SAR is starting the “Identification Guides as a series”. We believe that these guides need to be done. We have plans to cover the HK internals, the Models of the Colt M16 series (YES, we do mean ALL of them) and various magazine identification. This is a photographic series.

Probably the most popular modern submachine gun is the HK MP5. This is a simple statement and the evidence makes it hard to refute. Elite military groups, law enforcement tactical teams, and civilian shooters all utilize the MP5, and it dominates the marketplace. The HK weapons are the subject of intense scrutiny by the users, and the modular concepts involved give rise to many variants. This can get confusing to the users and to the armorers.

We chose the HK trigger housings as a start, because there is so much confusion about them. The following photographic essay covers all of the variants that we are aware of as of August 1997. This was compiled with the help of Jim Schatz, from the Federal Operations Division of HK in Sterling Virginia, and he has our thanks once again.

The only variant that is missing is the early 3 shot burst group, which had the burst cam in the rear of the pack- we have one on the way as we go to press, and will try to do a comparison of the old and the new. (Well, it’s the only variant that we KNOW is missing).

We have covered every conceivable model of the West German manufactured HK guns. If you have any trigger housings that we may have missed, let us know and we will publish an update later in SAR.

Please send in your requests for us to design different Identification Series to SAR at 223 Sugar Hill Rd, Harmony, ME 04942 phone 207-683-2172, fax 207-683-2172, email at sareview@aol.com.

Small Arms Review’s Guide to Gun Shops, Gun Ranges, and Restaurants Near and Around the Shot Show Site

SHOP

2nd Amendment Gun Shop
4570 N Rancho Dr, #4, Las Vegas
9AM–6PM
(702) 272-2510
2ndamendmentguns.com

Accuracy Gun Shop
5903 Boulder Hwy, Las Vegas
9AM–6PM
(702) 458-3330
accuracygunshop.com

American Shooters
3440 Arville St, Las Vegas
10AM–6PM
(702) 719-5000
americanshooters.com

Bargain Pawn, Inc.
1901 Las Vegas Blvd N, North Las Vegas
9AM–6PM
(702) 399-9950
bargainpawn.com

Big Gun Enterprises, LLC
6250 Mountain Vista St, Henderson
10AM–6PM
(702) 944-4222
biggunenterprisesllc.com

Discount Gun Source (DGS)
4555 S Fort Apache Rd, #104, Las Vegas
10AM–5:30PM
(702) 947-0925
discountgunsource.com

New Frontier Armory
150 E Centennial Pkwy, # 10, North Las Vegas
10AM–6PM
(702) 479-1470
newfrontierarmory.com

On Target Guns
560 N Nellis Blvd Suite 7, Las Vegas
10AM–6PM
(702) 463-0350
ontargetgunsandaccessories.com

Urban Civil Defense
175 Cassia Way, Henderson
11AM–5:30PM
(702) 566-3188
urbancivildefense.com

Westside Armory
7345 S Durango Dr, #106, Las Vegas
10AM–6PM
(702) 476-1083

Discount Firearms & Ammo
3084 S Highland Dr, Las Vegas
9AM–7PM
(702) 567-1158
discountfirearmsusa.com

SHOOT

The Range 702
5999 Dean Martin Dr, Las Vegas
10:30AM–7PM
(702) 485-3232
therange702.com

Machine Guns Vegas
3501 Aldebaran Ave, Las Vegas
9AM–6PM
(800) 757-4668
machinegunsvegas.com

Strip Gun Club
2235 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas
10AM–8PM
(702) 777-4867
stripgunclub.com

Battlefield Vegas
2771 Sammy Davis Jr Dr, Las Vegas
8:30AM–7:30PM
(702) 566-1000
battlefieldvegas.com

Discount Firearms & Ammo
3084 S Highland Dr, B, Las Vegas
9AM–7PM
(702) 567-1158
discountfirearmsusa.com

American Shooters
3440 Arville St, Las Vegas
10AM–6PM
(702) 719-5000
americanshooters.com

Machine Gun Experience
3084 S Highland Dr, Las Vegas
9AM–7PM
(702) 567-1159
machinegunexperience.com

Las Vegas Gun Range
4610 Blue Diamond Rd, Las Vegas
9AM–7PM
(702) 386-4867
lasvegasgunrange.net

Clark County Shooting Complex
11357 N Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas
8AM–5PM
(702) 455-2000
clarkcountynv.gov

Desert Sportsmans Rifle Club
12201 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas
7AM–6PM
(702) 376-8145
dsrpc.org

Las Vegas Gunfights
3068 S Highland Dr, Las Vegas
10AM–2AM
(702) 486-7338
lvgunfights.com

Green Valley Range
175 Cassia Way, A-1110, Henderson
11AM–7PM
(702) 979-9494
greenvalleyrange.com

SWAT Concepts Extreme Sniper Adventure
9850 South Maryland Pkwy, #A5449,
Las Vegas, NV
9AM–5PM
(702) 472-7727
swatconceptslv.com

The Gun Store
2900 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas
9AM–6:30PM
(702) 213-9297
thegunstorelasvegas.com

Shoot Las Vegas
15357 Kingston Rd, Goodsprings
10AM–5PM
(702) 634-4867
shootlasvegas.com

DINING

Las Vegas is home to many fine restaurants and bars. The dining experiences in Vegas range from award winning buffets to high-end burger joints to exotic menus from around the world. Here is a selection of fine eateries on or near The Strip, some chosen by the Small Arms Review staff.

AMERICAN

Gilley’s
Treasure Island
(800) 944-7444
treasureisland.com

Spago
Bellagio
(702) 693-8181
wolfgangpuck.com

The Peppermill
2985 Las Vegas Blvd S
(702) 735-7635
peppermilllasvegas.com

Yardbird
The Venetian
(702) 297-6541
runchickenrun.com

BARS – UNIQUE

Millennium Fandom
900 Las Vegas Blvd S, #140
(702) 405-0816
millenniumfandombar.com

The Golden Tiki
3939 Spring Mountain Rd (702) 222-3196
thegoldentiki.com

BBQ

Pot Liquor CAS
6587 Las Vegas Blvd S
(702) 816-4600
potliquorcas.com

Rollin Smoke BBQ
3185 Highland Dr
(702) 836-3621
rollinsmokebarbeque.com

BRITISH

Crown & Anchor British Pub
1350 E Tropicana Ave
(702) 739-8676
crownandanchorlv.com

Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill
Caesars Palace
(702) 731-7410
caesars.com

