Anybody got an Auto Ordnance Tommy Gun?

[madmikeb]

Went to the Kittery Trading Post yesterday to look at a 16-4 to replace the one I had to turn over the the PD a couple years ago, it didn't come home with me because I felt it was over priced for the condition. While I was there though I checked out some Tommy Guns, as I've had the hots for one of them for years. It set the hook! I have read good and bad about them though so I was wondering if you folks had any experience with them and what your opinions are?

 

[1HAWKEYE]

I had 2 of them they were both cool looking junk. The first one was a
model 1927.If I remember right at 50' it would give about a 3" group and the firing pins had about a 350 to 500 round life span not to mention the drum magazine was a bit of a pain in the neck it fed ok when properly wound. As for the other one it was one of the .22 lr models they are even worse. At 25 yards you could get a better group using a shotgun with #3 buckshot. When it got dirty it would jam with the action fully closed the only way to open it up was to pour Hoppies in the ejection port on to the bolt let it set for 10-15 minutes then tap the charging handle back with a rubber mallet.They looked cool but they were a couple of pigs and nothing like a original Thompson.
Just say no. I'm sure Kittery has something else with a better cool factor. An antique Winchester maybe?

 

[Simmer down]

I had one briefly and got that out of my system. Great to look at and serious to fondle but in action it was lacking.

I'm left handed and hit the mag release each time I fired. I got a 50 rd drum that took three people and a boy to load. It would jam every third round.

I fiddled with it for years trying to make it the gun I dreamt it was. I went through 2 sets of double recoil springs quick, considering how often it jammed. The last time the springs went out it locked up tight and I paid a gunsmith $100 to get it apart and replace the recoil springs for the third time.

Traded it for 2 Mak90s and have never looked back.

 

[BlueOvalBandit]

I dont have one but my friend does. It's a serious PITA just to charge it, it flat out hurts with the little nub of a charging handle. His second problem was trigger failing to reset, he showed it to me saying it "wouldn't fire" I played with it, but didn't open it up and found for whatever reason the trigger didn't reset. It failed to do it cycling by hand or firing, forcing the trigger forward manually reset it.

 

[Mustang51]

I had one. Just like with aircraft and boats, they say the happiest days for an owner are the day it's purchased, and the day it's sold. I had feeding problems with every ammo and mag combo I tried. If I got 3 shots off without a ftf, I felt lucky. My e-mails to the manufacturer were never answered.

 

[Penmon]

I have a 1927 A1 the one with the vertical forearm grip.
I love it, fires every time I pull the trigger. I like the stick magazines better than the 50 round drum, easier to load and change out. I did have a problem several years ago with the bolt cracking, had a new one fit and it's still going strong.The original bolt was a WWII left over and probably not heat treated properly.

I also have the 22 cal conversion unit and in order to get it to function properly. I needed to have it professional fit to the guns magazine but it also works great.

The only negative is the weight , very hard to hold up for any real length of time.

 

[CptCurl]

I have a nice 1921 Colt. A dream, but at the same time, a fierce weapon.

 

[madmikeb]

Thanks for all your input, the negatives are outnumbering the positives at this point so I guess I'll think about it and study things for awhile!

 

[A10]

Caps is the real deal, BTW, not one of the newer long barreled semiautos. He's even got pictures to boot!