New Full Auto 1928 West Hurley Owner

[Cipher032]

Recently bought a Full Auto West Hurley 1928, serial number 1375A. I've heard of the maladies that plague WH Thompsons and want to make sure I'm not about to destroy what I paid a chunk of change for. Seems in overall good shape to my amateur eyes, but I have a few things to check:

There are gouges in the forward blish lock ramps, 1 on each side. The lock doesn't seem to line up with them, and the ramps don't have the second angled cut.

 

 

 

The buffer pilot seems to be a G.I. part replacement instead of a WH two part buffer. Looking at getting a PK 21/28 Hybrid with the polyurethane buffer discs. There is some play in it once installed into the receiver, but it appears to be properly aligned by spring tension when cycling the bolt.

 

 

The magazine catch seems a bit high, and as a result the gun won't take the 30 round mags I bought. The 30rd mag that came with the gun has been modified. Wondering if a G.I. magazine release or G.I. lower receiver from a parts kit would fix the issue.

 

 

 

The foregrip mount is unfortunately a low strength WH 3/4" mount which has been bent, probably due to the fact that the upper and lower receivers are difficult to assemble and disassemble on this one. Looking to replace it with a G.I. 1/2" mount, but that does involve barrel removal. 

 

 

 

Happy to provide if any more photos or information is needed!

[deerslayer]

The mag well might also need a little work to allow magazines to fit.  Chamber will be tight.  Pop rivets on rear sight will fail. Can't tell if you have a gi actuator, or other cast trigger parts.  

[shadycon]

Lower receiver/trigger housing; Is the mag release hole oblong or is it the pic. angle?

[Cipher032]

27 minutes ago, shadycon said:

Lower receiver/trigger housing; Is the mag release hole oblong or is it the pic. angle?

The hole is a bit oblong. 

[TSMGguy]

The purplish color of the mag catch is a dead giveaway that it's a cast WH-made part. Also notice the exterior roughness of the catch, indicative of the casting process. You'll want to replace the catch with GI.

In years past the new owner of such a gun would probably first have replaced virtually every operating part with those from a WWII M1928A1 parts kit, including the frame. When the gun still didn't work very well, it would have been shipped off to PK for complete sorting out, possibly including the installation of new properly proportioned Blish lock receiver inserts. I understand he's not doing such work anymore but don't know who does. 

Edited May 1 by TSMGguy

[Doug Quaid]

Thompsons are a well designed gun.  If they don't function 100%, it means something needs fixing.

If I was in your shoes, I would send it to a reputable Thompson wizard to be blueprinted, and give the entire gun a make-over with USGI parts.   

Then it will work 100% and you won't have to worry about it anymore.  Plus that would enhance the value of the gun.

But I have a special level of intolerance for stuff that doesn't work right.  When I was a kid, everything we owned was second hand .   So my entire childhood was full of stuff that was 0.01% away from being completely worn out.  Like a 25 year old lawnmower that you have to pull the starter cord 400 times to get it to start.

Maybe Reconbob can help you out.  He actually machines new receivers out of billet, and I know he does gunsmith work. Or he did.

Sooner or later, all the wonky WHs that are sitting unfired in closets out there will fall into the hands of an owner who is willing to pay to fix them, and then their reputation of being problem childen will disappear.  Because they all work.  



 

[SP Sarge]

Waiting for someone to chime in about the indentation marks on the blish lock channel he mentioned.

[Frank I.]

Priority #1  buy a copy of Tom Davis' book on the West Hurley Thompsons, it will save you a lot of grief and possibly personal injury. 

[StrangeRanger]

For armory work Dan Brock (deerslayer on this board) can address most of your issues bur AFAIK he doesn't address the Blish lock slots.  PM him and see what he says.

[Cipher032]

Davis book ordered. 

[Chief762]

The gouges in the Blish lock channels were most likely caused by the hammer pin in the bolt coming out of alignment and slamming into the lock channel. In addition to rebuilding the lock slots and much else, PK installed hammer pin pads in the receiver that ensured the hammer pin remains in proper alignment.

[OldFalGuy]

 I realize you probably just received the TSMG and would like to shoot it more. At least change the mag catch with a GI and see if mags work better.

Have some fun then send the weapon to PK. Contact him here FIRST and he will tell you how many years it will be before he can work on it. Then he will work on yours only and send it back. You will be stunned at the difference. Mine is as smooth cocking as my Colt 21. PK makes them slick. Heck borrow a trigger pull scale and see what it takes to cock your and your trigger too. Write that down, when it gets back from PK (I do not personally know anyone else) do it again………. Take a picture of the grin on your face and post it here. I have some Thompson parts here in its parts box (make one) I really doubt I will need after PK’s work but never can tell.

Mark

[maxfaxdude]

That gun is gonna need some love to make it right.  Paul Krogh is (was) the best in the Thompson restoration business bar none.  As someone already mentioned, I think he has stopped taking on new projects.  But it couldn't hurt to call him.  PM me and I'll send you his contact info.  

[cbmott]

John Andrewski also does work on Blish slots for Thompsons. Demand for him has increased in recent years so he usually works on WH’s in batches.  Reach out to him. He’s pretty responsive and a pleasure to talk to.

http://stingray-andrewsk-primary.hgsitebuilder.com/contact

[TD.]

