Have a 1928 WH full auto on the way, now what?

[buzz]

My dreams of owning a Thompson have finally come true.

 

Managed to buy a WH 1928 at a good price, still waiting for it to show up at my class 3 dealer.

 

Apparently I'm the second owner since new and the gun has definitely not seen a lot of use.

 

It's an early gun, serial number ranger in the 3XX zone.

 

What should I do now?

 

What parts kit should I get, where should I get it and how much should I pay for it?

 

How about drums and stick mags? Where to get and how much should I pay?

 

My goal is to make a reliable shooter out of the gun, plan on shooting it as much as my ammo budget will allow.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

[Guest title ii]

Take pictures of the area where the blish locks engage the receiver to see what your working with and the extent of the repairs you need.

Russian Lend Lease parts kit

drum and stick mags? someone else will chime in

Get on Paul Krough's wait list or contact John Andrewski if you need it done sooner.

[timkel]

For now just buy ammo, mags and a manual. Study the manual and educate yourself. Once you have the Thompson, you can break it down and completely clean. Examine the parts and replace any aftermarket parts with US military parts. Test fire and address any issues. As far as spare parts. All parts and mags are available from multiple sources. The Thompson was built to last a lifetime. Keeping spare parts on hand may be prudent, but optional.

[emmagee1917]

As what was said above. Note which parts have " AOC " or "S" already on them ( USGI parts ) . For safety , be sure the buffer pilot IS marked. Aftermarket ones can be two piece and can come apart and launch at your face. Check your foreend hanger and be sure it's a forged one piece. Two piece units , even if USGI , can come apart. That's why they adopted the band around the foreend.

There are posts on here of pictures of what to look for in the cutting of the bish lock grooves and how to determine if they are in the right place .

If it has not been shot a lot by now , it may be because it has problems . Lots of people have had them , and while it is frustrating at first , they can be delt with ( problems , that is ).

Chris

[smkummer]

Used 20-30 round magazines were available from several vendors at Knob Creek for $15-30.

[buzz]

• I got the gun for pretty cheap so I'm not afraid of spending some more on it to fix this and that. But I am starting from ground zero, I've never even seen one before in person.

Supposedly the early guns have a lot of USGI parts but we shall see.

Right now I'm still waiting for the dealer to dealer transfer to happen. When it shows up at the local dealer I'll strip it down and take some pictures.

So I guess I have 9 months or more to collect parts and read up on it. I'll have to cut and past this thread so it doesn't get lost down the internet memory hole.

[buzz]

_{Are there any magazines I should avoid? Which ones are the best value for the $$$?}

[smkummer]

I believe all 20 and 30 round magazines were govt. contract and all of the 20 and 30 round magazines work in my Savage 1928A1. Look at the catch hole in the back and make sure it is round. If oval, it was modified for a semi auto and you don't want that. Avoid West hurley drums and the 39 rd. imported drum. A imported drum from the web sight keepshooting.com appears to be well made. This is my .02 from taking possession of my Thompson last December.

[Uncle Dudley]

I believe all 20 and 30 round magazines were govt. contract and all of the 20 and 30 round magazines work in my Savage 1928A1. Look at the catch hole in the back and make sure it is round. If oval, it was modified for a semi auto and you don't want that. Avoid West hurley drums and the 39 rd. imported drum. A imported drum from the web sight keepshooting.com appears to be well made. This is my .02 from taking possession of my Thompson last December.

http://www.keepshooting.com/thompsonr-compatible-drum-magazine.html

 

I have 6 of these and they all work great right out of the box. Buy 2 or 3 at least.

 

Oh yeah, find a 22 conversion kit (Merle's design). It's like having another MG for about $600.00, and a lot of fun.

 

U D

[TD.]

Buzz,

Congratulations on your new purchase. Many of us on the Board have a West Hurley Thompson. And have a lot of fun with them.

 

I suggest you do several things:

 

1. Join The American Thompson Association

2. Join The Thompson Collectors Association

3. Attend one or both of these organizations Show and Shoots in 2014. I believe both will be in Ohio, most likely in August and September.

