The Firearms Forum banner

Does anyone have the Auto Ordinance TA5 tommy gun pistol?

7K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  MacDaKnyfe 
#1 ·
http://www.auto-ordnance.com/PA-1TH_ta.html

looks like a fun gun. Legal. light. fairly inexpensive. short barrel. fairly ideal THTF weapon (prefer the .45 ACP to the 9mm uzi) even if it is semi auto (semi auto is even better as it less spray and pray). High capacity 50 caliber drum (and more of you want to buy them)
 
#2 ·
Sweet looker, it has the shorter paratrooper barrel.
Would be good for "Crowd Control" during the Obama years :D

I bought a 1927 A-1 in 1999 and I love it..
I can hit a steel target @ 100yds w/pistol ammo :eek:

 
#4 ·
This is copied verbatim from another forum, it is my post and review, first post here but i do indeed love this little Thompson, it has grown to one of my truly fun guns:

Call me crazy, you won't be the first but I have always had a love for the Tommygun. Credit it to to much TV as a youngster and not enough parental supervision. I made up my mind at a young age that I would own a Thompson, but adulthood with the attendant problems of finances, child rearing and a Wife, not to mention the FOPA ammendment of '86 dictated otherwise. So I have had to settle for the next best thing, the SemiAuto versions.
I bought my first a few years ago, a 3 digit S/N full size deluxe. Beautiful firearm, everything I wanted, except it wouldn't run. After much tinkering and headscratching I finally climbed the learning curve and here is what I learned.
First and foremost, these things are archaic. The weapon was designed in 1918 and other than losing the FA features it hasn't changed. They are built like a locomotive. And just about as heavy. Empty the full size weighs 13lbs, with a loaded 100rnd (C) drum, up that to almost an even 23lbs. Untill broken in, loading a 50 (L) or 100 round drum turns them into a small crew served weapon. I have had 3 people at a time wrestling with it.
They are finicky and not for those who do not want to invest the time it takes to make them run right. They are a pain to disassemble and run very dirty, on par with the AR platform, cleaning them is a labor of love.
Having learned from the full size and contemplating a SBR build I found out that the TA5, pistol vesion was coming out and had to have one. Headaches started again. I have finally got it running reliably, with much less hassle than the first one.
Here is what I learned that may help others.
When you first get it, read the manual! Learn how to disassemble it, then do it. Clean it. They fire them from the factory, but do not clean them. While it is disassembled get check all moving parts, and the surfaces they ride on for burrs, knock them down. Polish the bolt with a large whetstone and oil. Polish it more. Polish the guide areas the bolt runs on. Oil all moving parts on the lower.
Check the extractor for burrs, these will tear up brass. Lightyl deburr the inside edge.
After you completely check it out and polish (polish it more), use a grease to thoroughly coat the bolt and guide areas. These things need lubrication and will not run without it, the original design had felt lube pads that hosed the bolt on operation, you have to keep the bolt lubed.
When you first fire it, if you have one, you would be well served to use the L or C drum. Take the cover off of it and remove all grease from it. Now follow the instructions on properly loading it. Only wind it 2 or 3 clicks, just enough to put tension on the rounds, then insert from left to right and make sure the 'lips' lock into the edge of the mag release. Have the bolt locked back first, see the instructions on how to do this.
Once the drum is seated, wind it the remaining amount of clicks, you can feel, with experience when it is ready, follow the instructions on the drum generally. Drop the bolt then proceed to fire it SLOWLY for the first few drums. It will jam a few times, do what it takes to clear the jam. Make sure the bolt goes fully to battery each time it shoots for the first few drums, and again fire it slowly. This allow things to settle in and the springs to soften up. After a few drums you will see a difference. Take it apart after a drum or two and clean, relube. Fire more drums. Believe it or not you will see it start to improve. It actually will run after it breaks in.
This may take several hundred rounds. Hey, your shooting, have fun, go slow at first, don't try an Elliot Ness untill it breaks in.
After you get it to wear it has broken in, Then try the sticks, if you want. These absolutely will not feed reliably if you try to break the gun in using them. You will get pissed. Use the drum, then the sticks. You will have procure/modify the magaizine bolt hole, it needs to be moved up. Use a dremel tool and go SLOW, grind a little and try it, grind a little more and try it again. It needs to go in and lock, but no more. If you can yank on the stick mag and it pops out, you haven't gone far enough, if it seats and wobbles, you have gone to far, it won't feed. If you get it just right, and it's not that hard, it takes patience, they will work AFTER the break in period.
To sum up, the AutoOrdnance Thompson is not for everyone. If you love the gun and have the patience to put up with it untill it gets to where it want's to be, you will love it. If you are not of the type who has that capacity, get something else, it will only frustrate you. Believe me, once you put the effort into it, this thing will absolutely be a real joy to shoot. When you take it to the range you will have more people wanting to look at it than you may want.
Having said all that, here is mine, the TA5, the full size is still with me, just in the safe for now.
Hope this helps and I know there are folks out there that just do not like this design, as I said, it is not for everyone.
RD

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top