Diane

I believe that in Milltown there is one or at least they used to have one there. A nice club with a very good club house as well. This club would be about 20 minutes from Bloomsburg, Pa but I forget the cost of membership. I do think that you may need a member to recommend you for membership though (I did when I had joined it a few years ago).

Having just talked to a couple of employees of Sarco, they informed me that anyone that purchases any high capacity magazines, belts or other parts for any your hobby, your I.D. (name, address, parts purchased) will be retained for the state of New Jersey. This also includes those from out of state addresses as well. Those interested might wish to confirm this. However, from what I was told, that also means any other company selling these items that is located in the state of New Jersey. I do hope that it's not true.

From my experience the small areas that you seem to have will not be made any better than they are now. I have seen more than a few times where someone had attempted the use of WD-40 or other chemicals with the use of 0000 steel wool and the only thing it would up do is to polish the area and make the spot a bit more noticeable then what it had been. If you cannot live with the blemish then you might want to have it refinished and that might just take away from the value as well as if you send it out to someone getting it done right and with the original type of finish. I would suggest that you just live with it and check all the items that you have to see if other things are like the receiver. And then take them out more often and put a new coating of rust preventative or other substance on them to keep them as they are.

Well here I am in Israel and finally have use of a computer to check mail and the forums. Regarding the place where Robert is located, as far as I'm personally concerned, it doesn't matter where he is. If you want the parts then you can contact him and make a sale. I know that there are those that feel differently about parts and purchasing them from overseas, and that they say that you cannot have parts sent to the US from other countries. But I do happen to know that with an individual and not a firm such as MarStar that requires you to fill out a form 6, you will likely get the parts that you want if you send the money to an individual such as Robert. I have not bought from him but if I wanted or needed the parts, I would not hesitate to send the money and take my chances. And please I've heard all the stories about how you should not do that or what could happen if you order such things. Get a life, these are not complete arms, these are pieces of metal that are not arms. Parts for them but that is all they are.

Thank you for the information. It could be that you're correct, I do agree that they would not have continued with production after the contract expired. With 8 of my 15 bolts having the greenish paper wrap none of them show a date anywhere. I do kind of like them the way they shine though, so I think I'll just make use of a few of them to show a variation in a some Thompson's. I'm not sure though if they were replacements because yes, they must have been made and then not used, but I cannot understand the reasoning for that black luster finish. Why not just parkerize them like all the rest? Now having quite a few of the hammers, I can see that some of the contractors made then a very smooth shinny finish and some just seemed to make them with rough steel. But all the bolts I'm taking about are made by Savage, and since they used the parkerize finish on the contract bolts, it would seem to me reasonable that they would just make a few thousand at a time and park all of them. When I do get back from Israel, I'll give a call to a few guys that might have a much more definiative answer for me and back it with documentation. One of them can look for it in some of their archives from Auto Ordnance. Now if within my 43 days in Israel, I can find some original Kerr Slings......

I’m flying to Israel Wednesday and will be there for 43 days, but before I leave I have a question for you guys that know a lot more about the Thompson. I have about 15 brand new bolts for the 1928A1 (I think they are 28A1's). They are marked with the same ‘S’ stamp that is on all my other Savage bolts be they bright or parkerized. Most of these bolts I’m talking about are still in the cosmoline and military sticky greenish paper wrap. However, can any of you tell me when these bolts might have been manufactured? They are a bright black kind of shinny finish to them, and not the parkerized finish that is a dull flat rough style. If I want I can shine these up to a very nice luster without too much trouble and get a beautiful shine of black. I don’t know if they were manufactured just prior to the contact work with the military or if these may be for an earlier style finish. I would think that they are not post WWII since Auto Ordnance would have had a ton of bolts from the contract work. And just prior to the end of the war, the M3 took the place of the Thompson’s, so there would be no need for new bolts to be made by Savage. Also, after the war, they would have more than enough for any commercial ones so why make new bolts with a commercial finish? So, could these be a sort of transitional bolt, between the bright and then the parkerized? Or prior to the bright ones! Also, from my talks with people that were in the employ of Auto Ordnance and Numrich, they said the bright bolts were not nickel plated, just not blued or parkerized. While I'm in Israel looking for some surplus stores, can anyone add any information on them? Diane NRA Life Member 1974

If I ask nicely will Frank autograph one for me if I buy one? All I want is for him to sign his name. That's all.

Thank you for the very nice photo's and your picks as good books to have in a collection. But seeing a couple books it reminds me of something that I've been trying to find. Does anyone know how I can contact William J. Helmer? Or if you know him, could you have him email me? I would appreciate it. I do have his city and state, but no listing for a phone or address is available from the phone company and I cannot find one on the search using Google.

