Auto Ordinance 1928A1 Thompson SMG 45ACP

This is an authentic unaltered WW2 Auto Ordinance 1928A1 Thompson Full Auto SMG 45ACP Serial # AO72335. This was an X Russian Lend Lease Thopmson SMG supplied to Russa and never shot until it was brought to New Zealand in the grease.  We cleaned up the stock and used Tung Oil on it and test fired it for functionality. Comes with one 30 round and one 40 round magazine. This was the best of al the Thompson SMG’s as it has adjustable sights, ribbed barrel with heat dissipation, compensator and could be used with any drum or box magazine. We also have a second one of these that is still in the grease has never been touched and the stock is as received from England X Russian.

This rifle is a restricted firearm and requires a collectors endorsement and a PTP to transfer.  Call us if you are intersted in the piece of WW2 history.

The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by the United States Army Brigadier general John T. Thompson in 1918. It was originally designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, but was not finished until after the war ended.

The Thompson saw early use by the United States Marine Corps during the Banana Wars, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Irish Republican Army, the Republic of China, and the FBI (following the Kansas City Massacre).

The Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as a signature weapon of various organized crime syndicates in the United States in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.

The Thompson was widely adopted by the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and was also used extensively by other Allied troops during the war. Its main models were designated as the M1928A1, M1 and M1A1 during this time. More than 1.5 million Thompson submachine guns were produced during World War II.

It is the first weapon to be labelled and marketed as a "submachine gun".

M1928A1

The M1928A1 variant entered mass production before the attack on Pearl Harbor, as on-hand stocks ran out. Changes included a horizontal forend, in place of the distinctive vertical foregrip ("pistol grip"), and a provision for a military sling. Despite new U.S. contracts for Lend-Lease shipments abroad to China, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as the needs of American armed forces, only two factories supplied M1928A1 Thompsons during the early years of World War II. Though it could use both the 50-round drum and the 20- or 30-round box magazines, active service favored the box magazines as the drums were more prone to jamming, rattled when moving, and were too heavy and bulky on long patrols. 562,511 were made. Wartime production variants had a fixed rear sight without the triangular sight guard wings and a non-ribbed barrel, both like those found on the M1/M1A1.