blueline541

Upon rereading my initial post I don't think I explained the situation well. When I saw the wear appearing on the russian kit frame I then noticed the bur on the bolt. The wear on the kit frame only occurred because the bolt already had the bur on it. During lunch I took the gun to a gentleman who disassembled the frame. He feels the existing trigger group has a worn part or two which is preventing the sear from fully functioning which in turn has caused the bur on the bolts which put wear on the frame. He swapped parts with the russian kit frame. I'll give it a test when the heat lets up. Maybe this fixes it. Thanks for the imput.

A short while back I replaced the bolt that came with the gun. The "new" bolt now has the dented places on it. That made me look at the bolt that I took out of the gun. It also has the dents in the exact same place. The little shiny lines on each of the bolts are the dented areas which are causing the grooves to the frame. The sear is showing wear from being struck by the bolt and the wear pattern is lining up with the groove in the frame. Is there something that could possibly be making the bolt to tilt forward a little bit? I don't notice any difference between the sears on the two frames. Everything about them appears identical.

Thanks. Posting photos has always been a problem for me.

I'm still not out of the woods yet. The forward section of the bolt is striking the sear and becoming dented. This is causing two small "lips" on the bottom of the bolt which are scraping a small groove into the frame. The original frame had the small worn section on it when I acquired the gun. It has not increased in size since. When I replaced the original frame with the russian kit frame I noticed a small amount of wear is beginning to appear in the same place. I have looked at the bolt that came in the gun, which I replaced earlier, and it has the dented areas. The replacement bolt has the same dented places as well. Any idea why the bottom front of the bolt is smacking the sear to the point of becoming dented which is in turn scraping the frame? I'm computer illiterate, but I may have attached photos from photobucket. If so, you are seeing the shiny worn spot on the original lower, the shiny dented places on the replaced bolt, the shiny dented places on the installed bolt, and the newly forming wear on the russian kit frame. Thanks for any advice. My Webpage

Shine is still readily available here in the Deep South. You just have to know the right person.

This is definately something to think about. I swapped out the matching lower with the intention of preserving the condition it is now in. I'd really like to hear the opinions of other members on this line of thought. Anybody...

Thanks for the advice. Also, the picture helped. Next time I take it out to shoot I'll put the breech oiler in it.

I had asked before about the necessity of having one and got the impression that it was good to have but not a deal breaker if the gun went without. The last thing I want to do is cause unnecessary damage to a rediculously expensive toy/cool piece of history. A few questions: How much oil do you put on the pads? I'll just assume non-sperm whale oil is okay. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif How does it go in the receiver? How long are these 60+ year old felt pads good for? Can I get modern day replacements if need be? Thanks for the help.

The spare frame allows for absolutely no play but slides on and off just fine. It overlaps the rear of the receiver just a little bit but the gun seems to function fine.

I bought a nice one at Knob Creek last april and am glad I did. My AO '28ac was missing a few beats upon purchase but I was aware of it before hand. The actuator that came with mine was a bit bent so I replaced it and the bolt with the parts from the kit and now no more problems. The previous owner suspected the bolt was the issue but never bothered with it during the nearly seven years of owning the gun because he almost never shot it. The gun has matching numbers but I finally got around to trying the second frame on it today. It is an amazingly tight fit. The original frame has a very, very small amount of play when on the receiver, but I've always expected this in a 65 year old submachine. I'm going to leave the original locked up and use the spare from now on. The gun came without a breech oiler but I haven't decided whether to use the spare or not. I lean towards leaving it out because I think advancements in lubricants have increased since the creation of the Thompson. Just rambling this evening but I do recommend a parts kit.

I felt like Indiana Jones just trying to get into the holy of holies where they store guns. It took some effort on my part because this department is very serious about security. I was impressed. They had a ton of guns, though. They could have easily opened Bubba's Bait and Gun Shack with the inventory on hand.

False alarm. I got my hands on it today and it was a rough WH semi auto. The two deputies swore up and down they knew it was a legal machine gun. Bunch of hillbillies.

