firearm Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Per my last post, I thought I would post this 21A for you guys to look at. SN# 5176. It was shipped to the Dallas Police Department, Dallas, Texas March 4, 1927. I traded Idan Greenburg a Bren Gun for it back in July of 1994. Later on I let a local talk me out of it and then finally got it back from him in 1997. In any case, glad I did. I has a square actuator slot which is unusual for a weapon in this serial number range. Why is that? Overall is 100% correct. The attached jpegs make it look a lot more worn than it actually is. The butt stock is marked "14". The rear pistol grip is marked "3". Dallas PD only had 5 Colt Thompson's in the history of the department. #4523, #4936, #4976, #5176, and # 5643. #4936 is in the Dallas Police Department museum. It is property marked #13. #4523 is in private hands. It is property marked #15. This one is property marked #14. Looks like #4976 and #5643 are "missing". I started in doing some research on #5176 because I read somewhere that Frank Hamer borrowed a 21 Colt from Dallas PD back when he was out chasing down Bonnie & Clyde. I often wondered if maybe he had his hands on this one. No way to prove which one he had, even if the story is true. Jpegs attached. History, per GH: Dallas, Texas Police Department (1 of 5) (1 of 4 Shipped 3/4/27)(Stamped on buttstock, DPD 14) (Square actuator slot)* Terry Lee Hanks collection Cave Creek, ArizonaIdan C. Greenberg collection Phoenix, Arizona 8/11/93For Sale: Shotgun News, Phoenix, Arizona 7/94Nick Tilotta (Western Firearms Co.) Grapevine, Texas 8/25/94L. James Davis collection Grapevine, Texas 3/23/95Nick Tilotta (Western Firearms Co.) Grapevine, Texas 2/14/97 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Nick, Again, thank you for sharing pictures from your great collection. A very historic Colt's! Ok guys. Looking at the first two pictures of the complete gun pointed left and then right, what jumps out at you. No need to enlarge the pictures. It should be obvious... Hint: nothing bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firearm Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) I guess I can't see anything that jumps out at me. However, if you take a look at the magazine release, you can certainly see that it has had many "L" drums (or C) mounted in it. I suspect that it has seen more than a little action in it's lifetime. More on the Dallas Texas Police Department weapons: https://gunsmagazine.com/featured/a-very-special-thompson-m1921a/ Thanks for the lead TD. Edited January 22, 2020 by firearm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawk64 Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Does foregrip have a crack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firearm Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Yes. There is a hairline crack about 1 1/4" long on the left side of the foregrip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1921A Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Looks like an18 shot magazine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 You win the prize! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 That's a beautiful Thompson with an interesting history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnshooter Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) Jumping in... I'm thinking it's the 29 fin barrel. Edited January 22, 2020 by mnshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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