4. Purchase the November 2011 issue of Small Arms Review magazine. It has an excellent story about West Hurley parts along with some history of these guns. It will show you all the parts you need to replace. After reading this story you will see why a West Hurley buffer pilot must be replaced. I know you will like it - because I wrote it! Available from www.longmountain.com

5. Research the Board for past stories about West Hurley Thompson's. Word search on "West" and "Hurley" and PK.

 

If you do not have a good reference book on the Thompson gun I always recommend the 1967 Normount Armament Company book, Thompson Submachine Guns. It is a compilation of four manuals - one British, three American (FM & TM) and one Auto-Ordnance 1936 catalog. You can use it with dirty hands and not worry about harming original documents. I happen to have two in stock right now. Send me a Private Message if you are interested.

 

Again, congratulations.

[jim c 351]

_{Are there any magazines I should avoid? Which ones are the best value for the $$$?}

Buzz,

The magazines most likely to give problems are the 30 rd Crosby, marked U.S.-30 CARTRIDGE-CAL 45.

The gov had to rework some of these to fit into the guns.

Jim C

[mnshooter]

I believe all 20 and 30 round magazines were govt. contract and all of the 20 and 30 round magazines work in my Savage 1928A1. Look at the catch hole in the back and make sure it is round. If oval, it was modified for a semi auto and you don't want that. Avoid West hurley drums and the 39 rd. imported drum. A imported drum from the web sight keepshooting.com appears to be well made. This is my .02 from taking possession of my Thompson last December.

 

Kahr is making unmarked 30 round magazines for their semis.

They are made with the round hole, set slightly higher, as needed.

Quality looks pretty good; at a glance, it would be easy to think they were original mags.

 

Now if someone would just make parts for really old Harley Golf Carts...

[Chief762]

Buzz,

Congratulations on your new acquisition! I'm having a blast with mine. I had to change out the WH buffer pilot, it was a 2 piece, but the rest of the internals were GI. I also replaced the fiber buffer with a neoprene one. I know you've got a long wait ahead, but it'll be worth it when you finally pull the trigger.

Chief762

[The1930sRust]

It is your duty as a Westy owner to get on PK's list. If for the future of the weapon, it is a worthy wait! R

[giantpanda4]

Buy Ammo

Buy Ammo

Buy Ammo

Buy Ammo

 

When it comes in.... shoot it!

 

then Repeat,

Buy Ammo.....

[buzz]

Thanks for the replies

 

Looks like a year's wait ahead of me

[Piep]

Then it's time to lay in a supply of ammo.

Buy ammo buy ammo etc...

Can you ever have to much of it, I think not.

 

Bob

[Dolphinvet]

Or make ammo. I have around 10,000 rounds of .45acp laying around.

[Piep]

If it's just laying around maybe you should pick it up...lol.

 

Bob

[hrt4me]

I cannot seem to find that November 2011 issue of SAR available via LMO's website; is there any other way we could read it, possibly online?

 

4. Purchase the November 2011 issue of Small Arms Review magazine. It has an excellent story about West Hurley parts along with some history of these guns. It will show you all the parts you need to replace. After reading this story you will see why a West Hurley buffer pilot must be replaced. I know you will like it - because I wrote it! Available from www.longmountain.com

[TD.]

I am sure they have it in stock. It is a Volume 15 issue (No. 2). I would call or e-mail them for availability. The only way I know you can read it on-line is at the www.smallarmsoftheworld.com website. The on-line subscription is $20 a year. You can read most of my, Frank's and David's stories, sorted by author or title. It will not be long before all back issues of Small Arm Review (SAR) are on-line. It is a wealth of information for a very cheap price. While I like receiving SAR in the mail, it is a great website to quickly look up information or a past story. And it gets better every day.

[Bridgeport28A1]

Wrong thread….ooops

Edited December 4, 2013 by Bridgeport28A1