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Post by TMan on Sept 14, 2006 6:22:00 GMT -5
Yup, I did it, and got the model that comes with the 30 round stick plus the 50 round magazine. I also got the violin case.  This is a heavy gun; it weighs in at 13 lbs without ammo. It also has the recoil spring from hell. I can barely pull the bolt back. My dealer's wife is not going to be able to shoot this one. The Owner's Manual is available on-line in case you are interested: www.auto-ordnance.com/images/lg_manual0305.pdfI guess the only downside to this thing is that since it is 45 Auto, the cost of shooting it is going to be a lot more than it would be in 9mm. |
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Post by 5ontarget on Sept 14, 2006 11:27:14 GMT -5
Nice Chicago typewriter. Well, maybe a two fingered typist working the typwriter. It definitely ranks very high on the cool meter. I've seen and handled a couple of these at gunshows, and they seem like they'd be a lot of fun to shoot. They look like they were well built and stay true to the originals. I've seen a full auto Tommy at a shootout, but never shot one. I hope you are able to get it out to the range pretty soon. I know you've got a lot of manual work planned for the next couple weeks. Hey, come to think of it how did you find time to go shopping?  mmm, a box of ammo in one magazine, yeah that could be a pretty expensive gun to maintain. |
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Post by MLB on Sept 14, 2006 14:56:23 GMT -5
I didn't believe you when you said you'd have to lay off the guns for a month or so, but I didn't think you'd go out and get such a beautiful piece of history either. Do your stocks look that nice, or is that like the picture of my Henry levergun?
That "heater" is enough to make you jump into reloading I'd imagine. Looking forward to your review...
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Post by "DoubleAction" on Sept 14, 2006 20:26:54 GMT -5
In it's hey day the Tommy played as a good companion to the 1911A1, at a time when the full auto versions could be ordered through the mail. I grew up watching episodes of " The Untouchables", with Robert Stack, narrated by Walter Winchell, and many motion pictures depicting the Thompson during the gangster era and WWII. I really should have one of these just to appreciate it up close. The range has has one for a good while  , of course I'll have to stop by the music store for a violin case to make it complete. |
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Post by TMan on Sept 14, 2006 21:18:19 GMT -5
No, my stocks are nice, but don't have all of that berl (or is it burl?) Hopefully, I'll get to shoot it on Tuesday. I have to disassemble it first - it is dripping oil like an ole Harley. I'm still going to try to going shooting once a week for about a hour. This afternoon I drained the streams, pressure-washed the stones to get rid of the algae, and re-filled the streams. It only took 850 gallons because I only had to drain to get the water level below the rocks. However, you can only do that so many times because the area below the rocks will fill up. Of course it would have been more fun blasting the algae with the Tommy Gun vs. the Pressure Washer, but... Tomorrow morning two ladies from the garden club are coming for a preview. How did I get myself into this? Oh yeah, I said: "I do."  |
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Post by MLB on Sept 15, 2006 11:48:12 GMT -5
If you must have a garden show, I propose you make it a Firearms and Garden show. Perhaps place a Remington in the Roses, a Dan Wesson in the daisies, a Kalashnikov in the carnations. You get the idea.
I'd imagine that after that, you might not get volunteered to host many more.
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Post by 5ontarget on Sept 15, 2006 17:41:14 GMT -5
That's good, MLB.
Maybe a tour of a bomb shelter decorated with some pansies or hole dug in the back yard representing the size of the crater made by a 150mm shell.
Or spray roundup on it all and say it is your garden after the fallout from a nuclear blast.
Oh, yeah, nice Tommygun
See how I brought that back on topic? :?
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Post by TMan on Sept 19, 2006 17:53:17 GMT -5
Finally got to shoot the Thompson today. Out of 50 rounds, I had two rounds that didn't completely chamber. It was like the bolt didn't go all the way forward. Perhaps an oiling problem?
The thing that was so impressive was the lack of muzzle flip. It is a very heavy "rifle" and it also has a compensator.
We were shooting it off-hand vs off the bench, so I have no idea how accurate it is, but it was fun to shoot. It also looks real cool in its violin case.
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Post by TMan on Sept 24, 2006 7:01:09 GMT -5
I saw the real deal on Friday: I was range officer on Friday morning and normally I pay fairly close attention to what people are shooting to make sure none of the rules (there are plenty) are violated.
Shooting next to me was one of the club officers, who up until the last elections was my boss - the head of the range officers. He pulled out a Tommy Gun. I noticed that his stick magazine was shorter than mine and he was shooting off the bench. I went over and asked him about it and he said that it was a 20 round magazine.
His was much older than mine, and then he flipped it over to show me the left side. My eyes made contact with my glasses; there was another lever ahead of the safety. This was the full-auto version: the real deal.
He then proceeded to show me that even in semi-auto mode, it worked totally differently than mine. Mine works like a normal rifle: the bolt closes, you pull the trigger and the firing pin goes forward to hit the primer. With his version: the bolt is open, you pull the trigger, the bolt goes forward, and a little sensor on the front of the bolt hits the breech, which causes the firing pin to go forward to hit the primer.
He then unloaded it, pulled the bolt back, and he handed the gun to me telling me to point it at the target and pull the trigger. I did, and when the bolt went forward and slammed the breech, the front sight dropped. Whoa, what kind of accuracy can you get from that? You can't - this is not a sniper rifle - it is a short range fully auto; it had a different design point.
He then took the whole thing apart to show me the difference internally to how it worked vs. how mine works.
I mentioned to him how much I'd like to see it shoot in full auto mode, but the club does not allow full auto fire so we couldn't do it. The rules apply to club officers too.
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Post by 5ontarget on Sept 24, 2006 22:39:42 GMT -5
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Post by TA on Sept 24, 2006 22:48:10 GMT -5
Nothing a 2nd mortgage on the house couldn't take care of.
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Post by TMan on Sept 25, 2006 6:58:58 GMT -5
Wow, I had no idea this thing was worth that kind of money. I wonder if he has any idea what it is currently worth.
I can hear my wife: "what is it"? "Oh, that is your new BMW honey." It would be painful having it extracted too.
Of course the main reason I'd never buy anything like that is the same reason that I didn't buy one of the cutest kittens I've ever seen when I was at the pet store yesterday: divorce lawyers are so expensive. ;D
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Post by MLB on Sept 25, 2006 9:09:04 GMT -5
That is amazing, but it's not really worth that much until someone bids on it.
If only those old guns could tell stories...
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Post by "DoubleAction" on Sept 26, 2006 17:29:36 GMT -5
If only for the sake of novelty, one can dispense with the burden of high end costs with the pursuit of less expensive versions. Since excuses for having only the semi-auto converted originals are already implimented , why not go all the way with just show and no tell. You might be able to fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. You can keep these under glass and change the subject if anyone asks. www.vietnamwar-guns.com/shop/product_catalog.php?c=19 |
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, of course I'll have to stop by the music store for a violin case to make it complete.
