Frank I.

Lee if your out there...email me f.iannamico@comcast.net Frank

Books are here all orders were shipped out today! Thanks everyone! Regards! Frank http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif

Your right they are !

SUBMACHINE GUNS OF THE UNITED STATES I was sent a copy overnight by the publisher, looks real nice, and lots of pages (500). Nick will post it in the book section of the website, for more info go there. Website Page I currently DO NOT have any to sell. I expect them to arrive in a week or so. The purpose of this post is: If you are attending the TCA shoot in August and want a copy let me know via email. I don't want to haul anymore books there than I have to as there will be no displays or tables. So if you want a copy of the book please get on the list by emailing me! Email: f.iannamico@comcast.net If you wish to pay in advance thats fine $29.95 via PAYPAL (NO shipping if you are picking up your copy at the TCA meet.) I will be taking orders here on the website when they get here. Price is $29.95 plus $6.95 shipping. (I cannot Priority Mail flat rate these, too big)

I just made my reservations at the Comfort Inn. The corporate rate is $99/night. If you mention your with the TCA its $79.00 as John mentioned. BTW Nick is 33

Does anyone have a list/phone #s of the motels for the TCA event in VA near the NRA museum?

Posted for Gordon Herigstad...Ordering instructions below The long awaited Thompson SPARE PARTS / CLEANING KIT BOX is finally here. I have produced at great effort, a limited number of this rare metal spare parts kit box. It was eight months in the making. This metal box is made exactly like the original from 1928/30. This box was hand assembled just like the originals. I felt it was only proper to put the original finish on these, that was put on the original metal boxes back in 1928. This is an all American product, for an all American gun. This new box was made in liberal California by American workers. This box is pictured on p-356 of “Thompson the American Legend”. If you have a Thompson Hard Case, this is a must, to make it complete. I offer this metal Spare Parts Kit box for: $275.00, which includes shipping. The second box will be $250.00. I will make a package offer which will include; Spare Parts Kit box and, original long type Cleaning Rod for the Thompson hard case: $375.00 (The Cleaning Rod by itself is $110.00) These prices all include shipping and handling to: Gordon Herigstad 1632 W. 10th Street San Pedro, Calif. 90732 Gordoncolt@aol.com

Filing a Freedom of information Act request will not reveal any transfers were a tax was paid, HOWEVER, the government, PDs etc are exempt from the tax. But, when doing an FOI it depends on which gov't employee gets the request. I was told that they would not reveal ANY of the info, then I knew a PD that just called them and were FAXed the info they requested. I have had little luck filing FOIs. Once I was told that it could cost me $3000.00 for the researchers time. Different story each time I tried.

Greetings! As everyone is aware we are starting the 2nd revised/expanded edition of American Thunder. If anyone has vintage WWII, Korea or Vietnam era photo of themselves, relatives or friends holding a Thompson, and would like to POSSIBLY have the photo published in AT let me know. PLEASE, no modern or reenactor photos. I can't promise that any photos will be used as it depends on the quality and content, but ALL photos will be promply returned. Emailed photos will do as long as they are scanned at 300 DPI grayscale, prefer 6" or 3" width. Photo credit will be listed to donor. f.iannamicoXXXX@comcast.net Remove the 4- Xs in my email address to email me. Thanks and best regards!

I think you guys will be pleased with the new book, I have included some old MG ads that include "the good old days" prices, lots of unpublished and interesting photos too. Frank

Greetings! The new book on American Submachine Guns should be available in a few weeks to a month. Usual delays at the printer. The book is nearly 500 pages in size and Dan tells me that the price will be around $30.00. We will post here when book is available. I have started work on the revised/expanded 2nd edition of American Thunder. Hope to have it late in 2004. Frank

More on the bulged Brit barrels... The Brits did a study on the effects of the bulged barrels regarding accuracy and reliabilty. Apparenty they wanted to keep the Thompsons in the field not in repair facilities.

Thanks for the many replies guys! I think I have what I need. I found several British documents listing problems they were having with US 45 ammo. The biggest problem (according to the documents) were with brass case WRA and steel cased EC 43 cartridges. One problem they had with E.C. was projectiles sticking in the barrel and of course bulged barrels. With the WRA rounds primers were coming out (when used with fixed pin M1A1 guns). The primers would sometimes fall into the trigger mechanism causing stoppages. In some cases they would jam the sear and as a result they could not remove the receiver from the trigger frame. Interesting the Brits also discovered that many Thompson breach-bolts were not hardened correctly!

It seems as though the Brits reported problems with the Winchester (WRA) WWII cartridges in thier M1A1 Thompsons. The primers were coming out, causing jams. I need one WWII era WRA cartridge to photograph.... Frank f.iannamicoREMOVE@comcast.net DELETE the word REMOVE for my email address, Thanks!

