Doug Richardson
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Posts posted by Doug Richardson
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posted by mkw
New Richardson-made M1A1 Forearm/Barrel Bands are shown in Doug Richardson's catalog at $35. Originals are also available. Information regarding the history of this item is included in Doug Richardson's "Dear Doug" section under the topics of "Grip Mounts" in his website www.ThompsonSMG.com. He warns that the barrel band made by Numrich/Kahr will not fit the Thompson.
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posted by mkw
You are wasting your time. My rear sight rivets are exactly like the originals. I had a carbide cold heading die made in accordance with the original drawings and specifications and then had a major rivet company custom form them. They are perfect. This is another of my products that I will probably never recover the investment.
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posted by mkw
I had the good fortune of personally interviewing the man who designed the Thompson FBI hard case. I started to write an article about it but, like a lot of things, I haven't had the time to do it. However, I can tell you that the hard case was designed from scratch. Saxophone cases were not involved and the designer never mentioned using any musical instrument case as a pattern. He did tell me that the customer who had ordered the first case (it wasn't the FBI) did say that he wanted people to think it had a musical instrument inside rather than a machine gun. Your question has jarred my renewed interest in the case so I'll try to find all my old notes when I get some time. Believe it or not, I found a mint condition FBI style hard case in a dumpster in an alley in Los Angeles years ago.
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posted by mkw
Drum magazines are completely covered in Doug Richardson's book: TSMG Drum Magazines - Types "L" & "C". (www.ThompsonSMG.com)
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Doug Richardson's website www.ThompsonSMG.com offers original Colt sales and shipping information letters.
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posted by mkw
Doug Richardson's website www.ThompsonSMG.com offers original Colt sales and shipping information letters.
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posted by mkw
Thanks to a lot of good comments, I have made some changes to my proposed Parts Classification system. This is the one I will be using. I don't expect everyone to use it, especially those who are making questionable parts, but if everyone would use it there would be a lot less disappointment's resulting in the discovery that parts purchased were not as expected.
As Thompson parts become more difficult to find and the prices increase correspondingly, more people are going to manufacture parts of varying quality and make misleading claims regarding their products.
I have been trying to figure out a classification system for the parts I offer as well as those that others offer. I’m not talking about condition. The NRA established a system for that years ago. I’m talking about a system that describes how the part was made. I have come up with the following classification system for Thompson.
PARTS CLASSIFICATION
by
Douglas W. Richardson
ORIGINAL
This would be any part made from 1916 through 1944 by or authorized by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation including items procured directly by the Government during WW2.
SPECIFICATION
This would include any part which is not an ORIGINAL but which was made in complete accordance with the original Auto-Ordnance dimensional, material, heat treatment and finish drawings. The only exception would be a change in material used if the original material is not readily available and the material used is as good as or better than that specified. For someone to make a part to conform to this category, he would have to possess all those original drawings.
REPRODUCTION
This would include any part made by reverse engineering an existing part or otherwise copying a part as well as any part made partly in accordance with the original drawings where the intention was to make a SPECIFICATION part but the part fails to completely meet that definition.
AFTER MARKET
Any part made, whether partly in accordance with the original drawings or not at all, where the part differs from the original part or is a new design in order to create a claimed improvement or different use.
FAKE
This would be any part which is represented to be an ORIGINAL but is not regardless of how it was made.
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posted by mkw
Doug Richardson's catalog features all sorts of Thompson barreling tools. (www.ThompsonSMG.com)
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posted by mkw
As Thompson parts become more difficult to find and the prices increase correspondingly, more people are going to manufacture parts of varying quality and make misleading claims regarding their products.
I have been trying to figure out a classification system for the parts I offer as well as those that others offer. I’m not talking about condition. The NRA established a system for that years ago. I’m talking about a system that describes how the part was made. I have come up with the following classification system for Thompson which I present for your consideration. Comments are welcome.
PARTS CLASSIFICATION(A Proposed System)
by
Douglas W. Richardson
OLD ORIGINAL
This would be any part made from 1916 through 1944 by or authorized by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation including items procured directly by the Government during WW2.
