Country courtesy/Thompson/Colt SAA/Luger

AGE · 07-25-2003, 01:06 AM

This is a combination of a range report and a lot of BS.

Anyway, today I went off to the local county shooting range here in WV, a pretty nice one at a rural country park used by everyone but mostly hunters sighting in for big game in the fall. I took my '36 Luger, a Colt .45 SAA, a Para P-14 and my 9 mm Colt 1911 and about 400 rounds of assorted ammo. (They would call it an arsenal in NY.) In FL I would be almost unarmed without more equipment.

I shot some paper groups with the 9 mm 1911 and was happily spinning a rotating plate target. Put another 75 rounds through it. Then a county sheriff's jeep wagon drove up with 3 officers who began to unload some equipment. Most of my equipment was discretely cased in a tool box and shooting bag so I unloaded the 1911 to give them time to set up. I had no idea of the mentality of the officers so I was happy my 14 shot Para and high cap. magazines were out of sight.

Turns out that the leader of the group was the sheriff of the adjacent county who had two of his boys out to test an old department gun they had never tried out. It was a 1921 full auto Thompson that looked brand new. I decided to watch the fun since I had lots of time. They were quite friendly and talkative as they set up a 4' square piece of plywood at about 35 yards.

As the sheriff loaded up I stood behind a 12" pole about 25 feet behind him. Wowee--he could hold a round or two on the wood and then the gun really recoiled upward. He emptied several magazines (30 round) and each of his deputies tried their luck. They seemed to be pretty careful and OK safetywise (you never know if LE people know what they are doing--some non gun enthusiasts don't).

As I helped them pick up brass the sheriff asked me if I would like to try out the Thompson. I was dumbfounded but jumped at the chance to shoot a tommy gun. Imagine how likely such an offer would be in the big NY or KAL cities. I loaded up my own ammo (the sheriff offered his county ammo, but I told him to let his boys shoot it, I was thrilled to supply my own).

I fired a few rounds semiauto and then switched to full auto. Quite an experience since I was never in the service, but I did shoot a .30 cal machine gun at ROTC summer camp about 40 years ago. The results were actually very disappointing for an old target shooter. I fired about 5 or 6 short bursts. It was impossible to hit much at that distance after the first round in full auto. I suppose practice would help some (one magazine doesn't give a lot of practice). Anyway, my respect for my .223 AR-15 semi auto grew a lot today--much more effective in hitting things.

The sheriff and his boys continued playing John Wayne with the Thompson as I got ready to continue with my own guns. Suddenly a light bulb went on and I got out the SAA .45 Colt which is actually a very attractive 1964 Arizona Commerative. I offered the sheriff a chance to shoot it which he readily accepted. He did pretty well with it and remarked that he wished it was his. He had earlier said that they didn't really like the Thompson and wished they could sell it (property regulations evidently prevented this I guess). I jokingly offered to trade the Colt for the Thompson, but he declined (wonder why--the Colt is nice). Rats, I really can't afford the ammo anyway.

Then I offered the sheriff a chance to shoot my '36 Luger which is really a very nice matching reblued shooter with a great set of grips reworked by Hugh. He was really impressed and put 2 magazines through the gun. I provided the 9 mm ammo and the long Colt .45 ammo.

I think I hit it off pretty well with the sheriff for an out of state visitor with an "arsenal" of stuff in his car. He invited me out next Tuesday to watch most of his guys qualify with their toys as he left. I probably won't go, but maybe if I have time on my hands.

After they left I got out the P-14 and did a little rapid fire practice. Not bad, 5-6" 14 round groups in about 15 seconds. The tommy gun looked and sounded impressive but I don't think I want to buy one (even if I could afford today's prices).

