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Designed during World War I by General John T. Thompson, the Tommy gun was available in the caliber .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge, and was used by the U.S. Army and British Commandos through World War II. The means of operation is direct blow-back, although early models made use of the Blish lock, turning the mechanism into a delayed blow-back system. After WWII it saw limited service in Korea, and was carried unofficially by a smattering of soldiers in Vietnam.
The Thompson went through numerous changes while in military service during WWII, almost all directed at reducing its high cost and lengthy manufacturing time. It was eventually replaced mid-war with the M3 "Grease Gun".
In the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America č or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, it was used by law enforcement, most prominently the FBI, until 19761976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 12 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is s when it was declared obsolete. All Thompsons in government possession were destroyed, except for a few token museum pieces and training models. Owing to its gangster and WWII connections, Thompsons are highly sought after collector's items. An original 1928 gun in working condition can easily fetch $15,000. Semi-auto replicas are currently produced by the Auto-Ordnance Company, which is operated as a division of Kahr firearms.
Approx. 1,700,000 of these weapons were produced, 1,387,134 of them being part of the M1 series.
The original design, it is fashioned more like a sporting weapon. It was quite expensive with high quality wood and finely made parts.
The M1928 only differed slightly from the M1921, having a lower rate of fire due to its use of heavy actuaters and less powerful recoil springs.
The model available during the early years of WWII, the M1928A1 was faster and cheaper to manufacture than the M1928. The most visible difference between the two models is the removal of the vertical grip in favour of the horizontal one. Though the weapon could use both the 50 round drum as well as the 20 or 30 round magazines, it was found that the drums were more prone to jamming.
A result of further simplification to cut costs, the most notable difference between the M1 and the M1928A1 is the inability of the M1 to utilize the ammunition drum. The 30 round magazine was made at this time to compensate. It also has a permanently attached buttstock and was first issued in 1943.
Caliber: .45 ACP
Weight, empty: 4.78 kg
Barrel Length: 267 mm
Rate of Fire: 700 RPM
Capacity: 20/30 rounds box magazine