I wrote to the guy about the parts that he has and for me the prices are a bit high for what I would use as only spares. Since I don't really need any of them for me it's just not worth the money. However, if someone really needs a part, I would think that when you find a part you might consider that these parts are not getting easy to come by anymore. I'm just fortunate that I bought quite a bit of things when the pricing was a lot less.

Can't say as I have any idea of the price of those items, but if you would like to sell any, I'd be interested in talking about it.

I have a knob that came from a Thompson .22 conversion kit. It is different in the look of the original that your friend has and he would have to have it welded to the other part. However, it would work and he can rework the knob to make it look like the original and then refinish the part. Some may think it not worth it but if he wants to give it a try then it's available till someone else requests it. $30 would surfice with $3.94 for Priority Mail.

From my observing of the pricing of the MP43 as compared to the MP44 there is little difference in the value of each arm provided that they are both in the same condition. The difference in the 43 as to the 44 is the markings. Other than that and the possible finish that may be on each both are the same. The earlier ones may have a better finish and the very late 44's may not have all the wood on the stock finished, other than that, take whatever you can get if you can afford it. The better examples as with anything will appreciate in value as time goes on. Not many of either are readily available and they do seem to be getting much harder to find. Some of the original ammo had been available about 2 years or so ago. And if those who knew of it's existance had wanted any they could have gotten it then. I purchased about 4 cases (1040's dated) of it and still have a bit left. As well as a case from the 1959 & 61 manufacture. The early Kurz was available in a varied packaging, meaning some of it was 19 round packs, 20 round packs, some with loading clips and some without. All of it was in battle packs and most of it if you wanted could be had if you bought enough with the original wood crates. However, this is now all gone and for the most part you will have to now reload or pay very dearly for original 1940's or even the later post war Kurz. I do understand that someone might be thinking of having some new Kurz manufactured in Europe and sold here but I have yet to see any of it and do not know what the price will be. Parts for any of the MP versions are getting extremely hard to come by and are being sold now at highly inflated prices. The magazines are also being sold at prices of $250 or more for originals. I have not found any of the reproduced magazines to be reliable but if that is your only option then they would be better than nothing. I'm certain that there are some people that may have MP's that they brought back from Europe after they returned from WWII or may have from a friend or relative from that period. If it was not registered then the value of it would be for it's seperate parts and not with the receiver. I'm sure that there are many arms that have never been registered and it's then a matter of what to do with those items. My personal opinion on any such item is that it is a shame that a piece of history should be destroyed. But there are others that think differently and are on a high horse and have very high morals on such things. I have not seen any items from the 40's or earlier being used for any crimes, when someone can use something much more modern and have ready ammo available. Even such things as a Thompson that uses the .45 auto I have not read of being used since about the 20's.

Just my 2 cents worth, I purchased 1- Seymour set with the belt and after getting it I order 2 more sets. Another Seymour and one AO marked. The sets that I got were beautiful and I feel well worth the amount. You don't always get a great deal but this one seemed very good to me if you need some excellent magazines and then the pouches as well as the belts. It's worth the extra for the belt sets.

The class III that you sometimes hear is in reference to the license that is required to own a fully functional automatic weapon. There are different types of licenses that we have here in the states. And each one pertains to a little different type of weapon or for the manufacture of such weapons. Therefore, a class III is talking about a fully auto weapon and not all of the people in the U.S.A. can own one. And it’s getting quite expensive to even obtain such a license. As for the price of the Thompson that you are talking about that you might purchase. That is a very good buy and if it is fully functional you should not feel like you would be paying too much for it. Best of luck, Diane

I do have a digital camera but someone awhile back had the nerve to take my CD for the program and my old computer went south and this even older computer I did not have the program on it. I have gotten a program from the net but it has taken me hours just to get something from my camera to the computer so I do not do that or even attempt it any longer. My Cannon Sureshot A60 is a nice camera but I will not pay the company $26 for another CD and when I had inquired that was what they had wanted. They can keep the CD for that much. I won't even ask them again. Now that is why I cannot at this time post some photo's. If I could I would do so. But the thing is that I cannot see any posted photos that other put up either. I think it has to do with my Windows 98 system or my computer. But I cannot even see those that you guys put up. However, if you were at Knob Creek in April and had a camera you could have taken a photo of one of the Thomopson's. I'll be back there again in October (I hope) with another one. Well, maybe a MP43 instead. But if I do bring a Thompson, I have a alloy lower that I just might put on the 28 so it's a bit lighter for me. It's a full auto lower so it works perfectly and it looks perfect. Just something to get the weight down a bit. When I can, I will post a few photo's if that is what you guys want. Don't know if there is a seperate place to view them so I'll look over the site a bit more as I find time do do so. I'll be working on a .22 conversion unit for the next month or so. I have all the parts that I need now so that is something I want to finish up with. Don't want to buy the Cienner unit. Regarding the cut-a-way, I have one of Tracie Hills books and will take a look in it. I may have seen it there but could have passed it over. And I will take a look on the Internet to see if I can locate one there as well. Thank you all Diane