I have a friend that wants to contact the purchaser of the 9mm Thompson that was recently auctioned. THX Frank

I just happen to be channel surfing between the History channel, A&E and Discovery and saw a pretty good piece on Discovery's History's Mysterys program, on the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre... They showed the two Thompsons that were used and fired them, they also reenacted the shooting with lasers, and had a few crime scene investigators anaylize what happened. Then they had firearms expert and writer, Gary James fire a Thompson at some plaster board targets. During the actual crime, they stated that 70 rounds were fired, the shooters used a 50 round L drum in one Thompson and an XX 20 round mag in the other. Out of 70 shots there were 67 hits. Gary James only got (I think) 23 hits out of 50 when he tried to duplicate the shooting. The conclusion was that the gansters were pretty good with a Thompson. The CSI guys said that there were some entry wounds from the front, but after a demostration (using a police armored car, a brick wall, and a Thompson) they figured that the frontal wounds were ricochets from the brick wall the victims were lined up against. I am not a gangster expert but I thought the show was pretty interesting. Some usual SNAFU's. The female narriator said that Thompsons could be bought at drug stores, and stated that " Amazingly, after 85 years the Thompsons used in the crime still worked!!"

Link to PA House Bill 2451 http://LINK To find your Senetor and State Rep., just go to http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ and in the upper right hand corner of the page type in your zip code. It will give you all the contact information for your Senetor and State Rep. This is not good, PA is usually a gun-friendly state!

Just thought I would put my .02 here on the 9mm M3 bolts. This is in regard to an earlier post stating that you could convert a .45 M3 bolt to 9mm. The face of a 9mm bolt M3 bolt is set much further back than a .45 bolt and it would require a LOT of machining (the bolts are very hard). The M3/9mm bolt is a telescoping design. The front of the bolt is quite different than a .45 bolt. The 9mm barrel extends further back through the muzzle nut to bring it closer to the magazine to allow for the shorter 9mm cartridge. This requires the bolt face to be set back into the bolt. The very hardest part to find is the magazine adapter, there have been quite a few parties interested in reproducing the adapters, but most companies with the facilitities to perform the job will only make large quantites, (a lot more than there are tranferable M3s) making them cost prohibitive. The adapter is a simple 3 sided piece made of spring steel. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif The original design T-20 specifications included a provision to have the M3 easily converted to 9mm. The thought was supplying the Brits who used 9mm through Lend Lease. The British however preferred their Sten over the M3. There were actually 25,000 M3 9mm conversions made. The OSS ordered them. They were using the 9mm/M3 to replace their 9mm UDM42 submachine guns. The kits are rare and quite expensive in the U.S. I have one for an M3A1 submachine gun, it is the only one that I had ever seen for the A1 model. before the ones offered here. The bolt is cocked by your finger, instead of a handle. Most of the kits out there are for the M3 model.

http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/unsure.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif See R. Lee With the M3 on Mail Call, History Channel Sunday night!

I am looking for info and / or photos for one-off or rare US submachine guns that were made or designed in the U.S. One in particular is the Holmes SMG made in the 1980s, only 25 to 50 were produced This info is for a new book on US SUBGUNS to be entitiled; BORN IN THE USA, Submachine Guns of the United States of America... Or something like that Book will cover the Colt Thompson through the Ruger MP9, and a Chapter on US M16-M14 rifles. Great in depth MAC/Ingram chapter, 9mm M16, SW 76, MK760, Global M76A1, Stemples, Reising, M3, WH Thompsons etc. Ordnance tests reports and photos of foreign and domestic SMGs from 1939-1943.Other rare one-of a kind guns, and patents on guns that were never made and more... 400 plus pages, lots of new photos! Almost done, should be printed in April for Knob Creek. Thanks!!

Lost my sheet in the rubble on my desk! Thanks!

PK, I received your email, I do have a new GI M1 buttstocks and foregrip, I think I have hardware also, (buttplate and sling swivel). email me at: f.iannamico@comcast.net

Dennis Todd has a few copies left. I don't have his number handy...anyone?

Just released a new CD! This on is for the Reising. Includes a 1940 British test, Infantry Board test, rare H&R factory flyers, brochures and literature. Also a number of Marine and Police documents, letters and contracts, and the 1951 and 1943 manuals, and much more. $15.95 FREE shipping in December. To order... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/discs.html Like the Thompson CD, a lot of the content is from research materials that I used for the book. Happy Holidays! Frank

To all TCA members... If you have seen the latest TCA newsletter you already know that the 2004 show and shoot will be held at the NRA museum in VA. The TCA will also have an exibit in the museum The Museum exibit grand opening will be on 3/18/04 and run thru 12/31/04. TCA members will receive an invitation in the mail. The TCA exibit will include over 50 Thompsons and 170 items including Presentaton Thompsons that were given to the engineers, Thompson's personal gun, USMC and British models, movie props, minatures, canvas, drums, magazines and MORE. A catalog of the exibit will be available from the NRA. This is another positive step taken by the TCA to give collectors of C3 items some good publicity and credibility.