Thanks for watching guys! What is your favorite WW2 SMG? Let me know in the comments! Also let me know what other guns you’d like to see next! Thanks to Collectors Firearms for helping out with the video! You can check out their Facebook here: facebook.com/collectorsFirearms Thanks to SDI! Again, it’s SDI.edu for more info! T-Shirts/Merch: www.bunkerbranding.com/pages/ak-guy
It's amazing how changing just one thing can completely shift something's vibe. Thompson with a stick mag: WWII solder. Thompson with a drum mag: 1920's gangster.
@@damoclesecoe7184 the spicy side of this is that both types of gang members were considered nonwhite by the government in census data. there was actually a time where Italians and Irish were considered nonwhite.
This gun is the reason I exist. My grandfather was an RM Commando during WW2. One day, they were engaged, and defeated the enemy. As they moved forward, grandpa slapped a new mag in. But the gun double-fed. He slowed behind his squad while trying to fix it. They came over a small berm, and on the other side an MG nest opened up. Killed the men in front of grandpa, but as he was lagging behind he was slightly higher on the berm. They caught it in the torso, he got hit in the legs. Moments later, the MG nest was destroyed by a bunch of pissed off Commandos, and grandpa was evacuated.
All of my grandfathers and uncles fought In ww2, and I even got to spend some time with my great grandpa and great uncles who also fought in ww1 all of them but 1 committed suicide afterward.
@@Cody2nd sometimes the lucky ones paid more, my grandfather survived 3 missions behind enemy lines but he fought those same 3 over and over it took its toll over the years.
My grandfather became a State Trooper right in the era where they were phasing their Thompsons out ....they gave them offers to buy as many as they wanted for $75.... WHY that man who was a Green Beret and had experience using them didn't buy at least one drives me crazy at times...
If only all of our grandfathers had the power of hindsight. If I could invent a Time Machine, I would spend a week welding and fabricating the most sturdy time capsule I could, and I would fill it with the highest priced autos today. I would then teleport to the 60’s and register them, and then id come home and be absorbed in my collection. To hell with going back to make oil bids, I want relics baby.
The Thompson originally being designed in 1918 for the first World War really puts into perspective why it was so heavy and complex to produce compared to other submachine guns fielded in World War II. The guns from World War II that most of us think of as its "contemporaries" actually have some 20~ish years of development in the field of submachine gun design to benefit from. The Thompson had to make do with being a pioneer. It may have been expensive and unwieldy but it sure is a classy weapon that calls back to an older era of firearm design philosophy.
If I am not mistaken, the Thompson was the third or fourth model of sub machine gun being produced anywhere on the planet in any significant number, that goes to show how early of a gun it was! Of course it could be considered obsolete by the start of WW2, but it was what was available, so it just had to do until something better came along. It is pretty crazy to think that the Thompson is as heavy or even slightly heavier than an FG-42 and about the same weight as an STG-44.
Be a patriot, not a nationalist. A proud patriot will say "Hey, my country is great, come check it out!" As opposed to a nationalist, who will say "My country is better than yours, so stay away!" The patriot expects his country to be a shining example for others to aspire to. When the people in charge are being dumb, he's not afraid to stand up and say "Hey, stop being dumb! It's hurting people and making us look bad!" Also, a patriot knows the meaning behind his country's symbols and when and how to use them. A nationalist wraps himself in flags because has no personality beyond mindless worship of graven images.
@@DFloyd84 Charles de Gaulle's quote comes to mind: "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism when hate for people other than your own comes first"
@@DFloyd84That's largely a bit of cheap political "I get to make the definitions of things" tomfoolery (not from you, but from a lot of useless people). Let poli-sci majors get to decide definitions and you end up with a lot of goofy nonsense. Patriot and nationalist are both based on the same type of etymology and the descriptions you give are quite recent inventions that depend on some basically arbitrary reasoning. It is exactly as valid to define the terms in exactly the opposite fashion as what you describe (which is what makes any distinction arbitrary). Trying to sum up complicated political stances into single words is why I refer to poli-sci majors (no matter the level they eventually reach in the field) as useless people. It's almost as bad as the "political compass."
@@DFloyd84 Yeah these definitions kinda suck since there's a ton of exceptions. America is objectively better than every country in most ways, and that's nothing to be ashamed of it just means other countries need to step up and take some notes. And some people really do need to stay away from it (terrorists, commies, etc).
@@queuedjar4578 America is a great place, but it could be better. It could always be better. Not just for you, but for everyone else who lives in it. Regardless of the colour of their skin, the colour of their hair, or the pronouns they want you to use, they're still Americans, your neighbours, and deserve the best country they could have.
I’m glad Brandon is keeping his first campaign promise of not toning down his RUclips content in the slightest. This is how I wish all our politicians acted.
Because he's not a politician. I highly doubt anyone not in their cabal will actually get that far. As much as I'd like to see congressman Herrera I don't think they're gonna let that happen.
These fully automatic sub machine guns need to be on store shelves. Also, the guy who shot fjk was clearly standingnin the grass to the left of jackie as the limo drove passed the sign in the zapruder film. The moment the limi is behinf the sign and coming around it, a man comes into frame on the right side and hes standing in the grass clearly holding a pistol and shooting it. Then he slight of hands his pistol behind him, as hes clearly a trained assassin that made it look like his shooting was clapping and thats why no one noticed him in the film eventhough hes clearly 1 of the assassins who never got caught
@@boinkmcbingo8890 He does have the benefit of being part of a large conservative movement away from RINO's and the like to actual, legit conservatives who care about the constitution. Also, what you said really points to a need for civilian-owned arms. Authority is supposed to be derived from the consent of the governed, if the main system for the citizenry to revoke that consent (electing people out of office) doesn't work, there needs to be a fail-safe, or at the very least a legitimate threat of one.
I remember reading an interview in Soldier Of Fortune magazine many years ago where they interviewed Dale Dye about his time in Vietnam. He and his men came across some captured weapons one of which was a Thompson. He traded in his rifle for it and it became very useful for street fighting. It's one of his favourite guns.
@toolbaggers No. I meant to the end of the War in Europe. His unit had received orders to prepare for amphibious landing on Japan, but that A bombs ended the war fortunately.
Had a buddy who was national guard in the 80s and they still had grease guns. He left one on a tank track and it got run over. He turned it in and was told he would receive a bill. He was freaking out until he received the bill for like $20.
Built a clone in 9mm some years ago that uses a Soumi 72rd drum. Machined aluminum upper and lower that uses with AR fire control and turned and chambered a blank barrel. Still one of my favorite builds.
One of the coolest most recognizable gun silhouettes ever. Also funny production cycle with the blish-lock to „it’s useless and expensive, let’s just make it a regular blow back“
Now to be fair, Mr. Thompson initially went about the design with the intention of making this take rifle calibers, which is why he went through the process of getting permission to use the patented Blish lock. He figured the system would be enough to make full auto rifle fire controllable from the shoulder, and it was only when he was proven wrong did he change his design to accept .45 ACP.
@@benjaminshropshire2900 There were other mechanical designs back then that seemed like a good idea...but proved to be not what they thought they were. Take the 'Pederson Hesitation Lock'...which didn't work like they thought it did. Same goes for the Blish Lock.
I lived for a brief time with a veteran of the US Coast Guard, who used a Thompson of the type you featured in this video on a regular basis. He told me the best way to use it wasn't to actually shoulder the weapon, but to turn it on its side, shooting from the hip for traversing fire. He said it stitched as neat a line of holes in the side of a boat as you ever did see! Basically, one lets the recoil do the work of traversing the weapon, instead of your muscles; all you have to do it hold on.
My father was in the US Army from 1934-1956. He was a tank commander in WW2. He liked the Thompson, which were supplied to the tanks (Model 1928s at first). As much as he liked the Thompson, it was his opinion that the M3/M3A1 was a better gun _for the purpose._
@@nobodyherepal3292 Well, during that time period, yes. My father never went to Korea. After WW2 he was an instructor at Ft. Hood and Ft. Knox (where I was born) until he retired in 1956. He trained a lot of people who went to Korea. He began in the "Tank Corps" in the 1930s, was assigned to the 2nd Armored Div. when it was formed in 1940, went to North Africa and Sicily, then went to England where he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. He then fought with the 3rd AD (Spearhead) in Europe. He served in the occupation force until November, 1945 when the 3rd Armored was deactivated and he was back to the 2nd Armored at Ft. Hood. In 1947 he was again assigned to the re-activated 3rd Armored Division, headquartered at Ft. Knox. Throughout the Korean War, 3rd Armored was a "training division". 3rd Armored was reactivated as a "combat division" in 1955 and rotated in and out of Germany during the Cold War. Elvis Presley was in the 3rd Armored and _would have_ been trained by my father, but he came 2 years after my father retired. The 3rd Armored was again deactivated in 1992 after participating in "Desert Storm". The 1st Battalion, 33rd Armored Regiment my father was in in Europe and after WW2, is still active. Renamed the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment in 2005, it is part of the "rapid deployment force" of the 101st Airborne Division.
