Description
The Auto-Ordnance Thompson Deluxe Carbine is the 1927A-1 in its most recognisable form: a 16.5 inch finned barrel with a compensator at the muzzle, American walnut stock and vertical foregrip, a receiver machined from solid steel, and a 50-round drum hanging beneath it. This configuration ships with both the drum and a 20-round stick.
Machined From Solid Steel
The frame and receiver on the Auto-Ordnance Thompson Deluxe Carbine are machined from solid steel rather than cast or stamped, which is the reason the gun weighs what it does and the reason it shoots the way it does. There is a direct relationship between the two: a heavy receiver soaks up recoil, and 45 ACP in a gun this heavy produces almost none at all.
The furniture is genuine American walnut, not a stained hardwood substitute. On a reproduction of a gun this iconic, that matters — the walnut is what the original wore and it is the part of the carbine you actually have your hands on.
Specifications
- Model: Auto-Ordnance Thompson 1927A-1 Deluxe Carbine
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel: 16.5 in, finned, with compensator
- Action: semi-automatic
- Capacity: 20-round stick and 50-round drum supplied
- Receiver and frame: machined from solid steel
- Stock and grips: genuine American walnut
- Foregrip: vertical
- Sights: adjustable
A note on the drum. Thompson drums are wound with a key before use, and they want unwinding after a session rather than being left under tension. Loaded, a 50-round drum adds a couple of pounds to a carbine that is already heavy. Most owners shoot the stick magazine and fit the drum when they want the gun to look the way everybody pictures it, which is a perfectly reasonable division of labour.
Why it is worth considering
- Receiver and frame machined from solid steel, not cast or stamped
- Genuine American walnut stock and vertical foregrip
- 16.5 inch finned barrel with compensator, the full Deluxe treatment
- 50-round drum and 20-round stick both supplied
- Semi-automatic and Title I, requiring no NFA paperwork
- Adjustable sights
Who it suits
The Auto-Ordnance Thompson Deluxe Carbine is for the buyer who has wanted a Thompson for years and wants the one that looks right. The drum is included, the walnut is real, and the weight that makes it tiring to carry is exactly what makes it a joy to shoot. If you want a Thompson you can hold up for longer, the aluminium-receivered Lightweight is the version to look at instead.
Ammunition, Handling and Transfer
The Auto-Ordnance Thompson Deluxe Carbine runs standard 45 ACP, and 230 grain round nose full metal jacket is what the pattern was designed around. The feed geometry comes from a gun built for ball ammunition, so hollow points are worth testing rather than assuming, and lead round nose is best kept out of a barrel you would rather not scrub.
Shooting one is an experience worth having. The mass of a solid steel receiver means 45 ACP produces almost no felt recoil, the sight picture barely moves between shots, and a first-time shooter can put rounds on target immediately. The balance sits well forward, so it rewards a bench or a sling and punishes standing offhand for long stretches. Manufacturer information is published by Auto-Ordnance.
Compare with the 18 inch Deluxe with the 100-round drum, the plain Commando and the aluminium-receivered Lightweight, browse our full Auto-Ordnance range, or the rifle catalog. All firearm orders ship to a licensed FFL dealer for transfer, and MAG5 Firearms will coordinate the paperwork with the dealer of your choice.
One historical note collectors tend to appreciate. The 1927A-1 designation is not arbitrary: the original Model 1927 was Auto-Ordnance’s own semi-automatic version of the 1921 Thompson, produced in the twenties for buyers who wanted the gun without the machine gun. The modern carbine carries the same designation for the same reason, which makes it a reproduction of a semi-automatic Thompson rather than a semi-automatic reproduction of a machine gun. A small distinction, and one the people who care about it care about a great deal.
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