Deactivated WWII Thompson M1928A1

This is a WWII US Thompson M1928A1 that was made by Savage Stevens and has matching numbers. During the Second World War this model was used by American paratroopers and Ranger battalions, as well as the Navy and Marines, the Thompson soon found its way around the world, seeing action in China, Austrailia, The Soviet Union, and almost all U.S. and Allies including the British Home Guard. Many saw use with British and Common Wealth forces in the jungles of Burma.

This example features a rarer smooth barrel. During the war the U.S. Ordnance Department felt that the open bolt feature of the Thompson design provided enough cooling effect to prevent most premature “cook-off” of cartridges, and felt the barrel’s radial cooling fins were not needed. The smooth barrels began to appear on Savage M1928A1’s around serial number S-500,000. This example is serial S-484406, and would be among the first batches with the a smooth barrel. Savage manufactured an estimated total of 746,932 model 1928 and M1928A1 Thompsons from April 1940, until October of 1942. It has the correct Army Inspector of Ordnance for the Rochester District were Lt. Colonel Ray L. Bowlin using the stamp, RLB from 1940, until 1942, along with the GEG (George E. Golland) and crossed cannons and flaming grenade ordnance stamps.

It features a tensioned cocking/bolt assembly and trigger that return under spring pressure.

*