Todd English P.U.B.
Shops at Crystals
(702) 590-2337
toddenglishpub.com

Cornish Pasty Company
10 E Charleston Blvd
(702) 862-4538
cornishpastyco.com

BUFFETS

Bacchanal Buffet
Caesars Palace
(702) 731-7928
caesars.com

Cravings Buffet
The Mirage
(702) 791-7111
mirage.com

Wicked Spoon
The Cosmopolitan
(702) 893-2001
cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

BURGERS

Gordon Ramsay BurGR
Planet Hollywood
(702) 785-5462
caesars.com

LVB Burger
The Mirage
(702) 792-7888
mirage.com

Stripburger
Fashion Show Mall
(702) 737-8747
stripburger.com

CHINESE

Flock & Fowl
150 N Las Vegas Blvd #100
(702) 272-2222
flockandfowl.com

Hakkasan Restaurant
MGM Grand
(702) 891-7888
hakkasan.com

CRAFT BEER

Gordon Biersch
3987 Paradise Rd
(702) 312-5247
gordonbiersch.com

Beerhaus
3784 Las Vegas Blvd S
(702) 692-2337
theparkvegas.com

Yard House
6593 Las Vegas Blvd S
(702) 734-9273
yardhouse.com

FUSION

SUSHISAMBA
The Grand Canal Shoppes
(702) 607-0700
sushisamba.com

GERMAN

Hofbrauhaus
4510 Paradise Rd
(702) 853-2337
hofbrauhauslasvegas.com

INDIAN

Mint Indian Bistro
730 E Flamingo Rd, Ste 10
(702) 894-9334
mintbistro.com

Turmeric Flavors of India
700 E Fremont St.
(702) 906-2700
turmericflavorsofindia.com

Urban Turban
3900 Paradise Rd
(702) 826-3216
urbanturbanusa.com

IRISH

Nine Fine Irishmen
New York-New York
(702) 740-6463
newyorknewyork.com

O’Sheas Irish Pub
The Linq
(702) 835-5723
caesars.com

Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery
The Linq
(702) 826-2100
tiltedkilt.com

ITALIAN

Battista’s Hole In the Wall
4041 Linq Ln
(702) 732-1424
battistaslasvegas.com

Buca di Beppo
The Excalibur
(702) 795-1010
bucadibeppo.com

Maggiano’s Little Italy
Fashion Show Mall
(702) 732-2550
maggianos.com

JAPANESE

Nobu
Hard Rock Hotel
(702) 693-5090
noburestaurants.com

Sushi Roku
The Forum Shops
(702) 733-7373
innovativedining.com

MEDITERRANEAN

Parsley Modern Mediterranean
4985 W Tropicana Ave
(702) 871-1818
parsleymediterranean.com

Stephano’s Greek & Mediterranean Grill
4632 S Maryland Pkwy, #14
(702) 795-8444
stephanoslv.com

MEXICAN

Casa Don Juan
1204 S Main St
(702) 384-8070
casadonjuanlv.com

El Dorado Cantina
3025 Sammy Davis Jr Dr
(702) 722-2289
eldoradovegas.com

PIZZA

800 Degrees
SLS
(702) 761-7616
slslasvegas.com

Flour & Barley
The Linq
(702) 430-4430
flourandbarley.com

Giordano’s
Grand Bazaar Shops
(702) 850-2420

Secret Pizza
The Cosmopolitan
(702) 698-7860
cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

SEAFOOD

Hot N Juicy Crawfish
Miracle Mile Shops
(702) 489-3220
hotnjuicycrawfish.com

Lakeside
Wynn Las Vegas
(702) 770-3310
wynnlasvegas.com

SOUTH AMERICAN

Rincon De Buenos Aires
5300 Spring Mountain Rd
(702) 257-3331
rincondebuenosaires.com

STEAKHOUSE

Anthony’s at the M
12300 Las Vegas Blvd S
(702) 797-1000
themresort.com

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés
SLS Las Vegas
(855) 761-7757
slslasvegas.com

Delmonico Steakhouse
The Grand Canal Shoppes
(702) 414-3737
emerilsrestaurants.com

Old Homestead Steakhouse
Caesars Palace
(702) 731-7560
caesars.com

Miracle Mile Shops
(702) 866-0777
miraclemileshopslv.com

THAI

Le Thai
525 Fremont St
(702) 778-0888
lethaivegas.com

SATAY
3900 Paradise Rd
(702) 369-8788
sataylasvegas.com

Linked below via PDF is the RPG Identification Guide developed for Small Arms Review in the October 2010 issue. We have also included the PDF version of the RPG Identification Guide developed for Small Arms Defense Journal magazine. Enjoy!

SAR Identification Series- the RPG Guide

SADJ Identification Series- the RPG Guide

In late February of 1942, a prototype of the Savage redesigned Thompson Submachine Gun was ready to be submitted to the Ordnance Department for testing and approval. The Savage Corporation had just conducted their own 10,000 round endurance test, which the new weapon successfully passed. The Savage Corporation told Auto-Ordnance that they were submitting the redesigned Thompson “without any claims for compensation, reimbursement, royalty or patent interest”. The new Thompson was sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing and evaluation. The Aberdeen trials of the new Thompson were rather brief and concluded on 21 March 1942. The Aberdeen report stated that “The overall consideration of the mechanical functioning leads to the judgement that the gun as a mechanism is equivalent or superior to the M1928A1”. After a few government recommended alterations to the prototype were made, the new Thompson was recommended for adoption as Submachine Gun, Caliber .45 M1, at an Ordnance Committee meeting held on 24 March 1942. At the same meeting it was recommended that the 1928A1 be reclassified as Limited Standard. On 25 April 1942, the Ordnance Committee approved the recommendation for adoption of the M1 Thompson.

The Stevens Company’s chief designer Nicholas Brewer, and Savage engineer John Pearce were credited with designing the new Thompson. The M1 model had no provisions to use the drum style magazines. It used the same box style magazine as the 1928A1 model. Savage had estimated the cost of producing an M1 model to be $4.36 for material and $6.94 for labor with 175% in overhead. The total cost for Savage to manufacture an M1 would be $23.44. On 24 February 1942, Savage agreed to a contract to manufacture the M1 model for Auto-Ordnance at a cost of $36.37 per unit, providing Savage with a profit of $12.93 per gun. Auto-Ordnance in turn charged the U.S. Government $43.00 for an M1 model. The price varied slightly from contract to contract.