Cipher032,

Thank you for purchasing my book, Thompson: Colt's, West Hurley's & More. You will learn a lot about the West Hurley Thompson submachine gun you purchased. In the past, the only place to send a West Hurley Thompson submachine gun was Board Member PK. of Diamond K Companies in Delta, Colorado. While PK. has not retired, I understand he is not doing a complete re-manufacturing overhaul on West Hurley Thompson guns. Just so you know, the wait was usually over 3 years (but well worth it). 

The USGI buffer pilot you have is a good thing. Make sure it is marked with the letter "S" on the flange. Do not use an unmarked West Hurley buffer pilot.  I highly recommend PK's polyurethane buffer discs. If you are going to set up your West Hurley to run with a 1921 style actuator, the PK 21/28 hybrid buffer pilot with a PK 21 style recoil spring is the way to go. PK. can be reached at: p-k@myctl.net

If your West Hurley was mine, I would contact Dan Block, deerslayer on the Thompson forum, and speak with him about changing out the grip mount to a 1/2" USGI milled or reproduction grip mount. Dan can also make sure the chamber in the barrel is correct (or correct it). Or replace it with a modern reproduction Thompson barrel. I believe Dan can also pin the compensator (or ring front sight) to the barrel.  Dan will know the right parts to obtain. I believe most of the parts you need can be found at Waffenmeister - link below. 

Search - Thompson

Dan can also fix the magazine catch issues and cut down a USGI 1928 actuator to 21 style. He can also remount the rear sight or better yet, replace it with a USGI Lyman adjustable rear sight. And fix most everything else so the gun shoots. 

I don't know about John Andrewski replacing Blish lock slots like PK. used to do with his West Hurley re-manufacture process. It would be something to look into because this is not something that Dan will do to get your West Hurley running. I am a little skeptical of Andrewski replacing the Blish lock slots back to USGI specifications, but I am sure he can do all the other things I mentioned above. If anyone has had Andrewski repair or replace the Blish lock slots on a WH receiver, please post pictures and tell us about it. 

In essence, you bought a project machine gun. Most West Hurley Thompsons are the same. That said, your WH can be made to run and provide many hours of enjoyment.

TD. 

 

[Cipher032]

Does the S marking mean the part is GI production?

[Stampcollector]

30 minutes ago, Cipher032 said:

Does the S marking mean the part is GI production?

Yes the "S" stands for Savage 

[bug]

A.O.C. marked which is Auto-Ordnance made them as well.

[Cipher032]

Upon closer inspection, a previous owner already went about replacing the internals with GI parts.

[jpw43]

21 hours ago, SP Sarge said:

Waiting for someone to chime in about the indentation marks on the Blish lock channel he mentioned.

Mine had those. Eventually the hammer pin would catch there and I had to take a small hammer to get the actuator to return to the rear position.

PK fixed the ramp among other problems.

Runs perfectly now.

[cbmott]

14 hours ago, TD. said:

I don't know about John Andrewski replacing Blish lock slots like PK. used to do with his West Hurley re-manufacture process. It would be something to look into because this is not something that Dan will do to get your West Hurley running. I am a little skeptical of Andrewski replacing the Blish lock slots back to USGI specifications, but I am sure he can do all the other things I mentioned above. If anyone has had Andrewski repair or replace the Blish lock slots on a WH receiver, please post pictures and tell us about it. 

I’ve had Andrewski work on my WH, including the Blish slots and am happy with the result. I would have gone with PK if that was an option but it wasn’t.  I had talked to him about the work I wanted done and he discussed a few options as well as his thoughts on the receiver wear he was seeing, which was not as bad as other WH’s he’d seen. Demand for his work has grown so he does WH’s in batches where that’s all he does for a period of time. I asked him to take a few photos during the process and he kept me up to date.  I got it back and have been happy shooting it when I can.  I won’t be near it to break it down and take pictures of the receiver until the late fall due to work but will the next time I am able.

When I initially bought my Thompson, Dan Block got it running for me as it was a typical WH with a tight chamber and a few junk parts. He also made me a stock set.  I have only good things to say about Dan’s work as well.   

[TD.]

cbmott,

Thank you for sharing. 

I like to hear John Andrewski does WHs in batches. I know from talking to PK. that was how he approached the re-manufacturing process as well. I do not know the size of a batch but know when he had a really problem WH, he would set it aside so as not to slow down his process. I also do not understand the complete Blish lock slot replacement process, but it appears to me that PK removed the old slots from the receiver and installed via silver solder or some type of welding the new slots he manufactured. I can say the new slots works great. Can you say C drum dump! It would be beneficial to the members of the Thompson community with WH Thompson guns to learn more about Andrewski's methods. If the quality of Andrewski's work on WH guns is similar to PK's, he would soon have a very large queue of customers.   

[Rekraps]

I can confirm Andrewski does TSMG jobs in batches.... he's had mine for quite a while now and it has to be getting close to work time!

[Bridgeport28A1]

On 5/1/2026 at 7:42 PM, Chief762 said:

The gouges in the Blish lock channels were most likely caused by the hammer pin in the bolt coming out of alignment and slamming into the lock channel. In addition to rebuilding the lock slots and much else, PK installed hammer pin pads in the receiver that ensured the hammer pin remains in proper alignment.

I am trying to visualize what hammer pin pads in the receiver would look like. any chance for a photo or two, unless they are a  PK Diamond K proprietary design.

 

[Cipher032]

For anyone following this thread who also is wondering about the gouges in the Blish lock slots, I found this thread with a comment from PK at the end:

The gouges are due to the machining process for WH receivers.