Thank you guys for the responses to my questions. I only took a look recently at 2 of my 1928 models (both having matching receiver and lowers) that I was given by my uncle who brought them back from WWII many years ago and I won't say just how long that was. I found the numbers and that is why I had asked. I can understand why they would not have had the same serial numbers and the next time I am back at my house in Pennsylvania I will look at a few more as well as a M1 just for the heck of it. Now that I know that the numbers are not of significance I won't mind if I replace the wood with better original wood that I have. If the numbers had been matching I would not consider replacing the wood that is on them as well as possibly the metal but then none of the metal needs or warrents replacement. Oh and by the way, if anyone has a photo of a cut-a-way Thompson that was done by the factory, I would like to either have it posted or possibly have you please send it to me. If you know of one that has been posted here or on another site please let me know where it is located. Thanks again guys.

Ok, I do know that from my reading and research that the Thompson's that were made during the 1940's had matching uppers and lowers and that they matched them for it and then numbered them to match with the serial numbers. What I have not learned for sure is the serial numbers that I have seen on many of the Thompsons that are located on either of the following parts; I have seen serial numbers on the wood stocks (1928 and other models) but mostly on the 1928 variations that have a serial number on the metal attachments such as the mounting hardware for the stock to the lower receiver (trigger group), a serial number on the butt plate on the inside of that plate as well as a shortened serial number usually 4 didgits that is on the wood where the butt plate attaches. Were these numbers at one time matching to the serial numbers that the upper and lower receiver had? Not important as I know that so many of the parts had been exchanged due to the rebuilding of these during the war. Just curious of that item.

I will be going to the Harrisburg show on Saturday and look to see what is availabel there. I've found sometimes that going to these shows you can pickup ammo there that is less expensive than most of the people that sell on the Internet and you don't have to pay for the shipping this way. You might want to look for some shows in your area and see if you can find some that you can attend. However, I'm also interested in resupply for myself so when there, I will look for some good deals and ask if they will ship if that is necessary. I will then obtain the name of the indiviuals and if you wish to send me an e-mail on Sunday, I will let you know what I find out. You may find some less expensive ammo that meets your requirements and, then you can send for what you want if it's at a lower price. I do know of a place in Easton Pa., that is about 45 minutes from where I live and one of these days, I will go there and look at the pricing he has currently. He has a huge amount of people that go to him for reloading items and he does carry also ammo and has decent pricing. However, he must charge me the sales tax when I go there and purchase items. At most of the shows, the dealers that sell the ammo have the sales tax figured in with the ammo they sell so what they price out on the ammo seems to include that sales tax as well. So there is no shipping and the tax is included.

IMA has pouches that are originals as well as either the Auto-Ordnance or the Seymour magazines. They also have the original belts.

Not sure what had happened and I have not taken enough of a look at the bolt and receiver, but could it be possible that the extractor may have somehow come out a bit upon that impact of the fall? If that might have happened and I'm not sure it could have, but that could have jamed the bolt to some extent as well. Now, having replaced a few of the extractors it's not that easy to disloge those things. So, may be it was the Blish that was somehow moved into a position that gave you your problem.

Well, I don't happen to have a vertical grip but since you have an industrial supply house in the area that has any screw you can think of and since you do not want to get one from some place like Numrich, why not take the screw out of the grip from the trigger assembly, then take that screw and the vertical wood grip to the supply house and tell them that you want a screw similar to the one you have but one that is long enough to go thru that vertical grip and extend out the end by about 1/4" that should do it.

Mitch, I don't think that you should have a problem with the buffer or spring but it's a good idea to get a spare if you feel you would like to be on the safe side. The cost of these parts are not that much. At Knob Creek they were everywhere and new ones I also did see. If you want you can also find a replacement buffer that would be made from a different material that you might like to try. I do not think that the buffer material used for the M1 is actually a rubber, it is a red color and I think it is something that was made that is similar to rubber but just not the same. It's a simple item and I know that at a lot of machine shops they have materila that is similar that is newer and may work better to reduce the stress on the upper as well. If you feel like it's an issue you can likely get a new one from Nurmrich Arms along with the spring you are talking about. I would be more concerned with the type that was used on the earlier versions such as the 1928 versions. Those original buffers are not the same type of a sandwitch affair. And those are made of a quite different material, similar to just a fiber material. I would think that those would put much more stress on the moving parts such as the bolt as well as the receiver so that one I myself have change to a different material so it softens the recoil.

