Original Item: Only One Available. This is a magnificent display gun built from genuine WWII Thompson M1A1 parts and reassembled with a beautiful non-firing BATF compliant new made Aluminum display receiver. As the receiver is completely inert, that makes this 100% legal to own without a license of any kind. Every part on this display gun is original WWII manufacture other than the receiver.
Original WWII parts include:
- Early Style Walnut Butt Stock without reinforcement bolt
- Complete Lower Frame Assembly with Pin in Drum Selectors, marked with serial 58986
- Walnut Pistol Grip
- Early Rear "L" Sight riveted to dummy receiver
- Walnut Horizontal Fore Grip and Fore Grip mounting bar
- Original cocking handle attached to dummy receiver
- Original Live Barrel with Attached Foresight attached to dummy receiver.
- Original Magazine (deactivated where required)
- Original Kerr Extension Gun Sling with correct blacked brass hardware.
We used to have these regularly, but sadly those days are long gone, and all Thompson parts have become scarce. This example looks to be a transitional pattern, as it has both aspects of the M1 and M1A1. It does not have a cross pin through the butt stock, and has the early "L" sight on the rear of the receiver. It does however have the later style "pin in drum" selectors, and the correct bent steel sling swivel fittings. The stocks are in very good shape, and are quite attractive, showing only light wear, though the butt stock is a bit loose on the lower frame. We checked the bore of the barrel, and it is in very good condition, showing strong lands and grooves with a mostly bright finish.
A wonderful display piece, ready to go on the wall!
The Thompson was used in World War II in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers (corporal, sergeant, and higher), and patrol leaders, as well as commissioned officers, tank crewmen, and soldiers performing raids on German positions. In the European theater, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian commando units, as well as in the U.S. Army paratrooper and Ranger battalions, where it was issued more frequently than in line infantry units because of its high rate of fire and its stopping power, which made it very effective in the kinds of close combat these special operations troops were expected to undertake. Military Police were fond of it, as were paratroopers, who "borrowed" Thompsons from members of mortar squads for use on patrols behind enemy lines. The gun was prized by those lucky enough to get one and proved itself in the close street fighting that was encountered frequently during the invasion of France. A Swedish variant of the M1928A1, the Kulsprutepistol m/40 (submachine gun, model 40), served in the Swedish Army between 1940 and 1951. Through Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union also received the Thompson, but due to a shortage of appropriate ammunition, its use was not widespread.
In the Malayan Campaign, the Burma Campaign and the Pacific Theater, Lend-Lease issue Thompsons were used by the British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army infantry and other Commonwealth forces. They used the Thompson extensively in jungle patrols and ambushes, where it was prized for its firepower, though it was criticized for its hefty weight and poor reliability. Difficulties in supply eventually led to its replacement in Australian Army units in 1943 by other submachine guns such as the Owen and Austen. The Thompsons were then given to the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy. New Zealand commando forces initially used Thompsons but switched them for the more reliable, lighter, and more accurate Owen during the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal campaigns. The U.S. Marines also used the Thompson as a limited-issue weapon, especially during their later island assaults. The Thompson was soon found to have limited effect in heavy jungle cover, where the low-velocity .45 bullet would not penetrate most small-diameter trees or protective armor vests. (In 1923, the Army had rejected the .45 Remington-Thompson, which had twice the energy of the .45 ACP). In the U.S. Army, many Pacific War jungle patrols were originally equipped with Thompsons in the early phases of the New Guinea and Guadalcanal campaigns, but soon began employing the BAR in its place as a point defense weapon.