NEW ORIGINAL
This would include any part made that does not fall under OLD ORIGINAL but which was made in complete accordance with the original Auto-Ordnance dimensional, material, heat treatment and finish drawings. The only exception would be a change in material used if the original material is not readily available and the material used is as good as or better than the original. For someone to make a part to conform to this category, he would have to possess those original drawings.
REPRODUCTION
This would include any part made by reverse engineering an existing part or otherwise copying a part as well as any part made partly in accordance with the original drawings where the intention was to make a NEW ORIGINAL part but the part fails to completely meet the definition of a NEW ORIGINAL part.
AFTER MARKET
Any part made, whether partly in accordance with the original drawings or not at all, where the part differs from the original part or is a new design in order to create a claimed improvement or different use.
FAKE
This would be any part which is claimed to be an OLD ORIGINAL but is not regardless of how it was made. This would also include any part which was made by anyone claiming to be a successor in interest to the original Auto-Ordnance Corporation or marking their parts in such a way, without a disclaimer, in order to mislead the buyer into believing he was buying a part made by the original Auto-Ordnance Corporation.
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Bob,
I would not use the 18 or so fiber disc originally supplied by Colt unless your restoring a non shooter Colt.
PK makes a long urethane 1921 one piece style buffer. It would do a much better dampening job
than the brittle hard red fiber disc.
I'd also wager that PK can make you the buffer tube and pilot as well. If he can't Doug R. makes them.
-Darryl
posted by mkw
1921 buffers, pilots, and recoil springs are in Doug Richardson's catalog. (www.ThompsonSMG.com)
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Just remember to call and ask Doug if anything you want to order is in stock. Forget about ordering a display receiver... unless you want to wait..and wait..and wait.........then 3 years later start bitching and moaning about the unreasonable wait time, so DR takes pity on you and cancels your order. Order receivers from Philadelphia Ordnance instead.
I don't refund receiver order deposits because I feel sorry for the waiting customer, I refund the deposit because I feel sorry for myself. I make it very clear to the customer before I accept the order that I am so far behind I can't even guess when I will be able to ship his receiver and if the customer places the order he must promise to be very patient and not call me to ask when he will get his receiver. But, that promise is quickly forgotten and the calls start. It does nothing but waste my time because I will never know when a receiver will ship until it is ready to ship. So, after a person starts on me about it, I feel sorry for myself and send a refund. The only other way to get a refund from me is to ask for it. If that is not fair, I don't know what is.
There is hope though. My 12 year shop partner in a previous life has agreed to join with me in my shop to do nothing but help me make receivers. Getting him to help me is something I have been trying to get to happen for the last 4 years. I can't just hire someone off the street to do what I do. My old shop partner is a retired old-school, German machinist who actually taught me how to operate the automatic machines when I made my first CNC-made receivers in his shop. It will take a little time to get him up and running on the receivers, but the result should be a ten-fold increase in receiver production by the end of the year if nothing goes wrong. I may even have receivers on the shelf ready for immediate delivery. (Refer to my website www.ThompsonSMG.com "Receiver Policy & Order Form" for more info.)
If that happens, I will be able to concentrate on my other products, which I usually keep more or less in stock, and my research and books which I have had to neglect. It is important to remember that I never intended for Thompson to have been a business for me. It has been a hobby although one could argue it has become a hobby out of control.
I feel excited about this turn of events because it has distressed me greatly that I have not been able to keep up with the demand for my products. Nobody else can or will do what I do, so I'm stuck with myself. I don't know how much longer I will be able to do any of this because age (73) is taking its toll on me. But I would like to get all my ducks in a row before I have to quit and at least be remembered for having made a small contribution to Thompson since I started all this 68 years ago.
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Hello, I'm trying to find disassembly/assembly instructions for replacing the safety selector and fire control selector on a Model 1928 Thompson West Hurley.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
JWWax
posted by mkw
Reprints of tech manuals and owner's manuals are in Doug Richardson's catalog. Look at www.thompsonsmg.com The best owner's manual is the Fort Knox manual.
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posted by mkw
the best place to find out what Doug Richardson is doing is to go to the "Doug's Blogs" section of his website (www.ThompsonSMG.com). "
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posted by mkw
Drum rotor retainers are in Doug Richardson's catalog.
