TSMGguy

The sling button is from a gas mask canister strap. I'm sure they used what they had.

Kinda pricey here: Non-Firing Thompson M1928 | Replica Submachine Gun

Had always thought that the grip mount does not hold the TSMG barrel in place. Rather, it's the properly torqued barrel that holds the grip mount in place. It's some serious abuse indeed that breaks a solid steel grip mount.

Originally of course the rear sight base was spot welded to the receiver from the inside. Right, for this project it doesn't matter. Looking good!

My father was a US Army combat engineer during WWII. He told me that the patch shown was worn by Engineer Special Brigade troops. In his case, the patch was blue and gold and was worn on the left shoulder. It was also painted on the front of his helmet.

Get yourself a GI .30 broken shell case extractor. It won't help with your current problem because the cartridge case has not separated. I've needed my extractor just once but nothing else would do. Internal corrosion had developed in a lot of old surplus GI ball ammo. The corrosion was invisible on the outside of the case, which separated just forward of the case rim. I destroyed the rest of the lot by pulling the bullets, dumping the powder, and crushing the cases.

Thanks, Bob! The rear swivel on the M1A1 TSMG is of course of stamped construction. Is it also different from the swivel on the M1903A3 rifle? How about the Stevens Model 520 and 620 trench guns??

Maybe quite a bit. They just ground the three off of the old die, saving a considerable amount of work in the fabrication of a new die. Americans did it too. I have several cans left of steel cased 1944 M1911 ball ammo from the Evansville Army Ammunition Plant. The headstamp reads ECS 4. It's been good stuff, though very smoky.

Nice! It certainly fires faster than my '28A1.

There would be no way to determine originality without handling the part. No one has yet managed to reproduce a resting bar in Bakelite. Repro bars tend to be soft. Looks good to me, though. My 1941 original has the same faint numbers on the bottom surface.

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Looks like maybe the rivet holes are countersunk from the top on the originals?

Bingo. This man knows. Think of the TSMG trigger as an on-off switch. Pull it and release it fully and decisively. A fine target rifle the gun ain't. "Pussy footing" the trigger induces failures and causes abnormal sear wear. True, there might be other problems, but this is the first thing to try.

It'll sell or it won't at that price. Any number I mention would be just an opinion, as I have no money on the table. I'd describe it as "unissued, with light storage wear". It's the nicest MP38/40 left side pouch I've ever seen. Most were used and worn out as the war progressed. An example made in 1939 is rare indeed! Thanks for posting the detailed pics!

Nice! This variation was not specifically for tropical issue. It was simply a manufacturing variation. It's a shame that its mate is not present. A complete set would easily fetch $1,500-$3,000, orphaned single pouches much less. The set would be impossible to complete. My own rig: