Thompson Spring Kit

[wv1928]

I need to purchase some new springs for my 1928 m1. I think I would like to get a whole spring lit. I was wondering about Mr. Richards springs. does anyone have any information on them. I appreciate the help. Thank you

[tcgoll]

If they are like the rest of Dougs products they are first class. I run one of his recoil springs in my 1928

[GPDT]

Are these one of the springs your asking about?

 

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/1/801362785.jpg

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/1/801362760.jpg

[adlake]

Sarco has a spring kit for the 1928A-1 for like 13.00 bucks. I say thought go with Wolff recoil springs, They are for sure first rate.-Adlake

[wv1928]

Sarco has a spring kit for the 1928A-1 for like 13.00 bucks. I say thought go with Wolff recoil springs, They are for sure first rate.-Adlake

 

 

 

thanks for the information. I sent Mr Richards an e-mail and he told since i did't have a "real" Thompson he couldn't help me. he did tell me auto-ordinance was still in business. that is where i got my new springs. have put them in yet but they certainly look a lot better than the ones that are in the gum.

now a question on what to do with the old springs. should i keep them because they are the orginals or just trash them. Thanks agin for the information...

[PhilOhio]

wv1928,

 

Never throw old springs away, if you are even a low-level do-it-yourselfer. Throw them in your miscellaneous spring box instead. Sooner or later, you will have a use for them, or cut pieces from them.

 

And for those of you who are creative, one of the funnest things you can do is go here: http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/design.html#prin and let this really great guy (a retired spring manufacturing expert, I think) walk you through spring making...all types. The way he does it is as simple as any tutorial can ever be made, I think. If you can tie your own shoes, you can make springs. They are all done the same way, from tiny springs in a ball point pen to large suspension coil springs for a bulldozer.

 

I've gotten one or two folks here started on it this way. If you have any kind of a small lathe with threading capability, it's child's play. Otherwise, there are very simple hand tools for winding coil spring of all types. Wolf makes great springs, but you can make anything they make right at home, inexpensively...almost no cost...and every bit as perfect as any factory spring you have ever seen.

 

The only springs I have bought since learning these techniques a few years ago were two M-1 carbine op rod springs I needed last week, they were available dirt cheap, and I was too lazy to hand-change the gears on my Sears Atlas lathe to wind them.

 

This is as great an idea as reloading. It took me decades to stumble across the realization that just about anybody can do it. It's really essential in trouble shooting any kind of auto or semi-auto gun. If something is not quite right, relating to springs, you just experiment a little. Try different thicknesses of music wire, different coils per inch, different O.D. and I.D. for the whole coil, different O.A.L., etc. It all comes completely under your own personal control. There isn't any Thompson spring problem that you cannot fine tune to the exact ammo type you want to use, and the rate of fire you want.

 

The most frequent use I've had for spring winding recently relates to the fact that .22 RF ammo manufacturers have begun to make their cases of thicker and/or harder alloy. It is much more difficult for older guns' hammer or striker springs to indent them. So I'm making a lot of new, stronger springs for the large number of older classic .22s I have, or they would misfire much of the time with several brands of ammo. With Hornady's new .17 HMR cases, this problem is just off the chart. But I can beat it.

 

[wv1928]

wv1928,

 

Never throw old springs away, if you are even a low-level do-it-yourselfer. Throw them in your miscellaneous spring box instead. Sooner or later, you will have a use for them, or cut pieces from them.

 

And for those of you who are creative, one of the funnest things you can do is go here: http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/design.html#prin and let this really great guy (a retired spring manufacturing expert, I think) walk you through spring making...all types. The way he does it is as simple as any tutorial can ever be made, I think. If you can tie your own shoes, you can make springs. They are all done the same way, from tiny springs in a ball point pen to large suspension coil springs for a bulldozer.

 

I've gotten one or two folks here started on it this way. If you have any kind of a small lathe with threading capability, it's child's play. Otherwise, there are very simple hand tools for winding coil spring of all types. Wolf makes great springs, but you can make anything they make right at home, inexpensively...almost no cost...and every bit as perfect as any factory spring you have ever seen.

 

The only springs I have bought since learning these techniques a few years ago were two M-1 carbine op rod springs I needed last week, they were available dirt cheap, and I was too lazy to hand-change the gears on my Sears Atlas lathe to wind them.

