I know alot of you have probably already "been there-done-that", but I rented a full-auto Thompson a couple of weeks ago in Houston and let me tell you, for those that have not done this and are into guns, it's one of the top 10 things to do before you die.
I bought 200rds of .45acp and loaded up 8 30-rd mags and the clerk and I hit the lane. The weapon is awkward at first, but doesn't take long to figure out the controls and operation. The accuracy is definitely affected by your psychological state at first, but after the first few rounds, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Single shots are relatively accurate, but it just doesn't seem natural with this weapon, I used a silhouette target at about 15yards and kept most of the round center mass after about the third magazine. Even firing through a whole magazine, keeping them in the center was not difficult.
The recoil is very pleasant, not imposing, but enough to let you know that something is going on and I think the rhythm helps keep you on target better.
After it was all said and done, I got to thinking that this would not be a weapon I would want to have to use in combat. Not that it's too heavy or awkward, but even though it pours out an impressive amount of lead in a very short period of time, it's shooting pistol rounds. At extended ranges of 100yds or more I'm not sure it would get the job done. I'm not so sure that it would be worth shooting at anything past 75yds, and I'm sure there are an abundance of combat situations where targets may present themselves past that range. Would you give away your position just to try?
I'm sure it would be one of the top five weapons to use to clear rooms or to use in urban situations, but I feel that a good pump shotgun would perform just as well, if not better in some situations.
Either way, it was a good time and thought I'd share my experience and thoughts.
I bought 200rds of .45acp and loaded up 8 30-rd mags and the clerk and I hit the lane. The weapon is awkward at first, but doesn't take long to figure out the controls and operation. The accuracy is definitely affected by your psychological state at first, but after the first few rounds, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Single shots are relatively accurate, but it just doesn't seem natural with this weapon, I used a silhouette target at about 15yards and kept most of the round center mass after about the third magazine. Even firing through a whole magazine, keeping them in the center was not difficult.
The recoil is very pleasant, not imposing, but enough to let you know that something is going on and I think the rhythm helps keep you on target better.
After it was all said and done, I got to thinking that this would not be a weapon I would want to have to use in combat. Not that it's too heavy or awkward, but even though it pours out an impressive amount of lead in a very short period of time, it's shooting pistol rounds. At extended ranges of 100yds or more I'm not sure it would get the job done. I'm not so sure that it would be worth shooting at anything past 75yds, and I'm sure there are an abundance of combat situations where targets may present themselves past that range. Would you give away your position just to try?
I'm sure it would be one of the top five weapons to use to clear rooms or to use in urban situations, but I feel that a good pump shotgun would perform just as well, if not better in some situations.
Either way, it was a good time and thought I'd share my experience and thoughts.