One of the major design differences between the M1 Thompson and the earlier 1928A1 model was that the M1 used a straight blowback design, eliminating the controversial bronze “H” lock. This allowed the receiver to be redesigned for easier manufacture. The bolt assembly was a very simple one-piece block of steel. The inside of the M1 upper receiver simply had a rectangular channel milled into it to accommodate the bolt. The internal felt oiler of the earlier 1928 model was considered unnecessary and thus eliminated in the M1 design. The cocking handle and slot were moved from the top of the receiver to the right side. An enlarged takedown notch was cut in the slot to allow the handle to be easily removed for disassembly (after the receiver has been separated from the frame). Since the drum style magazines had proven unsuitable for military use, the M1 series receivers were not designed to utilize them. The lateral grooves on the sides of the magazine well for accommodating the drum magazine were eliminated.

Like the 1928 and 1928A1, the early M1 Thompson used a separate firing pin and spring, that was the same as the ones used in the earlier models. A separate hammer was also used but the hammers for the M1 were configured differently than that of the 1928 and 1928A1 models. The 1928 series hammers were a triangular configuration, while the M1 hammers were crescent shaped.

Both the recoil spring pilot rod, and the buffer were redesigned for the M1 series Thompson receivers. The pilot rod for the recoil spring was simplified for easier manufacture, and was held in place by the new style buffer. The M1 buffer assembly consisted of a fibre plate secured between two metal plates. The buffer was a substantial improvement over the simple fibre disc used in the 1928 series Thompsons. The M1 pilot rod and buffer also made disassembly and assembly of the weapon much easier, and lessened the possibility of damaging the recoil spring in the process. The pilot rod could be removed and installed through the rear of the receiver once the buffer was removed.

The M1 featured a smooth, unfinned barrel that was similar to the one fitted to the late 1928A1 models, but the muzzle end was not threaded for fitting a compensator. A simple blade style milled sight was fitted and pinned to the muzzle in place of the compensator.

Early M1’s were assembled using the same uncheckered “paddle” style rocker and safety levers that were used on the U.S. 1928A1 model. The magazine latches on many M1 and M1A1 weapons were the same style as the 1928 and 1928A1 type that had a raised area for securing a drum magazine. Since the M1 series would not accommodate a drum style magazine, the magazine latch was later redesigned, and the raised area on the latch was eliminated.

The pistol grip was reconfigured to fit the redesigned M1 trigger frame, and the stock was redesigned as it was now semi-permanently attached directly to the frame with screws. The contour of the stock also differed from the earlier 1928 and 1928A1 design. The stock’s buttplate was also simplified, but retained a spring-loaded trap door for storage of a larger cylindrical oil bottle. The early M1 stock came from the factory without the reinforcing cross bolt installed. The cross bolts were not included until mid 1943 on the M1A1, although most M1 models had their stocks upgraded to include the cross bolt. The standard military horizontal style foregrip was installed on all M1s.

One of the distinctive features of both the M1 and M1A1 guns were their breech bolts, that had been redesigned to have two sear notches machined into them, so that the weapon’s safety could be applied when the bolt was forward on an empty chamber. The 1928 and 1928A1 bolts had only one notch machined into it, and the safety could not be applied when the bolt was closed. Several accidents had been reported with earlier 1928 and 1928A1 models when the weapon was carried with a loaded box style magazine and the bolt closed on an empty chamber. If the weapon was accidentally dropped on its butt, inertia would allow the bolt to travel rearward far enough to pick up a round from the magazine, but often not far enough to engage the sear (that would have held the bolt rearward). The bolt would begin to move forward and chamber the round. The result was usually an accidental discharge of the weapon.

Note; some very early M1 Thompson bolts were manufactured with only one sear notch. An Ordnance Department directive ordered that all one-notch bolts be deemed obsolete, and be replaced with the two-notch bolts as they became available.

While in July of 1942, Savage had turned out 48,000 M1 guns, Auto-Ordnance was struggling to meet its scheduled production mark. The assembly line conversion from the 1928A1 model to the M1 in July through October of 1942, caused serious production setbacks at the Auto-Ordnance plant in Bridgeport. Contributing to the production delays were problems in deliveries of materials, equipment and tooling authorized by the government for M1 production.

After the M1 production finally commenced at the Bridgeport plant, more problems were encountered. The Springfield Ordnance District refused to accept any of the Auto-Ordnance manufactured M1’s because their full-auto cyclic rate exceeded the 860 rounds per minute Ordnance Department specification. Officials from Washington, the District Ordnance office along with Auto-Ordnance engineers conducted studies and tests, all failing to provide a correction for the condition. Finally on 9 December 1942, official notice from the Ordnance Department’s office in Washington gave the district permission to waive the rate of fire requirement and accept the Bridgeport M1 guns. In the interim, identical M1 Thompsons being produced at Savage were being accepted in large quantities by the Rochester Ordnance District without any problems.

The rear sight that was first installed on the M1 was the same simple unprotected “L” style that was also installed on late manufacture 1928A1s. This design proved to have several flaws and was replaced by a similar sight, but with protective side ears added. On 29 June 1942, a letter was sent from Auto-Ordnance to Savage requesting a few changes in a contract originally dated 24 February 1942. One of the changes proposed was to the rear sight. Savage agreed to the changes as long as they conformed to Auto-Ordnance drawings 42-53 for the front sight and A42-86 (protected rear sight). Auto-Ordnance accepted the proposed supplement to the original contract on 17 July 1942. The new sight first appeared on the Savage Arms M1 Thompson in the high 137,000 serial number range. All of the Subsequent M1 and M1A1 models were fitted with new “protected” style sight. The drawing number for the new sight was B147717.

A few of the M1 side-protected style “L” sights have been noted on 1928A1 models depicted in Army manuals. Two such weapons were also documented in the author’s database. The protected rear sight was introduced after the 1928A1 production run had concluded. A protected type of “L” sight fitted to a 1928 model was most likely the result of the weapon going through an Ordnance Department rebuild program.

While Lyman manufactured most of the “L” style sights, Savage, Auto-Ordnance and the H.L. Judd Company manufactured the improved model with side protectors. Manufacturer’s markings noted on the second design sights are either AOC or J, but the majority of them appear to be unmarked. The rebuild guidelines of the Ordnance Department required that all rear sights without protective side ears would be replaced with rear sight drawing number B147717.

There were approximately 285,480 M1s manufactured by Savage Arms and Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport. Savage Arms manufactured the vast majority of the early M1 model.

This article was excerpted in part from the book “American Thunder, the Military Thompson Submachine guns”. The book is now available from Moose Lake Publishing 207-683-2959

Note; while the “L” sight and smooth barrel began to appear on mid-range serial number Savage 1928’s they appeared on lower numbered Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport guns. The reason is that the Savage factory began manufacturing the guns approximately eighteen months before Auto-Ordnance. Thus, a low numbered Auto-Ordnance 1928 model was manufactured at the same time period a mid-range number Savage gun.

