What other handguns do you like?

[Bill_in_VA]

Nice! What’s the story on your Thompson, Richard? An Irish Sword?

Here’s my Thompson...

[rpbcps]

Bill,
Indeed it is, one of the originals from the SS East side shipment. It has had its serial numbers chiselled off, which was common practice on Thompsons smuggled into Ireland. The three-digit serial number could be 524, 584 or 594*, the latter appears to be the most probable.

Through further research I discovered all three 1921's with serial numbers 524, 584 and 594 are recorded as being shipped to George Gordon Rorke, N.Y.C. c/o American Railway Express Company, 46th Street New York, N.Y.

That company was established as a fictional front for Rorke’s arms dealing operation, one of many front addresses used for the purchase of guns for onward shipping to Ireland.

From this I deducted that all three serial numbers were part of the fourth IRA Shipment of 653 Thompsons, Auto-Ordnance Corporations first major sale.

The trigger frame is not matching, but is a three-digit serial number with the first type selector markings. Although, like the receiver, the serial number has been chiselled off. It appears to be 842, which was another Model of 1921, shipped to G. G. Rorke, which left the Colt assembly line on the 26th May 1921.

As I can not shoot any firearm, now I am a civilian, in the UK, I am envious of your M1, that is a nice weapon. I am a member of ‘The American Thompson Association’, (TATA), and have hoped to get across for the TATA 'Show and Shoot' in Ohio over the last few years, but work, and this year health issues, combined with Covid 19, have prevented me from attending so far.

[Bill_in_VA]

Beautiful gun, Richard, and well researched!

[DonVoigt]

Other than lugers:
American made, and others made elsewhere!

I do like .22 s, like Woodsmen and High Standards.
I built the OSS clone myself on a Form 1.