I have one of the MGC Thompson guns. It's the type that actually fires a special blank cartridge controlled full auto or semi auto.
Confusing, but,,,,a special 4 piece cartridge that is loaded (and reloaded) with a small 7mm(?) cap makes things work. They called them a 'cap-piston' cartridge. An earlier version used a solid brass shell and you loaded them with paper caps through the hollow nose,,enough to do the work.
The firing pin is in the barrel ahead of the chamber looking rearward. As the cartridge is chambered, that firing pin enters the hollow nose of the cartridge, strikes a small internal firing pin in the cartridge (that you place in position when you reload these things) and fires it.
The gas generated is driven back out the front of the cartridge into the blind area where the firing pin is and forces the bolt back, operating the TSMG. The rest of barrel is solid. The earlier cap operated ones had a through drilled barrel in front of the mounted firing pin.
The loaded rounds look very much like GI 45acp rounds aside from the hollow nose.
Fires faster than the real thing, but makes a good racket. The recoil spring is very light to enable the thing to function.
Haven't shot it in a long time,,don't think I know where the 'ammo' is right now either. I took the firing pin out of the barrel too.
I understand these were often used as prop guns for stage and sometimes movie scenes. No licensing issues and they look very real.
It fires controlled full or semi auto. Safe-Semi-Full selector.
Has a 20rd detachable magazine. Will take GI stick mags if you mod the hole in the spine of the mag slightly (the MGC mag catches just a bit higher than an original). MGC mags have a very light spring in them compared to GI though.
Field strips as original. Wood stock and FE. Finned BBL,, Lyman adj rear,,NO compensator! Weighs about 8lbs.
They did come with a drum magazine. I don't recall the capacity,,less than the 50 of an original though,,35 comes to mind.
But the one I have is missing the internals.
I know the company made an MP40 also that was just as real looking and also fired the same blank cartridge in full auto. Others too. I seem to recall an Uzi written up in one of the gun rags in the 70's perhaps.
I used to see the ammo for sale on Flea-Bay once in a while.
All marks are as an original (probably not period correct!) along with small MGC markings.
In the late 80s(?),, the 'Thompson' markings & pat dates on these were obliterated upon import due to copyright(?) issues.
Then I understand the gun itself, in these blank firing editions, were discontinued from import by a BATF decision.
Though the agency had years earlier ruled that they were not firearms and would allow import, the new decision cut any new imports but allowed existing 'guns' to remain uncontrolled under GCA..
In the same time frame as the import change and markings obliterations, a law went into effect that orange inserts were to be in place in the muzzle of all 'toy' guns.
Yes you could deffinetly get yourself into some trouble waving it around..
But then again…very different times in the early 1980’s