Ahh the Thompson. From the Gangster era of the 20s, to it's iconic use in WW2, to the mountains of Korea, and then being used by U.S. special forces and MACV-SOG members in secret missions across the fence in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. To quote the great Nick Brokhausen he'd go to the S3 shop and ask for a crate of Thompson's and all the ammo he could carry "When I felt a little belligerent that day." Honestly my constant ability to make SOG references in your videos is getting fun.
The rate of fire on your M1a1 Thompson is sick. Love that you decided to make a dedicated video about my favorite WW2 SMG. It's THE American SMG and it really brings me joy that you get to play with one and indulge us on the details and it's long history.
@@leonardusrakapradayan2253Oh yeah. All that and more. Shot both models, the gangsta Tommy is a dream to shoot and even shoot well. The M1 Thompson has a much harder recoil imo, and its at a weird cyclic rate where it’s too slow to aim accurately like the 1923, but too fast to aim like the M3. It just feels like they made it work good enough and started issuing them to officers and paratroopers.
I was a late in life child. My father was in the Pacific Theatre. He was a Sgt. with the Alamo scouts. They trained him on the Thompson. They showed him how to walk it up to the target. He said after a time. He got to where he could fire from the hip and make the meat puppets dance. Forward in time 1980. He got the use of a Thompson and showed me how to operate it. Showed me how to make that muzzle climb work to my benefit what a rush for an 18 y/o. Got a warm spot in my heart for one every since.
I came across a M1A1 when I was deployed to Bosnia in 2000. I was EOD and we were tasked with destroying captured weapons and ordnance. The Thompson was in our stash of things to be blown up. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I actually kept for about six months while in country. Got some weird looks when out on patrol but nobody ever really questions Bomb Techs. I did end up having to cut it with a linear shaped charge eventually though. 😢
@@BrandonHerrera I managed to get hands onto a lend lease m1a1. Was completely covered in cosmoline and came out untouched/scratch free. Blueing looks marvellous and the wood was still nice. Love the vid :)
I've shot a full auto thompson once, and it was an absolute blast. Even as a scrawny 140lb kid at the time I thought it was very controllable. Would love to afford one some day.
The M1A1 Thompson in a museum was the first gun I ever held. I remember holding it up but it was a struggle for 5 year old me, it felt like picking up a block of solid steel.
Whenever I hear M1A1 Thompson I immediately flash to Donald, Telly, and Clint standing off against the German tank at the end of _Kelly's Heroes._ Telly and Clint holding their Thompsons in the poses only they could pull off lol. Thanks for the history lesson Brandon! Edit to add: Hey, nice shout-out for Collector's! Grew up going there with dad :).
This episode and the Grease Gun episode are two of my favorites! Sorry,.. grew up around a lot of WW2 vets. The M1 Carbine used in the Pacific actually came home with several vets. I remember playing guns as a kid and a busted M1 was mine to play with as well as a Luger from the European side of the war. Will never forget how those operated. Very unique and for a guy growing up in the days of the original GI Joes,.. I was in gun heaven as a boy! Never got to actually shoot any of them but,.. yeah. There's that.
Haha that's sick , wish I could of played with those as a kid. My grandfather had an old 22 he took the bolt out off and thats what I would play guns with up in the woods
@@Nicklafuego Nice! Yeah,.. for us it was woods and an abandoned rock quarry. Later, that turned into BB Gun Wars! Oh did we have fun! I could have the worse BB Gun and still hit Jimmy in the forehead between the eyes every time, even on the run! Needless to say,.. we played a lot! 😁
My grandfather was a glider pilot and loved his Thompson mostly cause Jerry hated it, he said nothing better point to the left let her climb to the right. He always gave his to a infantry soldier on his way out as they were not able to get them. Said his supply Sargent was always amazed he lost every one issued him. Miss you grandpa 😢
One of uncles owns a Pearl registered M1A1 Thompson. He was excited for it until he found out that he couldn't use the drum magazines. He connoted a 30 round magazine and on the bottom, he machined a tower to accept a drum on the bottom. It worked pretty well actually after trial and error. I envy him despite that I own an SWD M/11 with a Lage. Good fun guns, thanks for doing this video.
Hey Brandon, good vid for me. I'm a 1979 USMC FORCE RECON Marine Raider, then SOC with the DOD as a scout sniper. But my step dad was an army Lt. Who carried the Thompson. He complained about the angle of the stock causing the weapon to kick up & right. Pop was on Normandy, won the Silver star for taking out 6 MG-42 Nests & several bunkers, & was also nominated for the CMH!!! He passed on about 20 years ago, & he was quite the hero, tho he would never accept credit for such. My brother was also an officer in the Army in Mobile artillery. My other brother was also in the Army as a grunt like me, (a pvt 1st class), but I made it to Sgt. Have 112 confirms & over 500 civ saves, with the DOD Joint Terrorism Task Force, & blessed to come home safely after most tours. God bless you for your run into Congress, (I'm supporting you tho I am not in Texas.) You are a hero to me too. & I am also an antique firearm collector, & WWI & WWII Collector as well. Will send you some pics when I can. I'm disabled now with chronic pain & PTSD. Thanks again Brandon!!! -Jim
Jim thank you for your service. My grandfather was like your pop and you a hero because they just were doing their duty for our country and claimed no more. I have always loved having veterans as patients and friends, have met some extraordinary men and women. SALUTE
I watched an interview of a Marine who fought in WWII talk about the Thompson. They somehow managed to get ahold of one for his squad and they were initially excited. That was until they had to start marching with it and then they mixed feelings about it. This thing was so heavy that they had to rotate which squad member carried it in between firefights, but when you needed to clear out bunkers and entrenched positions, this thing was the go to because it was easy to hip fire in sub 10 yard engagements
Fuddlore. Unloaded the M1 Garand weighed 9.5 lbs, the M1A1 thompson 10 lbs. The Thompson was never an official standard issue weapon in the USMC TO&E so was naturally rotated as a specialist weapon for CQB between troops. It was never regarded as "so heavy" that it had "had to be rotated". If that were true why didn't the squad "rotate" the 20lb BAR between men?
@@cattledog901 Yeah your take sounds a little more accurate. Marine fighting doctrine even kinda reversed itself with these automatic weapons. The standard tactic was to suppress an enemy position with automatic weapons and give the riflemen cover to flank, advance, clear out, then secure a position. Instead, the Marines opted to suppress with their rifles, then advanced their automatics (BAR, Thompson, Flamethrowers, probably even Browning .30 cal in some cases) to clear out a position. The BAR and Thompson definitely were a bit heavy especially compared to other weapons of WW2 in the same role, but obviously not enough that men decided against charging positions and blasting every moving thing one island at a time.
Me and my friends visited Collector’s Firearms once. The sheer amount of guns they have is INSANE. My favorite part is their room that has a huge rack of rifles from both world wars, including Lee Enfields, K98s, 1903s, Garands, Arisakas, and more from the great powers and minor countries alike!
Also during the 20s was the Appalachian Coal Wars where coal miners clashed with private detectives, and in some cases the US Military over workers rights. They were giving the government hell with only lever gats and shotguns, imagine what they could've done if they could've afforded and gotten ahold of Thompsons
@@crazychase98Probably could get acces to Maxim MGs too. With MGs you can make “kill zones” where you lure an enemy into them then open fire from multiple angles on the exposed enemy.
The Pinkerton's set up Maxims during the second battle of Blair Mt. They then used those along with a short aerial bombing campaign to fight/terrorize the miners and residents of the area. Even the local sherrifs department joined in fighting against the Pinkertons by the later stages.
@@crazychase98 the coal companies and private detectives (Baldwin Felts not Pinkertons) had access to machine guns. I know the picture you're referencing but the Union Miners were the assaulting force and did not have trenches or gun nests Could Brandon and Fat Electrician do a video on this already so much confusion and misinfo about it
The thompson, PPSH 41, and MP 40 have to be some of the best weapons of their time, and I would gladly use any if I had to. easy to take apart, easy to clean, easy to operate. perfect!
I would have to respectfully say the M3 Grease Gun would be the one to have back then. Outside of that, bar none I would take the Owen. It’s the most comfortable, the best cyclic, and the best economical option. I’m an American too! Thompson’s are ridiculously sweet, but they are unreasonably heavy. No matter how many times you read that they are heavy, you will definitely be shocked when you hold one for longer than 15 seconds. I can’t imagine humping one, hell I think they weighed loaded up close to the garand.
My father served in North Africa in the British 8th Army (Desert Rats) and he loved his 1928 Thompson. But then he was a huge Jimmy Cagney fan and loved gangster movies! He preferred the Thompson over the STEN, but thought the best SMG of the North African campaign was the Italian M38 *even* over the German MP40! Great video, thanks!
The reason why the stock feels odd is that it wasnt meant to be shouldered horizontally but at a downward angle because it was designed for trench sweeping
The "Blish Principle" turned out to not work at all. They originally thought it worked, but the gun was essentially operating as a direct blowback. The earlier models have the "Blish lock" in them. Identifiable as a weird, angled piece of brass. They finally figured out it didn't do anything, so the M1A1 that you have came out without the Blish lock, just a normal direct blowback.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to shoot one of these guns. I was surprised by the length of pull, and the weight really kept the recoil down on single shot. However, when I flipped it over to full auto, the recoil walked gun right off the top right edge of the target! I wasnt ready for the compounding recoil! Once i slowed everything down to 2-3 round bursts the gun started to show why everyone who used it liked it so much. Super controlled and accurate.
Having finally gotten a chance to hold a Thompson, I was shocked how heavy it was. No wonder there was a place for the Grease Gun and the M1 Carbine automatic. My dad carried one with a drum magazine. I can't imagine hauling that around Europe.
@@Lazare7782 Well the first version of MP5 was released in 1965, it's almost 60 years ago. So if a 65' Mustang is a classic American muscle car, the MP5 is a classic SMG by today's standards.
The Thompson is a classic. I would love to have one, because it would be cool. I never had the impression that they were practical, or functionally awesome, but just iconic.
As an NFA collector and owner of both an M1 and 1928 Thompson, I can confidently say they are extremely heavy and a bit of an ergonomic nightmare. The pistol grip being so far forward makes the length of pull feel obnoxiously long. While the downward sloped stock and high rate of fire causes a lot of unnecessary muzzle climb. However, they are DEFINITELY quite fun and iconic. My MP40 is definitely more controllable and user-friendly, but everyone just LOVES the Thompson. Bringing one to any range turns heads and gives you the ability to try/shoot anyone else's gun. Everybody wants to try the Thompson. (Though the 1921 bolt in the 28 is weirdly the most controllable, while the M1 is the least. I think it comes down to the weight of the bolt vs the receiver, as well as the compensator)
My first video of yours I saw was a video of you creating a Luty SMG. If you're down for more improvised firearms, I'd like to see you look through the TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook, a guide from the US Army on various improvised guns, and give some of those a shot. It even contains various safety precautions, which are pretty important when you're trying to make a gun out of metal pipes
Being a young kid in elementary playing cod ww2 games, medal of honor, watching saving private Ryan, band of brothers.. And play "army" in the woods with the other kids from the town. The Thompson M1A1 left an impression on me that I still have today, its still one of the prettiest firearms from any era in my opinion. It's arguably the gun that got me into guns from a very young age. (In a gun control country 😢)
i have to agree after playing CoD Big Red One during like elementary school the thompson was one of my favorites along with the m1 garand for obvious reasons PING!
The stupid high rate ones ran around 1000, I've heard that some of them got tampered with and could run hotter but that's an absurd amount of weight leaving the angry end. The muzzle rise is because it's getting light so fast you don't realize you're using too much strength to hold it up after a second or 2
Well, when you have 100 rounds, and don't expect a gunfight to last more than a few seconds, a minute "outside"... Who really cares how much ammo you throw at a time? The name of the game with full-auto (originally) was to sling as much metal into the air as you possibly could... When you're down to a 30 round magazine, it's a little difficult to justify running out of ammo in less than 5 seconds. Gangsters weren't trained... AND let's be honest, it's not the healthiest or wisest thing to try to tell the likes of Al Capone that he's doing it wrong... SO they stuck with the "old school" as it were at the time. More ammo and outpace your enemies at putting metal in the air... Even today, with no more than self defense 90% of my concern... It's exactly why I tend to believe more in an ordinary pump-action 12 Gauge versus most of the hardware on the street. You can have your Tech-9 with a drum-feed... I don't care. Every time you squeeze, that's ONE slug at me... Every time I squeeze I get 9 or more at you... see the balance? Statistical "brute force" DOES work. ;o)
I really like the 1928A1 Thompson and had a chance a while back to shoot one. Once you got over the "crap I'm trying to hold an anvil to my shoulder" sensation. It was remarkably easy to shoot even with the extra tonnage of the 100rnd drum. You hold onto the grip at the trigger tight. Front have a decent grip on, don't force it back into the shoulder. Let its own weight do the recoil absorption and it would chatter away happily with only mild bouncing but still more than enough control to chew out a double fist sized hole in the cardboard target. Would I take one if offered to be given? Yes, so fast lightning would be slow. Would I buy one now? I fear that I've got bills to pay that take precedent, but I can still dream. Brandon Herrera for speaker of the house!
Going thru Unit Armorer School back in the early 90s was a blast. I got to play with decades of weapons and the old WWII boom sticks were the best. Simple, rugged, they got the damn job DONE without any fancy bells and whistles. The M3 Grease gun took the cake, utterly grunt proof and you just stuck a finger in a hole to rack the bolt, lol. The Tommy was a beauty, again stupid simple, it did what it said on the tin, no questions asked. Stick mag not enough freedom seeds, get a drum, problem solved. Damn fine weapon, and in God's caliber too!
Wait what early example of trying not to offend people in the gun market while in the 1990's (80's?) Tanfoglio made a 10mm version of the "Witness" called hunter and literally in big letters put "WITNESS HUNTER" directly on the slide and sold it to the civilian market lol I've never seen one in person but I genuinely hope.i get to own one someday
You are in a mood today and I'm loving every minute of it! So nice to see a great video showcasing a great combination of classic American opinions and a classic American gun!
Was thinking that you might be so accustomed to shooting straight-stock tactical guns that you're instinctively dropping your head to sight and hence also moving the the stock down on your shoulder. I've always taken the purpose of straight stocks to be about minimising muzzle rise during rapid semi or full auto firing, not ergonomics (and they also happen to be needed for bullpup mechs), a 'traditional' dogleg stock is actually intended to make sighting easier - for single shots, hence hunting rifles and shotguns still use them.
Aspirational goal: re-design the "Blish-lock" system into a proper roller-delay or lever-delay system so you can take a couple pounds of the weight of the Tommy. Bonus points if that's compatible with a stamped sheet metal receiver with a trunion. It would be like a thompson had babies with an MP5.
There is really no reason the Thompson can't use a stamped receiver. If you look at it, it's just a rectangle with some cuts in it. It could 100% be a folded and welded or riveted design. You'd need to make a front trunnion of some kind for the barrel to attach to the stamped receiver and then either weld or rivet it in place. Really wouldn't be that hard and if I had to guess, some of the engineers at Savage probably considered it. Since they had already tooled up to make the milled version though, it didn't make sense to retool to make a totally different gun that worked the same way and sell it for less money. The Blish lock is already something of a friction delay system. It just points the wrong way to lock up to work like the Russian flapper lock. You'd need some way of pulling the Blish lock up out of its channel in the receiver, then once it moves, an operating rod could grab the bolt and cycle the gun. In fact, you could probably change the angle of the cuts on the Blish system to get it to impart more friction. It would be very sensitive to ammo types though so probably best to do it some other way. And the easiest way is just add mass to the bolt and go blowback.
Watching this video made me realize something.. I have never seen a Thompson disassembled in all my years of being a gun nerd. Thanks for inspiring me to do more research into older weapons!
My neighbor growing up survived D day because of his sergeant's Thompson, one of the first few troops on the beach he stormed towards a gun nest, well his sergeant opened fire from behind my neighbor, but pulled the trigger early shooting from the ground up to the nest, through my neighbor's ankle. He fell and rolled onto his back to not get trampled, just in time to see his savior riddled by enemy fire. The rest of his group was killed in that volley, he survived, and was discharged honorably with a purple heart. He named his son after his sergeant. Rest in peace Mr. C. Thank you for all your stories.
Great video! I love the Thompson and yes, i have shot one. I had an uncle who carried one on WW2 starting shortly before the Battle of the Bulge to wars end. He said yes, they were heavy and awkward to carry, but when you needed it, it was a comfort to have. 😊 God bless all here.
Years ago I got to have fun shooting one of the old M1921 Thompsons that my local police department still has. They also have an MP40 that was confiscated from a domestic violence so it was fun comparing how they fire.
I had a buddy who managed to get an M1. While I never got to fire it, he did let me handle it (unloaded). The charging "handle" (really, a shallow knob) was barely enough to hook your index finger onto, and the spring was really, really stout: it took me a few tries to find the best way to grip it to even be able to charge it. So, it surprised me at how effortlessly you were able to charge the one in the video.
Another nice video. I’ve only ever had the opportunity to shoot a semi auto version. They are heavy. I love that SDI is your sponsor. I drive by that place all the time. My friend’s kid took a bunch of classes there before he joined the Army. He’s sure got nice things to say about them.
I remember going to my grandfather’s in California one year for 4th of July right before he passed, and one thing led to another and he, my dad, and myself took a look at his gun collection in his garage where I got to hold a Thompson for the first time, drum mag and all. I never expected it to be 10lbs since I was young and saw gangster movies where are just swinging them around since they’re using props. I have no idea how he had that thing in California. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see him much since I live across the country in Alabama.
I went to a gun show at my brothers range about 20 years ago and there was a Thompson at one of the tables. I went to pick it up and it wouldn’t budge, I thought it was bolted to the table. It wasn’t, just heavy AF.
My uncle, Fred Scarpa 3rd Infantry, fought using the Thompson from north Africa, Sicily, Italy, Anzio, southern France and Germany. He loved it. A real American hero. RIP
You also made lend-lease Thompsons for Commonwealth countries, including the 1928 my father carried through Sicily and Italy. Dad loved it: it always worked.
