Charlie Martinez
Member
If the Thompson submachine gun was already in use during WWII why wasn't the M1 Carbine also chambered for 45 ACP instead of the a new & weaker 30 caliber M1 carbine round?
And completely uncontrollable due to the very light weight of the Carbine and very silly high Rate of Fire......instead the M2 Carbine was introduced, which gave full auto to a lighter more pointable longarm.
And yes, The Thompson is a heavy klutz of a gun .....
Have you ever actually been able to try an old M2? While they are not tack drivers in full auto they were VERY good for what they were made for. Here is one example of a small woman shooting one. When they let her try it full auto she has no problems with it.And completely uncontrollable due to the very light weight of the Carbine and very silly high Rate of Fire...
Yes sadly the Kahr version of the Thomson always left something to be desired especially at the price point they sell for, damn. The originals were easy to use because of the weight and the open bolt. The weight of the weapon and ammo was always a drag on troops who had to carry one. If I was to win the lotto I would move to where I could have some NFA stuff again and an M3 and an M2 would be on my list to buy. Both were a lot of fun to play around with.Having fired a Thompson M1a1, the recoil isn't bad. It is controllable. Too bad it is a dammed boat anchor.
Also many years ago I made the mistake of buying a semi auto Thompson. An even worse boat anchor. No full auto to compensate for the 11 pounds and unwieldy barrel.
The M2 i got a chance to fire about 20 years ago also wasn't bad. It also fires a cartridge that is like a .357+p mag. Very controllable.
I'd take a M1 or M2 any day over a Thompson.
The ammo is lighter, flatter shooting, has greater penetration and generally more accurate.
I personally love PCC's. Always have. I was a fan boy for decades when they would come and go. Now last many years they have seen a huge resurgence. I currently have 2 AR's in 9mm one pistol version one full size, a Kel-Tec S2K in 9mm, Ruger Carbine in 9mm, and a couple of the Carbines made by a place in OR. They will use 9mm, 10mm, and .45ACP depending on how I set them up. The one thing they all have in common is they all use the same mags, Glock. The Ruger is easy to see made with the idea of more calibers later and they already have now started making it in .40S&W. If they offer it in 10MM or 45 I will probably have to have another one. This design is fairly close to what an M-1 in other calibers would be like. I have long wished someone would make some wood furniture for my Ruger to give it that M-1 "look".I agree with all the responses, that being said...an M1 carbine, if produced today chambered in 45, would be a hoot to shoot. It would make an excellent pdw for home defense. It would be a handsome looking firearm, unlike the fugly hi point pcc. Unfortunately, it would likely be 3x the cost of the hi point. And, there would be some issues, mags for example. I'm not sure you could get a double stack 45 mag to work with the available real estate of an m1 carbine, and single stack mags would severely limit capacity.
Have you ever actually been able to try an old M2? While they are not tack drivers in full auto they were VERY good for what they were made for. Here is one example of a small woman shooting one. When they let her try it full auto she has no problems with it.
Hell his "asset" looks nice and seems to like to shoot. Looks like a win to meLife must be sad when your only contribution to it is to allow your main asset to be filmed while you fire a gun and smile for the camera.
OK, enough philosophy for today. Carbines are great, Thompsons not so much, I think that about sums it up.
Heavy has no place in the woods, let alone a battlefield. Even full sized Uzi's with a wood stock are way too heavy.
For their designed application, a light replacement for pistols that soldiers could actually hit something with, Carbines worked well.
Have you ever actually been able to try an old M2? While they are not tack drivers in full auto they were VERY good for what they were made for. Here is one example of a small woman shooting one. When they let her try it full auto she has no problems with it.
They have it in .40 now too. I keep hoping they will offer it in 10MM and .45 later. If they come out with it in either 10mm or .45 I will have to get another.I've always wondered why no one made a 10mm or .45ACP version of the M1 carbine, and I wouldn't be opposed to a 9mm version. Yes, the Marlins were close, but as was mentioned... they had parts issues. Ruger came pretty close with the PCC, but in typical Ruger fashion they buggered it up... and that only in 9mm.
They have it in .40 now too. I keep hoping they will offer it in 10MM and .45 later. If they come out with it in either 10mm or .45 I will have to get another.
Yes the AR style carbines CMMG makes are VERY nice. One of them in 10mm is VERY tempting. Only reason I have not bought one yet is price. I keep hoping Ruger may offer theirs in that caliber for much less. The first one, 9mm was such a hit it took me a good long while to be able to lay hands on one. Even then I had to buy it off one of the auctions. When I went to my dealer to tell him it was on the way he said he had been trying real hard to get one for 6months and could not. Now they started in with it in .40, so keep hoping they will later come out with it in 10mm.CMMG and Flint River make .45 carbines. Prices are high and I suspect the market is small.
Iver Johnson made a few 9mm M1 carbines, I dont recall what they used for magazines. Chiappa currently sells one, but it is mostly cheesey plastic. I handled one and handed it back quickly, in disgust.I've always wondered why no one made a 10mm or .45ACP version of the M1 carbine, and I wouldn't be opposed to a 9mm version. Yes, the Marlins were close, but as was mentioned... they had parts issues. Ruger came pretty close with the PCC, but in typical Ruger fashion they buggered it up... and that only in 9mm.
I've grown to love 9mm carbines.
The Thompson is the only one that made me regret it.
Hell even the kp31 semi i have is a boat anchor but it at least has cheap drum magazines and 30 round magazines that are cheap.
Ain't nothing cheap for a Thompson. The semi I had wouldn't feed anything but ball.
The kp31 gobbled up even my cheapest cast lead loads like nothing.