Thompson 50 rd drum magazines

[RCS]

It was in the Thompson book "American Thunder" that said that the British Army started returning the 50 round drums to the US in 1944

[Peter Laidler]

But the question is were they returned or scrapped. And the answers in 18 and 19 say that they weren't returned to the USA. They might well have been scrapped or the orders cancelled. It's correct that even the mildest of dings around the edge will cause a jamb.

We had 2 at work that would jam-up at 15 and 8 rounds. Even after turning up an internal steel dolly to make the edges good, they didn't really improve much. (probably made worse by years of amateur repairs/fixes by assorted bubbas). A new-in-wrap gift solved the problem once and for all - which my son tested by giving the target the whole nine yards so to speak!

[browningautorifle]

the whole nine yards

(A term from aircraft machine guns in WW1, referring to the belt length on board.) This case it's more like the whole 2 lbs. I must say that when I brought mine out to play, that was the thing people wanted most. To go through the whole drum in about one go. Very satisfying though...I'd have enjoyed seeing the boy warm that one up.

[Flying10uk]

I think that I've remembered where I read that some of the drum mags were returned to the States and it was a different book to the one mentioned in Post 21. I will need to see if I can find it in the book concerned before saying in case I am thinking of the wrong book. Just because it is stated in a book doesn't make it fact.

[Peter Laidler]

'........Just because it is stated in a book doesn't make it fact'. Never have so few words been so true. Just the pure logic of such a scenario defies description. At the height of a war, we're sending serviceable, new magazines back for a refund........... Nope. Think Catalina flying boats at the bottom of Loch Erne.........

[tankhunter]

'........Just because it is stated in a book doesn't make it fact'. Never have so few words been so true. Just the pure logic of such a scenario defies description. At the height of a war, we're sending serviceable, new magazines back for a refund........... Nope. Think Catalina flying boats at the bottom of Loch Erne.........

Or crated Jeep engines, Harley Davidson WLA Motorcycles, oh yes! & HUGE amounts of complete Machine Guns & assorted spares. Buried all over the UK. 'Close' to MANY military Camps where the US Armed Forces were based here!......................................MUCH easier to get rid of surplus by burying it. Rather than the costly logistical nightmare of return to sender route!

[gsimmons]

Not to mention the German subs.......

[browningautorifle]

Not to mention the buried Spitfires in Burma...

[gsimmons]

Attachment 73106

[browningautorifle]

Very pretty though...unless they were bringing a gun run.