Hi Brandon! If you see this comment, just wanna let you know I found your channel recently as I’m just getting into guns myself and I know practically nothing. But I wanted to let you know you make me laugh and I love your channel. I just bought my first gun and took a basic pistol course as well a CPL course. I’m super excited to be a part of the gun club. Good luck with your run for Congress! P. S. I am a 26 year old woman. So you’ve got at least one woman viewer lol 😂
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of gun history and odd-ball/unusual gun design i would suggest also watching Ian at the Forgotten Weapons channel, he goes into great detail on the development and mechanical aspects of the bangstick.
My DAD carried one in WW2, he was a truck driver for the red ball Express, he gave up his M-1 carbine and got his hands on a tomson, he loved it, he also carried a 1911 pistol, not to many people argued with him, great show you put on, i always enjoy your videos, Greg
I had the opportunity to shoot a Thompson years ago and I’ll never forget it. The muzzle rise was amazing. Brandon did a good job holding this one down👍👍
I remember reading a memoir from a USMC sniper in Vietnam who carried a tommy gun on a patrol. Ended up swapping it for a .308 M14 because the M14 was lighter to carry 😂
My dad had that Thompson in Korea with the Marines. He did two tours in Korea. Then he joined the Army and had three tours of Vietnam. He didn't get a Thompson in Vietnam. He said he only saw one in Vietnam and it was carried by a lieutenant Colonel. He said he really liked it.
I think that the Korean War was the best engagements for the Thompson! Just due to China's Strategy of sending in Massive Waves Of Troops in one engagement. The reason being is that China didn't have enough weapons to arm their Troops with. So they would send massive waves of Troops... Half were armed while the other half would follow behind and an armed soldier went down, the un armed one would pick up the weapon and continue the fight.
A collector showed me how he curved the stock and replaced the plate with one off an old hunting rifle, and used the stock pouch off an m1 carbine as a cheek rest, he put a pair of gloves in it to give it more padding. Pretty neat bubba solution to the ergonomics. It looked and felt like it belonged at first I didn't notice it until I shouldered it.
This gun is special to me, this might sound not true but it is, my dads father fought for Mexico in WW2 because me and all my dads side are all from Mexico and he had one of these when he was in war and he would talk abt how that gun saved his life. Idk if it’s been done or not but a modern Tommy gun would actually be super cool, like the classic one ofc is super cool but a modern one would be super cool.
Thompson was about $200 and the NFA tax stamp was also set at $200 so that if you wanted a Thompson you had to buy two to do it legally at the time. Also the NFA originally was going to have pistols on it but they decided against that, but not until after someone suggested short rifles and shotguns because what would stop someone from buying one of those and chopping it down to make a "pistol". Because, of course criminals are going to pay what is essentially $3k today to do these things.
Have you done a video on the BAR? Would love to see that. Especially would love to hear your takes on how heavy it was. And if you’re able to get a WW2 BAR ammo belt I would def recommend it. Wearing it will give you a whole new level of respect for how strong those men were during the war.
are you sure they were actually fielded? I think it was more "hey look at these cool old chests of WWII guns we don't have ammo for because we're a combloc country"
@bb5242 fair, however its 45 acp were talking about, not 556. Alot easier to get a pistol cartridge vs nato current stamdard rifle ammo as a combloc country for various reasons
@@bb5242 their been some report from the DPR and their militia until having use some, and their are alot of videos of both sides using weapons as old as the 1890s
I shot M1A1 once in my life and it was the best gun I ever held. Easy to use, precise and stable like a laser with the weight absorbing almost all the recoil. I frigging loved it
@BrandonHerrera Hey Mr. B, I just wanted to say, I appreciate the SDI information, and I thought it was hilarious that they have you has a recommendation under "AK Guy" because of you, I was able to kick off my journey into gunsmithing!
Thanks for watching guys! What is your favorite WW2 SMG? Let me know in the comments! Also let me know what other guns you’d like to see next!
Thanks to Collectors Firearms for helping out with the video! You can check out their Facebook here: facebook.com/collectorsFirearms
Thanks to SDI! Again, it’s SDI.edu for more info!
T-Shirts/Merch: www.bunkerbranding.com/pages/ak-guy
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
By far this is my favorite WW2 weapon in general
WhErE AK-50
Would be cool to see a HKG3 or HK417 on the channel.
Any TOOB that goes PEW PEW PEW 🗿
It's amazing how changing just one thing can completely shift something's vibe.
Thompson with a stick mag: WWII solder.
Thompson with a drum mag: 1920's gangster.
Considering how modern gang members are going around with glocks with those ridiculous drum mags, things haven't really changed much.
@@damoclesecoe7184 The more things change the more they stay the same.
Especially when you consider that in actual fact both used both!
@@Lazarus7000I’ve always read the military declined the drum mags…
@@damoclesecoe7184 the spicy side of this is that both types of gang members were considered nonwhite by the government in census data. there was actually a time where Italians and Irish were considered nonwhite.
When I held a Thompson IRL I didn't expect it to be so heavy
Pre throw away culture.
Same thing with an Uzi
Held one in Vietnam in 2003 and I had the same feeling.
True, it's around the same weight as an RPK machine gun.
If I recall correctly, it's 12 pounds. Good thing it's got a fast fire rate. Takes some weight off real quick
This gun is the reason I exist.
My grandfather was an RM Commando during WW2. One day, they were engaged, and defeated the enemy. As they moved forward, grandpa slapped a new mag in. But the gun double-fed. He slowed behind his squad while trying to fix it. They came over a small berm, and on the other side an MG nest opened up. Killed the men in front of grandpa, but as he was lagging behind he was slightly higher on the berm. They caught it in the torso, he got hit in the legs.
Moments later, the MG nest was destroyed by a bunch of pissed off Commandos, and grandpa was evacuated.
Thats one hell of a story mate. We are all here thanks to people like your grandpa.
All of my grandfathers and uncles fought In ww2, and I even got to spend some time with my great grandpa and great uncles who also fought in ww1 all of them but 1 committed suicide afterward.
@@Cody2nd sometimes the lucky ones paid more, my grandfather survived 3 missions behind enemy lines but he fought those same 3 over and over it took its toll over the years.
I hope he didn’t suffer from the guilty PTSD of “why then and not me” 😢
Glad you exist and glad your grampa was brave!
My dad was issued a Thompson back in Yugoslavia. I always wondered why his forearms are so beefy and strong. Now I understand.
Well we Yugoslavs tend to be big like that, a lot of the men in my Slovenian family are like that too
Your dad put in work, now go get those Serbs👉
@@jeanvaljean341 😂 agree💯
That's not from the Thompson. That's from the "blowback in the rack" during down time.
Pretty sure my M4 in Iraq, with PEQ15, ACOG, and Halo suppressor weighed about the same as this
My grandfather became a State Trooper right in the era where they were phasing their Thompsons out ....they gave them offers to buy as many as they wanted for $75.... WHY that man who was a Green Beret and had experience using them didn't buy at least one drives me crazy at times...
If only all of our grandfathers had the power of hindsight. If I could invent a Time Machine, I would spend a week welding and fabricating the most sturdy time capsule I could, and I would fill it with the highest priced autos today. I would then teleport to the 60’s and register them, and then id come home and be absorbed in my collection. To hell with going back to make oil bids, I want relics baby.
Unfortunately, no one has time machine, otherwise things would be so different.
Probably BECAUSE he had experience using them lol
PTSD…
The Thompson originally being designed in 1918 for the first World War really puts into perspective why it was so heavy and complex to produce compared to other submachine guns fielded in World War II. The guns from World War II that most of us think of as its "contemporaries" actually have some 20~ish years of development in the field of submachine gun design to benefit from. The Thompson had to make do with being a pioneer.
It may have been expensive and unwieldy but it sure is a classy weapon that calls back to an older era of firearm design philosophy.
I am simple man, I see wood gun, I get wood gun.
Simple as
If I am not mistaken, the Thompson was the third or fourth model of sub machine gun being produced anywhere on the planet in any significant number, that goes to show how early of a gun it was!
Of course it could be considered obsolete by the start of WW2, but it was what was available, so it just had to do until something better came along.
It is pretty crazy to think that the Thompson is as heavy or even slightly heavier than an FG-42 and about the same weight as an STG-44.
It's such a joy to hear someone say "I'm proud to be an American."
Be a patriot, not a nationalist.
A proud patriot will say "Hey, my country is great, come check it out!" As opposed to a nationalist, who will say "My country is better than yours, so stay away!"
The patriot expects his country to be a shining example for others to aspire to. When the people in charge are being dumb, he's not afraid to stand up and say "Hey, stop being dumb! It's hurting people and making us look bad!"
Also, a patriot knows the meaning behind his country's symbols and when and how to use them. A nationalist wraps himself in flags because has no personality beyond mindless worship of graven images.
@@DFloyd84 Charles de Gaulle's quote comes to mind: "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism when hate for people other than your own comes first"
@@DFloyd84That's largely a bit of cheap political "I get to make the definitions of things" tomfoolery (not from you, but from a lot of useless people). Let poli-sci majors get to decide definitions and you end up with a lot of goofy nonsense. Patriot and nationalist are both based on the same type of etymology and the descriptions you give are quite recent inventions that depend on some basically arbitrary reasoning.
