by Douglas DeBono, 2006

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT StandingOrders.BlogSpot.Com, May 30, 2006

Whenever I go to the range with my Tommy Gun (i.e. Thompson Model 1927 A1) it always draws a crowd. Most people associate the Tommy Gun with the gangster movies--mobsters rolling by in sleek black cars and blasting away.

Actually the Thompson was developed for clearing trenches in World War I. In this role, the weapon was highly effective. The Tommy Gun chambers an .45 ACP, which is the same round as the Model 1911 sidearm adoopted by the army and carried by American forces for the next 70 years.

Most people associate the Tommy with a drum magazine, but I prefer the 30 round stick magazines. They are much easier to use and change. According to the manual that comes with the gun, it is effective out to 50 yards. Based on what I have seen to date, I think you could stretch that to 75 yards.

The gun weighs in around 13 pound with a fully loaded magazine. When I worked it on three staggered targets at 15, 20 and 25 yards, I can alternate between those targets and basically nail the 10 ring each time. This is from either a standing or kneeling position.

I think many people think this is a pray and spray gun, but I have found it to be a highly accurate shooting platform. Over the past 10 weeks I run about 1000 rounds through the gun. It took about 700 to really get the gun broke in and loosened up.

The other thing different from any other weapon I have is that the bolt handle sits on top of the receiver and the sights work through a groove in the handle. At first glance I thought this was going bug me, but if you concentrate on the front sight, you really don't notice it.

I did not purchase the Tommy Gun as a practical gun. It is a fun gun, and man is it it a BLAST to shoot.