catalog "Thompson Guns, Models 1921-1923" (also known as the "1923 Catalog"), this model is officially referred to as the "Extra Heavy Barrel Military Model" for the first and last time. Also in the very rare 1923 Auto-Ordnance Price List, this model is referred to as the "Thompson Gun with Bipod". In the Pacific Arms Corporation catalog in the early 1920s, there is a reference to the "Long Barrel Military Model". As mentioned above, AOC did not stop at the US domestic market. D.T. Thompson embarked on his first European tour in May 1921. In 1921-1927. Tommy Gun has been represented in countries such as Great Britain, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Chile and others. In addition to the standard M1921, various variations were also offered, for different calibers, barrel lengths, and more. The "Military Models" configurations were also presented. So in 1924, John Thompson visited France as part of the AOC delegation. He demonstrated the Commission D'Experiences de Versailles (CEV) - Model 1921 .45 ACP and Heavy Model 1923 .45 Remington-Thompson with bipod. Commission preference was given to the Model 1921 . However, CEV also requested a couple of "Thompson M1923" models but converted to the .351 WSL cartridge for testing. Later, according to the "Gazette des Armes" article (courtesy by @rpbcps), one model "M1923" was introduced in the .351 WSL. This is Model No. 3075 which is in the Museum in France. However, the discussion on this issue at MGB made me doubt it. Because the .351 WSL is longer than the standard .45 ACP or even the .45 Remington-Thompson. Size cartridges: 1) .45 ACP - 1.275 in; 2) .45 Remington - Thompson - 1.385 in; 3) .45 Peters-Thompson Shot - 1.380 in; 4) .30 Carbine - 1.680 in; 5) .351 WSL - 1.906 in. There are at least two known conversions of the Thompson SMG made in 1942-43. chambered for .30 Carbine. This cartridge is 1,680 inches long, which is less than the .351 WSL. However, even this required a new wider magazine and receiver. Photo from The Ultimate Thompson Book by Tracie L. Hill As for the stores to use the .45 Remington-Thompson. For this, only a special store would be required, without changing / complicating the design of the SMG itself. As an example of this, consider the little-known Peters-Thompson .45 Shot shotgun cartridge designed for riot control and used with the Standard M1921 / M1928. the length of this cartridge is comparable to the length of the .45 Remington-Thompson, but only a slightly wide magazine for 18 rounds was required to use them. In 1945, in the book "Material part of small arms" from A.A. Blagonravov, along with M1921 and M1928, has a description and two drawings "Thompson M1923". The origin of this "Military Model" in the USSR in 1945 is interesting, and it is named exactly as the "Model of 1923" ... It is likely that this particular model No. 1605 is now in the Museum in St. Petersburg. Doug Richardson, after conducting his own long-term research of "Military Models", divided them conditionally into "M1922" (with ribbed barrel and bipod from Colt P75) and "M1923" (with smooth most havy barrel, bipod from Hotchkiss Model 1922 machine gun and Krag Bayonet M1896). He also concluded that only two SMGs were ever made for the .45 Remington-Thompson cartridge - both in the "M1922" configuration. The "M1923" version shown by George Goll in the famous photo was most likely a Dummy. In his famous book "Colt Thompson Submachinegun Serial Numbers & Histories" Gordon Herigstag used the terms Models "M1922" and "M1923" referring to the research of Doug Richards. Also in his book is mentioned "Model 21LB" Colt-Thompson No2970 chambered for .45 Rem-Thompson. Marked "This Thompson is not a Model 1923. It could be called a" developmental prototype ", a one of a kind special used to develop a product." In the book "Sturmgever!" by R. Blake Stevens 2004. It is said that in the summer of 1924 in Kummersdorf the Semi-Automatic Rifle (SGew), Regular SMG (MP) and Military SMG (MMP) (all from AOC) were tested for the Reichswehr. Judging by the description, these were Thompson Semi-Auto Rifle M1923, Thompson M1921 and Thompson M1923, respectively. Photo of "Military Model" is attached and the cartridge is listed as a .45 special. This is not surprising because in 1923-24, 615 Thompson SMGs were sent to Germany. Apparently, bypassing the Versailles requirements .. It is also worth mentioning the image of the Chinese Thompson submachine gun from the Beijing War Museum. It vaguely resembles the "Military Model". In the book "Small arms of China during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)" by Bing Shi, a description of this model. It is listed as a 7.63x25mm Thomson LMG manufactured by the 21st Army Weapon Repair Division in Sichuan Province. So let's summarize the known for today "Military models" (aka M1923 or M1922, "Extra Heavy Barrel Military Model"): 1. No. 1605 - Found in Russia in the Museums of Artillery and Signal Troops in St. Petersburg. 2. No. 2594 - located in Denmark at the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum. 3. No. 2970 - placed in RIA for sale on 05/15/2021. This is the so-called test version "Model 21LB" chambered for .45 Rem-Thompson. 4. No. 3075 - located in France. The "Gazette des Armes" lists the .351 WSL cartridge, but this is unlikely. 5. No. 3079 - Found in the United States at the West Point Museums. This model is slightly different from the others, it has a smooth barrel and bipod from the Gochkiss M1922 machine gun. In any case, the story about TSMG has not yet been written to the end, it is fascinating. Photo from my Instagram: @allweaponsww2
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  50. Even though I have not been able to lay eyes or hands on the .351WSL Thompson in France, I would love to do so someday. As to Richard's question about the magazines, I assume that any magazines with the gun are prototypes. Essentially all of the different magazines I have seen that were produced for the .30 Carbine light rifle effort are prototypes. Since no standard production guns were made in either caliber, I doubt there are any standard production magazines for either as well. I have discussed the size of the .351WSL round with several members of this forum. As mentioned above, it is notably longer than the carbine round, so there is little doubt in my mind that a receiver for this caliber would need to have a much longer opening for the magazine. What does the magazine look like? No idea, but I suspect it is a double feed style rather than the single feed of the Winchester 1907 rifle, which is the only production gun in this caliber. I do not believe that those earlier single stack magazines would have been used in the Thompson. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Those magazines have to fit very tightly into the receiver of the 1907 to ensure positive feeding. I don't see A-O trying to work around those existing magazines. Also, here in the U.S., most of the 1907 magazines are either 5 or 10 rounds. I understand that the French had Winchester make a 20-round version for them for their use in WWI aircraft, which I suspect is why the French asked for a Thompson in .351WSL. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see or acquire one of the 20-round 1907 magazines. According to Leonard Speckin, who wrote an excellent book in 2012 on the Model 1907 and .351WSL, Hawk Bullets, who make a true .351 projectile for this round, sold 20,000 bullets to France in one year, and continue to sell around 4,000 bullets per year to France. Apparently, shooters in France still love their .351WSL.
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