It is exactly as valid to define the terms in exactly the opposite fashion as what you describe (which is what makes any distinction arbitrary). Trying to sum up complicated political stances into single words is why I refer to poli-sci majors (no matter the level they eventually reach in the field) as useless people. It's almost as bad as the "political compass."
@@DFloyd84 Yeah these definitions kinda suck since there's a ton of exceptions. America is objectively better than every country in most ways, and that's nothing to be ashamed of it just means other countries need to step up and take some notes. And some people really do need to stay away from it (terrorists, commies, etc).
@@queuedjar4578 America is a great place, but it could be better. It could always be better. Not just for you, but for everyone else who lives in it. Regardless of the colour of their skin, the colour of their hair, or the pronouns they want you to use, they're still Americans, your neighbours, and deserve the best country they could have.
I’m glad Brandon is keeping his first campaign promise of not toning down his RUclips content in the slightest. This is how I wish all our politicians acted.
Because he's not a politician. I highly doubt anyone not in their cabal will actually get that far. As much as I'd like to see congressman Herrera I don't think they're gonna let that happen.
Us Texans are voting for him. Tony Gonzales has a lot to answer for.@@boinkmcbingo8890
These fully automatic sub machine guns need to be on store shelves. Also, the guy who shot fjk was clearly standingnin the grass to the left of jackie as the limo drove passed the sign in the zapruder film. The moment the limi is behinf the sign and coming around it, a man comes into frame on the right side and hes standing in the grass clearly holding a pistol and shooting it. Then he slight of hands his pistol behind him, as hes clearly a trained assassin that made it look like his shooting was clapping and thats why no one noticed him in the film eventhough hes clearly 1 of the assassins who never got caught
@@boinkmcbingo8890 not with that attituded, dude
@@boinkmcbingo8890 He does have the benefit of being part of a large conservative movement away from RINO's and the like to actual, legit conservatives who care about the constitution.
Also, what you said really points to a need for civilian-owned arms. Authority is supposed to be derived from the consent of the governed, if the main system for the citizenry to revoke that consent (electing people out of office) doesn't work, there needs to be a fail-safe, or at the very least a legitimate threat of one.
I remember reading an interview in Soldier Of Fortune magazine many years ago where they interviewed Dale Dye about his time in Vietnam. He and his men came across some captured weapons one of which was a Thompson. He traded in his rifle for it and it became very useful for street fighting. It's one of his favourite guns.
Something about the old school WWII firearms gets me. They just look so good and unique
Yeah it's much older than WW2.
@@Astorath_the_GrimYou must be fun at parties.. and you know what he means.
@@Astorath_the_Grim”Alschuallyy” 🤓🤓
@@Astorath_the_Grim Bro couldnt help but to correct correct people. How bout you hop off that high horse Napolean ;)
It looks like demolition ranch!
"Keep your hands up" all the way to the Congress!
The Thompson was my Dad's weapon in WW2. He absolutely loved it. He fought from N Africa right through to the end.
So also fought in the pacific?
@toolbaggers No. I meant to the end of the War in Europe. His unit had received orders to prepare for amphibious landing on Japan, but that A bombs ended the war fortunately.
@@williamford8566probably fortunate in his mind and hundreds of thousands of other boys who got to come home
My great-grandfather would have hated the Thompson if he'd ever seen one.
(Un)fortunately, he never did because he never left the eastern front.
@@lonelystrategos Why? Was he on the German side?
Had a buddy who was national guard in the 80s and they still had grease guns. He left one on a tank track and it got run over. He turned it in and was told he would receive a bill. He was freaking out until he received the bill for like $20.
Built a clone in 9mm some years ago that uses a Soumi 72rd drum. Machined aluminum upper and lower that uses with AR fire control and turned and chambered a blank barrel. Still one of my favorite builds.
You have my respect sir
Id like to see that 😮
Any chance you still have the blueprints?
@@DontWatchAdsJustRefresh ruclips.net/user/shortsDEKAwbhQ098?feature=share
@@prestonsamson3674 Should still have the cad model. I will upload it to grabcad soon.
One of the coolest most recognizable gun silhouettes ever. Also funny production cycle with the blish-lock to „it’s useless and expensive, let’s just make it a regular blow back“
Now to be fair, Mr. Thompson initially went about the design with the intention of making this take rifle calibers, which is why he went through the process of getting permission to use the patented Blish lock. He figured the system would be enough to make full auto rifle fire controllable from the shoulder, and it was only when he was proven wrong did he change his design to accept .45 ACP.
Also turns about that "useless" in that context has the same meaning as "snake oil to the point of having exactly zero basis in reality".
More like “we need to simplify this for mass production”
and then comes the m3 grease gun. i wonder if the m3 could use thompson mags...
@@benjaminshropshire2900 There were other mechanical designs back then that seemed like a good idea...but proved to be not what they thought they were. Take the 'Pederson Hesitation Lock'...which didn't work like they thought it did. Same goes for the Blish Lock.
I lived for a brief time with a veteran of the US Coast Guard, who used a Thompson of the type you featured in this video on a regular basis. He told me the best way to use it wasn't to actually shoulder the weapon, but to turn it on its side, shooting from the hip for traversing fire. He said it stitched as neat a line of holes in the side of a boat as you ever did see! Basically, one lets the recoil do the work of traversing the weapon, instead of your muscles; all you have to do it hold on.
My father was in the US Army from 1934-1956. He was a tank commander in WW2. He liked the Thompson, which were supplied to the tanks (Model 1928s at first). As much as he liked the Thompson, it was his opinion that the M3/M3A1 was a better gun _for the purpose._
Totally get that, probably one of few instances where I would rather have the M3 instead of the Tommy
@@mickeydee9069 when you think about it, the M3 is kinda a Thompson, but easier to move around with and use in tight spaces, so perfect for Tank Crew.
Man, he was in WW2 and Korea?
@@nobodyherepal3292 Well, during that time period, yes. My father never went to Korea.
After WW2 he was an instructor at Ft. Hood and Ft. Knox (where I was born) until he retired in 1956.
He trained a lot of people who went to Korea.
He began in the "Tank Corps" in the 1930s, was assigned to the 2nd Armored Div. when it was formed in 1940, went to North Africa and Sicily, then went to England where he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. He then fought with the 3rd AD (Spearhead) in Europe.
He served in the occupation force until November, 1945 when the 3rd Armored was deactivated and he was back to the 2nd Armored at Ft. Hood. In 1947 he was again assigned to the re-activated 3rd Armored Division, headquartered at Ft. Knox.
Throughout the Korean War, 3rd Armored was a "training division". 3rd Armored was reactivated as a "combat division" in 1955 and rotated in and out of Germany during the Cold War. Elvis Presley was in the 3rd Armored and _would have_ been trained by my father, but he came 2 years after my father retired.
The 3rd Armored was again deactivated in 1992 after participating in "Desert Storm".
The 1st Battalion, 33rd Armored Regiment my father was in in Europe and after WW2, is still active. Renamed the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment in 2005, it is part of the "rapid deployment force" of the 101st Airborne Division.
When Brandon’s catalog is so large he can pull back memes from his own videos. Just nice to see how much he’s done and keeps doing.
Ahh the Thompson. From the Gangster era of the 20s, to it's iconic use in WW2, to the mountains of Korea, and then being used by U.S. special forces and MACV-SOG members in secret missions across the fence in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. To quote the great Nick Brokhausen he'd go to the S3 shop and ask for a crate of Thompson's and all the ammo he could carry "When I felt a little belligerent that day." Honestly my constant ability to make SOG references in your videos is getting fun.
The rate of fire on your M1a1 Thompson is sick. Love that you decided to make a dedicated video about my favorite WW2 SMG. It's THE American SMG and it really brings me joy that you get to play with one and indulge us on the details and it's long history.
The rate of fire on them things is like... 800-900 depending on what you did to it. It really is a masterpiece of engineering.
@@BullsMahunnywasn't the original 1928 model running at 1200?
@@leonardusrakapradayan2253Oh yeah. All that and more. Shot both models, the gangsta Tommy is a dream to shoot and even shoot well. The M1 Thompson has a much harder recoil imo, and its at a weird cyclic rate where it’s too slow to aim accurately like the 1923, but too fast to aim like the M3. It just feels like they made it work good enough and started issuing them to officers and paratroopers.
I was a late in life child. My father was in the Pacific Theatre. He was a Sgt. with the Alamo scouts. They trained him on the Thompson. They showed him how to walk it up to the target. He said after a time. He got to where he could fire from the hip and make the meat puppets dance. Forward in time 1980. He got the use of a Thompson and showed me how to operate it. Showed me how to make that muzzle climb work to my benefit what a rush for an 18 y/o. Got a warm spot in my heart for one every since.
I came across a M1A1 when I was deployed to Bosnia in 2000. I was EOD and we were tasked with destroying captured weapons and ordnance. The Thompson was in our stash of things to be blown up. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I actually kept for about six months while in country. Got some weird looks when out on patrol but nobody ever really questions Bomb Techs. I did end up having to cut it with a linear shaped charge eventually though. 😢
crazy it stayed there for 55 years to be destroyed like that
Took this long to do a video on a Thompson? Brandon the internet explorer of gun tubers
Literally did the Commie Tommy before the OG Thompson. Insane.
