I have two AO 1927s. They run flawlessly, with almost all the ammo I've tried. Hi-Shoks, hydra shoks, gold dots, golden sabers, etc, they eat it all like candy. It doesnt like Blazer though. I cant remember what it did with blazer, I just remember it didnt like them. Runs great on blazer brass though, as well as any other decent 230gr brass cased FMJ. I dont use the drum very often, mainly for photos. I think the only time I've had a malfunction was with the drum.
Due to the weight, it doesnt have a lot of recoil. But the high bore axis makes the recoil weird, there's no kick but there's muzzle rise. The stock feels too long, and the VFG is akward, especially with a drum. Being a low-pressure subsonic round, they're amazingly quiet.
Absolutely no use for them whatsoever, other than the fact that they're fun to shoot and get all kinds of "ooos and ahhhs" at the range. I like 'em.
As for waiting for a good deal, I dont know if that will ever happen. I've seen four thompsons, three 1927s and one M1. I own two of those 1927s.