Conrad

Im on hold for probably 6 months - I bought the M16 first! Found a solid deal on a mint Colt M16A2. I watched a matching 21 go through gunbroker this week and end in the high 30s. Im planning on attending the August meeting and hoping to figure out if a 28 is worth the premium vs an M1.

Anyone know the contact info for the owner of 5182?

As would I.

Thanks for all this advice. Im looking for a time to see the Vegas gun in person - the pitting makes me nervous what else isnt being shown. That said Im not entirely sure how much it is going to matter, Im not curating a museum of TSMGs, Im looking for something to shoot and enjoy. Hence the last thing i want is something priceless that Id be scared to shoot. Im half way though American Thunder btw. Great read. It makes me wish the Savage commercial models were more reasonably priced, they seem to be a sweet spot of getting the 28 footprint, nice finish, and drum comparability without concern that you may ruin an original 21 by doing mag dumps and be done. The guns Ruben has dont really appeal to me presently. They seem to lack exceptional finish and all priced high. Im opening my schedule to go to the August TATA event. Looking forward to meeting many of you and learning about this. I really cant say enough about the community aspect making this more appealing.

Thats really good advice Huggy. I called about a 21/28 listed on gunbroker with a starting bid of 40 and no pictures. Later in the afternoon the bid price was raised to 45. Yikes.

Petroleum1 - saw that. Hard for me to get out there. I was in Western Europe last week and am working 6 days a week for thr next 2-3 weeks. I agree it would be wise; but may not be practical.

This is the only Navy I have seen recently. Ouch. Julia auction has a nice one - it went for 60k. http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9842-thompson-1928-us-navy-os/

30/32 for a Navy?!? Anyone know someone looking to sell?

Here's more pics of the GB gun I've been posting... Lightguy - ok I'll bite. If I wait over the course of 1-2 years a search for a 21/28 Navy what could I reasonably expect to pay for a Colt? How much am I going to devalue it when I put 20,000 rounds through it in the next 5-10 years? Edit - I received the last two TATA mailings and my copy of American Thunder. Thanks for the rec everyone, awesome reading about the Baby Face Nelson gun. in TATA vol 49.

Ok. Ill ask for more. Thanks again.

Anyone else want to weigh in on where $22900 is a reasonable price on this? Should a refinish in which the barrel was not removed bother me?

Just those pics in the gunbroker auction.

Looking into applying for C&R, is it still necessary to report hours of operation?

Here goes nothing..

Ok. Got high def pics. They're 14MB, anyone know how to attach them (sorry, first time)?

I called the shop that has the GB M1. Basically no history known. Pics said to be incoming and Ill post them once here. Said no knowledge or appearance of rewat. For a gun that is going to get used a lot I like the price point. Rifling said to be excellent.

Just saw it. Besides ownership history, rewat, refinish, and round count anyone know what questions to ask? Does Ruben normally negotiate on price? Edit - hes had a 1928ac for a long time, think hed play ball with that price? Edit #2 - saw the GB auction, called them. Still available. Is that a reasonable price?

So youre saying 30k savage is the way to go huggytree?

Thanks all for your comments - they continue to be invaluable. Again, the whole idea of buy once cry once is big for me. If you guys tell me a need an AC or savage then Id prefer to lay down the capital and do it now than purchase something that I wont be happy with. Im less concerned about the the exact price and more concerned with getting something terribly reliable that is worth the seemingly ridiculous expense. A rusty Ferrari makes 0% chance to me. Im looking for something like a drivable 63 split window corvette. Not museum, not backyard mechanic resto.

Thanks for all of the advice. Im away presently and hopefully will go see it myself next week. I will look specifically at the receiver mark, the new sight and my iPhone leave a lot to be desired.

TD, appreciate the advice. Not a member of any Thompson orgs. Pictures are incoming. He is an Former Ffl who recently retired (business name checks out with internet search). Says he bought the gun off a police dept in the 80s. Arsenal refinish. Runs well. Lots of savage parts like you said. Offered a visit and test fire. Assuming it isnt pitted and runs well, anyone care to let me know what they think its worth?

Can someone please let me know what questions I should ask this seller? Is this an ok deal? https://www.machineguncentral.com/ViewDetails.aspx?p=574--ccdbcded-c2cd-4a2d-bb84-4a7e6de5aaa3 Edit - the seller only has one post. How to I navigate this guy potentially being a fraudulent post? Sorry for all the questions.

Normal, I appreciate the MP40 rec. Ive heard that theyre great shooters and obviously the history element is there but given the fact I dont have any American stuff yet to match my American semi collection it makes more sense to go with the TSMG. Ron, right now Im attempting to open the weekend for the TATA shoot, Im not C&R so Im guessing its going to be doing a lot more looking than shooting but for my level of knowledge thats probably appropriate - I obviously have a lot of learning to do. There is minutia here that many of you understand that is frankly way over my head but Im hoping by devouring a lot of prior posts here and going to some events I can get the basics down to the point I know what to buy. Huggy, I will take you up on that offer. Im traveling presently but will try to PM you sometime thereafter. If you, or frankly anyone, sees something that is worth chasing from a value and quality standpoint and doesnt want it for themselves by all means let me know.

Wow everyone, I really appreciate the windfall of advice. I purchased the book as recommended. It looks like it will be here in a couple weeks per Amazon. Ill send Tracie a check tonight in order to join TATA, $30 is a small fee for good advice of a 20-30k purchase. Merry, I emailed that member about his WH and havent heard back yet - well see I guess. Ive shot both platforms in full auto (M1 and m4 respectively) I enjoy them both. The thing I like about the Thompson in particular is it is its amazing historical relevance and its big block engine character. Im not a huge guy (6ft, 180#) and found it was easy to control and a joy to shoot. I really dont care about caliber changes, Ill keep both stock factory. As to being in a hurry, Ive been stalking subguns now for about 5 years and while prices steadily increased so have equities *fortunately* hence I (so far) dont have regrets. Im 37 and have a young family so its been important to have my financial ducks in a row prior to purchasing what is essentially a huge indulgence on my part. Im willing to sit it out and find something I wont regret buying, buy once/cry once is a motto for me. Again, Im very grateful for everything you guys have provided, this website is an amazing resource for a novice.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. To answer the questions above, I live in Zionsville, and Indianapolis suburb. Im presently looking at the serial numbers Ruben has as well. Is a trip to PK a necessity if I go with WH?