Question About a Thompson Bolt

[Gunslinger]

A friend who owns a gun store has a customer who is selling two WW2 Thompson parts kits along with a couple of other Thompson related items. The parts kits had belonged to his deceased father. Among all of the parts was a wooden presentation box containing a Thompson bolt with a knurled actuating handle and a spring assembly that has a diameter that is substantially greater than those found on WW2 Thompsons. I'm wondering whether these parts might have belonged to some other Thompson model - perhaps a model 1921? We really have no idea why this bolt was kept separate from the other parts in a presentation box or why the spring diameter would be so much larger than the ones found on WW2 Thompsons. I've included a photo of the box and its contents. Any information about why this item might have been special - and its possible value - would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[jim c 351]

GS,

Well its a 21 spring assembly , so its likely a 21 actuator.

Why its in a box with a grip hanger and bolt oiler I can't say.

Better pictures might reveal if it a Colt bolt and actuator.

Jim C

[m60mgman]

The large spring and the pilot look like 1921 Colt parts. Very expensive if for the 1921.

 

Any Colt 1921 parts are rare and expensive. Add a zero at least to WW2 prices.

 

The actuator alone if Colt is over a grand.

 

The barrel? Unobtainable! You just don't see them come up.

 

Although the prices might be at the top of the market, Doug Richardson has a very few Colt parts for comparison.

 

http://thompsonsmg.com/colt_thompson_guns__colt_parts.htm

[giantpanda4]

Great find!

Can you get pictures of the actuator sepaarte from the bolt?

Also - the ends of the barrel - is there a number electro-penciled on the breech end?

[Freddy]

Did the seller's father at one point own a Thompson 1921?

I hear in the US many owners of 1921 Thompsons for shooting purposes replace internal parts that might wear out with cheaper WW2 1928a1 parts and keep the original parts separately.

It might be that at one point he owned a 1921 Thompson, put the internal parts aside for shooting, and after he died it was sold with the incorrect internal parts as the relatives didn't know about the 1921 parts that were kept separately? Just a wild guess...

[buzz]

It's not a bad idea to protect your original parts by taking them off the gun and replacing them with WWII surplus parts.

But it would be a good idea to bag them up with a note of instruction as to what gun they belong on.

Those colt parts probably belong on a gun that is now sitting in someone else's safe.

Edited September 10, 2015 by buzz

[Gunslinger]

Unfortunately, I'm not able to obtain more photos easily. The vast majority of the parts available were from some WW2 guns that had allegedly been won in a card game in an overseas country during the 1950's by the customer's father. They were subsequently brought home and stashed. He had apparently won at least one Thompson as well as a couple of German select fire weapons in that card game. The German guns as well as one of the Thompsons were registered during the 1968 amnesty period but I'm guessing that the WW2 parts kits came from a couple of Thompsons that didn't make it onto the amnesty list and the receivers got cut up. I can't say for sure and I have no idea where the Colt parts came onto the scene but they were there the other day along with the WW2 parts.

 

It's a pretty cool story. How many of us have won a Thompson SMG and/or other machine guns in a card game? Stuff of dreams, right?