Thompsons and grease guns

1222 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by brian45automatic, Jul 21, 2008

Newaza

Discussion Starter · Jul 19, 2008

I realize this is a bit off topic, being an AK forum and all. However, I couldn't find a forum dedicated to either Thompsons or grease guns.

I see there are some Thompson kits for sale on Gunbroker, and I was thinking about getting one. These were supposedly stashed in Russia for years, then de-milled. Does anyone make a good receiver for the Thompsons? Who is competent to build one? Is this something to be avoided altogether?

What about the grease gun kits? Would these makes for an easier build? Or, again, is this something to be avoided?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Kenelm52

· #2 · Jul 19, 2008

I was looking at the Auto Ord Thompsons, but everything I have heard about them has been negative.
http://www.auto-ordnance.com/ao_front_lg.html

To my knowledge, no one out there is manufacturing Thompson receivers and it doesn't look like AO sells stripped receivers.

Valkyrie Arms used to make Grease guns, not sure on the quality of them, though.

Red Jacket

· #3 · Jul 19, 2008

you can turn the Auto Ord. into a good shooter . I used one as a SBR , then a post sample for several year's re-enacting . what i found was that , if it's a screw , it'll come out . Locktite and peen everything [i still ended up riveting the rear sight on ] . keep a few extractor's and get good at changing them . thing of it as a low-end 1911 , you'll want to get in there and finish polishing .

vz58

· #4 · Jul 19, 2008

my thompson has been exceptionally good, feeds fires and is decent on accuracy. Mey only 2 gripes are the long barrel and the rear sight screws disappeared the first shooting expedition.

AZ_BuickGuy

· #5 · Jul 20, 2008

You might be better off just buying a semi-auto version and spending the extra money you'd have to spend on the full auto version on fixing any bugs in the semi.

Here's a link about the problems with buying a kit for a build.

http://forums.gunboards.com/archive/ind ... 44159.html

ironhead7544

· #6 · Jul 20, 2008

I heard the new owners, Kahr Arms, have fixed a lot of the problems with the SA models. Any truth to this?

Richard W.

· #7 · Jul 20, 2008

The M1928A1 parts sets on the market did come out of Russia. They were sent during The War as Lend-Lease material to help the Soviets.

I've got a couple kits and cut receivers that I bought from Sportsmans Guide a couple years ago. Very nice kits with slight damage from storage (rust around the butt plate, etc.).

Some Thompson owners have them as spare parts for their working guns, but I regard mine as historical curios only and I've never considered trying to build them into anything.

They are excellent pieces of history and useful for study. For example, I had read at least a dozen descriptions of how a Blish lock works, but I never really understood it until I held the pieces in my hands.

The best Thompson message board on the WWW is at the top of the page at the following address:

http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/

Everything you want to know about the new rifles and building is in the archives there. They are much less tolerant of new guys with vague questions than the AKForum, though, so I recommend doing a lot of reading before posting.

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shadycon

· #8 · Jul 20, 2008

I have an old West Hurly that with normal upkeep has been shooting fine for years.To me the new ones would't even make a good wall hanger.

Newaza

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 20, 2008

Thank you for all the feedback. It helps greatly.

brian45automatic

· #10 · Jul 20, 2008

ironhead7544 said:
I heard the new owners, Kahr Arms, have fixed a lot of the problems with the SA models. Any truth to this?

no not at all. in fact they are dumbimg them down if anything.

brian45automatic

· #11 · Jul 20, 2008

there was one fella that was making 80% receivers. but you needed to have access to a full machine shop to finish them into a semi auto.
i don't mean you needed to drill a few holes, i mean you need to have a full shop to finish them, to the point that it would cost you a pretty penny if you tryed to pay someone to do the work.

but but, i don't think he's doing them anymore/currently, he's an older gental men that was having some health problems as well as problem with his eyes..not good when trying to machine stuff to tight tolerances.

brian45automatic

· #12 · Jul 20, 2008

Kenelm52 said:
Valkyrie Arms used to make Grease guns, not sure on the quality of them, though.

like kahr is the only game in town for a thompson, valkyrie was the only maker of a semi grease gun....as a result the price was high, and the quality low...real low.

brian45automatic

· #13 · Jul 20, 2008

those parts kits are good for:
1. spare parts for your nfa thompson.
2. a neat part of history to that you can hold.
3. parts to make a neat parts gun using a kahr semi auto as a base.

it's a '28a1 lower on the kahr upper.
has teh removable butt. once i finish and send in teh paper work for an sbr, i can use the barrel/compensater and sight/grip hanger/forend wood.

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Fearless 51

· #14 · Jul 20, 2008

I could understand owning a Reising gun for a historical aspect but having fiired one and talked to GIs and Marines that got issued them during the last great war, they are truly abominations in weaponry. I will quote to the best of my ability Gen. Chesty Puller USMC "The only japs killed by Reisings were those hit on the head by the ones being thrown over the shoulder of a Marine." I was told by another guy the only way you could be sure of killing your opponent with a Reising was to stick it in his mouth.

AZ_BuickGuy

· #15 · Jul 21, 2008

brian45automatic said:
those parts kits are good for:
1. spare parts for your nfa thompson.
2. a neat part of history to that you can hold.
3. parts to make a neat parts gun using a kahr semi auto as a base.

it's a '28a1 lower on the kahr upper.
has teh removable butt. once i finish and send in teh paper work for an sbr, i can use the barrel/compensater and sight/grip hanger/forend wood.

So you bought a Kahr Thompson, a parts kit, then built a semi-auto by combining the parts, right ?

brian45automatic

· #16 · Jul 21, 2008

AZ_BuickGuy said:
So you bought a Kahr Thompson, a parts kit, then built a semi-auto by combining the parts, right ?

i bought a semi auto kahr.
then years later bought a parts kit and combined bits and pieces from both guns. what i have is a very expensive semi auto thompson that still reads kahr on the side.......it just has a few more USGI parts than the average semi auto.

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