2 "XL" 39 Round Drums -FOR SALE

[Uncle Dudley]

OK From David. 

I have 2 "XL" 39 round drums for sale. 

The finish is nice on 1 but it has a broken tab (which is taped to the rotor).

The finish is fair on the other drum and the springs are intact on both, but 1 spring has been re-attatched  with a rivet.

I have not had these work in a FA Thompson.

Check with Dan Block to perform repairs on these drums.

I would like $200.00 for the pair shipped in the continental USA.

I would prefer a trade for a good used WWII 1928 actuator or a used "Taiwan" "L" drum.

First come-first served.

 

Uncle Dudley

Reed Overson

Bismarck, ND

 

[rpbcps]

I'll take them, PM sent.

[Uncle Dudley]

SOLD--Thanks.

 

U D

[2ndArmored]

Now that these have been sold, I won't be hijacking this thread with my math question:  What was the purpose of / incentive for a 39-round magazine?

[Uncle Dudley]

1 hour ago, 2ndArmored said:

Now that these have been sold, I won't be hijacking this thread with my math question:  What was the purpose of / incentive for a 39-round magazine?

Right now, they are probably just a good piece to fill someone's drum collection, as they aren't made anymore.  I saw where Merle (the Drum Doctor) used them at a charity shoot where people payed to shoot a Thompson.  Of course the "XL" drum held 11 less rounds, but still gave the "gangster" Tommygun with a drum  effect and thereby put more funds toward the charity by saving ammunition.  I guess if you are letting friends shoot your Thompson, most won't know if they shot 39 or 50 rounds.

I know Dan Block will still work on them. 

Richard bought them to fill spaces for drums in his collection of TSMG cases.  With the price of Taiwan "L" drums, I figured these would be good display pieces and more authentic looking than a "denix" drum.

 

U D

[TSMG28]

2ndArmored,

These drums were originally designed and made by MGC to feed cap-firing cartridges into their cap-firing reproduction guns.  Those cap-firing cartridges are slightly smaller diameter than a standard 45ACP cartridge, and also much lighter in weight, since they did not have a 230g projectile sitting on top.  There are little tabs that stick out from the rotor body to push the rounds around the outer the drum to the feed lips.

Numrich updated the spring and eventually the feed lips to feed their live guns, and they stuffed as many live rounds as would fit in the available space.  That is often 38 rounds, though it varies depending on the condition/orientation of the pusher tabs.  In keeping with the Roman Numeral designation for drums, Numrich labeled them as 40-round drums (XL), but they actually hold less than 40.  Hope that helps your math.

[Maine-iac]

6 hours ago, TSMG28 said:

2ndArmored,

These drums were originally designed and made by MGC to feed cap-firing cartridges into their cap-firing reproduction guns.  Those cap-firing cartridges are slightly smaller diameter than a standard 45ACP cartridge, and also much lighter in weight, since they did not have a 230g projectile sitting on top.  There are little tabs that stick out from the rotor body to push the rounds around the outer the drum to the feed lips.

Numrich updated the spring and eventually the feed lips to feed their live guns, and they stuffed as many live rounds as would fit in the available space.  That is often 38 rounds, though it varies depending on the condition/orientation of the pusher tabs.  In keeping with the Roman Numeral designation for drums, Numrich labeled them as 40-round drums (XL), but they actually hold less than 40.  Hope that helps your math.

Fascinating history lesson there, thanks!

[2ndArmored]

14 hours ago, TSMG28 said:

2ndArmored,

These drums were originally designed and made by MGC to feed cap-firing cartridges into their cap-firing reproduction guns.  Those cap-firing cartridges are slightly smaller diameter than a standard 45ACP cartridge, and also much lighter in weight, since they did not have a 230g projectile sitting on top.  There are little tabs that stick out from the rotor body to push the rounds around the outer the drum to the feed lips.

Numrich updated the spring and eventually the feed lips to feed their live guns, and they stuffed as many live rounds as would fit in the available space.  That is often 38 rounds, though it varies depending on the condition/orientation of the pusher tabs.  In keeping with the Roman Numeral designation for drums, Numrich labeled them as 40-round drums (XL), but they actually hold less than 40.  Hope that helps your math.

That makes sense, though I never would have guessed a toy gun origin story.  Fibonacci and I thank you.

 

[rpbcps]

9 hours ago, Maine-iac said:

Fascinating history lesson there, thanks!

 

1 hour ago, 2ndArmored said:

That makes sense, though I never would have guessed a toy gun origin story.  Fibonacci and I thank you.

 

If you are interested in the history of the Thompson magazines, right back to the development of the prototype drums and box magazines produced by Oscar Payne and his team, it is worth buying a copy of Roger Herbsts Book. 

"Thompson Submachine guns magazines 1917-2021 - Feeding the Dragon for over a Century"  makes fascinating reading, a time line, complete with some amazing photos of all the drums and box magazines produced, right up to the West Hurley & Kahr era drums, complete with the trials and tribulations behind them. Including the XL / MGC drum magazine story and explanations of the internal design changes that George Numrich had MGC of Japan make to the XL drums they produced for him.  

Reading through the chapters wrote by Tracie Hill on the ingenuity of the designs and reasons behind them, was particularly interesting to me, having an engineering background.