Another day in retirement--actually a pretty great day.

lugerholsterrepair · 07-25-2003, 01:30 AM

Al, Quite a story! I shoot frequently at the Police and Military open range in Yuma AZ and have had many experiences just like yours with military and border patrol. They let us shoot a Styer Aug last time. Most of the Police and Federal types I have met are pretty good guys. We were shooting our potato cannon we converted to shoot golf balls and they were pretty impressed that it would shoot 300 yards with hair spray.

The trick to shooting full auto with a Thompson is to let the sling strap loose at the butt and step on it. Keeps the muzzle down. They shoot so slow they are a lot of fun.

Sounds like you had a great day, you make me envious! Jerry Burney

Edward Tinker · 07-25-2003, 01:43 AM

AGE, that sounds great!

I have never shot a Thompson, nor the grease gun, just never had the chance. "I have been told" that it really takes practice to get good with any full auto. I have shot MG34 ?? (the newer German machine gun), the M16, M60, 203, and that is about it, my point is that short bursts are best. BUT, my wish has always been to shoot a Thompson... I really would like to own one, can in my state, but I think one of the semi-auto ones would be acceptable

Anyway, fun posting and if I was you, go next week, take a couple of fun guns, and ammo and smooze up to these guys. Mainly because they are probably good guys and it'd be fun, but then I'm FOP <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Age, I am curious, what kind of Tommy was it? A former military one, or one of those civilian ones that has probably been in the department for 80 years? And actually they could probably do some kind of a trade with a dealer in full-autos, probably get a couple of M16A1's for the Thompson? Although for police work, several sniper rifles would be smarter than a Tommy Gun, although that shooting incident that involved those guys in bullet proof vests/helmets etc., several years ago, a Tommy Gun blasting at them would have been enough to disorientate, then take them out with a truck...

Ed

AGE · 07-25-2003, 10:10 AM

Ed,

I believe the Thompson was a civilian gun. It had a vertical forward grip, a compensator, a finned barrel and evidently a 100 round drum magazine. The sheriff mentioned that the previous sheriff had sold the drum (but couldn't sell the gun) to buy other guns. My understanding is that the military guns can't be used with a drum.

I once had a neighbor (now deceased) who fought in Europe in WWII using a Thompson. He told me that he participated in a lot of house clearing. He held the gun sideways and let the recoil move it around the room. He insisted that it was very effective. I imagine the room would be shot up, but suspect anybody crouching behind cover would be safe until reload time. Then bang bang (ouch).

In WV out in the country the sheriff is THE law enforcement. There are town and city police in bigger communities and highway patrolmen on the interstates but only sheriff's deputies in the boonies. FL is the same way. With today's terrorist concerns, I don't know if I would have loaned a tommy gun to an old fart like me, but this sheriff did even before I treated him to a few of my guns.

I'll probably stay away from big crowds of LE people. Some eager young punk might decide to get nosy and be a pain. I have never had a problem, but I believe in discretion. I have been a shooter for 60 years, got a letter in high school on the rifle team, have had CCW permits in 3 states, etc. etc. Nevertheless, LE people have got to be a lot more suspicious of the population than ever before.

Navy · 07-25-2003, 10:49 AM

I have owned several Tommys in the past (I was once a Type01 with a Special Occupation Taxstamp, for the cogniscenti)and never had accuracy problems with any of them. Rather than haveing the muzzle climb AGE described, my experience was always a sustained but solid push rearward horizontally. My guns were all 1921A and 1928A, with Cutts compensators. I have never owned the M-1 series Tommy, but shot many over the years and they were a little frisky, but nothing that wasn't managable using short 3-6 round bursts and good trigger control.
Tom A.

AGE · 07-25-2003, 11:09 AM

Being a nonresident here in WV makes me kind of cautious. My CCW permit is for Florida and WV does not currently recognize it (they did a few years ago before they refined their rules to require reciprocal agreements to be made between the states). Both FL and WV have tons of shooters and guns behind many doors so shooting does not raise eyebrows (much).

