cliffdropover1

Took the Thompson to the range today and met someone that also has an Auto-Ordnance Thompson. He said some mags work better than others. This matches with what I have found. I tried the 20 round mag and no problems. The 30 did not like to feed the first round. Then I used the tape over the mag hole being sure to also cover the rails on the back of the mag. This snugs up the mag in the rails cut for it in the lower receiver and also snugs up the hole the mag release goes in to just a few millimeters, but it is just enough) It worked perfectly..I took off the tape and had a failure to feed the first round. Replaced the tape and even after shooting short bursts and thus having first rounds to feed again,all went perfectly.. A roll of electricians tape is pretty cheap and does work... Try it you'll like it. And thanks again for all the help. (It just seems to snug up those loose surplus mags perfectly.)

Thank you for the advice. I will l continue to try different options. One thing--the tape over the mag hole does work and is very cheap. (And no one has commented on it or mentioned if they have ever tried it)

Who is PK? and how do I contact him?

mohawk64 What would you do to fix it? I would like to learn how this is done if it is possible to do it myself. Thanks

Thanks again for all the help. I have some mag springs coming and I think a spare GI mag catch somewhere in my parts bin. I will try them first, since I already have them ,but being out of specs does sound like the problem.. If those fixes don't work, I will be looking for that trigger frame. Any idea what one should cost?

First of all, thanks to all for the help. Now to try to answer your questions. It is indeed a West Hurley (Auto-Ordnance) 1928 Thompson. I work a bit on guns (advanced tinkerer-not a gunsmith) and I am aware of the difference between semi and full auto mags, All my mags are original full auto mags. I did try replacing the mag catch once, but the mag was still loose. It seems like a lot of you have seen this problem. Again the drum mags work great. It just bothers the heck out of me that I can't fix this. The tape over the mag catch hole in the mag is the only thing I have found that works. Sounds crazy, but it does snug up the mag. Is there any way to alter the mag catch to make it hold the mag a bit higher and tighter? Again any help here is greatly appreciated.

It's been a really long time since I have posted. However, I have had a lifelong problem with my full auto Thompson. It hates to feed the first round. It works well with drums, just hates sticks. I have a twenty round stick that works well,but the 30's don't. I have ordered new springs for the thirty to see if that might help. I have noticed if I hold the mag up against the bolt it does tend to work better I have tried different mag catches with no help. Putting tape (yes tape ) over the mag catch hole tends to tighten the mag and it does help. I sure would like a good solution to this problem. If anyone can really help me here I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance for ANY help.

I just saw that the Spring Knob Creek shoot has been cancelled due to weather damage and bridge reconstruction.

Glad I could help.

I don't know anything about 80% receivers, but one must hold the trigger in the fire position to get the lower receiver on and off on the real thing. Worth a try and good luck.

Just google Ceiner arrested and it will come up. Apparently he was taken away in handcuffs. There is a web site that says don't buy anything from him as it won't be delivered ever. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Here is a bit of an update about my problem. TD, who I found lives about 5 miles from me.was a great help here. Upon installing a GI mag catch, we saw no real difference. Mags were still a bit loose and we couldn't fire the gun in the house as his wife probably wouldn't understand. Anyway, I also can not measure the one in the gun without removing it. But this doesn't seem necessary given the facts above. I then thought "what would someone do in the field with limited resources?" I tried placing a piece of masking tape over the hole in the mag (couldn't hurt anything) and it worked. I then went to plastic electrical tape and ended up using two pieces, one on top of the other. This worked extremely well. I could remove and replace the magazine and it continued to work perfectly. The hole/tape is not penetrated by the mag catch, it just seems to work as a shim and tightens everything up. I do have a question though. Since I purchased an extra mag catch and Mr. Hammer solved this problem with JB Weld, I would like to try that. Seems more permanent than tape. Mr. Hammer, if you could send a picture or some detail about how you did this and where the epoxy was applied I would appreciate it. Thanks to all for their help and especially to TD.

I called Sarco today to see if the parts were shipped. They canceled my order because they don't have the parts. Nice of them to tell me. Anyway, I have ordered them from Numrich and they assure me that if the mag catch is wrong I can return it. They said all the mag catches are in a bin and they just pick one out. Maybe I should have tried Ohio Ordnance. Sure wish I had thought of this part when I was at Knob Creek.

TD thanks again for all the help. I have ordered a GI mag catch from Sarco. I will let you know when it gets here as I may need some instruction in changing it out.

Thanks to all for all the help. I still have two questions. First. what kind of mag catch do you all think I have, West Hurley or GI? My gun was made in 1977 and is a low serial number. Second--I have never removed the mag catch and don't want to screw anything up. Could you please give me a step by step instruction on how to remove this? I have a video that shows this, but it removes the catch only after all the lower receiver parts are removed. Reconbob seems to know this, as I don't. Also, to TD--are you in Cincinnati? Perhaps we have met either at Target World or Tim's shoot.