I want a Thompson

The Thompson is a very fun gun. I had the pleasure of running a magazine through a FA, WWII era model and it's the most fun I've ever had at the range.

I say go for it.

Well, let's get the cons out of the way first, I guess.

It's HEAVY. It's literally twice the weight of a CX4 storm in .45. I hear they came out with an aluminum receiver version that weighs less, but I don't know the actual weight on those.

It's PRICEY. CX4s are expensive, and the Thompsons are about an extra couple hundred on top of that too.


Now that that's all out of the way, it isn't any more or less accurate than any other .45 carbine, has a higher capacity magazine than other .45 carbines generally have, and if you say they're comfortable, then that's about all there is to it. They AREN'T a 'small carbine' though. They're pretty big with that 16.5" barrel.

TonyB,
I'm with you. The Tommy has a certian coolness factor to it.

I sure would like to add one to my collection. I almost bought one at a gun show in Texas a couple of years ago....had it in my hands, thought I'd browse a bit, and when I came back it was gone. Sure, I know I can still get one but other wants have put it on the back burner.

They are cool though! I've been toying with the idea of purchasing the kit for my 10-22.

I say go for it too!

there are many like but this one is mine i love mine
for me there no cons to having one this is us at the last shoot, (shhhhh im the blk guy and the lte me have one whooooooo )btw they jacked up the tommy on sons of guns. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT

Just a few more sorry

That is one fine collection kyletx1911!

Sons of guns made me tear up when I saw they painted over the wood stock on their Thompson! If you are going to keep the standard stock, you might as well leave it as is, right?

We sold three Thompsons this last year...all semiauto, here in IL, of course. Customers are like happy kids on Christmas morning when the open the box.

Auto Ordinance is now a division of Kahr Arms which also now owns/manufactures or distributes the M1 Carbine, the Tommy gun, Kahr firearms, and the Desert Eagle family.

trueg50 said:

That is one fine collection kyletx1911!

Sons of guns made me tear up when I saw they painted over the wood stock on their Thompson! If you are going to keep the standard stock, you might as well leave it as is, right?

Click to expand...

yeah i saw that that was sad H-to-the -no she stays the same

Like others have said, they are very heavy and very fun. I've had the pleasure of putting a stick mag through on auto, it just chugged along and the weight made it very controllable. If only they made a semi auto in 9mm. Pure blasphemy I know, but I'd pick it up in a heartbeat.

Thompsons are heavy, and not really as practical as other, more recently designed SMGs.

TonyB said:

I have limited range of motion in my hands/wrists

Click to expand...

Does this limit you with regards to heavy objects?

I recall a conversation I had with my father, a Korean War Navy vet, who'd served in the UDT (a precursor to the SEALS). I asked him once if he'd ever shot a Tommy Gun and he said only once at a range when his team were given familiarization lessons with various weapons, both U.S. and enemy. I asked him if he liked it, and he thought for a second and replied they would have made great anchors for their zodiacs.
He "liberated" an M-1 Carbine as he came home from Korea ... which probably said a lot of what he liked in a shoulder weapon. They're still available, plus you might try a Ruger Mini-14 or Mini 30, as their function is pretty similar to the old carbine.

My dad has one.... I hope he sells it and buys something practical. It's absurdly heavy and fully loaded completely impractical unless you are planning drive-bys from your convertible model T.

If you want one for having one, then fine. But, they are expensive and very heavy - I held one last fall and it (literally) weighs more than my Garand. I checked the stats - the Tommy is over 10 lbs (with a mag full, it tops 11lbs).

Shop around...If you are determined to have a .45 rifle/carbine, Marlin used to make a Camp .45 that would make a nice HD gun. The Beretta is supposed to be nice. If you expand beyond the .45, you have more choices including KelTec's 9mm and .40 Sub2000 carbine.

While I agree the Tommy has huge "cool factor," I think it loses points fast in practicality.

Q

They definately look cool and will draw looks at the range. On the downside they are heavy, mags are kind of expensive and .45acp is kind of high. The guns are pricey too. Have you considered just getting a M4(gery) and making it fit you? They're cheaper than the Thompson, mags are cheaper, ammo is cheaper, they're lighter weight, parts are available and you can do absolutely anything to this weapon that you want. The aftermarket is huge.
You said that you have wrist issues. I wonder how the Thompson forend is better than other carbines with a straight forend? How long can you hold it up without issues/pain?

I purchased an Auto-Ordinance with the horizontal grip and three stick mags. I shot it twice and never got it out of the safe again only to show friends something different. It is too heavy, terrible balance, and not for people with short arms. Very expensive to shoot unless reloading. So so accuracy. Cool to own but didn't know what to do with it once I got it. Traded it for an AK and $400.

I wanted a Thompson for a long time and after I finally bought one it only took me a few months to decided that I didn't want it anymore. So I sold it and I don't regret doing so.

The Thompson has that cool factor but the weight and the long barrel combined with the not so good ergonomics (especially with a drum mag) made fall out of love with it real fast. If I could have a full auto Thompson with a short barrel I would be consider that a dream come true. However the semi-auto Thompson with long barrel is not the same thing, not by a long shot.

If I bought another Thompson I would buy the pistol version without question.

I had one also, and had the same experience as the others. It was cool for a minute, but then it just sat in the safe.

The aluminum receiver is a joke. The rear sight has four screws that are just barely threaded into the aluminum, and they stripped out on the first firing. Also, the cases dug into the aluminum as the gun tried to feed them, and jammed up. Avoid the aluminum receiver.

There are better options out there for a carbine, especially for the money.

if your interested in a .45 pcc(pistol caliber carbine) then their are better options.

try looking at these:

hi-point 4595 .45 carbine( 1911 mags can be modified for use in both guns).

marlin camp 45(not made anymore but they can still be had)

mechTech makes an "upper" for your 1911.(just be aware of laws concerning it)

the KRISS .45 acp carbine(the newest of the bunch and weighs about 6lbs. look at this one and compare it to the Thompson smg. takes glock mags).

You can count me in the former Thompson owner club. I bought it and thought it was amazing, but it was really heavy, and expensive to shoot. But what finally led me to trade it away was that mine couldn't get through a 30 round mag without jamming every couple of rounds. The Tommy was cool, but I love my AR a lot more.

I once said I wanted one too, with the drum magazine. Looked around and priced them and found a few. But when I picked one up in my hands I realized it has no balance is awkward to handle.

If you want the drum get the bolt on top of the action or it will only work with a clip.

I would however like to have one of these with the short barrel and auto.

bri said:

The Thompson is a very fun gun. I had the pleasure of running a magazine through a FA, WWII era model and it's the most fun I've ever had at the range.

I say go for it.

Click to expand...

Me too. A range rental Thompson M1A1 years ago. I didn't notice the weight, but I shot a M1 Garand next to it that day.

If I had the cash, I'd be more than happy with buying an Auto Ordnance semi-auto version.

I too had Auto-Ordinance

I too had Auto-Ordinance with the horizontal grip with drum and stick mags. I shot it some but found it was way too heavy, terrible balance and the cool to own ran our real quick...

Most eveyone wanted to shoot it but said WOW is it heavy and the 45 acp just runs out of steam real quck when you try shooting any distance. Sold it and got and M1 and never looked back.

It was something I wanted then when I had one couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

They used one in competition on The History Channel's "Top Shots" a few nights ago.

My thoughts are like many of the others. The transferable full auto version is one of the coolest things around. The semi-auto with the long barrel just isn't the same thing. The full autos are fairly accurate out to 100 yards once you learn to shoot them.