A .45 automatic rides on many belts around here (under jackets, shirttails, etc.). This is not a wealthy area and I doubt that many locals have gun collections. My 9 mm 1911, P-14, Colt SAA and Luger are admired by many guys at the range. They are legal and I try to carry them legally, but who knows. My SUV does not have a lockable trunk which would be better for firearms transport. Pays to be careful.

Doubs · 07-25-2003, 11:12 AM

I've fired the M-16 full auto and found it extremely difficult to control beyond the first few rounds. The Uzi, OTOH, was unbelieveably easy to control and I was duly impressed.

An uncle, now deceased, carried a Thompson in the jungles of Nicaragua as a Marine during the 2nd Nicaraguan Campaign in the late 1920's, early 1930's.

Edward Tinker · 07-25-2003, 05:23 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />MG42, now called MG3A1, tac<hr /></blockquote>Ahhh, of course, thanks Tac, for those that don't don't still looks very much like the WW2 model, or so they told me, I tried to write Schzutenfier (shooting medal for the military, but figured I would be able to spell it).

Some don't like the new 3-round burst on the M16, I think it is great, the muzzle is just rising out of control for those without experience, saves ammo and pops those rounds fairly close together. If they want a full-auto for close in work, then the MP's use KK MP5's, or they use to, my troops used them, I just never had the pleasure to play with them.

I always worry a bit when traveling through other states and packing and using my Jeep Cherokee, but then you make sure you have a lockable container, like a gun case, and that solves most problems.

Ed

Doubs · 07-25-2003, 06:16 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by tacfoley:
MG42, now called MG3A1 tac<hr /></blockquote>About 1989 my oldest son, 325 AIR, 82nd Abn Div., took part in a "Paratrooper Convention" in Germany. Among the things they did was qualify on the German issue rifle (G3?), P-1 pistol and MG3 machine gun. It was interesting to learn that the MG3 he fired still had the WW2 Nazi manufacturer's markings on the receiver. The markings were x'd out but could still be easily read according to what he told me. I've since wondered where they came up with the old receivers as in 1959 they had to borrow an MG-42 from the US Army Museum (West Point or Aberdeen Proving Grounds) and reverse engineer it in order to produce the MG3. I believe it was first designated the MG-42/59 but I'm not 100% positive about that.

Jim Keenan · 07-26-2003, 04:07 AM

The Model 1921 Thompson fires a lot faster than the Model 1928 and a whoole lot faster than the M1/M1A1. I never found the latter guns hard to control but the 1921 really lets 'em rip and can get out of hand pretty rapidly.

If the Sheriff wants to get some money for his department and can't sell the gun, that 100 round drum will bring a grand or so. The gun should be transferable as far as BATF is concerned if it is registered (some departments never sweated the small stuff) and those run up to $20k in good condition.

Jim

AGE · 07-27-2003, 08:31 PM

Jim,

I don't think the sheriff knows the value of his Thompson, but remember, it really isn't his. It belongs to his county and the way it was obtained, registered, etc. etc. could restrict a sale. Also, if it were damaged while he or his boys were shooting it really wouldn't cost him anything personally--even if it disabled the gun. The gun worked perfectly during the shooting session with perhaps 400-500 rounds through it that day (he let it cool down after each magazine). I suspect they wouldn't miss it too much since it is hard to hit anything with it and they evidently have at least one M-16 and full auto Ruger mini 14 per the conversation that day.

The previous sheriff disposed of the 100 round drum sometime in the past. I do think they got big $$$ for it.

AGE · 08-02-2003, 04:56 AM

I went back to the range again today. I thought about calling the sheriff and asking him to come out and bring his Thompson and play some more. Then I thought better of it and figured he surely had something more important to do. Just as well, my '36 Mauser started to become erratic--time for cleaning after about 500 rounds with zero malfunctions.

