Demilled 1928A1 Thompson markings

I recently purchased a demilled Thompson at the gun show last week, I'm trying to figure out roughly when/where/what it was used for. First it is marked POL on the nose piece, im wondering if it is short for police. Then on the stock it is marked Indonesia with other text above it that I cannot make out yet.

I plan on doing a semi conversion of it after I complete my Bren, PPS41, Suomi M31, Goryunov, DP28... I want to be as experienced as possible before I start cutting on a parts kit worth 2k.

I did a partial trade of a CZ27 + cash for the kit. Pics will be added after they finish uploading from my phone...

By the nose piece, do you mean the Cutts compensator? The slotted thing on the muzzle? Police usually parked their guns with the department name in a short form. Maybe a rack number. Prison's and armoured car companies had different markings. The Indonesia thing I can't say about and we need a serial number to even guess when it was made. The '21's have extensive records, at least Tracy Hill had a go at it. The '28's not so much and the '28A1's were wartime so their records are somewhat questionable...(I think). The book American Thunder has numbers (I think) on the A1s...but someone else will have to help with that, I don't yet have it. If you do a picture spread with good close shots on all the bits you have, we may still be able to help. I've had quite a bit of hands on with these and would be willing to try...

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Its one of the kits that comes missing the center piece, the POL mark is on the part the barrel screws into. I wish I had the serial. It has the quick detatch stock with reinforceing bolt, and lyman adjustable sight, and cutts compensator, so possibly early wartime? I cant find a source that tells when these features were added then removed to narrow down the date range.

The serial number may be under the stock when you slide it off or under the pistol grip when you take that off. Also there may be one under the barrel tennon that slides into the barrel ring(where the barrel screws into the receiver) and it will be the upper number. The lower numbers may be a mis match anyway. Just a guide. The one under the tennon will be exposed when you take this apart to do your work. The stock mark looks like an import mark. There will be more along to assist shortly. You need clearer pics, not cellphone...then we can asses the Cutts markings and the Lymann rear sight and selectors and...there's lots to help us tell about when it was made. The nombers are the best though. Also this site will help... The American Thompson Assn Home If you go there, don't forget to come back and tell me what you've learned...

Sorry for the Cell phone pics, I need to go buy a real camera sometime...

I found a serial on the bottom of the frame, and cleaned up the stamp on the stock sayes "Polisi Indonesia" for the indonesian national police.

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Actually those turned out OK...So, the serial number you now have. The S denotes a Savage gun. At least the one off the lower. The other should be inside the tennon slot in what you called the nose piece(Barrel ring). That will be when you take things apart. It would be nice if they match. The selectors are the earlier type, I can't see if they have the knurling on the flats...probably though. The actuator is marked with an S and that's Savage. It has no knurling so it's later wartime production. I agree now with your assumption about the police markings. Your Cutts compensator is marked with the marks of a WW2 gun. There were four different types of Cutts...yours is last. Your barrel is a sewer pipe...not unusual. Fear not though, I'll bet it shoots jackets just fine. The markings on the Blish lock state "Up" so when you assemble the gun, you have that part where you can read the word. Then it's assembled correctly. You're missing the buffer, guide and spring though. You'll need them to run this. How do you propose to resurrect this old beast? Any thoughts yet?

You should perhaps get the book American Thunder or Thompson: the American Legend the first submachine gun. The information will make you want to get this running right away. Another set of books you can't put down once started...

Thanks! I have found two conversions with easy to follow walkthroughs, a hammer fired, and a striker fired. The hammer fired looks easier. The rifling looks worse in person, running a pick across the rifling, there is almost no height to the rifling, the pitting in the grooves is deeper than the lands. I am ordering a torch cut receiver from IMA for repair pieces, and a new barrel from Numrich. I will keep the sewer pipe just for completeness, I dont want anybody saying im shooting a smoothebore... I will also submit a form 1 to SBR it so I dont have to go with a 16in barrel. It will be a minimum of 6 months before I get started, or at least until the tax stamp shows up.

Great. Yes, a new barrel is definitely a good thing. Remember, you can also re-line your barrel so you still have the original on it. That would be cheaper too. The IMA receivers have lots to work with(most times) and that may just work out well, depending if your gunsmith has talent...or are you going to do the patching? Regardless, once you commence, you should keep a photo diary and return to us. There's a couple of engineers and some very talented machinists and even a few gunsmiths here that would be of help during your build. We ALL want to watch, then we'll all appear on your doorstep with a box or two to put through it...and a half dozen beers...

I agree with BAR and the photograhed rebuild will make a super pictorial story on the Forum. Something like Alpacas half track! There's even a small paperback booklet in it afterwards in my opinion

Here is a site Philaord.com so you can spend more money !

Philly Ord has been around for awhile. I had asked them to make an FND BAR 80%, and they would not.... probably 10+years ago. I haven't dealt with them since, but they seemed professional and nice on the phone.

I have one of their 80% 1928 A-1 and it's real nice ! The only thing I did not like was the Lettering they used. It was not stamped but an engraving, the lettering was too fine. It looks nice but not original. Now if I can get that Barrel off that stub ! I tried to torque it off but I did not want to crush the fins. Some one has a special wrench but I forgot who and where I read about it.

I don't think you'll crush the fins. They're way stronger than you'd think. I haven't had any trouble and I've done my share. The hard part is the barrel torque, it's huge. Lots actually crack(like they broke) when they come loose. Good luck, that parts not for the faint of heart.

I read somewhere the threads are some weird size. I was thinking of just getting a plain non finned barrel from Numrich Arms. It doesn't look right but it actually is with the Lyman non adjustable " L " sight . I almost wept when I got my parts kit it was never fired ! No wear on the feed ramp, pristine bore and no wear on the innards . I got this years ago so it must of been the first one released from the Russians. It sick to see a piece of History destroyed. From what I understand these were issued with the Tanks that were Lent Leased . The Russians took the Tanks but had no .45 ammo for the Thompson's . They stored them in a cave where they sat until they were torch cut .

You can get your barrel with both finishes and finned or unfinned from Numrich I think.

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Originally Posted by kosmolinekid

From what I understand these were issued with the Tanks that were Lent Leased . The Russians took the Tanks but had no .45 ammo for the Thompson's . They stored them in a cave where they sat until they were torch cut .

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I wonder if any of these ever wound up as covert military aid for the various Soviet-supported "liberation fronts" around the world, like the M-16s and other arms from Vietnam that the KGB supplied to the IRA.

Here in Canada we received a number of M1 Thompsons that were converted to use 7.62 X 25 Tok ammo...curved mags and all. I'll bet Warren has one...the story was they were done up by the Russians...?

You can order TSMC barrels from Green Mountain Barrels - standard length or 14.25 inch length, plain or with finns, standard chamber or Thompson chamber. The 14.25 inch barrel was at $145.00