The Cutts compensator was retained on all military A-O 1928A1 models throughout production. Most of the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport Thompsons were fitted with the late (4th) style compensator that has the Thompson bullet logo on the left side, and the Auto-Ordnance name roll marked across the top of the leading edge. All M1928A1 model Thompsons made at the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport plant were originally fitted with the horizontal style foregrips.

The Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport plant was under the jurisdiction of the Springfield Ordnance District in 1941. Thompson Guns were inspected and proofed by on site Springfield ordnance inspectors. The initials of the chief executive officer of the respective Ordnance Districts, who were designated as Army Inspectors of Ordnance or AIOs, were stamped on the guns indicating that they accepted the weapons on behalf of the United States Government. Springfield District Chief executive officers during WWII Thompson production were; Waldemar Broberg and Lt. Colonel Guy H. Drewery. Subordinate ordnance officers managed the inspection process, and all of the guns were actually inspected and stamped by personnel working under their respective chief inspectors. The purpose of the government inspection was to insure that the material being manufactured was the type, quality and quantity specified in the government agreement with the provider. Great emphasis was placed on government contractors to perform their own quality inspections at their factories to avoid having material rejected by the government inspectors. This was done to avoid delays in badly needed materials and to avoid the expense of rejected goods. The quality fit and finish of the Auto-Ordnance produced guns was identical to those of Savage manufacture. Interchangeability of parts was 100% as per Ordnance Department directives.

Model of M1928A1 parts manufactured by Auto-Ordnance’s factories or subcontractors and marked AOC were; Receivers, trigger frames, Blish locks, bolts, actuators, barrels, grip mounts, butt plates, sears, sear levers, trip levers, disconnectors, safety levers and pivot plates.

Although the Remington Arms Company was subcontracted to manufacture many Thompson parts for Auto-Ordnance, in January of 1942, Auto-Ordnance acquired the machinery from Remington and moved it into their Bridgeport plant and began manufacturing the parts themselves. These parts included the actuator, bolt, extractor, ejector and disconnector.

An interesting variation of the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport produced M1928A1 Thompson that has been observed, are those Thompsons that have had the U.S. designation ground off and the A1 mark overstamped to read AC. Many of the guns documented had been refurbished, and fitted with the smooth barrels and the “L” style fixed rear sight. Many, but certainly not all, of these guns so altered were in the 150,000 to 152,000 serial number range. A letter X was added as a suffix on the serial numbers of many of these guns. A few other examples of these “1928AC” Thompsons documented were fitted with the finned barrel and Lyman adjustable rear sight. A small number of these Thompsons had their original military horizontal foregrip replaced with the early style vertical foregrip. It is believed that these were guns that had been purchased from the government by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation and refurbished in order to be sold to law enforcement agencies after they were surplused. The Numrich Arms Corporation also removed U.S. markings from 1928 and 1928A1 model Thompsons they sold in the 1950’s.

Interestingly, some of the AO “1928AC” overstamped Thompsons did not have Army Inspector of Ordnance (AIO) acceptance stamps on them, but were stamped with the Ordnance “wheel” acceptance mark. While other examples of these guns had no government inspector or acceptance stamps at all, suggesting that they were never inspected or accepted by the U.S. Government. Perhaps these guns were contract overruns or assembled from parts that remained after the government contracts were filled. However, no documentation could be located that could prove or disprove this theory.

A Treasury Department IRS Form dated June 30, 1944 reveals that two Auto-Ordnance manufacture U.S. 1928A1 Thompsons with an X suffix added to the serial numbers were sold to a Massachusetts police department that year. The U.S. was ground off and the letter C over stamped on the 1 on both of the guns. Please note that the war didn’t end until the 15th of August 1945. All of the 1928 “AC” guns documented were originally manufactured by the Auto-Ordnance Corporation’s Bridgeport factory, and in almost every case had an AO prefixed serial numbered frame, although most of the frame/receiver numbers were mis-matched. The serial numbers located on the frames of these weapons also had the letter X added to them.

Although most of the Bridgeport manufactured Thompsons documented had the very common mismatched receiver and frame numbers, I found it interesting that in almost every case of an Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport mismatched gun, the frames were also of Auto-Ordnance manufacture. Even though the Savage frames are completely interchangeable, few Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport guns were observed with Savage trigger frames. The only two serialized parts on wartime Thompsons were the receiver and the trigger frame. The only reason for this was that when the Thompsons were manufactured the lower frames and receivers were hand fitted to each other to insure a close fit between the two parts. It was purely for cosmetic purposes, and had no bearing on the reliability or functioning of the weapon.

As per standard Ordnance Department procedures when there was more than one contractor manufacturing the same weapon, there were separate blocks of serial numbers assigned to each contractor. This was done so that no two weapons would be produced with the same serial number. However, during the military run there were some numbers duplicated, and a few more that were only one or two numbers different, the only difference being the letter S or AO preceding the serial number. Even though there were serial numbers that were close or duplicated on Savage and Auto-Ordnance guns, the dates that those Thompsons had actually been manufactured were quite different. By the time Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport had produced their very first M1928A1 gun, Savage had shipped well over 200,000 1928 and M1928A1 model Thompsons.

Other major variations of the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport manufactured gun were the same as the Savage models.

Finned barrel, Lyman adjustable rear sight.
Finned barrel, “L” style rear aperture sight.
Smooth barrel, “L” type rear sight.

The Auto-Ordnance Corporation manufactured several experimental prototypes of the Thompson in an attempt to get more life out of the original design. There were 1928 model variations chambered for the U.S. 30’06 caliber, as well as a few prototypes made chambered for .30 carbine cartridge. The rifle cartridges proved to be too powerful for the Thompson’s Blish lock delayed blow-back system.

On 25 April 1942, the M1928A1 Thompson was reclassified as “Limited Standard”. The M1928A1 weapons were to be replaced in service by the new M1 version of the Thompson and the M3 submachine gun that was under development by the Ordnance Department and the Guide Lamp Division of General Motors. Due to unforeseen problems the M1928A1 model continued to be manufactured until the autumn of 1942.

Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport manufactured their last U.S. M1928A1 model on 15 October 1942. Thereafter they concentrated on producing the M1 and M1A1 model. Government documents show that the Bridgeport factory manufactured a total of 323,900 M1928A1 Thompsons. The grand total of 1928 and M1928A1 Thompson Submachine Guns manufactured during WWII, by both Savage and the Auto-Ordnance facilities was an estimated 1,070,832 from 1940 to the fall of 1942 when the M1928A1 model was superseded by the M1 version.