Find the catalog as well as numerous other items on his website www.thompsonsmg.com
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All Thompson grip mounts are ½" wide and are interchangeable in all models of Thompson guns.
There are 3 styles. The 1921/1928 1-piece grip mount has an upward bend which creates a great deal of interference with the barrel such that it is pre-stressed to provide the rigidity required by the vertical foregrip. The 1928A1/M1 grip mount is the same as the 1921/1928 except that they do not have the upward bend. The bend is not necessary since they are used only with horizontal foregrips which bear directly against the barrel. M1A1 grip mounts were made from 3 pieces riveted together. They are therefore referred to as the 3-piece grip mount.
The 3-piece design was a failure because the rearmost riveted part required a hole in the body of the grip mount near the front end of the receiver where the grip mount needed its maximum strength. A downward pull on the sling can bend the grip mount downward, away from the barrel. To solve this problem, a strap was fitted clamping the barrel and front end of the forearm together. This is a classic case of a penny saving change costing dollars to fix.
Both the 1928A1/M1 grip mounts and the barrel/forearm straps are available in my catalog.
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I am unaware of any documentation supporting the assertion that no 1928A1 or M1A1 TSMGs left the factory with re-enforced buttstocks. Certainly, no 1928s and, probably, no M1s were fitted with re-enforced buttstocks. I am also unaware of any documentation that proves that any 1928A1s or M1A1s were fitted with re-enforced buttstocks at the factory. My belief is that re-enforced buttstocks were fitted at the factory near the end of production of 1928A1s and probably on M1A1s.
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I have them for $75 each. I have not had time to put them in the catalog.
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Does Doug have a 21 buffer system available? If so does anyone know how much it is?
Yes I have 21 Buffer systems listed in my catalog
In order to answer questions like this without having to answer endless questions of "Do you offer this?" & "Do you offer that?", I have made a list of every product in my catalog and posted it under the Catalog Ad at the beginning of my website www.ThompsonSMG.com .
However, the website is still not a catalog because many of my customers who are hard core Thompson (real ones) people do not have easy access to the internet.
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I have been offering Pivot Plate tools for years. They are in my catalog along with a variety of Thompson Gunsmithing tools.
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"Colt" actuators have been made again. Not since 1922, after Colt finished production, have any more been made. It's been a dream of mine for the last 25 years but something always came up to prevent me from making them. Even so, it had to be done because so many people have been trying to get replacement actuators for their Colt guns. Attempts by others to make them have always resulted in failure to duplicate the Colts. It became a challenge to me to do it correctly. I believe I have accomplished it. These are the 3rd (and final) "Colt" pattern with the curved front end.
The only difference between mine and Colt's (beside mine being better quality, in my opinion) is that mine were made from hardened steel rather than making them out of annealed steel and then hardening them and mine are marked with an "R".
By using already hardened steel, any twisting or surface cracking caused by heat treating is eliminated. It is my opinion that the reason the ears fall off Colt's actuators is because hairline surface cracks from heat treating propagate through the steel with use until the "ear" is weakened and falls off. With all due respect to Colt, they just didn't have the cutters and machines we have today to work with hardened steel. If I am right about this, anyone shooting a Colt will probably eventually lose an "ear" off their actuator. People shooting Colt Navies or Colt 1928A1 guns should replace their actuators with WW2 actuators for shooting.
I've marked my actuators with an "R" on the right side above the lock slot so they can be identified. I know people are going to try to resell mine as originals but I want no part of helping them scam some one else. If someone tries to remove the "R", there will be a tell-tale defect in the surface.
I have made one production run of a limited number of actuators. It took so much time and money to do it, that I have no plans to do another run when these are sold out. But I had to do it just to prove to myself that I could.
The price is $435 + $12 HIS.
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Posted by mkw
Actuator Price
The price for my New Colt 1921 Actuators is $435 plus $12 S&H.
Thanks for your support.
Doug
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Doug,
I have to disagree with you about the existence of a Model of 1922 Thompson. All the guns you reference are Model of 1923 Thompson guns. I agree there are different variations of the Model of 1923 Thompson as Auto-Ordnance was trying to find something that would sell. Unfortunately, none of the variations or combinations of parts produced a winner.
