Thompson M1921/28

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 17:53 Written by Administrator Friday, 03 July 2009 00:05

The Thompson M1921/28 is perhaps the most well-known submachine gun of all times. It was designed by John T. Thompson—a US army general who felt the necessity of a pistol-calibre submachine gun for use in the trenches. The M1928 was an improved version of the M1921 with a few changes.

The M1921/28 gained a lot of notoriety during the Prohibition era in the United States because of its use by Gangsters. It was also popular with the law enforcement agencies of that era. It was a reliable and well-designed weapon.

The Thompson M1921/28 was chambered for the .45 ACP round and was effective up to 120 meters. It could fire at a rate of 700 rounds per minute and used a Cutts Compensator to reduce recoil to safely handle the weapon. The M1921 fed from magazine with 18, 20 or 30-rounds or 50 or 100-round drum.

The Thompson submachine gun came in several variants. One of these was the ‘gangster gun’ which came with a foregrip similar to a carbine. The M1928 followed the M1921 and had a few changes made to it. The rate of fire was reduced from 800 to 700 rounds per minute. The M1928 was adopted by the US Military subsequently. A version of the M1921 known as the ‘M1’ was also introduced in the later years. It was designed for manufacture on a large-scale and went into production in 1942.

The Thompson submachine gun was widely deployed by the United States Military in the Second World War. Subsequently, production was stopped by 1960s. Occasionally, it also surfaces in modern conflicts. Most notably it was used in the conflicts in Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The submachine gun is still very popular with gun enthusiasts and collectors.

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