The official end of the M1928A1 model came at an Ordnance Committee meeting held on 16 March 1944 item 23248; Memorandum for the Standards and Specification Section, Conservation Branch, Production Division, Army Service Forces. It was noted for the record that; “U.S. Army specification 52-3-30 of Gun, Submachine, Thompson, Caliber .45 M1928A1 be canceled in accordance with paragraph 30, AR 850-25”. The request was approved.

This article was condensed from relative information in the book AMERICAN THUNDER: The Military Thompson Submachine Gun, available from Moose Lake Publishing LLC. 207-683-2959

These early Savage Thompsons were very much like the Colt 1928 Navy model, featuring a finned barrel fitted with a Cutts compensator, as well as a finely checkered actuator knob, safety and rocker levers. The early Savage guns also featured a vertical foregrip. As per their contracts with A-O, Savage was not permitted to place their name on the Thompsons that they manufactured. The only way to identify a Savage manufactured 1928 or 1928A1 Thompson is by the S prefix on the serial number. All parts manufactured by Savage were also marked with a letter S. Parts manufactured by Savage’s sister plant, J. Stevens, were marked with a block style letter S. Savage and Stevens manufactured virtually every part for the gun except for various screws and springs. All WWII Savage guns were originally assembled at the factory with Savage (S) or Stevens (S) marked parts.

While the Colt Thompsons were blued, the Savage guns were finished by a process called Du-Lite which was a black oxide type III finish. When this finish was applied to a sandblasted surface it had a flat-black appearance. When applied to other surfaces that have not been sandblasted, it had a low luster blue appearance. The outside surfaces of the trigger frames and receivers were sandblasted on Savage Thompsons prior to the Du-Lite finish being applied, resulting in a flat black color. The inside of these components will appear a dull blue color as will the barrel and all other steel parts and components.

The British Contract Savage Model of 1928

The early 1928 Thompson guns manufactured for the British contracts were marked with a very small British inspector’s stamp placed on the receiver and/or the barrel. The guns were purchased directly from the Auto-Ordnance Corporation. The British contract guns were all fitted with the Lyman adjustable rear sight, and a vertical foregrip. The early one-piece flat-machined ejector was fitted to the early guns as well as the early style (2nd design) Cutts compensator. Thompsons fitted with a vertical foregrip came from the factory with only one sling swivel. This swivel was located on the bottom of the buttstock. British armorer’s often relocated the sling swivel to the top of the stock and added a swivel to the side of the foregrip. There were no U.S. or A1 markings on British contract guns. The British purchased 108,000 Thompsons and a large number of spare parts before the enactment of the U.S. Lend-Lease program. In the first contract the British paid $175.00 for each Thompson they purchased, the price was lowered in subsequent contracts. The very early Savage 1928 models shipped to the British had Auto-Ordnance’s New York, NY address roll marked on the left side of the receiver at the rear.

The Savage Commercial Model of 1928

During Savage’s production of the Thompson, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation sold some of the early 1928 model guns to law enforcement agencies. These Thompsons were exactly the same as the British guns described previously, except there were no British (or U.S.) military proofs or markings. It has been a common belief among many collectors, that the Savage “Commercial” guns were equipped with Colt “nickel” internal parts. A close study of these guns reveals that most of them were actually fitted with blued Savage internals. Most of these guns went to police departments where they saw rather limited use. When encountered, the police guns are generally in much better condition than the weapons that saw military service. Most of the “Commercial” model’s receivers were marked with Auto-Ordnance’s New York address. These guns did not have the cross-bolt added to the stock, as that was strictly a military upgrade.

The Savage Model of US 1928A1 (Early Production)

The letter “U.S.” began to appear on the receivers of 1928 model Thompsons after the Lend-Lease Act was passed in 1941. A provision of the act required that all weapons supplied to the allies through the program be U.S. marked. The Thompsons furnished through Lend-Lease were the same as those issued to U.S. forces.

The first U.S. 1928A1 model Thompsons accepted by the United States Ordnance Department were equipped with a Lyman adjustable rear sight and finned barrel. Virtually all military contract Thompsons destined for U.S. service were equipped with horizontal foregrips, although a few of the earlier “Limited Procurement” weapons were equipped with vertical foregrips. All M1928A1 model Thompsons were fitted with the milled front grip mount. Although a few early military Thompsons had the one-piece machined ejectors, most of the U.S. contract guns were equipped with the new three-piece riveted style. The military wood stocks and foregrips on the weapons were of a slightly lesser quality than had been seen on Colt and early Savage “Commercial” guns. Most of the early manufacture U.S. military contract Thompsons had the checkered actuator, safety and rocker levers. Subsequent production saw the elimination of the checkering on the rocker pivot levers, and eventually the safety lever, but the uncheckered actuators did not appear until later in the production run. The milled sling swivels were fitted on these guns.

A few early Savage military contract Thompsons were fitted with the rare 3rd design muzzle compensator that had the Thompson “Bullet” logo stamped on top of the device, and was not marked with the Auto-Ordnance name. Later manufacture Savage M1928A1 Models used the common “military” (4th design) Cutts compensator that featured the “Bullet” logo on the left side and the Auto-Ordnance name roll marked on the top of the unit.

Virtually all U.S. military contract M1928A1 models will have the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport, Connecticut address roll marked on the right side of the receiver near the center. The patent numbers were marked on the right side at the rear of the receiver. Also stamped on the receivers of Savage Thompsons was the Army Inspector of Ordnance’s initials, as well as the Ordnance Department “flaming bomb” acceptance stamp. Savage guns also were marked with the initials GEG, of George E. Goll, Auto-Ordnance’s chief inspector.

The U.S. 1928A1 (2nd Variation)

The second variation of the M1928A1 Thompsons was fitted with the rudimentary fixed “L” type sight and finned barrel. The fixed “L” aperture style sight was first installed on the M1928A1s manufactured by Savage during contract number G-14 dated 24 February 1942. The contract was for 400,000 weapons. All subsequent M1928A1s were fitted with the “L” sight. The Ordnance Department felt that the M1928A1 Thompson needed a rugged military style sight with a large aperture for rapid target acquisition. Many of the aforementioned guns generally were equipped with the uncheckered safety and rocker levers, but will often have checkered actuators.