 

This is as great an idea as reloading. It took me decades to stumble across the realization that just about anybody can do it. It's really essential in trouble shooting any kind of auto or semi-auto gun. If something is not quite right, relating to springs, you just experiment a little. Try different thicknesses of music wire, different coils per inch, different O.D. and I.D. for the whole coil, different O.A.L., etc. It all comes completely under your own personal control. There isn't any Thompson spring problem that you cannot fine tune to the exact ammo type you want to use, and the rate of fire you want.

 

The most frequent use I've had for spring winding recently relates to the fact that .22 RF ammo manufacturers have begun to make their cases of thicker and/or harder alloy. It is much more difficult for older guns' hammer or striker springs to indent them. So I'm making a lot of new, stronger springs for the large number of older classic .22s I have, or they would misfire much of the time with several brands of ammo. With Hornady's new .17 HMR cases, this problem is just off the chart. But I can beat it.

 

Thank you for the information. I think I will try it. Thanks for the link.

[wv1928]

wv1928,

 

Never throw old springs away, if you are even a low-level do-it-yourselfer. Throw them in your miscellaneous spring box instead. Sooner or later, you will have a use for them, or cut pieces from them.

 

And for those of you who are creative, one of the funnest things you can do is go here: http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/design.html#prin and let this really great guy (a retired spring manufacturing expert, I think) walk you through spring making...all types. The way he does it is as simple as any tutorial can ever be made, I think. If you can tie your own shoes, you can make springs. They are all done the same way, from tiny springs in a ball point pen to large suspension coil springs for a bulldozer.

 

I've gotten one or two folks here started on it this way. If you have any kind of a small lathe with threading capability, it's child's play. Otherwise, there are very simple hand tools for winding coil spring of all types. Wolf makes great springs, but you can make anything they make right at home, inexpensively...almost no cost...and every bit as perfect as any factory spring you have ever seen.

 

The only springs I have bought since learning these techniques a few years ago were two M-1 carbine op rod springs I needed last week, they were available dirt cheap, and I was too lazy to hand-change the gears on my Sears Atlas lathe to wind them.

 

This is as great an idea as reloading. It took me decades to stumble across the realization that just about anybody can do it. It's really essential in trouble shooting any kind of auto or semi-auto gun. If something is not quite right, relating to springs, you just experiment a little. Try different thicknesses of music wire, different coils per inch, different O.D. and I.D. for the whole coil, different O.A.L., etc. It all comes completely under your own personal control. There isn't any Thompson spring problem that you cannot fine tune to the exact ammo type you want to use, and the rate of fire you want.

 

The most frequent use I've had for spring winding recently relates to the fact that .22 RF ammo manufacturers have begun to make their cases of thicker and/or harder alloy. It is much more difficult for older guns' hammer or striker springs to indent them. So I'm making a lot of new, stronger springs for the large number of older classic .22s I have, or they would misfire much of the time with several brands of ammo. With Hornady's new .17 HMR cases, this problem is just off the chart. But I can beat it.

 

Thank you for the information. I think I will try it. Thanks for the link.

 

 

I got some new springs and installed them. In full auto it now shoots great. Now in single fire mode it will still shoots full auto. Sometimes it will shoot a single shot. my question is was it possible to put something in backwards to cause this?

The gun would only shoot a single shot before jamming with the old bolt spring. It does not jam at all now. Does anyone have experiance with this kind of problem. Thank you.

Edited January 28, 2008 by wv1928

[gijive]

I got some new springs and installed them. In full auto it now shoots great. Now in single fire mode it will still shoots full auto. Sometimes it will shoot a single shot. my question is was it possible to put something in backwards to cause this?

The gun would only shoot a single shot before jamming with the old bolt spring. It does not jam at all now. Does anyone have experiance with this kind of problem. Thank you.

 

Hi,

 

Just saw your post about the springs. In your first post you mention having a 1928 M1.....not sure what that is, but it sounds like you have a West Hurley made 1928 Model? If so, it sound like the sear lever spring or the disconector spring needs to be replaced. Malfunctioning of these springs will sometines result in the gun firing full auto when the selector is set to single.

[wv1928]

I got some new springs and installed them. In full auto it now shoots great. Now in single fire mode it will still shoots full auto. Sometimes it will shoot a single shot. my question is was it possible to put something in backwards to cause this?

The gun would only shoot a single shot before jamming with the old bolt spring. It does not jam at all now. Does anyone have experiance with this kind of problem. Thank you.