07-25-2003, 01:06 AM	#1
AGE User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 597 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Country courtesy/Thompson/Colt SAA/Luger This is a combination of a range report and a lot of BS. Anyway, today I went off to the local county shooting range here in WV, a pretty nice one at a rural country park used by everyone but mostly hunters sighting in for big game in the fall. I took my '36 Luger, a Colt .45 SAA, a Para P-14 and my 9 mm Colt 1911 and about 400 rounds of assorted ammo. (They would call it an arsenal in NY.) In FL I would be almost unarmed without more equipment. I shot some paper groups with the 9 mm 1911 and was happily spinning a rotating plate target. Put another 75 rounds through it. Then a county sheriff's jeep wagon drove up with 3 officers who began to unload some equipment. Most of my equipment was discretely cased in a tool box and shooting bag so I unloaded the 1911 to give them time to set up. I had no idea of the mentality of the officers so I was happy my 14 shot Para and high cap. magazines were out of sight. Turns out that the leader of the group was the sheriff of the adjacent county who had two of his boys out to test an old department gun they had never tried out. It was a 1921 full auto Thompson that looked brand new. I decided to watch the fun since I had lots of time. They were quite friendly and talkative as they set up a 4' square piece of plywood at about 35 yards. As the sheriff loaded up I stood behind a 12" pole about 25 feet behind him. Wowee--he could hold a round or two on the wood and then the gun really recoiled upward. He emptied several magazines (30 round) and each of his deputies tried their luck. They seemed to be pretty careful and OK safetywise (you never know if LE people know what they are doing--some non gun enthusiasts don't). As I helped them pick up brass the sheriff asked me if I would like to try out the Thompson. I was dumbfounded but jumped at the chance to shoot a tommy gun. Imagine how likely such an offer would be in the big NY or KAL cities. I loaded up my own ammo (the sheriff offered his county ammo, but I told him to let his boys shoot it, I was thrilled to supply my own). I fired a few rounds semiauto and then switched to full auto. Quite an experience since I was never in the service, but I did shoot a .30 cal machine gun at ROTC summer camp about 40 years ago. The results were actually very disappointing for an old target shooter. I fired about 5 or 6 short bursts. It was impossible to hit much at that distance after the first round in full auto. I suppose practice would help some (one magazine doesn't give a lot of practice). Anyway, my respect for my .223 AR-15 semi auto grew a lot today--much more effective in hitting things. The sheriff and his boys continued playing John Wayne with the Thompson as I got ready to continue with my own guns. Suddenly a light bulb went on and I got out the SAA .45 Colt which is actually a very attractive 1964 Arizona Commerative. I offered the sheriff a chance to shoot it which he readily accepted. He did pretty well with it and remarked that he wished it was his. He had earlier said that they didn't really like the Thompson and wished they could sell it (property regulations evidently prevented this I guess). I jokingly offered to trade the Colt for the Thompson, but he declined (wonder why--the Colt is nice). Rats, I really can't afford the ammo anyway. Then I offered the sheriff a chance to shoot my '36 Luger which is really a very nice matching reblued shooter with a great set of grips reworked by Hugh. He was really impressed and put 2 magazines through the gun. I provided the 9 mm ammo and the long Colt .45 ammo. I think I hit it off pretty well with the sheriff for an out of state visitor with an "arsenal" of stuff in his car. He invited me out next Tuesday to watch most of his guys qualify with their toys as he left. I probably won't go, but maybe if I have time on my hands. After they left I got out the P-14 and did a little rapid fire practice. Not bad, 5-6" 14 round groups in about 15 seconds. The tommy gun looked and sounded impressive but I don't think I want to buy one (even if I could afford today's prices). Another day in retirement--actually a pretty great day. __________________ Al Eggers (AGE) NRA Life Member