Fudd busters had the best Thompson review
To be fair, I’ve featured full auto thompsons on the channel like 3 times in the past, just didn’t own one until now 😂
I mean, you’re right, but damn that was harsh.
@@BrandonHerrera I managed to get hands onto a lend lease m1a1. Was completely covered in cosmoline and came out untouched/scratch free. Blueing looks marvellous and the wood was still nice. Love the vid :)
I've shot a full auto thompson once, and it was an absolute blast. Even as a scrawny 140lb kid at the time I thought it was very controllable. Would love to afford one some day.
The M1A1 Thompson in a museum was the first gun I ever held. I remember holding it up but it was a struggle for 5 year old me, it felt like picking up a block of solid steel.
Whenever I hear M1A1 Thompson I immediately flash to Donald, Telly, and Clint standing off against the German tank at the end of _Kelly's Heroes._ Telly and Clint holding their Thompsons in the poses only they could pull off lol. Thanks for the history lesson Brandon!
Edit to add: Hey, nice shout-out for Collector's! Grew up going there with dad :).
This episode and the Grease Gun episode are two of my favorites!
Sorry,.. grew up around a lot of WW2 vets. The M1 Carbine used in the Pacific actually came home with several vets. I remember playing guns as a kid and a busted M1 was mine to play with as well as a Luger from the European side of the war. Will never forget how those operated. Very unique and for a guy growing up in the days of the original GI Joes,.. I was in gun heaven as a boy! Never got to actually shoot any of them but,.. yeah. There's that.
Haha that's sick , wish I could of played with those as a kid. My grandfather had an old 22 he took the bolt out off and thats what I would play guns with up in the woods
@@Nicklafuego Nice! Yeah,.. for us it was woods and an abandoned rock quarry. Later, that turned into BB Gun Wars! Oh did we have fun! I could have the worse BB Gun and still hit Jimmy in the forehead between the eyes every time, even on the run! Needless to say,.. we played a lot! 😁
From the hands of villains to the hands of the heroes, the Thompson has become one of the most iconic weapons to ever exist.
Speak for yourself, i think the mob was based af
Oh sweet we calling out the FBI?
@@maxmachac9756I’m no Fed, but I’m no fan of the mob either. They’re all just a bunch of Crooks.
Hero/villain could be the same person. It's all a matter of perspective.
Read that in Ahoys voice.
My grandfather was a glider pilot and loved his Thompson mostly cause Jerry hated it, he said nothing better point to the left let her climb to the right. He always gave his to a infantry soldier on his way out as they were not able to get them. Said his supply Sargent was always amazed he lost every one issued him. Miss you grandpa 😢
Your grandfather sounds like a truly awesome man!
One of uncles owns a Pearl registered M1A1 Thompson. He was excited for it until he found out that he couldn't use the drum magazines. He connoted a 30 round magazine and on the bottom, he machined a tower to accept a drum on the bottom. It worked pretty well actually after trial and error. I envy him despite that I own an SWD M/11 with a Lage. Good fun guns, thanks for doing this video.
I've been a customer of Collector's Firearms for years and it makes me proud to hear them get promoted on one of the biggest gun channels on RUclips.
Hey Brandon, good vid for me. I'm a 1979 USMC FORCE RECON Marine Raider, then SOC with the DOD as a scout sniper. But my step dad was an army Lt. Who carried the Thompson. He complained about the angle of the stock causing the weapon to kick up & right. Pop was on Normandy, won the Silver star for taking out 6 MG-42 Nests & several bunkers, & was also nominated for the CMH!!! He passed on about 20 years ago, & he was quite the hero, tho he would never accept credit for such. My brother was also an officer in the Army in Mobile artillery. My other brother was also in the Army as a grunt like me, (a pvt 1st class), but I made it to Sgt. Have 112 confirms & over 500 civ saves, with the DOD Joint Terrorism Task Force, & blessed to come home safely after most tours.
God bless you for your run into Congress, (I'm supporting you tho I am not in Texas.) You are a hero to me too. & I am also an antique firearm collector, & WWI & WWII Collector as well. Will send you some pics when I can. I'm disabled now with chronic pain & PTSD. Thanks again Brandon!!! -Jim
Jim thank you for your service. My grandfather was like your pop and you a hero because they just were doing their duty for our country and claimed no more. I have always loved having veterans as patients and friends, have met some extraordinary men and women. SALUTE
Firing an original Thompson is a core memory for me. The BAR as well. Love the sound of an open bolt automatic.
I watched an interview of a Marine who fought in WWII talk about the Thompson. They somehow managed to get ahold of one for his squad and they were initially excited. That was until they had to start marching with it and then they mixed feelings about it. This thing was so heavy that they had to rotate which squad member carried it in between firefights, but when you needed to clear out bunkers and entrenched positions, this thing was the go to because it was easy to hip fire in sub 10 yard engagements
The Marines originally had Reising sub-guns which could not handle the jungle, so they were tickled to get Thompsons and carbines.
The BAR has entered the chat
Fuddlore. Unloaded the M1 Garand weighed 9.5 lbs, the M1A1 thompson 10 lbs. The Thompson was never an official standard issue weapon in the USMC TO&E so was naturally rotated as a specialist weapon for CQB between troops. It was never regarded as "so heavy" that it had "had to be rotated". If that were true why didn't the squad "rotate" the 20lb BAR between men?
I'm calling fudd lore as well. Audie Murphy's little ass cleaned plenty of house with it. It couldn't have been too unwieldy.
@@cattledog901 Yeah your take sounds a little more accurate. Marine fighting doctrine even kinda reversed itself with these automatic weapons. The standard tactic was to suppress an enemy position with automatic weapons and give the riflemen cover to flank, advance, clear out, then secure a position. Instead, the Marines opted to suppress with their rifles, then advanced their automatics (BAR, Thompson, Flamethrowers, probably even Browning .30 cal in some cases) to clear out a position. The BAR and Thompson definitely were a bit heavy especially compared to other weapons of WW2 in the same role, but obviously not enough that men decided against charging positions and blasting every moving thing one island at a time.
Me and my friends visited Collector’s Firearms once. The sheer amount of guns they have is INSANE. My favorite part is their room that has a huge rack of rifles from both world wars, including Lee Enfields, K98s, 1903s, Garands, Arisakas, and more from the great powers and minor countries alike!
Also during the 20s was the Appalachian Coal Wars where coal miners clashed with private detectives, and in some cases the US Military over workers rights. They were giving the government hell with only lever gats and shotguns, imagine what they could've done if they could've afforded and gotten ahold of Thompsons
They had a few 30 cals
@@crazychase98Probably could get acces to Maxim MGs too.
With MGs you can make “kill zones” where you lure an enemy into them then open fire from multiple angles on the exposed enemy.
The Pinkerton's set up Maxims during the second battle of Blair Mt. They then used those along with a short aerial bombing campaign to fight/terrorize the miners and residents of the area. Even the local sherrifs department joined in fighting against the Pinkertons by the later stages.
@@crazychase98 the coal companies and private detectives (Baldwin Felts not Pinkertons) had access to machine guns. I know the picture you're referencing but the Union Miners were the assaulting force and did not have trenches or gun nests
Could Brandon and Fat Electrician do a video on this already so much confusion and misinfo about it
@TheBestVirginian still pretty wild either way
The thompson, PPSH 41, and MP 40 have to be some of the best weapons of their time, and I would gladly use any if I had to. easy to take apart, easy to clean, easy to operate. perfect!
Owen gun and sten
Also I would imagine a slower rate of fire like an mp40 would be more manageable than some or most modern options.
I would have to respectfully say the M3 Grease Gun would be the one to have back then. Outside of that, bar none I would take the Owen. It’s the most comfortable, the best cyclic, and the best economical option. I’m an American too! Thompson’s are ridiculously sweet, but they are unreasonably heavy. No matter how many times you read that they are heavy, you will definitely be shocked when you hold one for longer than 15 seconds. I can’t imagine humping one, hell I think they weighed loaded up close to the garand.
Also, it goes without saying, the AK-47. But of course I'm a bit biased as I finally was able to own one.😁
The Best weapons of WW2 were as follows:
Handgun: Tokarev TT-33
Sub Machine Gun: Beretta M38A
Shotgun: Winchester M1912 Riot
Bolt-action rifle: Carcano Mod.38 in 7.35mm
Auto-loading rifle: SVT-40
Intermediate rifle: StG-44
Light Machine Gun: Colt Monitor
Medium Machine Gun: MG-42
Heavy Machine Gun: Browning M2HB
Plane: P-51 Mustang
Tank: M4A3E2 Jumbo
Nuke: Fat Man
My father served in North Africa in the British 8th Army (Desert Rats) and he loved his 1928 Thompson. But then he was a huge Jimmy Cagney fan and loved gangster movies! He preferred the Thompson over the STEN, but thought the best SMG of the North African campaign was the Italian M38 *even* over the German MP40! Great video, thanks!
Must’ve been cool being able to buy one over the counter at Sears with no background check for $200. Back when America was America.
You mean I can get tools to build a home, fill it with utilities, and protect it all from one store ? And now we have Aldi ...
