just4grins

I currently shoot 230gr Montana Gold jacketed bullets using 5.6 grains of Universal Clays. The feed ramp on my 1928 WH doesn't like plated bullets - after it's reworked by Mr. Krogh, I have fond hopes of shooting plated bullets in it, as I do in my 1911.

My insurance company insures my WH for about $139.00/10,000 value per year. Covers theft, everything, including damage incurred at the range. Not sure how this compares to the rates you are getting elsewhere,

I bought this synthetic grease at WWGrainger. NLGI 1.5, seemed to work well. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4ZF48

I bought 30 round mags from both CDNN and Sportman's Guide. The CDNN units were in excellent shape, and the Sportman's Guide mags were heavily painted over, with rust and pitting under the paint. (The paint was so thick that I had to remove it to get them to fit, which was when I found all of the rust). FYI

What grease did you use? I have built a greaser but cannot find the grease that PK recommends.

I recently bought 8 30 rd magazines from CDNN. They were in great shape, and worked well. The ones I bought from Sportsman's guide were heavily painted. When I removed the paint, I found out why - they were pitted and rusty under the paint.

Thats's what I had settled on. I shoot 5.4 grains in my 1911, but the Thompson seems to like a slightly higher powder charge. What are you shooting it in? I'm going to buy plated bullets, betting on the come that my West Hurley will feed them better after Paul Krogh finishes with it than it does now. I'll probably fire a few jacketed bullets in it in the interim. Paul has advised minimizing the use of the gun until it has been brought up to original specs by him to prevent damage to it.

Both good powders. I have friends who reload with 700X and like it a lot.

I appreciate the info. I think I'm going to stick with Universal Clays. It doesn't even look like gunpowder - it's brown, and looks like birdseed. Very clean burning, though. When it's windy and I don't want to put down a tarp to catch the brass, I shoot a revolver. I used to use Unique and Bullseye, and the difference in how it smokes up a revolver is amazing. Using Unique was like burning coal in the gun. Great powder, but doesn't burn as cleanly as the newer powders. Matters more in a wheelgun than in an auto. My reloads shot well in the WH except for the occasional feed problem, and per Mr. Krogh, the gun should feed plated well after he has reworked it. I'm going to take a chance and stock up on plated. I'm stocking up on all the reloading components that I can afford. I may be overreacting, but I didn't see the "assault weapons" ban coming when Bill Clinton was elected. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana)

Thanks for the info. I'm ordering bullets now (not sure what the future will bring), and the big quandry is plated vs jacketed. In an unmodified West Hurley, it seems that jacketed is the bullet of choice. I have sent an E-mail to Paul Krogh asking his opinion of the feasilbility of shooting plated after he's worked on my gun. Based on his input, and yours, I'll go make a decision.Thanks again for the feedback.

Thanks for the info. I'll check out Armscor.

I shot my 1928 WH for the first time today. Had already swapped all the moving parts for GI (Savage, actually) and installed a Wolff recoil spring and a urethane buffer pad. It shot great - what a rush! I shot factory loads, and then my reloads. Only one minor problem - some of my plated reloads hung up on the start of the feed ramp, which looks like a West Hurley issue - it's not as well radiused as the one on the receiver stub that came as part of the parts kit. I'm in queue for Paul Krogh's work, which I hope will make that particular problem go away, and don't plan to shoot vast quantities of ammo through it until it has been brought up to original specs. One question: I am using Universal Clays (5.4 grains) with 230 gr RN X-treme bullets plated round. In reading through the posts on reloads I didn't see anyone using universal - just clays or bullseye. Was this a result of trying Universal clays and not liking the results? I use it because I load multiple handgun calibers, and it seems to work well for all of them (I was shooting rounds that I normally use in my 1911). If anyone has compared Universal clays to another powder for reliable functioning in a Thompson I would like to benefit from his experience. Again, what a rush!

Paul Krogh sells them. $6.00 ea, shipped. Numrich sells them also ($5.99 ea), but I don't think they are of the same quality. Numrich's have a flat on one side which gives max surface area, but prevents it from rotatiing which can cause uneven wear and allow the pilot to eventually "tilt". I'd go with Paul Krogh's. They are $6 ea. postpaid. Send check to: Diamond K 1390 E 7th St. Delta, CO 81416

I have a WWII 1928A1 parts kit which I was planning to use for this gun. I'll swap the recoil spring guide as a precaution, and I had planned to replace the buffer pad with a urethane one. I understand that this is a good thing to do from a reliability and wear standpoint.

Thanks for the help. I'll look at them and see.

I just purchased a 1928 West Hurley made in 1980. I have heard much about possible machining defects in the receiver and the randomness of the actual manufacturers of the parts. How can I tell who made the parts which are in the gun? Is here a guide to the manufacturers markings? The gun itself looks brand new - fired very little.