GunMD

Thanks. Just checked GB and couldn’t find any, but I’ll keep looking.

Count me as an early adopter. Very cool and thanks for the info.

I bought an M50 but can’t find mags. Any suggestions? Also, how do I tell if my gun can accept the 20 round mags? Thanks, GunMD

Mag info courtesy of Claus Espeholt: https://claus.espeholt.dk/mediearkiv/mag40_c.pdf Thanks. Simple but informative. It’s a great link. Bookmarked.

This right here is why I love this board.

From what I’ve read, I don’t want the Veyron mags. I prefer stock to modified because of reliability and resale. Thanks for the link to Wolff. Never heard of them but they are STOCKED. Cool vendor. Time to load up on some shooter mags. Thanks. And I appreciate the advice on the stock but I think I’m good there.

great gun for sure. Love it so far. Ive got a Thompson (WH, I know but it runs great) and a bunch of others. After shooting it, I’d put the MP40 right up there with the MP5. My two favorite guns. Thanks for the tips on spare parts.

After reading about them on here, I bit the bullet and finally received an MP40. It’s a tube gun and while some day I’ll hopefully get the real deal, it’s gorgeous to me. Going out today for my first run with it. What spare parts should I keep on hand? Any suggestions on where to get mags? I’d like to get 5 or 10 and am not so concerned about stampings, but I care a lot about functionality. Thanks!

deleted double post. sorry.

Man, I can't think you guys enough. I took apart the Thompson and cleaned and checked it out, from top to bottom. Some feedback relative to the comments I got: 1. Using PK's emailed method of testing the gap between the bolt and the front, while applying opposing forces to the bolt and blish lock, yielded a 2mm gap. According to Paul, it should be no more than the width of a dime (i.e. 1.35mm). Is that enough to cause problems? Not sure. 2. After removing the spring and guide rod, the bolt wasn't catching at all on anything as it slid back and forth. Good news. 3. I don't believe the problem was the bolt pin getting stuck in the blish lock guides. There was no evidence of scratching on either the bolt pin nor the receiver, so I don't think that's it. 4. I swapped out the extractor from a spare bolt. I didn't use the spare bolt, because it had a slightly "mushroomed" head and the one I was using was already a USGI vs. a WH bolt. 5. I swapped out the actuator, to a USGI model. At least, I think that's what I did. I tried googling it and while I think the old one was a WH based on the nobs being in the upper half and the slight purple hue, I'm not sure if the one I'm now using is indeed USGI. Take a look at the attached picture. Notice that the front of the actuator has been milled with multiple facets. Is that USGI or WH or something to be concerned about? 6. I *lightly* sanded some minor burs near the front of the receiver where the bolt slams closed and fires the hammer. This was where the factory milling had left some rough edges that might have prevented the bolt from closing all the way. By lightly, I mean rubbing back and forth maybe 5 times with 200 grit. 7. I tried the extractor tests, both before and after exchanging the extractor, and it never showed any wear even after coloring it with a felt tip marker. It also extracted every time I tested it as recommended earlier. However... One clue: upon closer inspection, the jammed .45 casing did have a flat line indent right where the extractor would normally hit it. I didn't see that on any non-jammed rounds, but these were reloads so that indent might have been caused by a previous user. Still, Interesting... 8. Because I think the ammo may have been to blame, I bought a few boxes of WWB. As soon as I can get out to the range, I'll test 'em out. 9. As I said before, I'm on the PK wait list. I'm all about reliability and he sounds like the man to get a Thompson humming. 10. I didn't see the improper milling of the blish lock slot, with a second angle milled into it, as I was instructed to check by PK. However, there are two very small 90 degree indents milled into the bottom of the slots, one on each side. Notice the 90 degree notch milled into the bottom of the blish slot. For the life of me, I can't tell what purpose they serve, but they were pretty clearly milled that way and were not the result of wear. And lest anyone think this is the result of the hammer pin, it's at the wrong height and it's a right angle rather than round. I can't wait to get out to the range to test out most of the changes you guys recommended. I'm cautiously optimistic that one of these changes will have fixed it. Thanks again! You guys are awesome.