I was at the sheriff's office today and was speaking with a pair of deputies about old guns, etc. They mentioned the confiscation of over eighty firearms from a man just last week. An elderly man had died and his convicted felon nephew had moved into his house and began selling the man's possessions. After multiple complaints about gunfire at the house the deputies found the convicted felon in possession of all the guns and over 10,000 rounds of ammo. Included in the gun collection is an, "old Tommy gun" according to both these guys who were at the scene. It is now stored in the property and evidence room, with everything else, at the annex where I'll be tomorrow. I have a really good chance of getting to see this thing. I need to take some spare parts to swap out just in case this is a '21 Colt - kidding. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/dry.gif If I get my hands on it I'll let everyone know. The guys claim it was legally registered to the old man. They also said the nephew told them he had a buyer coming for the Thompson the very next day and they cost him a sale by arresting him a day too soon.

I've always used the model and address for my AO 1928ac without thinking about the Savages which can lead to confusion. Thanks for the info on the production numbers.

Does any member here know how high the serial numbers went for the '28 Bridgeports? If not, what is the highest numbered gun known of here? Thanks.

Artie in Miami included his email address in the opening post of this thread. This is the way I contacted him also. You won't be disappointed. If you'd like you can tell him a prior customer named Scott recommended his drums to you.

If anyone is interested in a nice WWII drum (no rust, pitting, or dents) then this is the guy to go to. I received about ten detailed photos of the drum he mailed me, which I got very quickly, plus he offered to swap it or refund my money if I wasn't completely happy with it. One day I'll kick myself for not having bought a few more from him. I would love to see his supply since he encouraged me tell anyone about him who might need another drum.

I bought a really nice Bridgeport marked L drum from him for $450.00 shipped. He also told me he had additional WWII drums available if I wanted anymore. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

I've been fed up with cable for quite a while now. My wife and I finally took the plunge and had it completely cut off last month. It was odd for a few days, but now I absolutely love it. My only regret is not doing it sooner. A friend is a member of Netflix and he says they have tons of hard to find old movies.

Back in the seventies my PD had three Thompsons. They disappeared back then and no one currently at the department, including an old timer who still works there, has any idea where they went or who got them.

PhilOhio- Is there any particular brand of lead bullets on the market that you would recommend? I'm too busy to cast my own. Okay, I'm too lazy. But very interested in saving a few bucks while shooting.

Last month Tapco had them in like new condition for $9 and good but used for $6 if you need to stock up.

I bought my first subgun over a year ago and immediately picked up a Dillon 550 after talking with a bunch of reloaders. I can easily load .45s at less that 50% of the cost of WWB at Walmart. And that includes 230gr. FMJ bullets. Cases, the most expensive part of a bullet, can be had for free at local ranges. I'm in law enforcement and it is almost disgusting how much free brass I've collected over the past year. If you have any good friends who are cops use them for brass. Also my friends get to spray all the bullets they want through my subguns as long as I get the brass. I collected 450 pieces of .45acp last thursday. Thats not even a drop in the bucket compared to what I have already. The Dillon 550 isn't cheap compared to some other presses, but mine paid for itself in under a year and it has a no BS lifetime warranty. I hope this makes some sense. I just finished spending 31 hours in bed sweating, freezing, and vomiting and debating on wanting to die. I think it was food poisoning.

I have a full auto uzi that I used to love until very recently. It has taken a back seat in a big way. It no longer has much appeal after playing with the Thompson. Guess I'll have to just keep it and suffer. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif

I have been having some issues with my '28ac Bridgeport and finally got to play with her some more this afternoon. I swapped bolts from a russian parts kit I have and now no more problems. This gun runs great! We put just over 400 rounds through the gun without a single problem, including five 50 round drum dumps. I did notice that the extractor on the problem bolt appears to be a bit wider than the two spares I have. I went shooting with four of my friends and we had the Thompson, a full auto uzi, and a full auto MP5 from work. The hands down favorite was the Thompson. The MP5 came in second, but it didn't get a fraction of the praise and admiration the Thompson received. The tommy gun puts a spell on folks unlike any machine gun I've ever shot.