Jean Huron, a well known gun writer from France, lists the French Military Thompson as a Model of 1923 in his book on the Thompson, Les pistolets-mitrailleurs Thompson. His writings about the Thompson in the French magazine, Gazette des Armes, also list this French Military Thompson as a Model of 1923.
George Goll, Oscar Payne and Theodore Eickhoff were extensively interviewed by William Helmer for his now famous book, The Gun That Made the Twenties Roar, and none of them said a word about a Model of 1922 Thompson. Footnote number 6 for Chapter Four specifically references George Goll recalling only five Model 1923 Thompson’s being built. I have read Helmer’s notes and letters regarding his interviews of these three gentlemen and found no reference to a Model of 1922 Thompson.
Recently, Tracie Hill located an AOC blueprint of a prototype Thompson dated in 1922 that could be construed as a Model of 1922 Thompson. It is listed by AOC as a Model F. A copy of the blueprint can be found in The Ultimate Thompson Book on Page 821 (Fig. 1195). There is no evidence this Model F of 1922 advanced beyond the drawing board.
TD.
Please don't disagree with me unless you have done the research. I assume Jean Huon (not Huron) is a personal acquaintance of yours as he is mine and that you have discussed this with him as I have. He did no research on this subject. He just took it for granted. As a matter of fact, Huon helped me get to the bottom of the identity of the French gun because he was as interested as I was.
Facts become clearer with time and more discoveries. Facts are not determined by a consensus, but by research and the research indicates that the 1922 was a true, if not well documented, model.
I assume you went to France to inspect the gun by getting through the French military security as I have. I assume you have studied the evolution of the gun via original drawings as I have. Unless you have personally done the research. a third hand debate quoting others is pointless. The Model 1922 is the elephant in the room. Ignore it but it is still there.
Of course, you could say that there is only one Thompson gun - the 1921 and all others are variations. But how many of each do you have to have before it seems appropriate to call it a model? So far I have found six of the Model 1922s whereas the well documented 1923 Extra Heavy Barrel model (there was also a light barrel version) existed only as a single gun which never left AO.
Read my book "Thompson Submachine Gun - Models" and then quote me. Better yet, do your own research, write a book and then we can have a real debate.
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That round was chambered in the unsuccessful 1923 Thompson. There's one in a French museum and one in the West Point Collection but very few were ever made.
Neither the gun in France (which is not in a museum - it belongs to the French Government) nor the one at the West Point museum are Model 1923s and neither is chambered for the .45 Remington-Thompson (R-T) cartridge. Both are Model 1922s although the one at West Point was extensively modified as a prototype of the 1923. There is only one Thompson known to have been chambered for the R-T and that gun is in a police department in Illinois. Only one Model 1923 Extra Heavy Barrel gun is known to have been made and that gun remained with Auto-Ordnance until it was broken up for parts. It is not known what the caliber was. You can read all about the various Thompson models in my latest book "Thompson Submachine Gun - Models".
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Please help me locate the owner of this gun. It came out of the Ft. Worth Police Dept. and is now in private hands probably in Texas or Oklahoma. This gun was reconfigured at Auto-Ordnance prior to shipping. I need information regarding that reconfiguration if it is still intact or if it has been returned to the original 1921 configuration, I would like to know about that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would like the owner to call me at 310-457-6400. Confidentiality will be respected.
Mystery Thompson - Teaser
in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board
Posted
The little Thompson is interesting. I don't know if this is the time or place to talk about it but the subject got me thinking about my involvement in the half-sized Thompsons which became known as the "delaGarrigue" miniatures. I don't want to start a discussion about it but if this subject gets anyone excited and they want to write an article about miniature Thompsons as opposed to miniatures in general, I would be willing to provide support information. Unfortunately, I just do not have the time to write the article and miniatures is not a priority interest with me. On the other hand, it would be a shame for the information to be lost.
Most Thompson (or miniatures) people are not aware that I designed and our company, the Universal Precision Corporation, started manufacturing the half-sized Thompsons back in 1962 in Culver City, California. That was before I had acquired all the original manufacturing drawings which meant that I had to reverse engineer the entire gun. Eddie delaGarrigue was the machinist arm of the company.