Thompson Submachine Gun Magazine Bag

[Aragorn243]

I picked this up yesterday along with an early Vietnam era butt pack. Paid $5 for it without knowing what it was. Did a search and came up empty.

Found one today with a totally unrelated search, "Japanese machete". How that makes any sense at all I have no idea.

Apparently, they are pretty rare.

I guess they hold six stick magazines. I only have four but looks like easy room for two more.

Information

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[RCS]

The book on Thompson sub machine guns "American Thunder" list your pouch as a general purpose magazine pouch. Later on this pouch was issued with the M3 SMG and marked.

The 20rd magazine pouch and later 30rd magazine pouches were only for the Thompson and the Reising had a different magazine pouch too


I should add that any magazine could be carried in your pouch if it fit

[Aragorn243]

30 rounders fit perfectly.

[browningautorifle]

a general purpose magazine pouch

That's correct. Not scarce or rare but perhaps drying up now 70 odd years on...

[RCS]

I think rare with the 42 date, first year issue ?

[browningautorifle]

rare with the 42 date

Perhaps that, yes... Like the OD3 gear.

[Aragorn243]

I don't know. I only found a few originals for sale. One is currently listed for $125, and one sold for $115 and another for $125, all are 1942 dated. Reproductions all over the place. I never saw one before but then I was never looking either.

[RCS]

Both the M3 and M3A1 submachine guns were in service in the US for a long time and still with vehicles and tanks even longer, the only way
to carry extra magazines was the pouch shown

[browningautorifle]

Both the M3 and M3A1 submachine guns were in service in the US for a long time

I remember when I was in an M60 Tank, there was a rack designated for the M3A1...that was 1979. Long time they served.

[RCS]

The early M3 smg had a magazine catch that could one could bump against something or drop and the catch would release the magazine. US ordnance came out with a guard or fence around the magazine catch. Those M3 smg's already provided to the UK had a field modification where a bar was spot welded across the magazine catch as a guard against accidental release of the magazine.