Over the counter? You ordered it from a paper catalogue, and they dropped it off on your porch like ordering a bauble on Amazon.
@@0scNeu Especially if you got your 'servants' to do all the work.
The reason why the stock feels odd is that it wasnt meant to be shouldered horizontally but at a downward angle because it was designed for trench sweeping
Didn't some of the early variants/prototypes not even include a stock?
@@halo0222i believe it was the first prototype didn't have a stock
@@halo0222 The Annihilator.
The "Blish Principle" turned out to not work at all.
They originally thought it worked, but the gun was essentially operating as a direct blowback.
The earlier models have the "Blish lock" in them.
Identifiable as a weird, angled piece of brass.
They finally figured out it didn't do anything, so the M1A1 that you have came out without the Blish lock, just a normal direct blowback.
That was my dad's issued weapon in WWII. He was rated "expert" with it. 😊
Did he fight in the Pacific?
@@Sidney40403 No. He was in North Africa and Italy.
So you’re in your 80’s now…. And using RUclips?
@@colt10mmsecurity68bros just old he ain’t dead 😂
@colt10mmsecurity68 Not quite. I'm in my 60's. And yes, the boomers know how to use our smartphones. 🤯
I was lucky enough to get a chance to shoot one of these guns. I was surprised by the length of pull, and the weight really kept the recoil down on single shot. However, when I flipped it over to full auto, the recoil walked gun right off the top right edge of the target! I wasnt ready for the compounding recoil! Once i slowed everything down to 2-3 round bursts the gun started to show why everyone who used it liked it so much. Super controlled and accurate.
My dad said the same thing, full auto you end up shooting the ceiling. And its really heavy, too
Having finally gotten a chance to hold a Thompson, I was shocked how heavy it was. No wonder there was a place for the Grease Gun and the M1 Carbine automatic.
My dad carried one with a drum magazine. I can't imagine hauling that around Europe.
This has to be my favorite submachine gun of all time. It is the true classic.
There's so many good ones though. MP40, PPSH, MP5... the list goes on
@@102ndsmirnov7mp5 is a classic? What
@@Lazare7782it's a modern classic, not a WW2 classic.
@@Lazare7782 Well the first version of MP5 was released in 1965, it's almost 60 years ago. So if a 65' Mustang is a classic American muscle car, the MP5 is a classic SMG by today's standards.
@@Dudi4PoLFr fair enough, but all the other guns were from world war 2 era, so a gun 20 years after the war seems a little weird on that list
The Thompson is a classic. I would love to have one, because it would be cool. I never had the impression that they were practical, or functionally awesome, but just iconic.
45 acp is always practical. When it runs, it's bad ass.
As an NFA collector and owner of both an M1 and 1928 Thompson, I can confidently say they are extremely heavy and a bit of an ergonomic nightmare. The pistol grip being so far forward makes the length of pull feel obnoxiously long. While the downward sloped stock and high rate of fire causes a lot of unnecessary muzzle climb. However, they are DEFINITELY quite fun and iconic. My MP40 is definitely more controllable and user-friendly, but everyone just LOVES the Thompson. Bringing one to any range turns heads and gives you the ability to try/shoot anyone else's gun. Everybody wants to try the Thompson. (Though the 1921 bolt in the 28 is weirdly the most controllable, while the M1 is the least. I think it comes down to the weight of the bolt vs the receiver, as well as the compensator)
@@dark2023-1lovesoni I would definitely be one of those people wanting to shoot the Thompson.
My first video of yours I saw was a video of you creating a Luty SMG. If you're down for more improvised firearms, I'd like to see you look through the TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook, a guide from the US Army on various improvised guns, and give some of those a shot. It even contains various safety precautions, which are pretty important when you're trying to make a gun out of metal pipes
Being a young kid in elementary playing cod ww2 games, medal of honor, watching saving private Ryan, band of brothers..
And play "army" in the woods with the other kids from the town.
The Thompson M1A1 left an impression on me that I still have today, its still one of the prettiest firearms from any era in my opinion.
It's arguably the gun that got me into guns from a very young age.
(In a gun control country 😢)
It's a tad expensive, but there's always the opportunity to visit Knob Creek, Kentucky... You can still scratch that itch... ;o)
i have to agree after playing CoD Big Red One during like elementary school the thompson was one of my favorites along with the m1 garand for obvious reasons PING!
Elementary school! We're your parents paying no attention to what you watched and gamed?!
@@1badombre82Helicopter parenting is dangerous. You raise your kids weak. Let others raise theirs. Smh
@@returningfire5156 I've been smart enough to not have kids. Putting a condom on is a lot easier than changing a diaper
Now you NEED to do a video on the BAR to complete the WWII US arsenal!
Part of what made this gun so recognizable is its use in movies set before the 1960's. With, yes, thousand bullet magazines.
The crazy thing about the cyclic rate of the M1 variants is that, as fast as it is, it's only about half the rate of the early m1921 variants.
So they probably made the bolt heavier.
Yeah 1200 rounds a minute at .45 acp sounds insane.
No wonder they didn't want them in the hands of gangsters.
The stupid high rate ones ran around 1000, I've heard that some of them got tampered with and could run hotter but that's an absurd amount of weight leaving the angry end. The muzzle rise is because it's getting light so fast you don't realize you're using too much strength to hold it up after a second or 2
@@SleepySlannand thanks to those clowns and politicians they’re the reason why we can’t have nice things.
Well, when you have 100 rounds, and don't expect a gunfight to last more than a few seconds, a minute "outside"... Who really cares how much ammo you throw at a time? The name of the game with full-auto (originally) was to sling as much metal into the air as you possibly could...
When you're down to a 30 round magazine, it's a little difficult to justify running out of ammo in less than 5 seconds.
Gangsters weren't trained... AND let's be honest, it's not the healthiest or wisest thing to try to tell the likes of Al Capone that he's doing it wrong... SO they stuck with the "old school" as it were at the time. More ammo and outpace your enemies at putting metal in the air...
Even today, with no more than self defense 90% of my concern... It's exactly why I tend to believe more in an ordinary pump-action 12 Gauge versus most of the hardware on the street. You can have your Tech-9 with a drum-feed... I don't care. Every time you squeeze, that's ONE slug at me... Every time I squeeze I get 9 or more at you... see the balance? Statistical "brute force" DOES work. ;o)
I really like the 1928A1 Thompson and had a chance a while back to shoot one. Once you got over the "crap I'm trying to hold an anvil to my shoulder" sensation. It was remarkably easy to shoot even with the extra tonnage of the 100rnd drum. You hold onto the grip at the trigger tight. Front have a decent grip on, don't force it back into the shoulder. Let its own weight do the recoil absorption and it would chatter away happily with only mild bouncing but still more than enough control to chew out a double fist sized hole in the cardboard target.
Would I take one if offered to be given? Yes, so fast lightning would be slow. Would I buy one now? I fear that I've got bills to pay that take precedent, but I can still dream.
Brandon Herrera for speaker of the house!
Going thru Unit Armorer School back in the early 90s was a blast. I got to play with decades of weapons and the old WWII boom sticks were the best. Simple, rugged, they got the damn job DONE without any fancy bells and whistles. The M3 Grease gun took the cake, utterly grunt proof and you just stuck a finger in a hole to rack the bolt, lol. The Tommy was a beauty, again stupid simple, it did what it said on the tin, no questions asked. Stick mag not enough freedom seeds, get a drum, problem solved. Damn fine weapon, and in God's caliber too!
Fun fact: the Thompson was also originally called "The Annihilator" but was changed post WWI to make it more marketable to civilians.
Wait what early example of trying not to offend people in the gun market while in the 1990's (80's?) Tanfoglio made a 10mm version of the "Witness" called hunter and literally in big letters put "WITNESS HUNTER" directly on the slide and sold it to the civilian market lol I've never seen one in person but I genuinely hope.i get to own one someday
I’m an old combat Veteran, and I really appreciate you sharing these videos
Thank you for your service sir
When I picked up a Thompson, I expected it to be somewhere around 5-6lbs, kinda like the MP5 or MP7, but I was surprised by the ~14 lbs weight
Brandon you and your team are killing it this week!
You are in a mood today and I'm loving every minute of it! So nice to see a great video showcasing a great combination of classic American opinions and a classic American gun!
Was thinking that you might be so accustomed to shooting straight-stock tactical guns that you're instinctively dropping your head to sight and hence also moving the the stock down on your shoulder. I've always taken the purpose of straight stocks to be about minimising muzzle rise during rapid semi or full auto firing, not ergonomics (and they also happen to be needed for bullpup mechs), a 'traditional' dogleg stock is actually intended to make sighting easier - for single shots, hence hunting rifles and shotguns still use them.
Aspirational goal: re-design the "Blish-lock" system into a proper roller-delay or lever-delay system so you can take a couple pounds of the weight of the Tommy. Bonus points if that's compatible with a stamped sheet metal receiver with a trunion. It would be like a thompson had babies with an MP5.
There is really no reason the Thompson can't use a stamped receiver. If you look at it, it's just a rectangle with some cuts in it. It could 100% be a folded and welded or riveted design. You'd need to make a front trunnion of some kind for the barrel to attach to the stamped receiver and then either weld or rivet it in place. Really wouldn't be that hard and if I had to guess, some of the engineers at Savage probably considered it. Since they had already tooled up to make the milled version though, it didn't make sense to retool to make a totally different gun that worked the same way and sell it for less money.