07-25-2003, 01:30 AM	#2
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Al, Quite a story! I shoot frequently at the Police and Military open range in Yuma AZ and have had many experiences just like yours with military and border patrol. They let us shoot a Styer Aug last time. Most of the Police and Federal types I have met are pretty good guys. We were shooting our potato cannon we converted to shoot golf balls and they were pretty impressed that it would shoot 300 yards with hair spray. The trick to shooting full auto with a Thompson is to let the sling strap loose at the butt and step on it. Keeps the muzzle down. They shoot so slow they are a lot of fun. Sounds like you had a great day, you make me envious! Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

07-25-2003, 01:43 AM	#3
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	AGE, that sounds great! I have never shot a Thompson, nor the grease gun, just never had the chance. "I have been told" that it really takes practice to get good with any full auto. I have shot MG34 ?? (the newer German machine gun), the M16, M60, 203, and that is about it, my point is that short bursts are best. BUT, my wish has always been to shoot a Thompson... I really would like to own one, can in my state, but I think one of the semi-auto ones would be acceptable Anyway, fun posting and if I was you, go next week, take a couple of fun guns, and ammo and smooze up to these guys. Mainly because they are probably good guys and it'd be fun, but then I'm FOP <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Age, I am curious, what kind of Tommy was it? A former military one, or one of those civilian ones that has probably been in the department for 80 years? And actually they could probably do some kind of a trade with a dealer in full-autos, probably get a couple of M16A1's for the Thompson? Although for police work, several sniper rifles would be smarter than a Tommy Gun, although that shooting incident that involved those guys in bullet proof vests/helmets etc., several years ago, a Tommy Gun blasting at them would have been enough to disorientate, then take them out with a truck... Ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

07-25-2003, 10:10 AM	#4
AGE User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 597 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Ed, I believe the Thompson was a civilian gun. It had a vertical forward grip, a compensator, a finned barrel and evidently a 100 round drum magazine. The sheriff mentioned that the previous sheriff had sold the drum (but couldn't sell the gun) to buy other guns. My understanding is that the military guns can't be used with a drum. I once had a neighbor (now deceased) who fought in Europe in WWII using a Thompson. He told me that he participated in a lot of house clearing. He held the gun sideways and let the recoil move it around the room. He insisted that it was very effective. I imagine the room would be shot up, but suspect anybody crouching behind cover would be safe until reload time. Then bang bang (ouch). In WV out in the country the sheriff is THE law enforcement. There are town and city police in bigger communities and highway patrolmen on the interstates but only sheriff's deputies in the boonies. FL is the same way. With today's terrorist concerns, I don't know if I would have loaned a tommy gun to an old fart like me, but this sheriff did even before I treated him to a few of my guns. I'll probably stay away from big crowds of LE people. Some eager young punk might decide to get nosy and be a pain. I have never had a problem, but I believe in discretion. I have been a shooter for 60 years, got a letter in high school on the rifle team, have had CCW permits in 3 states, etc. etc. Nevertheless, LE people have got to be a lot more suspicious of the population than ever before. __________________ Al Eggers (AGE) NRA Life Member

07-25-2003, 11:09 AM	#6
AGE User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 597 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Being a nonresident here in WV makes me kind of cautious. My CCW permit is for Florida and WV does not currently recognize it (they did a few years ago before they refined their rules to require reciprocal agreements to be made between the states). Both FL and WV have tons of shooters and guns behind many doors so shooting does not raise eyebrows (much). A .45 automatic rides on many belts around here (under jackets, shirttails, etc.). This is not a wealthy area and I doubt that many locals have gun collections. My 9 mm 1911, P-14, Colt SAA and Luger are admired by many guys at the range. They are legal and I try to carry them legally, but who knows. My SUV does not have a lockable trunk which would be better for firearms transport. Pays to be careful. __________________ Al Eggers (AGE) NRA Life Member

07-25-2003, 10:49 AM	#5
Navy RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dc 'burbs in Virginia Posts: 2,482 Thanks: 0 Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts	I have owned several Tommys in the past (I was once a Type01 with a Special Occupation Taxstamp, for the cogniscenti)and never had accuracy problems with any of them. Rather than haveing the muzzle climb AGE described, my experience was always a sustained but solid push rearward horizontally. My guns were all 1921A and 1928A, with Cutts compensators. I have never owned the M-1 series Tommy, but shot many over the years and they were a little frisky, but nothing that wasn't managable using short 3-6 round bursts and good trigger control. Tom A.

