Item:
ONAC23096

Original U.S. WWII Thompson M1 Display Submachine Gun by Auto Ordnance Serial NO. 326299 - Original WWII Parts

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a magnificent Thompson M1 display gun built from excellent genuine WWII parts and reassembled with a beautiful non-firing BATF approved original reassembled WWII issue Thompson receiver, making this a 100% legal display Sub-Machine gun. This receiver was created by using portions of the original torch cut receiver, including the barrel bushing, combined with some new made steel portions. It has properly had a 25% section of the total length completely replaced entirely with solid steel bar stock. Meaning a 1/4 length section of the display receiver is solid steel, making this totally legal to own without a license of any kind.

Every part on this display gun is original WWII manufacture other than the portions of solid steel replaced in the receiver (as required by BATF) and the replicated cocking handle. This is one of the very few times that we have had an M1 with an original re-welded receiver.

Original WWII parts include:

- 80% original reassembled ATF compliant Thompson M1 marked non-firing receiver, complete with original maker and arsenal markings, including the manufacturer name AUTO ORDNANCE CORPORATION with serial number NO. 326299.
- Walnut Butt Stock with reinforcement bolt and stamped & bent steel swivel base.
- Complete Lower Frame Assembly with later style "pin through drum" selectors - serial number 158873.
- Walnut Pistol Grip
- Correct Late War "Battle Sight" with Protective Wings.
- Walnut Horizontal Fore Grip with a machined steel swivel base and Fore Grip mounting bar.
- Original Live Barrel with Attached Foresight attached to non-firing receiver. Bore is in excellent condition, most likely unissued.
- 30 Round Magazine (where permitted)

This example is is typical of later WWII production, probably made during the change over to the M1A1 type. The fore stock has an early style sling swivel, while the other components are all the later style. This example has all blued metalwork, with a lovely red brown color the the stock wood, which shows some great period wear.

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.

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