Guil58 Posted March 31 Report Share Posted March 31 Hello i'm new in the forum, but i search all on the Thompson. I have 2 1927A3 in 22lr, French documents for 1921... I have à lower with à 5091 number, what is the year please ? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted March 31 Report Share Posted March 31 Guil58, Welcome to the Thompson forum. Thank you for posting. I don't think I have ever seen an M1 or M1A1 frame originally numbered in that location. That said, the M1 series of Thompson guns is not my specialty. The threaded boss for the butt stock (shown in your picture) will tell which manufacturer made that particular frame. If on the side of the frame you can tell the threaded boss is pinned to the frame - Savage Arms; if the threaded boss was made as part of the frame (no pin head showing on the side of the frame) - Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport factory. Since the circular GEG or George E. Goll inspector mark is present, I am guessing Savage Arms. I am interested in French literature on the Thompson submachine gun. Please post some pictures of your 1921 French documents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guil58 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Hello TD, Thank you for your answer, here is another photo of the serial number. I post the 1921 documents as soon. 😉👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted April 10 Report Share Posted April 10 Guil58, That is the location where I would expect to find a serial number on an early Savage M1/M1A1 Thompson submachine gun. The font and location for the number, 5901, appears correct. M1 Thompson submachine gun NO 5901 would have been one of the first M1 submachine guns manufactured by Savage Arms. According to Frank Iannamico's great book, American Thunder, Third Edition, the production date for NO 5901 and 48,000 other M1 Thompson guns was July 1942. You have a very early frame! If you will look at the nomenclature markings on the left side of the frame you should note the words "FULL AUTO" are on located on two separate lines or one word above the other. The words "FULL AUTO" on Thompson guns manufactured at the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport factory are roll marked in one line. You would really enjoy Frank's book, American Thunder, Third Edition, available on Amazon.com. It is the authority for World War II Thompson submachine gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reconbob Posted April 12 Report Share Posted April 12 I have always thought that the M1/M1A1 frames were numbered on the bottom so that the serial numbers could be read without taking the guns out locked racks, such as those on ships where the racks hold them buttplate down, bottom out. Do I have this right? I have seen my share of trigger frames and my estimate would be that about 1/3 have a serial number. Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Iannamico Posted April 12 Report Share Posted April 12 10 hours ago, reconbob said: I have always thought that the M1/M1A1 frames were numbered on the bottom so that the serial numbers could be read without taking the guns out locked racks, such as those on ships where the racks hold them buttplate down, bottom out. Do I have this right? I have seen my share of trigger frames and my estimate would be that about 1/3 have a serial number. Bob That is correct, but what happened was trigger frames got mismatched with the receivers, and while secured in the rack, the wrong serial numbers were recorded. So around 1943-44 or so they were ordered to stop numbering M1-M1A1 trigger frames, there is more detailed info in American Thunder 3. That is a pretty low serial number, the lowest I had ever seen recorded was by Roger Cox, as I (vaguely) recall was #153 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 (edited) On 3/31/2024 at 8:59 AM, TD. said: Guil58, Welcome to the Thompson forum. Thank you for posting. I don't think I have ever seen an M1 or M1A1 frame originally numbered in that location. That said, the M1 series of Thompson guns is not my specialty. The threaded boss for the butt stock (shown in your picture) will tell which manufacturer made that particular frame. If on the side of the frame you can tell the threaded boss is pinned to the frame - Savage Arms; if the threaded boss was made as part of the frame (no pin head showing on the side of the frame) - Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport factory. Since the circular GEG or George E. Goll inspector mark is present, I am guessing Savage Arms. I am interested in French literature on the Thompson submachine gun. Please post some pictures of your 1921 French documents. TD, not all Savage M1 frames had a pinned threaded boss. Some Savage frames had a machined threaded boss. The FULL AUTO marking on two lines and the George E Goll GeG stamp are the two best ID methods. Edited April 14 by Bridgeport28A1 Added photos per TD. request 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Bridgeport28A1. That is interesting. I was only going on what I have read and experienced. Please post a picture of the top of your frame. Attached are a few pictures of what I believe to be a Savage Arms M1/M1A1 frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 (edited) TD. I will dig it back out tomorrow and post a photo of the top of the frame. It is not very pretty M1 frame but it is mine. In my experience I found the M1 frames to be harder to locate than 1928A1 frames. I believe Taliaferro has a low number M1 on display. I am curious if there are any other very low serial number frames that are numbered like this threads #5901 example in Europe? Maybe Taliaferro would let you take a peak under the buttstock in August to see if there is a number? Edited April 14 by Bridgeport28A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guil58 Posted April 15 Author Report Share Posted April 15 Hello TD, Thank you for your answer, here is another photo of the serial number. I post the 1921 documents as soon. 😉👍 Hello, That is very intéressant. I have found à "R" on front, in the slide magasine. I have the Full auto on two lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 Guil58, Thank you for the additional pictures. It is definitely an early frame that was well used. The stories it could tell.... I have never seen a "R" mark in the magazine well. Perhaps other forum members will join in. Bridgeport28A1, Excellent information! It appears Savage Arms changed from the detachable threaded stock boss later in production and made the threaded boss a part of the frame like the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB) models. I would guess to reduce manufacturing time and costs. I have never studied the M1/M1A1 series of Thompson guns but this appears to be new information. Forum members with Savage M1/M1A1 Thompson guns could easily check this part on their guns and report. Perhaps we can determine about the time the change occurred via a serial number range. All good stuff!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 2 hours ago, TD. said: Guil58, Thank you for the additional pictures. It is definitely an early frame that was well used. The stories it could tell.... I have never seen a "R" mark in the magazine well. Perhaps other forum members will join in. Bridgeport28A1, Excellent information! It appears Savage Arms changed from the detachable threaded stock boss later in production and made the threaded boss a part of the frame like the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB) models. I would guess to reduce manufacturing time and costs. I have never studied the M1/M1A1 series of Thompson guns but this appears to be new information. Forum members with Savage M1/M1A1 Thompson guns could easily check this part on their guns and report. Perhaps we can determine about the time the change occurred via a serial number range. All good stuff!!! To start the serial number change over to pinned threaded boss. My Savage M1 frame has 2861?0 stamped on the trigger guard. I have not been able to determine what the fifth digit is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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