07-25-2003, 11:12 AM	#7
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	I've fired the M-16 full auto and found it extremely difficult to control beyond the first few rounds. The Uzi, OTOH, was unbelieveably easy to control and I was duly impressed. An uncle, now deceased, carried a Thompson in the jungles of Nicaragua as a Marine during the 2nd Nicaraguan Campaign in the late 1920's, early 1930's.

07-25-2003, 05:23 PM	#8
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">MG42, now called MG3A1, tac</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Ahhh, of course, thanks Tac, for those that don't don't still looks very much like the WW2 model, or so they told me, I tried to write Schzutenfier (shooting medal for the military, but figured I would be able to spell it). Some don't like the new 3-round burst on the M16, I think it is great, the muzzle is just rising out of control for those without experience, saves ammo and pops those rounds fairly close together. If they want a full-auto for close in work, then the MP's use KK MP5's, or they use to, my troops used them, I just never had the pleasure to play with them. I always worry a bit when traveling through other states and packing and using my Jeep Cherokee, but then you make sure you have a lockable container, like a gun case, and that solves most problems. Ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

07-25-2003, 06:16 PM	#9
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by tacfoley: <strong>MG42, now called MG3A1 tac</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">About 1989 my oldest son, 325 AIR, 82nd Abn Div., took part in a "Paratrooper Convention" in Germany. Among the things they did was qualify on the German issue rifle (G3?), P-1 pistol and MG3 machine gun. It was interesting to learn that the MG3 he fired still had the WW2 Nazi manufacturer's markings on the receiver. The markings were x'd out but could still be easily read according to what he told me. I've since wondered where they came up with the old receivers as in 1959 they had to borrow an MG-42 from the US Army Museum (West Point or Aberdeen Proving Grounds) and reverse engineer it in order to produce the MG3. I believe it was first designated the MG-42/59 but I'm not 100% positive about that.

07-26-2003, 04:07 AM	#10
Jim Keenan User Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 184 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	The Model 1921 Thompson fires a lot faster than the Model 1928 and a whoole lot faster than the M1/M1A1. I never found the latter guns hard to control but the 1921 really lets 'em rip and can get out of hand pretty rapidly. If the Sheriff wants to get some money for his department and can't sell the gun, that 100 round drum will bring a grand or so. The gun should be transferable as far as BATF is concerned if it is registered (some departments never sweated the small stuff) and those run up to $20k in good condition. Jim

07-27-2003, 08:31 PM	#11
AGE User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 597 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Jim, I don't think the sheriff knows the value of his Thompson, but remember, it really isn't his. It belongs to his county and the way it was obtained, registered, etc. etc. could restrict a sale. Also, if it were damaged while he or his boys were shooting it really wouldn't cost him anything personally--even if it disabled the gun. The gun worked perfectly during the shooting session with perhaps 400-500 rounds through it that day (he let it cool down after each magazine). I suspect they wouldn't miss it too much since it is hard to hit anything with it and they evidently have at least one M-16 and full auto Ruger mini 14 per the conversation that day. The previous sheriff disposed of the 100 round drum sometime in the past. I do think they got big $$$ for it. __________________ Al Eggers (AGE) NRA Life Member

08-02-2003, 04:56 AM	#12
AGE User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 597 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I went back to the range again today. I thought about calling the sheriff and asking him to come out and bring his Thompson and play some more. Then I thought better of it and figured he surely had something more important to do. Just as well, my '36 Mauser started to become erratic--time for cleaning after about 500 rounds with zero malfunctions. __________________ Al Eggers (AGE) NRA Life Member