Carryconcealed.net Team takes the Thompson M1 to the range.

There were several models of the Thompson. They were the Model 1923, Model 1927, and the Model 1928. Army records indicate that Auto-Ordnance produced 847,991 Thompsons and Savage produced 539,143. After the war Savage produced 1,250,000 Thompsons. Auto-0rdanance serial numbers have an "AO" in the beginning while the Savage Thompsons have a "S" in the beginning of the serial numbers. All of these productions had 20 round box or "Stick" magazines.

Most GI’s loved their Thompson except the weight. It weighed in over 10 pounds just for the gun with out any ammunition. The new AR style guns weigh in at 7 pounds. Those additional 3 pounds is a lot when you are trying to walk around all day with the gun out in front of you.

The Thompson was later picked up by the Chicago Gang wars in the twenties and Gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran. This was one of the first weapons escalation problems in the United States. The Thompson Sub Machine Gun changed one man into the firepower of a small army. Some gangsters like John Dilinger used the Thompson as their personal calling card. It was a "Spray-and-Pray" approach to shooting. The model we were able to test on the range was the TM1. This is different from the original in that it has a longer barrel to pass the new ATF regulations and it is strictly a "Semi-Auto". This means that only one round will be fired when the trigger is pulled.

TM1

Suggested Retail $1,148

Caliber: .45

Magazine: 30 Round Stick

Barrel: 16 ½ smooth.

Weight: 11 ½ pounds.

Sight: Blade front, Fixed Battle Rear

Stock: Walnut fixed stock, horizontal foregrip.

*They are banned in CA and CT

Assisting with the test were some of our Carryconcealed.net law enforcement and military contributors. We also had two of our students that had just finished passing their test for CCW stay after class to shoot and watch some of the testing.

We had taken this to the range several times before and had jamming problems. We could only get one or two rounds off at any given time. After we were on the range the Sarge was getting frustrated and was about to spike the Tommy into the ground. We played with the different magazines and found the best one that worked. Scott one of our Law Enforcement advisors noticed that lubricating the magazines seemed to help as they were very old and may very well be the reason for the misfiring.

Above is the "Sarge" getting ready to "Spke the Thompson like a football". Below is Scott after getting some of the magazine issues moving.

When we did get longer groups to fire, we found that the Thompson with the longer barrel is very accurate. Pictured is the result of several of my shots to the head of the silhouette. After firing the Thompson and playing with it on the range we all have more respect for the single greatest generation that has ever lived. While we did not get to play with a real "Thompson", just playing with the Kahr Arms replica is a treat that every one should take advantage. We are going to get new magazines and see if that will help the dependability on our particular model that we tested. Until we get it were the gun works flawlessly, we as a team can not recommend this for defensive use. That would be a 0 out of 5 stars. For fun on the range and honoring our generations that have fought for our freedom it is a 5 out of 5 stars. Kahr Arms should be rewarded for keeping reproductions alive and available for US Citizens to purchase.

We are loosing our WWII Vets at an alarming rate. Take a moment when you see one, and hug a vet. Be sure and thank them for their service.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. Clark - Carryconcealed.net

http://www.auto-ordnance.com/