Thank again, guys. This weekend, I'm going to dig into the gun again and recheck the bullet measurements too. PK took the time to explain what he does and included some pictures for me to compare to. Ron, I took your advice and I'm on his waiting list. Patience isn't a flower that grows in my garden, but fortunately I have some other guns to keep me busy in the meantime! Cheers!

Thanks for the added info Buzz, MNshooter, Bill, and Laurencen. I couldn't find an empty .45 casing to do some tests and I'd be breaking a few laws making one at my home, so the only thing I tested so far was the bullet. The brass casing was indeed wider than the factory ammo, but I'm not sure by enough to account for the problem. Using calipers, it was .469 inch thick for the factory ammo and .472 for the reload. The specs were checked after measuring so as not to bias my measurements and it is supposed to be .469 inch. Not sure if that could account for he problem, but I look forward to doing Bill's test as well as looking at the bolt face. I'll check out your thread now, Buzz. Thanks guys. This year I'm thankful for my family, the 2nd amendment, our freedoms, and... you folks on Machinegunboards. Thank you!

Mnshooter, I should have mentioned up front, I'm from Maryland. I googled where Philadelphia Ordnance is, and it's not that far away. Very good to know! I've made multiple 80% ARs. I'm intrigued by an 80% Thompson (semi, of course). I'll need to research that... Frank said it best. The folks who take the time to give responses like the above are what make this board great. Thank you guys so much. I couldn't have asked for a better reception! Nor a better solution. It's FIXED (at least, for now). I took Bob's advice and using the table for leverage, the bolt freed up and the shell popped right out. It took most of my 215 lbs to get it moving, though, which is why I couldn't do it by hand. That leverage was just what was needed! Sweet. The ammo was internet-bought, but upon further research it is indeed reloaded ammo. I opened up my last of 4 boxes and there were multiple different markings on the cases. I've got calipers, so I'll check the specs tomorrow. But Orion, you may be right... Both problems were with this ammo and the Winchester white box in contrast shot great. This ammo was made my Atlanta Arms. It's reloaded and upon further research, they are not known for their quality control. That just might be it. Tomorrow night, I'll take the gun apart and check it and the ammo. I'll pay particular attention to the extractor and the blish lock slots and receiver channel. The gun came with a spare bolt and extractor, so if I run into problems using Bob's procedures, I'll swap those two parts out. Thank you guys so much.

First, good to meet all of you Machinegunboard regulars. I'm so happy to finally join the club. I've read a lot of your posts while researching 1928s and I've concluded this is THE place to be for Thompsons. There are some real experts here, for sure, and I appreciate everyone's wisdom and shared experiences. I also really like the tone of folks on here. Some other boards can get a bit harsh. I recently received my first Thompson (got to love ATF weight times...). It's a 1928 West Hurley and it's already one of my favorite select fires. What impresses me most is how accurate and controllable it is. Next to an MP5-SD, it's the most controllable in full auto and that's coming from a design that's many decades older than the H&K. Impressive. Unfortunately, I've had two problems with my West Hurley. First, one out of every 20 or 30 shots dents the primer without firing it. The second problem is more significant: twice now, the bolt has jammed in the forward position. The first time, a guy at the range muscled it back and it worked fine after that. Yesterday, it again jammed in the forward position (without discharging the bullet) and it's again locked up good. That happened about 100 bullets apart, so it's a regular thing it appears. I know some WHs can be problematic until they've been worked over by a 1928 expert gunsmith like PK. Three questions: 1. Any thoughts on what could be wrong and how to free up the bolt? 2. Can I ship it to someone (to get it fixed) with the bullet still in the chamber? 3. Regardless of whether I get the bolt freed up this time, I want to get the gun working perfectly. What expert would you recommend I use to get my WH fixed right? I've heard Paul does outstanding work, but he also has a wait list for more involved projects. Any suggestions? Thanks!