I saw this at a pawn shop in Columbus today. It has the drum magazine, stick magazines, cleaning kit, carrying case, etc. Built like a fine sporting rifle. A work of art.

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Georgia On My Mind

I want one sooooooooooo much. What's the asking price. Used to be a member on here, Silver Corvette had me look at one for him one time. The asking price was $20K


Ted

The owners value it at $40,000 plus. It isn't for sale at this time. I think they intend to keep it and build a small "museum" section in a new shop they are building to display several other historical weapons and other artifacts.

The weapon is the complete package, including all accoutrements, and is identified with an affixed Pennsylvania State Police property number. It is really a piece of history. The 1921 Colt manufactured model, according to what I have read, was a really finely made, expensive for the era ($200) weapon. I believe there were fewer than 2000 of them made. They were some of the first "choppers" or "Tommy-guns" used by gangsters and LEOs during prohibition.

I would really like to get it out of the vault and make some better pictures. What I would really like to do is shoot it. I would gladly spring for a case of 500 WWB ball ammo for the chance to spend a few hours with it.

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Georgia On My Mind

I think it's funny that you think you can make 500 rounds last "a few hours"!

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

I've wanted a real Thompson since I used to help Chip Saunders fight the Nazi's with my plastic helmet, and my Mattel "Tommy Gun" when I was a kid.

Ol' Chip would have been in real trouble if I hadn't had his back all that time.

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John 3:16 .

They opened that shop in late 1980 and have been making money ever since. Now they have shops in Phenix City and Dothan, Alabama as well as the one in Columbus, GA. They have franchised and have a couple of franchise shops.
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You are probably correct. I was counting time loading magazines and chasing down all that once-fired brass, though.

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Georgia On My Mind

I don't see why not. I take my West Hurley 1928 out and play with it. Burn three boxes of shells in about an hour and a half. By my count, that's a hundred rounds an hour.

Not everyone with a machine gun uses it for a bullet-hose.

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I always take precautions

Redlevel,

That's a nice as a one I guess a feller would ever run accross...

My grand-paw would roll over in his grave if he thought I would spend that kinda money on an
ol Thompson...At 20K I think I'd swaller right hard and startin peelin them Benjamin's outta the wrappers I'd guess.


Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Nice gun. Thanks for the post, especailly if you can eventually get better pics.

I've seen them fired and handled a few. I can understand why the British troops often hated to turn them in and draw Sten guns. Commando units retained them even after many otherwise had to use Stens.

I once saw an FBI agent use one with real precision. That was on a tour of their HQ when I was a kid.

They also look much better than the M-3 "grease gun."

That is sweet! We had kind of a communal Thompson in my unit in Vietnam, which I had possession of for a while. Talk about a chopper. No butt stock or fore grip. You had to hang on to the pistol grip and stick mag to shoot it. It was too heavy for a survival weapon in a helicopter but it was fine for that occasional trip to the village (for shopping). Many stories accompanied that weapon.

These actually are works of art and are a joy to hold and to shoot. We had a 1921 commercial model in our armory at my original PD manufactued by Colt.It had the rampant Colt roll mark.
The bluing on this piece was perfectly gorgeous. Finned barrel with Cutts compensator and the pistol grip fore end.
It was assigned to me during some racial unrest in 1971.
We had one drum and many 20 and 30 round magazines for it.
It fired from an open bolt of course,and eventually chipped an extractor,causing it to malfunction about every 5 to 8 rounds.No one could locate an extractor for it and when I became the department armorer I had my Dad,who was an excellant tool and die maker to make one for it.
He could duplicate about anything in steel and when it was completed you couldn't tell it from the original.

This returned it to normal function and I fired that beauty a lot. I know where that Thompson is today and am hoping that someday it will be mine. It just depends on who dies first
They are wonderous machines.Thanks for posting.

WOW, just WOW!

Maybe the shop MAKES ITS MONEY peddling a little "SHINE" on the side.

People have to do something to make a living.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

No the sad fact to the story is,,, They have it and I don't!

I'm in the wrong business,,, If only I could hit the lottery!

BAck in the 60's the PD I worked for had a Thompson and a MP40 Schmiesser? Both in mint condition. Chief traded them for two M-16's

I coulda strangled him.

I sure hope that pawn shop has a Class III license.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

They do of course.

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Georgia On My Mind

Apparently the P.D. I worked for was a little more forward thinking? In 1975 they traded four Thompsons; all equipped with drum magazines, and four B.A.R.s’ for eight Colt manufactured M-16’s. Both the S.W.AT. team lead and our armorer were quite pleased with themselves for working out such a great trade. Being a lowly, just finished probation, P-3 I did not offer any opinion about the advisability of that deal.

Thanks for sharing the pics and all the stories. Being a lowly civilian I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to actually handle one, much less shoot one... but... the local range near me offers full auto night once a month. So, last night I just happened to be in the shop when the autos arrived. I watched the owner take it apart, clean and oil it and put it all back together again. Talk about an American piece of engineering simplicity (relatively speaking) and craftsmanship. I paid the fees, bought a box of .45s and actually got to shoot the Tommy gun! It took me less than a minute to burn through my rounds and all evening to come down from that "high"! I had a BLAST... pun intended!

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

Hmm... hmmmm....stuff to get when I win the lottery...

Just thinking out loud on the internet.

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9tenz

This from the Auto Ordinance Website...

One of my greatest regrets as a collector was when in 1984 I backed out of a deal with a Class III dealer for an M1 Thompson. The price at the time was about what you'd pay for a mint S&W M52 these days...

I had the cash, but I didn't want to fiddle around with all the paper...

(INSERT HEADSLAP HERE....)

I hear you. June 1980. Boca Raton Florida. Gun shop had a rack full of 1928s. Probably West Hurleys, but what did I know. 450 dollars. The gunshop owner convinced me that I did not want to mess with the Federal paperwork involved in getting one. Instead I bought a Series 70 Gold Cup, for 430.

February 1998, when I finally bought one. 5000 dollars. I don't think a Gold Cup woulda cost five grand back then. I know it wouldn't cost the ten grand it takes to buy one nowadays.

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I always take precautions