Was the thompson submachine gun a reliable gun

Question

it probably jammed more often than the AK47, but i dont think it was as bad as the M16. what happens if u dip the thompson in mud?

Answer 1

The Thompson was a very fine weapon. It took many hours of machine work to make it. This was the only drawback to the Thompson.

You are really comparing 2 totally different firearms. A thompson is a sub machine gun meaning it shoots pistol caliber cartridges namely the 45acp. The Ak-47 is an assault rifle shooting a larger and more powerful cartridge namely the 7.62x39mm.

Any semi auto or full auto can and will jam if not properly cared for even the ak-47. The AK is made with very forgiving tolerances that is why it can be dropped in mud drug on the bottom of the river and still will shoot. The thompson was a very finely crafted weapon. I am not taking anything away from either weapon but you are trying to compare a Corvette to a Yugo. They are both cars but are built for totally different things.

Mr. B

Answer 2

The Chicago typewriter was notorious for reliability. It was adopted into military service and stayed there through 3 wars. I've even heard rumor that the occasional 1928 has been seen in use in afghanistan.

Answer 3

The thompson was the toughest sub gun.  Very few internal parts.

If you compare the AK 47 and M-16 to the Thompson, you can't.  The first two are rifles the thompson is shooting a pistol cartridge.

Reliability, really not a problem.  All weapons that have been approved for military service have gone through more extreme conditions than what they would actually ever see.

Answer 4

It was very reliable if you used ball ammo...  

If you dropped it in the mud with the bolt closed,  all you had to do is wipe the action with your hand before you started firing it.  

The M16 was a political decision and the Stoner design in 308 actually lost to the M14 in open competition.  However McNamara did not care and like a true Liberal,  thought he knew better than the Army...

Answer 5

It was A+.*

Answer 6

Well, don't dip it in mud. It was and is very reliable.