Description

Designed with the help of Philadelphia Ordnance and printed with PLA Pro +, for added strength from the Creatbot DX Plus to hold +/-.001” from the 3d model. These 1928 SMG 3D Printed Display Receiver, will accept the needed parts to build a dummy gun at a fraction of the price of ones made from steel. Please note these are made to order and will ship 1 week after your order date. No FFL needed.

Ben Edwards Designs Product Catalog

Thompson submachine gun – Wikipedia

Machineboards.com – Thompson Submachine Gun Community Forum (machinegunboards.com)

Background

Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a U.S. Army Ordnance Department officer, developed the Thompson submachine gun as a replacement for bolt-action service rifles. He was inspired by the 1915 patent of American inventor John Bell Blish, who designed a recoil-free weapon based on inclined metal surfaces under pressure, known as the Blish Lock. To develop his “auto rifle,” Thompson founded the Auto-Ordnance Company in 1916, with financial backing from businessman Thomas F. Ryan.

The Thompson was designed primarily in Cleveland, Ohio by Theodore H. Eickhoff, Oscar V. Payne, and George E. Goll. By late 1917, the limitations of the Blish Lock were discovered, and the weapon was instead designed to function as a friction-delayed blowback action, firing the .45 ACP cartridge. The firearm, designed by Oscar V. Payne and named the “Annihilator I,” was intended to be a “one-man, hand-held machine gun” for trench warfare during World War I. However, the war ended before prototypes could be shipped to Europe.

Operating characteristics

The Thompson submachine gun had a high cyclic rate of fire in early versions, ranging from 800 to 1,200 rounds per minute. This, combined with a heavy trigger pull and a stock with excessive drop, caused the barrel to climb during automatic fire. In response, the U.S. Navy requested a lower rate of fire, which was achieved by replacing the actuator with a heavier one and using a stiffer recoil spring, resulting in a rate of 600 rpm.

The Thompson was a heavy weapon that required frequent cleaning, and the drum magazine was found to be too heavy and bulky for military use. The 20-round and later 30-round box magazines proved to be more practical, and the gun’s double-column, staggered-feed box magazine design contributed to its reliability in adverse conditions.

The selective-fire Thompson fires from the “open bolt” position, eliminating the risk of “cook-off” and making it a safer weapon.

Technical Information