The “L” Sight

At an Ordnance Committee meeting held in December of 1941, it was suggested that a much simpler “L” type of sight replace the complicated Lyman adjustable rear sight on the Thompson. The new sight was better suited for a military application, and would help expedite production of the Thompson. The fixed “L” sight had a .125 inch aperture sighted for a 100-yard range, a second notch was cut into the top of the sight leaf for a 250-yard range. The new “L” aperture style sight was riveted to the receiver in the same manner as the early adjustable model. Lyman also manufactured many of the “L” type sights for Auto-Ordnance and were so marked. The same style of sight was used on early M1 models. The unprotected sight proved to be very easily damaged or bent and would often snag on brush and clothing. A later design provided side ears on the sight for protection of the vertical leaf. The “L” style sight began to appear on the Savage manufactured M1928A1’s at approximately the S-400,000 serial number range.

The U.S. 1928 A1 (Late Production)

The Auto-Ordnance Corporation and Savage had a difficult time keeping up with the ever-increasing demand for the Thompson. To increase production they had to either procure more machine tools and increase the work force, or simplify the parts where possible, for easier manufacture.

There were still a few amenities on the 1928 Thompson that could be eliminated in order to expedite the weapon’s production. After the complex Lyman rear sight, the next elaborate feature of the Thompson to be eliminated for the sake of production was the finned barrel. The U.S. Ordnance Department felt that the open bolt feature of the Thompson design provided enough cooling effect to prevent most premature “cook-off” of cartridges, and felt the barrel’s radial cooling fins were not needed. The smooth barrels began to appear on Savage M1928A1’s at approximately serial number S-500,000.

Late manufacture M1928A1 Thompsons were still equipped with the uncheckered, paddle style safety and rocker levers. The checkering feature was eliminated from the actuators on the late M1928A1 models. Many of the late guns were still fitted with milled style sling swivels.

Although most military 1928 Thompsons encountered today will have a reinforcing cross-bolt in the buttstock, the bolt was added after the gun left the factory. The purpose of the cross-bolt upgrade was to prevent the stocks from cracking. The cross-bolt upgrade campaign began after production of the 1928 model had ended.

The first Thompson M1928A1 models were sold to the U.S. government for “$225.00 minus 10%” which calculates to $202.50 per weapon. An additional $2.50 was added for greasing and packing costs. The price paid by the U.S. Government varied from contract to contract but steadily declined from 1941 until the end of production. The price paid by the U.S. Government for a M1928A1 had been reduced to only $70.00 when the new M1 model was introduced in July of 1942. A spare parts kit for the M1928A1 weapon was priced at $15.43.

The last 2,000 Savage U.S. M1928A1 Thompsons were manufactured in September of 1942. Thereafter Savage only manufactured the M1 and M1A1 models. Savage manufactured an estimated total of 746,932 model 1928 and M1928A1 Thompsons from April 1940, until October of 1942.

This article is condensed from the book The Military Thompson Submachine Gun, available from Moose Lake Publishing LLC. 207-683-2959 http://www.smallarmsreview.com

The early work on the proposed Auto-Rifle was done in Cleveland, Ohio. Thompson hired Theodore Eickoff as his chief engineer, along with Oscar Payne as a designer and a small staff to study and develop the Auto-Rifle concept. Auto-Ordnance in its early years of existence had no assets other than a small office. The Warner and Swasey Company built all of Auto-Ordnance’s early prototype weapons. John Thompson had tried to instill a strong sense of urgency in all of the employees of Auto-Ordnance. World War One was raging in Europe, and the United States would be soon entering the fray. Thompson was understandably anxious to get his weapon developed, manufactured and into the fight.

When Thompson was setting the groundwork for his Auto-Rifle project, he spent considerable time searching for breach mechanisms and other inventions that might be utilized in his Auto-Rifle. That is when he found the Blish principle of metallic adhesion. A U.S. Navy officer by the name of John Blish discovered the principle. Blish had theorized that certain metals, when set at particular angles, became alternately adhesive and repellent under alternating high and low pressure. Blish had first noticed the phenomena during his tenure as a naval officer. He discovered that the breeches on large seacoast guns and those on naval vessels would remain safely closed upon using full charges, but when firing reduced or saluting charges the breechblocks (when set at a certain angle) would unlock themselves. Inspired by these observations Blish performed a number of experiments that proved the phenomenon. He patented his idea as a “breech closure device for firearms” in 1915. Thompson felt that the Blish Principle applied to a shoulder fired automatic weapon would be ideal – eliminating linkages, pistons and other complications of gas operated systems.

Thompson had placed great faith in the Blish principle and insisted that it be incorporated in the Auto-Rifle design. As Eickoff experimented with prototype Auto-Rifles he discovered that the Blish principle was simply not workable with any cartridge in the 30’06 class. The powerful 30’06 was the standard cartridge of the U.S. forces and the obvious choice for the Auto-Rifle. Eickoff had found through research that the only way the Blish principle would work with such powerful cartridges was by lubricating the cases. This of course was totally unacceptable for a military weapon. Upon further development Eickoff discovered that the .45 ACP pistol round was workable with the Blish lock. After Eickoff reluctantly reported his findings to Thompson, Eickoff was surprised when he (Thompson) almost instantly envisioned a “miniature hand held machine gun” using the proposed Blish lock principal. Soon the work at Auto-Ordnance began to focus on a .45 caliber weapon that Thompson had envisioned as a “trench broom” intended to sweep the enemy from their trenches.

The focus of the Auto-Ordnance Corporation soon shifted to the development of a .45 caliber automatic weapon that was to be named the Thompson Submachine Gun, in honor of the man who had envisioned it -John T. Thompson. After several prototypes and experimental models were built, a production model finally emerged. The very first limited production gun was the Model of 1919, of which only a few were built; this was followed by the well known and equally famous Model of 1921.

In 1921 an agreement between the Auto-Ordnance Corporation and the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company was reached. The actual manufacture of the weapon had to be subcontracted to Colt because the Auto-Ordnance Corporation, who developed the weapon, did not have any manufacturing capabilities.

The 15,000 Thompson Submachine Guns manufactured by Colt were all originally produced as the Model of 1921. The original runs of Thompson guns were manufactured to very high standards that were common of the era. The 1921 model had a very high quality lustrous blue finish. The fine walnut furniture was also of very high quality. The manufacture of the foregrips, buttstocks and a few other parts was subcontracted out to Remington. The 1921’s were equipped with a vertical foregrip, and the buttstock lacked the cross-bolt and sling swivels later seen on military stocks. The Lyman Sight Company of Connecticut was contracted to manufacture the rear sights for Auto-Ordnance. The rear sight was the ladder type and considered by many to be quite complicated for use on a rapid-fire weapon. The barrel of the Thompson featured radial cooling fins and a milled blade style front sight. No Cutts compensators were originally fitted to the guns. The actuator, fire mode selector and the safety levers were finely checkered. The machined one-piece ejector on the Colt guns was flat without rivets protruding out like the later military Thompsons. Many Colt-manufactured Thompson’s were inspected by Auto-Ordnance’s Chief Inspector John H. Barrett and have his initials JHB stamped on the receivers of the guns.

