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ultimate 1911Continued from page 65Troops didn’t like the weight and bulkof the drum magazines and generallyjust threw them away when empty. M1Thompsons were made in two plants:Savage in New York and Auto OrdnanceCorp. in Bridgeport (CT). Thisfact is a little confusing. All of themwere marked with the latter company’sname but those made by Savage willhave a small “s” stamped into the frameahead of the magazine well.According to Bruce Canfield’s excellentbook U.S. Infantry Weapons OfWorld War II, only 285,480 M1 Thompsonswere made before the M1A1upgrade was adopted. By the way, exceptfor the buttstock variation mentionedabove and some protective wings alongsidethe rear sight, the only real differencebetween M1 and M1A1 Thompsonsis that the latter’s bolt has a fixed firingpin while the former model has a separateone actuated by an internal hammer.WorldwideThompson submachine guns in allmodels were used in combat in everytheatre of World War II. Many wentto the British and Chinese under theLend-Lease Act, and interestingly manyof those Chinese ones were turnedagainst American troops in the KoreanWar. They had been captured from theNationalist Chinese by the CommunistChinese during and after their CivilWar. Many thousand of those Thompsonssent to the Brits early in World WarII ended up at the bottom of the AtlanticOcean as victims of German U-Boats.The rate of fire of 800 rounds perminute for the M1 Thompson is ratherfast as World War II submachine gunsgo. By comparison the German MP40 israted at 500 rpm, the British STEN thesame, and the Thompson’s replacement— the M3 Grease Gun — is only about450 rpm. Only the Russian’s PPsh41beat the Thompson at 900 rpm.The rpm listed are nominal. All ofthem are recoil operated, meaning theywill actually cycle faster with hotterammunition and slower with lowervelocity ammunition. For this article Itest fired a handload using a 220 graincast bullet over 5.4 grains of Winchester231 powder. As read by my PACT MKIV Timer/Chronograph that handloadprovided a rate of fire of only 701 rpm.Thompson submachine guns of allmodels have an avid, even perhaps a cultfollowing. Does that mean they were thebest submachine gun of World War II?My opinion is, “No way.” There werethree basic charges leveled against them.They were too heavy, their ammunitionwas too heavy, and they were hard tocontrol in full auto. All those things aretrue. The hard to control factor can becured with training: meaning learning tohold it properly and fire in short bursts.It’s doubtful if the American militaryestablishment in World War II tookthe time or supplied the ammunitionnecessary to make everyone issued aThompson an expert shooter with it.Nothing could be done about the“heavy” business. Empty, my M1weighs 11.5 pounds. Loaded with 20and 30 round magazines it’s up to 12.25and 12.75 pounds respectively. Magazinepouches were supplied for M1/M1A1s holding either five 20-roundmagazines, or three 30-round ones.Filled with loaded magazines thosepouches weigh 7.25 and 6.25 poundsin the same order. There’s more thanone story in World War II oral historywhere a veteran says he got rid of hisThompson because it was such a burden.So why did the Thompson see somuch use worldwide in the SecondWorld War? The answer is simple. Itwas the only submachine gun availableto American and British forces whenthe conflict began. Most American tankswere issued with a Thompson stored inthe turret, and they were given in largequantities to airborne troops to help bolstertheir firepower. However, early in1944 the US Government decreed thatSavage and Auto Ordnance stop makingThompsons because the M3 grease gunhad been officially adopted.Making It WorkIt’s actually simple. There’s a selectorswitch on the weapon’s left side for fullorsemi-firing. Put it in the mode youwould like to shoot, insert a magazineuntil it clicks into place, then pull thebolt rearwards. There it will stay untilthe trigger is pulled because like mostsubmachine guns the Thompson firesfrom an open bolt. Even on semiautomode these things aren’t overly precisebecause of that heavy bolt. When itslides forward the sight picture is mostcertainly disturbed. Recoil isn’t much,but muzzle climb is. I was able to comparethat factor between my M1 and afriend’s Model 1928A1 with its CuttsCompensator. His was definitely easierto hold on target.My M1 Thompson certainly isn’tmy favorite of the subguns I’vebought. I’ll save that tidbit for anotherstory. But still, when I take my 1911.45s down to my steel target range forsome fun, the Thompson generallygoes along. And when I allow friendsto try shooting my subguns it’s usuallythe Thompson they all wantto fire first. Imagine that.*Go to www.americanhandgunner.comand click on Web Blast to see video ofDuke shoot his Thompson!CLICK ON THE “WEB BLAST” LINK84 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2010
Whispers ®.302 .338 .375 .416Whispers ®are developments of SSK Industries,which operate at sub-sonic and medium velocitymodes. 22 through 50 caliber. Custombarrels for Contenders, Encores, bolt guns,semi-autos and the cans to keep them quietare available. Over 400 calibers. Custom andproduction AR barrels, uppers and completeguns. Convert your guns or ours.SSK Industries590 Woodvue LaneWintersville, OH 43953Tel: 740-264-0176www.sskindustries.comUntitled-1 1TAFFIN TESTSContinued from page 36favorite .45 ACP handload consistingof the RCBS #45-201 SWC over 7.0grains of Unique proved to be accurate,with a group of 13/8" for five shots at20 yards with a muzzle velocity of 972fps. However the same bullet over 5.0grains of Bullseye clocked at 895 feetper second and delivered an amazinggroup of 5/8" for six shots. This gunmay not go back!The Hawk is Iver Johnson’s Commander-sized1911 and, except forthe sights and shorter frame and slide,it has all of the same features as theEagle. The sights are again excellent.They are combat style mounted indovetails and provide a large black,easy to see sight picture. The rear sightis “melted.” The test version came inthe matte finish which makes it a naturalfor packing in a Leather Arsenalinside the waistband holster.Of the three test guns, the Hawkhad the worst trigger pull at 8 pounds,which is way too heavy. Even so I managedto get some excellent groups withit. The best factory loads for the Hawkproved to be Black Hills 230 JHP +Pat 926 fps and the CCI Blazer 230 FMJat 888 fps. Both grouped into 11/2". Mytwo handloads with the RCBS #45-201also did well with groups at 13/4" or less.The Hawk retails for $594 in the testversion matte finish, and $625 with ahigh polish blue finish.Classic StyleThat brings us to the third test gun, the1911-A1. This is a basic matte-finishedGI-style .45 ACP with extended gripsafety and standard hammer and trigger.The sights are fixed, with a black squarenotch rear sight mated up with a slantedpost front sight, both of which combineto give an excellent sight picture. Theslide to frame finish is excellent with nodiscernible play whatsoever. The triggerpull at 63/4 pounds is the best of the three,however this is still too heavy. The sightswere right on the money for my eyes andhold, with the best factory groups running13/8" for five shots at 20 yards. Thiswas accomplished with both the BlackHills 230 FMJ at 880 fps and the Cor-Bon 200 JHP+P at 1,016 fps.The Iver Johnson 1911-A1 seems tobe an exceptional bargain at an MSRPof $532. The GI Commander version isdubbed the Trojan, and retails for $500.It appears Iver Johnson has done anexcellent job in coming up with a variedassortment of .45 ACPs at very affordableprices. They also offer .22 conversionunits for both the fullandCommander-sized .45s.*12/15/09 3:51:03 PMFor more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/productindex.htmlWWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 85
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Volume 34 • Number 2 • Issue 20
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