Thompson M1A1

[carebear]

Rememember that the BAR was an actual "automatic rifle" NOT a light machinegun.

Today in the SAW we have a combination of the two, but the BAR, the original Auto Rifle, was not designed for sustained automatic fire.

It simply gave the infantry squad the capacity for several 2-4 round bursts without a reload in a man-portable, shoulder-fired package, basically (in WWII) a Garand without the 8-round and semi-auto limitation. The original concept (from WWI) was "firing while moving in the assault", as opposed to the (German) technique of squads alternating bases of fire using bipod-based LMGs (MG 34's and 42's).

Even with the true MG's, especially the more portable air-cooled LMG's, the proper firing technique is short 6-8 round bursts, not mag/belt dumps. There's more to gaining and maintaining effective superiority of fire than simple volume of fire.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

makes sense, bear...

 

[vintage68]

Has anyone handled one in person?

I fired one a few years ago when I worked for the FBI.

Now, I'm a big strong guy at 6 feet 235 lbs. It was very heavy but when I fired it on full auto the thing had noticeable lift. If I hadn't been warned ahead of time the barrel would have gone straight up and knocked me on my tukus.

 

[Jovan]

You didn't get to fire it with the bipod down?

 

[SamMarlowPI]

neighbor across the street was making his loads for elephant, working his way up and he reached his top load, got all set, and the gun literally jumped out of his hands and he had to grab at it to catch it. so he loads up again, really gets himself ready b/c he knows what its going to do and the gun jumps again...he decided to cut the load down a little bit...

 

[Twitch]

AeroDillo- the first 5 round M1 carbine clips I saw were in the 1950s....they were specified for certain geogeaphic locales for hunting.

Back in the old days most juristictions allowed 5 rounds max for deer season. And you either had wood block spacers or cut down mags. Believe me you didn't go out with a 15 round mag even loaded with just 5 of you'd be written up if caught.

The antis simply used their warped logic to cover all aspects of shooting concluding that NOBODY needed more than 5 rounds in a clip.

 

[rebelgtp]

something that has recently made its way into my hands... i've always wanted one and i recently had the opportunity to snap this lil baby up. it is the modern version in semi auto only, but hey it keeps me from spending a fortune in ammo lol .

 

[SamMarlowPI]

that's a beaut, rebel

 

[eightbore]

neighbor across the street was making his loads for elephant, working his way up and he reached his top load, got all set, and the gun literally jumped out of his hands...

What round and platform if you don't mind me asking? If using good form, the average Joe can handle an amazing amount of recoil. I am about 5'10", 180 lbs, and not really tolerant of recoil but I manage to handle my eight bore firing 10 drams (273 grains) of FFG black under an 830 grain round ball (rifle weighs 16 lbs). All is takes is a bit of practice (and some aspirin before heading to the range). Anyone who loses control of a shoulder fired weapon (bolt action or double rifle), just isn't shooting properly. Now, full-auto is a different realm and the Tommy had a high CRF the impeded control.....just like the m14 in full auto. I recently saw a full auto HK based 7.62 PISTOL and just had to chuckle a bit...makes a Thompson look pretty tame.

JMHO,

eightbore

 

[SamMarlowPI]

i'm not sure, ill have to ask him...him and his wife been to Africa 4 times. brought back elephant, cape buffalo, warthog, zebra, gemsbuck, baboon, almost everything that's over there. his house is full of trophies. this guy knows how to shoot...he admitted he had too high a load...he may have exaggerated but i don't think so. he's a straight shooter...ex marine...

 

[Twitch]

Ya know what I love about this thread? Several of us look at the Thompson semi-auto replica and say, "yeah, I'd to have that," and there's no detracting a-hole carping, "why does anyone need that thing?"

 

[rebelgtp]

Ya know what I love about this thread? Several of us look at the Thompson semi-auto replica and say, "yeah, I'd to have that," and there's no detracting a-hole carping, "why does anyone need that thing?"

yeah i have had a couple people ask me that. mostly relatives, however most of my friends instantly started drooling with that little gleam in their eye wondering when they would get a chance to try it out.

this was actually received in trade for a old ruger mini 14 that i have had for years, great little gun but i still have another .223. besides it was a great trade for something i've always wanted. now i just need to find myself a new .308 to burn up the 2000 or so rounds I still have laying around.

 

[Jovan]

What I'd really like, purely for aesthetic purposes, is the short barrelled one. But as I understand, they're a pain and half to get. Even better would be full auto, but... that ain't happening with many of us.

 

[rebelgtp]

What I'd really like, purely for aesthetic purposes, is the short barrelled one. But as I understand, they're a pain and half to get. Even better would be full auto, but... that ain't happening with many of us.

yeah the short barreled version is my preference as well however i'm not going to complain. you can get the short barreled ones from auto ordinance (the same manufacture as this one), in fact they have one with a removable stock also.

 

[Jovan]

The removable stock is a cool feature, but I don't know if it'd see much use from me beyond storage, and I'm not sure it's accurate to the originals anyway. The short barrelled ones, yes, I know they come from Auto Ordnance. What I meant was all the paperwork and processing and whatnot that goes with it legally being an assault weapon here in Florida because it has a less than 16" barrel. Or something like that... someone clarify it for me if I'm wrong.

I'm a stickler for details. I'd rather any civilian weapon I get be just like the real thing aesthetically, minus full auto of course.

 

[The Wingnut]

Ya know what I love about this thread? Several of us look at the Thompson semi-auto replica and say, "yeah, I'd to have that," and there's no detracting a-hole carping, "why does anyone need that thing?"

SHHHH!!! You'll jinx it!

 

[Jovan]

Okay look, why DOESN'T anyone need a Thompson? Especially the full auto one. I saw a show where they demonstrated the Thompson's ability to "walk" fire onto passing targets from a moving vehicle (hence why criminals used them) and the guy looked like he had a great time. I envy him.

 

[The Wingnut]

Okay, I'll bite. Full auto is a waste of ammo except for that distinct advantage - as you pointed out - of being able to watch exactly where you're hitting, and 'walk' the fire into the target. Minigun operators in the U.S. military enjoy this. .45 ACP used to be CHEAP...not so anymore. A 50 round drum will cost you around $14 (if you're buying in bulk) and it'll be gone in seconds.

Even current light military weapons have shifted away from full auto capability to burst fire and it is never acceptable to fire from the hip / without using your sights.

Having used full auto weapons, my experience is that firing in very short bursts in order to keep the weapon operating cool and keeping the rounds on target is the best way to use them. Beyond keeping the other guy's head down, emptying mag after mag at your target is a complete waste.

Other than THAT? Have at it. All the noise, concussion and spectacle of watching stuff jump around in front of you from impacts is a BLAST, literally.

 

[Jovan]

I never fire from the hip, nor would I especially do that in full auto. I'd be afraid of the damn thing's barrel going up to my head and making a mess.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

full auto would be fun if you could afford an infinite number of rounds...