The original retail price of the 1921 model was $200.00 supplied with one type XX twenty round box magazine. The first production Colt Thompson, serial number 41, came off the assembly line in March of 1921. By this time World War I had ended and there was no demand for new weapons. Sales of the Thompson were extremely slow. It would take almost twenty years to sell all of the initial production of 15,000 guns. The $200.00 list price of the Thompson was quite a sum of money in the 1920’s.

By 1923 the price was reduced to $175.00 in an attempt to attract buyers for the Thompson. Also in 1923 a “new” military model was introduced as the Model of 1923. The new model was no doubt influenced by the WWI success of the Browning Automatic Rifle, better known as the BAR. The 1923 military model was nothing more than a standard 1921 model that was refitted with a 14.5-inch barrel, a bipod and a horizontal foregrip. To increase the effective range, a new special cartridge was offered. The new .45 caliber cartridge was called the Remington-Thompson. It featured a 250-grain projectile in a longer .998-inch case. Muzzle velocity was 1,450 feet per second. The concept of the Thompson Military model was unsuccessful and few were built. The idea was abandoned shortly after it was conceived.

The 1921AC Model

Introduced in 1926, the 1921AC model was simply a standard model 1921 with a Cutts compensator fitted to the muzzle. The Cutts compensators were manufactured by the Lyman Gun Sight Company, and began being offered as an enhancement for the 1921 Thompson. The compensator was claimed to significantly reduce muzzle rise and was offered as a $25.00 option. The Thompson Gun without the optional compensator was then designated the 1921A model. There were several variations of the Cutts compensators manufactured.

The 1927 Semi-Automatic Carbine

The 1927 carbine model is one of the rarest variations of the early Colt Thompson Guns. The 1927 model like the 1921AC, was created from altering existing 1921 models. The unique feature about the 1927 was that it was a semi-automatic-only weapon. This was probably done to offer a model of the Thompson to law enforcement organizations who simply did not want to arm their officers with a submachine gun. The conversion was accomplished by redesigning a few internal parts. The full-auto markings were neatly milled out of the receiver and remarked. The 1927 model is still regarded as an NFA firearm because of its short barrel and submachine gun receiver. Model 1927 Thompsons are not often found still in their original semi-auto-only configuration, most were converted back to select fire at some point in time. The 1927 model was available with or without the optional Cutts compensator installed.

The 1928 Navy Model

The most prolific Colt-manufactured Thompson model was the 1928 Navy model also referred to by collectors as the Colt overstamp, the 1921 overstamp, 28 Navy, 28 over 21, or the 28N. The 1928 Navy model, too, was made from a standard 1921A model. It was conceived because of the U.S. Military’s desire to have the rate of automatic fire reduced from 800 rounds per minute to approximately 600 rounds per minute. This was accomplished by redesigning the actuator by adding a block of steel to it. This made the assembly four ounces heavier, and along with redesigned recoil spring and pilot rod, slowed the rate of fire to an acceptable level. The firing pin spring was also redesigned and was slightly shorter than in the 1921 model. All 1928 Navy models had the numeral 1 (in the 1921 designation) overstamped with the numeral 8 to make it read 1928. The words “U.S. Navy” were also stamped into the receiver on virtually all of the converted guns. The Navy markings were impressed into the receiver rather lightly and appear noticeably different from all the other receiver markings. Although the Colt 1928 “Navy” models were marked “U.S. Navy” few actually went to the United States Navy. It proved to be the most popular model and many “U.S. Navy” 1928s were sold to police departments and foreign governments.

In March of 1932, the U.S. Army procured a few of the 1928 Navy Models as “Limited procurement, Gun, Submachine, Caliber .45 U.S. Navy Model of 1928”. The 1928 Thompson would be the last small arm adopted by the U.S. Army that used a year designation in the official nomenclature of the weapon. The Marine Corps expressed some interest in the Thompson Submachine Gun and procured a small number of them in the 1920s. The U.S. Marine Corps procured a total of 671 Thompson Submachine Guns from 1926 to 1928. A few of the early Thompsons received by the Marines were in the rapid firing 1921 model configuration. These were then converted to the slower firing 1928 model configuration at a cost of $8.50 per gun. These Thompsons would be used in the famous Marines exploits of the 1920s era including the actions in Nicaragua and China. The experiences with the Thompson would forever endear the weapon to the Marines who used them.

By the late 1930’s the Auto-Ordnance Corporation had fallen under the control of Russell Maguire, who would make a fortune from manufacturing and selling the Thompson during WWII. Maguire first subcontracted with the Savage Arms Company in 1939 to manufacture the weapon, and eventually Auto-Ordnance opened their own factory late in 1941 to help keep up with the demand for the gun. When Maguire began to collect all the machinery needed to begin manufacturing the WWII guns, he discovered that Colt was still manufacturing spare parts and magazines for the gun.

The Colt Thompsons today are highly sought after by diligent and usually affluent collectors. Just as in the1920’s, the Thompson remains a very expensive piece.

This article was excerpted from the book The Military Thompson Submachine Gun, available from Moose Lake Publishing LLC. 207-683-2959

Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport

Although all Thompson Submachine Guns have the Auto-Ordnance Corporation name roll-marked on the receiver’s right side, only a small portion of the total production were actually manufactured at the Auto-Ordnance Corporation’s own Bridgeport factory, especially when compared to the total number made. The Auto-Ordnance Corporation had first relied on Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in 1921, and then Savage Arms in 1940 to actually manufacture the Thompson for them. It wasn’t until the autumn of 1941 that Auto-Ordnance opened its own factory, to assist Savage with the overwhelming wartime demand for the weapon.

Russell Maguire opened his Auto-Ordnance factory in a former automotive brake shoe plant located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The first months after the building was occupied were spent renovating the facilities, and making tools and gauges not already supplied by Savage. By August of 1941, the plant was manufacturing the U.S. M1928A1 model. At first Auto-Ordnance only made receivers and frames in house. Their guns were assembled with parts purchased from Savage and other subcontractors. The plant ran seven days a week and worked two eleven-hour shifts per day. In January of 1942, Auto-Ordnance began to renovate other buildings on the property to further increase production. The Thompsons being produced in Bridgeport were identical mechanically and in appearance to those being made by Savage. All 1928 Thompsons that were made at the Bridgeport factory had with the letters “A.O.” preceding the weapon’s serial number. The serial numbers, like on the Savage and Colt guns, were roll-marked on the center of the left side of the receiver. A duplicate serial number was stamped on the trigger frames, under the stock slide attachment. The marking of the serial numbers on many Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport guns was rather carelessly done, as the numbers are quite often unevenly spaced and out of line.