Being serious about the .22 kits, these are just kits and if someone has some skills and can think about how to do things themselves, I would think it is not that hard to come up with a kit of your own. I could be wrong but what is there to them? A magazine insert(take an existing .22 mag and make it fit inside of the Thompson mag housing), yea, that you can put into your exiting mag? An old bolt that you might have (could be from one that had the front cut off) and graft by welding a .22 bolt section from another .22 bolt that you find at a show for a little money. Then a barrel that you also might have or find that is .22 at some show that you can turn on a lathe and make it fit the Thompson Barrel with a threaded end to use a locking nut on it. When I look at the barrel inserts from my Luger's I can see how they do the ramp section. It's not that hard to figure out, then the bolt, should be I would think depending on the ramp on the barrel placed by welding that other section on it a bit lower but it should work. If someone would send me a good tig welder, small 8 or9 inch swing lathe with something like a 36" long bed, and a really accurate milling machine (I still have my digital read out parts so I don't need that part), I'd be more than willing to give it a try. Now if I could not make a kit up myself with those machines, well,,,,,,, I'll send you a M1A1 part set along with the return of your machines. Yes of course a little trial and error to make it all function and it will take time to do this, there could be some unforseen issues with doing it. But since we know it's been accomplished already, it can be done again. And I don't own a fancy Ferrari. Do 2 old Porsche's Count? If the price seems too high for the unit, then I would hope that someone else would take a lead and give a try at making their own verson. Then may be we could all get a much better price on a unit. Although I do like the Thompson as it is in .45, I can see using the .22 as well for some fun times and saving some money. However, when you start to consider the cost of the unit to begin with, you sure do have to go through enouh .22 to come up with savings. And by the way, just how many .22's do you put through the unit before you will need to call My Cienner and ask about a new barrel insert? Are those selling for $60 or less?

No I do not have Peter Senich's book but then I don't and cannot have everything and I'd rather spend some of the little money I still have on the actual toys. I do have the book that recently came out that Dieter in Germany wrote. He sent it to me autographed and without charge. I guess that he thinks I'm very knowledgeable on these things. I did communicate with Dieter for months prior to and after his book came out and possibly the next time he is in the U.S. we will meet and talk. There is also a site that deals with keeping track of the serial numbers of the MP models as well as the magazines for them so that we can gain from knowing what finish and other features were made on the MP models that are known to be still in existance. Also on the site are a few items pertaining to the MP models, such as pouches, magazines, ammo accessories and such. A few of the things are those that I contributed to the site for show and tell. 2 of them that I do remember are one of the little butt stock bags that were with some of the MP's when they were made. The other thing is there are some ammo photo's that were from me. The Kurz dated 46 in the little 15 round box is from my collection as well as some of the other boxes if I remember right. The site is run by a man named Claus Espeholt and he is somewhere in Europe but his site also has quite a bit of other German arms as well. A nice guy from his e-mails that we had exchanged. Now I did obtain one of the Shoei magazines just to see if it could be used. It would take 32 rounds but it wouldn't fit just right in any of the MPs that I attempted to put it in. I had to do some very minor file work to make it function. But if you do not want to damage or mark up your original magazines then by all means you can use them. I drift from one type of weapon to another but do have enough working knowledge to take them apart and put them back to gether again if need be. Also from part sets like the STG58 and others. Now, I did meet a guy at the Knob Creek Shoot that has made up some MP barrels and will have them broached and chambered for the AK round. The price he would be asking is $600 and I think that is a bit high for me. And he also said that he was having brass made in Europe Specifically for the MP43 series of rifles. Not made from other brass casings, this is brand new stuff. Don't know how much that will cost and I had Buffalo Arms make up brass from 308 or 300 Savage a couple years ago and order 500 of the cases to start them out with an order. That's good enough for me.

Sportster, Just a question as you said you would take out your Harley and then try out the drum with your Thompson. Do you happen to leave somewhere near Harrisburg area or Bloomsburg area? Just asking as I have myself 3 Harleys and it sounds like it would be fun to do something like that with a Thompson. Hope that you belong to a place that allows for that. I belong to a club in Millville that allows for full auto use. Nice place and a very nice club house. Sorry to hear about the spring. Diane