bug Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Not a big deal. The early guns had the square slot cut and the 3500 number is usually quoted as the cutoff. I'm assumming the SL property tag has the SN and if so, it would be real close. For what it's worth, I"ve seen 4300 and 5700 guns with the square cut... Bob D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 That's a beauty, cubguy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJohnson Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) I plan on shooting mine a lot but then again, mine has been refinished.Congratulations on your purchase. Edited May 8, 2015 by NJohnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramerica Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Is your Thompson one from the recent stockpile they had in St. Louis? Great looking gun love the FBI case too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinvet Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I've fired my Colt '21AC a total of 1 time. Actually had it recorded so I could prove that I did it. Not sure if or when I'll ever fire it again. I am tempted to but then again, all original, the ever present possibility of a squib, and the fact I have other Thompsons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sig Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 As I posted earlier I am clearly in the shoot your Colt camp, heck that is what I paid the big $ for, to shoot a Colt.I shoot just one of them though. I expect all my Colts will get err exercised in 2021 to celebrate their 100th birthday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) I would think that most Thompson owners that own Colt guns also own other Thompsons as well.Why modify an original Colt when you get your fix with a Hurley and or a GI gun? I also went the route of swapping out internals and such and soon realized that if I kicked the bucket, thesemodified Colts would be lost to history and the original Colt parts would end up on a flea market table somewhere. I went as soon as I could and installed the original parts back in the original Colts. I sleep a littlebetter knowing that they're back together now. All it took for me was a little health scare to see what could happen. Just my 2 cents,Darryl You made a good point Darryl, I had a health scare about 2 years ago!Until I can find a shooter I will make sure I keep the Colt parts bagged and marked"Keep with the Thompson" and my wife and my FFL shooting buddy know not to separatefrom the gun. Edited May 9, 2015 by cubguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) Not a big deal. The early guns had the square slot cut and the 3500 number is usually quoted as the cutoff. I'm assumming the SL property tag has the SN and if so, it would be real close. For what it's worth, I"ve seen 4300 and 5700 guns with the square cut... Bob D mine probably doesn't then it's #79XX Edited October 18, 2016 by cubguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks cubguy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azboater Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Great thread, my perspective so far is that a good many Original Colt Shooters seem to be like a lot of SuperCar Drivers, they don't want to drive their cars for fear of putting miles on them. I bought my 2007 Ferrari F430 last year and it had 3,000 original miles on her, just had my annual service, and put about 4,000 more miles in the 1 year I have owned her, she is not a Garage Queen, nor are my guns Safe Queens. My friend said it best at a car show once: "Not driving your Ferrari is like not having sex with your wife so you can save her for the next guy" (substitute the word "Shooting" for "Driving & "Thompson" for "Ferrari") I just think these pieces of History deserve to be on the Range, & I am sure you worked hard to get them so enjoy them! Have A Great weekend everyone! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks for all the kind comments everyone! I appreciate the knowledge and experience y'all have shared! Does anyone have lube procedures they would share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted September 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) Well my stamp came in, now I have to wait for my dealer to get back in town so he can ship my Tommy to me. I want to thank everyone for their advice to get a C&R licence, I think it sped things up. I overnighted the paperwork on 6-4 and the transfer was approved on 8-11 pretty fast! Edited September 4, 2015 by cubguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCM Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Great- Take it over to show Helmer, he'd love it. Better yet, find a local place to shoot it and take the old fart out with you . OCM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted September 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Hey Sandy, I will definitely show Helmer as soon as I get it! I am lucky to have a shootingrange at my house and he will join me to shoot it when he's up to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzz Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) I would be very reluctant to remove a barrel from a Thompson and re-install it. The barrel might be loose when re-installed. According to what the professional gunsmiths say, Thompson barrels loosen up from being unscrewed and re-installed. Has anyone ever looked into this? Ever tried a re-install? I don't agree with the gung-ho notion that all collector guns should be fired or it's a "waste" to own them and not shoot them. No