The production of Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport M1928A1 models began approximately sixteen months after Savage. This would mean that a low serial number Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport M1928A1 would have been manufactured at the same time period as a mid-range Savage M1928A1, and so on. The receiver markings on Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport Thompsons differ slightly from those on the Savage guns. All 1928 Thompsons manufactured at the Bridgeport factory were US Model 1928 A1’s. The U.S. designation, like early Savage Thompsons had no periods after the letters.

The receivers of Savage Thompsons were roll-marked on the left side “Model of 1928”, while the receivers manufactured by Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport were marked “Model 1928” without the word “of “ being included. Another detail difference on the receivers was the abbreviation for the word number, stamped before the weapon’s serial number. On Savage Thompsons the abbreviation “NO.” was used, while Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport guns used the slightly different “No.” abbreviation. The style (font) of the lettering used on the Savage produced Thompsons was also slightly different than that of the Auto-Ordnance guns.

The Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport plant was under the jurisdiction of the Springfield Ordnance District. Thompson Guns were inspected and proofed by on site Springfield ordnance inspectors. The Army Inspectors of Ordnance or AIOs of the Springfield District during WWII were Colonel Waldemar Broberg and Lt. Colonel Guy H. Drewery. Colonel Waldemar Broberg using the stamp WB, served as AIO of the Springfield District from 1 July 1941 until 30 June 1942. The stamp bearing his initials has been observed impressed on the receiver’s left side above the magazine well area. GHD was the stamp of Lt. Colonel Guy H. Drewery who replaced Colonel Broberg, serving as AIO from 1 July 1942, until 15 July 1945. His stamp was often placed on the receiver’s left side, just forward of the Thompson Submachine Gun logo. The WB inspector’s stamp would be the most common mark encountered on Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport manufactured US 1928 A1 Thompsons. Colonel Drewery took the position of AIO near the end of the US 1928 A1 model production run at Auto-Ordnance. His initials are primarily only seen on Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport manufacture M1 and M1A1 models.

An interesting variation of the Auto-Ordnance, Bridgeport produced US 1928 A1 model that has been observed, are those Thompsons that have had the US designation ground off and the numeral “1” of the A1 mark overstamped with a letter “C” to read AC. A letter X was often added as a suffix on the serial numbers of these guns. Interestingly, some of the AO “1928AC” overstamped Thompsons did not have Army Inspector of Ordnance (AIO) acceptance stamps on them, but were stamped with the Ordnance “crossed cannon” acceptance mark. While other examples of these guns had no government acceptance stamps at all, suggesting that they were never inspected or accepted by the U.S. Government. Perhaps these guns were contract overruns or assembled from parts that remained after the government contracts were filled. However, no documentation could be located that could prove or disprove this theory. The Numrich Arms Corporation also removed U.S. markings from original 1928 and 1928A1 model Thompsons they sold in the 1950’s.

The quality, fit and finish of the Auto-Ordnance produced guns was identical to those of Savage manufacture. Interchangeability of parts was 100% as per Ordnance Department directives.

The West Hurley 1928 Model

The Numrich Arms Company of New York purchased the remaining assets of the Auto-Ordnance Corporation in the 1950’s. They were the third company to do so since 1945. Included in the sale were several complete Thompson submachine guns, and a large number of spare parts. Numrich sold many Thompsons that they had assembled from the parts. Many of these guns have NAC added to the serial numbers. These guns were sold to police departments and a few affluent individuals that could afford the $200.00 transfer tax back in the 1950’s. Approximately ten to twelve guns were sold per year until early 1961 when Numrich ran out of critical receivers and frames and no more Thompsons could be assembled.

In 1975 the Numrich Arms Corporation of West Hurley, New York after receiving approval from the BATF, decided to begin manufacture of both semi-automatic-only and full-automatic versions of the Thompson 1928 model, using the Auto-Ordnance name. The receivers, trigger frames bolts and barrels were of new manufacture, while the remainder of the parts used to assemble the early guns were GI surplus. The parts were Savage manufacture, the original Auto-Ordnance, or one of their subcontractors. As production of the West Hurley guns continued, many parts became unavailable, thus forcing the company to manufacture whatever parts they needed to continue production. In the first year of production there were only 199 select-fire 1928 models made.

In addition to the Thompsons the company also produced a thirty-nine round and a fifty round “L” type drum magazines for the guns. Surplus twenty and thirty round GI magazines were also offered. In 1991 the company began a limited run of the coveted one hundred round “C” drum. There were also special commemorative versions of the 1928 Thompson made. Some of the commemorative West Hurley guns were accepted by the BATF for inclusion on their Curio and Relics firearm list.

Most of the 1928 Thompsons manufactured by the modern Auto-Ordnance Corporation of West Hurley, New York were fitted with a compensator equipped finned barrel, vertical foregrip and a replica of the original Lyman adjustable rear sight. The receivers, frames and barrels of the guns were finished with a black oxide, much like the originals had been. Although the majority of the guns had the aforementioned features, special requests were often honored for specially equipped and serial numbered guns. Special order 1928 guns have been documented with and without compensators, rudimentary military “L” and protected “L” style rear sights, as well as military horizontal foregrips. Wide ranges of custom serial numbers were also issued upon a customer’s request. By the time production ceased in 1986 West Hurley Auto-Ordnance had produced a total of 3,306 select-fire 1928 models. Small production runs of a .22 caliber version of the full-automatic 1928 model were also manufactured.

The West Hurley manufactured Model 1928 receivers were uniquely roll-marked as; U.S. MODEL 1928, with the U.S. mark, but lacking the A1 suffix as stamped on the original military guns. The rear of the receiver’s left side was marked THOMPSON SUBMACHINE GUN CALIBER .45M1. This marking was different than the original markings, and the word caliber was not spelled as calibre as the original 1928’s had been. The center of receiver’s right side was marked AUTO-ORDNANCE CORPORATION WEST HURLEY, NEW YORK, U.S.A. The markings on the trigger frame were reminiscent of those of the WWII Auto-Ordnance guns with the words FULL AUTO on one line. The rocker pivot position arrow was also the smaller design of the original Auto-Ordnance frames.