The Blish lock is already something of a friction delay system. It just points the wrong way to lock up to work like the Russian flapper lock. You'd need some way of pulling the Blish lock up out of its channel in the receiver, then once it moves, an operating rod could grab the bolt and cycle the gun. In fact, you could probably change the angle of the cuts on the Blish system to get it to impart more friction. It would be very sensitive to ammo types though so probably best to do it some other way. And the easiest way is just add mass to the bolt and go blowback.
Watching this video made me realize something.. I have never seen a Thompson disassembled in all my years of being a gun nerd. Thanks for inspiring me to do more research into older weapons!
My neighbor growing up survived D day because of his sergeant's Thompson, one of the first few troops on the beach he stormed towards a gun nest, well his sergeant opened fire from behind my neighbor, but pulled the trigger early shooting from the ground up to the nest, through my neighbor's ankle. He fell and rolled onto his back to not get trampled, just in time to see his savior riddled by enemy fire. The rest of his group was killed in that volley, he survived, and was discharged honorably with a purple heart.
He named his son after his sergeant.
Rest in peace Mr. C.
Thank you for all your stories.
It's amazing how similar your range and Matt's range are.
Matt watching this video, angrily shaking his fist " I'LL CATCH YOU EVENTUALLY!!!"
Fun fact, the first place the Thompson was used it battle/war was in Ireland during the end of the war of independence and in the civil war
I never heard that any ww2 smgs except Tommys are still being produced new
Great video! I love the Thompson and yes, i have shot one. I had an uncle who carried one on WW2 starting shortly before the Battle of the Bulge to wars end. He said yes, they were heavy and awkward to carry, but when you needed it, it was a comfort to have. 😊
God bless all here.
Years ago I got to have fun shooting one of the old M1921 Thompsons that my local police department still has. They also have an MP40 that was confiscated from a domestic violence so it was fun comparing how they fire.
Yeah, the Thompson is heavy, but so was the Garand (1930s tech / manufacturing). Still an amazing gun and one of my top favorites!
Then there was the BAR...
I had a buddy who managed to get an M1. While I never got to fire it, he did let me handle it (unloaded). The charging "handle" (really, a shallow knob) was barely enough to hook your index finger onto, and the spring was really, really stout: it took me a few tries to find the best way to grip it to even be able to charge it. So, it surprised me at how effortlessly you were able to charge the one in the video.
Another nice video. I’ve only ever had the opportunity to shoot a semi auto version. They are heavy. I love that SDI is your sponsor. I drive by that place all the time. My friend’s kid took a bunch of classes there before he joined the Army. He’s sure got nice things to say about them.
I remember going to my grandfather’s in California one year for 4th of July right before he passed, and one thing led to another and he, my dad, and myself took a look at his gun collection in his garage where I got to hold a Thompson for the first time, drum mag and all. I never expected it to be 10lbs since I was young and saw gangster movies where are just swinging them around since they’re using props. I have no idea how he had that thing in California. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see him much since I live across the country in Alabama.
Love the Thompson. Some things are just timeless. The funny thing most people don't realize how heavy they are.
I went to a gun show at my brothers range about 20 years ago and there was a Thompson at one of the tables. I went to pick it up and it wouldn’t budge, I thought it was bolted to the table. It wasn’t, just heavy AF.
My uncle, Fred Scarpa 3rd Infantry, fought using the Thompson from north Africa, Sicily, Italy, Anzio, southern France and Germany. He loved it. A real American hero. RIP
In my ever expanding arsenal, the Tommy has always been a dream.
The Thompson is weird to shoulder but it is so much fun to shoot. Very unique kickback and sound. I love shooting a Thompson.
You also made lend-lease Thompsons for Commonwealth countries, including the 1928 my father carried through Sicily and Italy. Dad loved it: it always worked.
Hi Brandon! If you see this comment, just wanna let you know I found your channel recently as I’m just getting into guns myself and I know practically nothing. But I wanted to let you know you make me laugh and I love your channel.
I just bought my first gun and took a basic pistol course as well a CPL course. I’m super excited to be a part of the gun club.
Good luck with your run for Congress!
P. S. I am a 26 year old woman. So you’ve got at least one woman viewer lol 😂
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of gun history and odd-ball/unusual gun design i would suggest also watching Ian at the Forgotten Weapons channel, he goes into great detail on the development and mechanical aspects of the bangstick.
If you like detailed stories about history, I recommend C&Rsenal. They have over a hundred videos about WWI firearms.
Man i love the Thompson. Never expected it to be as heavy as it was when i held one. Needless to say the BAR blew me away with the weight.
A fellow gunsmith in Canada had an earlier model which also accepted the drum mag. It was super fun to shoot!
Long time watcher Brandon, love your work.
Awesome!!
My DAD carried one in WW2, he was a truck driver for the red ball Express, he gave up his M-1 carbine and got his hands on a tomson, he loved it, he also carried a 1911 pistol, not to many people argued with him, great show you put on, i always enjoy your videos, Greg
You can tell Brandon's love for Russian weaponry when you realize he did a video on the saint Petersburg typewriter, before the Chicago typewriter.
I had the opportunity to shoot a Thompson years ago and I’ll never forget it. The muzzle rise was amazing. Brandon did a good job holding this one down👍👍
Was wondering when you’d do a video on the Thompson, quite happy you did 😎👍👍
I remember reading a memoir from a USMC sniper in Vietnam who carried a tommy gun on a patrol. Ended up swapping it for a .308 M14 because the M14 was lighter to carry 😂
My dad had that Thompson in Korea with the Marines.
He did two tours in Korea.
Then he joined the Army and had three tours of Vietnam.
He didn't get a Thompson in Vietnam. He said he only saw one in Vietnam and it was carried by a lieutenant Colonel.
He said he really liked it.
I think that the Korean War was the best engagements for the Thompson!
Just due to China's Strategy of sending in Massive Waves Of Troops in one engagement.
The reason being is that China didn't have enough weapons to arm their Troops with.
So they would send massive waves of Troops...
Half were armed while the other half would follow behind and an armed soldier went down, the un armed one would pick up the weapon and continue the fight.
A collector showed me how he curved the stock and replaced the plate with one off an old hunting rifle, and used the stock pouch off an m1 carbine as a cheek rest, he put a pair of gloves in it to give it more padding. Pretty neat bubba solution to the ergonomics. It looked and felt like it belonged at first I didn't notice it until I shouldered it.
Love you Brandon! You're intelligent, funny, charismatic, and going to be a terrific congressman because of your love for our country.
How was this video not made already?!
This gun is special to me, this might sound not true but it is, my dads father fought for Mexico in WW2 because me and all my dads side are all from Mexico and he had one of these when he was in war and he would talk abt how that gun saved his life. Idk if it’s been done or not but a modern Tommy gun would actually be super cool, like the classic one ofc is super cool but a modern one would be super cool.
So far a Thompson is the only full auto I've gotten to shoot. I was surprised by how hard it wanted to track up and right.
Thompson was about $200 and the NFA tax stamp was also set at $200 so that if you wanted a Thompson you had to buy two to do it legally at the time.
Also the NFA originally was going to have pistols on it but they decided against that, but not until after someone suggested short rifles and shotguns because what would stop someone from buying one of those and chopping it down to make a "pistol". Because, of course criminals are going to pay what is essentially $3k today to do these things.
Have you done a video on the BAR? Would love to see that. Especially would love to hear your takes on how heavy it was. And if you’re able to get a WW2 BAR ammo belt I would def recommend it. Wearing it will give you a whole new level of respect for how strong those men were during the war.
Or maybe even an M1 Carbine vid? (I do airborne living history so I love me some M1 Carbine)
Fun fact: the Thompson has recently seen action in Ukraine thanks to old WW2 stockpiles being opened and used.
are you sure they were actually fielded? I think it was more "hey look at these cool old chests of WWII guns we don't have ammo for because we're a combloc country"
My username
@bb5242 fair, however its 45 acp were talking about, not 556. Alot easier to get a pistol cartridge vs nato current stamdard rifle ammo as a combloc country for various reasons
@@CJ2808 No it isn't - neither Ukraine nor Russia have civilian ownership of pistols, but they have AR15-style rifles.
@@bb5242 their been some report from the DPR and their militia until having use some, and their are alot of videos of both sides using weapons as old as the 1890s
Let's go Brandon!
I shot M1A1 once in my life and it was the best gun I ever held. Easy to use, precise and stable like a laser with the weight absorbing almost all the recoil. I frigging loved it
xd
Glad you talked about this gun! Looks really stylish while being in a suit and fedora
The weight probably helps keep muzzle rise under control when going full yeet with 230 Grain .45 ACP.
@BrandonHerrera Hey Mr. B, I just wanted to say, I appreciate the SDI information, and I thought it was hilarious that they have you has a recommendation under "AK Guy" because of you, I was able to kick off my journey into gunsmithing!
I'm liking the Brand New reference with the "Okay, I believe you, but my tommy gun don't"!!