offense, but comparing a woman or a modern used car to a collector firearm is not an accurate analogy. Gun collectors put a HUGE value on condition and originality. A well used VG/EXC gun that's worth $2500 might be worth $10,000 if it was mint unfired in the original box. Recently, mint unfired FNCs in the original box were selling for $1000 more than mint unfired without the box. That's a $1000 for a cheap cardboard box made in 1985. That's how the gun collector brain works. Aside from that, Some collector guns are not really safe to fire because the metallurgy was too primitive when they were made. Some of them have incipient fatigue cracks that are just sitting there waiting to split open and ruin the gun. A squib can occur with any type of ammo and ruin the barrel. So you have to use your common sense. The decision is different for each gun. Should you shoot a 200 year old gun with Damascus barrels that's worth $10,000? Possibly turn $10k into 0k. Or should you buy a modern copy from Uberti for $600 and shoot that instead? But why not shoot a Garand that has RIA rebuild stamps on it and a 1963 barrel? Your finger would fall off your hand before you wore it out. that's my humble opinion on it, ymmv Edited September 4, 2015 by buzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m60mgman Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 My tax check was cashed late June, so hopefully my approval will come in soon, too. My gun is not perfect, and I'm OK with that. It's already got the dings and wear on it so adding a bit more shouldn't hurt the value much. If I had a minty collectable gun I'd probably not shoot it, except maybe once, because the value in that is in the minty condition, and it can mean 10-20 grand difference. I've never bulged a barrel in many many thousands of shots fired, but I have made a powderless squib while reloading once. My MP5 didn't eject that case, which is different from the usual stove pipe FTE, so I looked in there and sure enough there was no daylight. The primer alone was enough to push the bullet just past the chamber. Since then I've made changes in my reloading, hopefully reducing the odds of an empty case or low charge squib. The danger of a light load which is enough to cycle the gun, lodge the bullet AND load the next round is the main problem I'm worried about. So Every stoppage is one where a thorough exam is indicated to check for the cause. Just recharging isn't good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzz Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) Squib loads with American made ammo aren't very common.But it does happen.A bulged Colt barrel would be a not-so-wonderful moment in anyone's life, even if he's a billionaire.Winchester white box is decent stuff but it's not American, it's definitely made overseas, sometimes it says "made in Czech republic".If I was shooting a Colt I think I would stick with Winchester Super X or a premium brand like that.Sometimes you can find it cheap.Let's face it, this is not a cheap hobby we have, no point in trying to economize on Colt fodder. Edited September 4, 2015 by buzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m60mgman Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Yup, I got in some Federal. I understand Fiocchi is good, although I had a dud in my first or second box, not a squib... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCM Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 At the police range about a month or so ago, we had a Westie out there, bunch of Colt pistols, 45 autos, 38 supers, etc.. The police had a couple boxes of 500 rounds, 45 ACP of police ammo. Not one problem but I certainly didn't take my Colts . Biggest problem was loading stick mags- Had pre loaded a couple L drums. This was a rather rare occasion, but would of been nice to have one of the loaders. Swat team guys had a M-5 I think they called it, had never heard of it, brand new. So fast you didn't know what happened. Got to run a couple mags tru it. A Holy Shit moment.Everyone preferred the Thompson tho- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJohnson Posted September 6, 2015 Report Share Posted September 6, 2015 (edited) I've run close to 5000 rounds through mine since I got it three months ago. There was a whole month and a half period when I didn't (or wouldn't) shoot anything else other than the Colt. Edited September 6, 2015 by NJohnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 (edited) Well, the wait is over! My Colt arrived yesterday and I've joined the "I shoot my Colt Thompson club".I put one box of Winchester white box through her after disassembly, checking the bore etc. and lubricating.I was very pleased with the way it ran, perfect function with the Colt internals. Today I will put the cut down1928 actuator in her and save the original Colt one. I want to thank David for this wonderful board, and all the members who have graciously shared their knowledgeand time helping me learn more about Thompsons. It has made the wait more bearable. I'll have more questionsso be patient as I try to learn more about our hobby. Thanks Amigos! Paul Edited December 9, 2018 by cubguy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Chopper Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Congrads ! Shoot and enjoy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubguy Posted September 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 Thanks Chopper! I've been shooting and fondling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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