 

Hi,

 

Just saw your post about the springs. In your first post you mention having a 1928 M1.....not sure what that is, but it sounds like you have a West Hurley made 1928 Model? If so, it sound like the sear lever spring or the disconector spring needs to be replaced. Malfunctioning of these springs will sometines result in the gun firing full auto when the selector is set to single.

 

 

Thank You ! I haven't installed the new springs in the frame yet. I will do that now and try it out tomorrow.

 

[PhilOhio]

...I got some new springs and installed them. In full auto it now shoots great. Now in single fire mode it will still shoots full auto. Sometimes it will shoot a single shot. my question is was it possible to put something in backwards to cause this?

The gun would only shoot a single shot before jamming with the old bolt spring. It does not jam at all now. Does anyone have experiance with this kind of problem. Thank you...

One of the ways this can happen is if the new spring is just slightly too stiff for the particular ammo you are using. The recoil kicks the bolt back far enough to pick up a new round from the magazine, but not far enough for it to trip the disconnector. Occasionally, one round is a little bit more powerful than the others, and it moves the bolt back far enough to disconnect, which sounds like it could have been what you experienced.

 

If this is the problem (if), it might be cured by progressively trimming a coil off the spring until the gun works right; or by trying ammo with greater recoil impulse. First thing is to know whether your spring is up to the correct specs for a Thompson.

 

Here's the kind of problem where it pays to be able to make your own simple springs, to experiment with all the variables.

 

Does your gun always stop firing IMMEDIATELY when you release the trigger, or might it fire about one or two more rounds after that? If so, it's probably a weak spring or ammo.

[wv1928]

...I got some new springs and installed them. In full auto it now shoots great. Now in single fire mode it will still shoots full auto. Sometimes it will shoot a single shot. my question is was it possible to put something in backwards to cause this?

The gun would only shoot a single shot before jamming with the old bolt spring. It does not jam at all now. Does anyone have experiance with this kind of problem. Thank you...

One of the ways this can happen is if the new spring is just slightly too stiff for the particular ammo you are using. The recoil kicks the bolt back far enough to pick up a new round from the magazine, but not far enough for it to trip the disconnector. Occasionally, one round is a little bit more powerful than the others, and it moves the bolt back far enough to disconnect, which sounds like it could have been what you experienced.

 

If this is the problem (if), it might be cured by progressively trimming a coil off the spring until the gun works right; or by trying ammo with greater recoil impulse. First thing is to know whether your spring is up to the correct specs for a Thompson.

 

Here's the kind of problem where it pays to be able to make your own simple springs, to experiment with all the variables.

 

Does your gun always stop firing IMMEDIATELY when you release the trigger, or might it fire about one or two more rounds after that? If so, it's probably a weak spring or ammo.

 

 

No it stops soon as you release the trigger. I took the gun apart again and found that the selector was not doing

anything. I reversed it and now when you move the selector from auto to single I can feel it catch when the bolt is pulled back in the single mode with the trigger pulled back and the bolt will stay open until the trigger is released and

pulled again. I think I have solved the problem, I'll have to wait till tomorrow to try it out.

I have been using American ammo. What brand do you recomend ? I tried some Wolf 45's but the cases kept splitting so I quit using it. I appreciate you help. Thank You...

[PhilOhio]

Good job. Putting it together correctly helps.

 

And not being afraid to dig in and analyze the problem is more important than anything.

[wv1928]

Good job. Putting it together correctly helps.

 

And not being afraid to dig in and analyze the problem is more important than anything.

 

 

Hi Guys ! Time to put the "spring" thing in the book. I now have a well running machine. Thanks to you. I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I learned another valueable lesson. That there is only one piece inside the TSMG that can be put in backwards and it will still shoot. Time to move on to another subject. Thanks again..

[PhilOhio]

wv1928,

 

I just noticed one of your earlier posts where you said you were getting split cases with Wolf ammo. Since you have a real Thompson, an ex-military gun, it probably has a barrel with the slightly larger diameter (milspec) chamber. If it was cut with a new reamer on the high side of the tolerance, and you were using Wolf steel case ammo, that case has to expand a lot. Not being as malleable as brass, they can split if the circumstances are right. That's only one of the reasons a number of us prefer to avoid steel case ammo.

 

With brass cases, you may notice that they look like they "bulge" more than cases fired in a 1911 pistol or any commercial handgun. Again, the larger chamber causes it. This is not a safety issue, but will produce more work hardening and perhaps shorter case life if you reload. The military did it to produce higher reliability and fewer jams in a dirty gun on the battlefield.