#1
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Thompson Stick Mags & "Public Enemies"
Does anyone know what year the 20 & 30 round magazines were introduced for the Thompson SMG?
I ask because someone posted the following "goof" for "Public Enemies" on IMDB:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/goofs He's insinuating that box magazines didn't exist until after the start of WW2..isn't this total BS? Weren't the 20 round magazines available when the the 1921 model Thompson came on the market? I'm not sure when the 30 round mags became available, but I thought it was prior to WW2. Can anyone clear this up for me? Thanks. |
#2
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The 20 round magazines have been around since the beginning, and 30 round magazines were developed for the M1 series of Thompsons since they could NOT take the drum magazines, so the 30 round magazines were WW2 issued items and not issued until after 1941. |
#3
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So the guy who posted the goof is only partially right..he would be correct if he was only referring to the 30 round mag but the way that it's worded it sounds like box magazines didn't exist at all until WW2.
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#4
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MPM has it right on the mags for the Thompsons. The 20rd sticks have been around since the weapon was designed and the 30rd mags came into being in 1942 to increase the amount of ammo you can carry. A pouch carrying one 50rd drum can carry about five 30rd mags in the same space. That's extra 100rds and they are easier to load than the drum.
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#5
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I can't tell from the angle of the screen caps. Are those we see in the movie 20 or 30 round magazines? If they are 30, then we should point out that 30 rounders don't exist at the time.
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"There's a fine line between not listening and not caring...I like to think I walk that line everyday of my life." Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle Psalm 144:1 “It is always wrong to use force, unless it is more wrong not to.” |
#6
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We do research the weapons for large period features to get the weapons correct right down to the magazines. There are other things that can change like Michael Mann wanting something special that might be iffy for the period. But for the most part we research the period to get things right. If you notice on Westerns from the 1930's to 1970's it was only the 1892 Winchester now it's Henry Rifles, 1866 Carbines and 1873 Carbines. Research, Research, Research, to change the was of Hollywood. |
#7
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The Thompson was originally sold with the 20 round mag, the drum was an optional extra. In fact I believe that Dillinger really did use a Thompson with a box mag, though its been awhile since I saw the picture of his gang's weapons.
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#8
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Thompson drum and in general are unreliable. In Thompson case if the drum has a dent or drop it become useless. You also need to wind the drum certain number of times. If you go over or under the range it will cause reliability issues.
The first Thompson sub-machine guns came with 20 rnds of stick magazine, IIRC. Last edited by jdun; 05-05-2009 at 11:11 PM. |
#9
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Interesting tidbit - there's an article in the current issue of Man At Arms For The Gun Collector that suggests Dillinger carried a Super 38 rather than a Government Model .45, and the infamous machine pistol made by Harold Lebman was also a .38 Super.
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#10
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The is correct on the .38 Super it was and still more accurate than a .45 Auto. The other reason is that the .38 Super would penetrate the vest they had back then and a .45 would not.
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