Auto-Ordnance Thompson Lightweight Deluxe 45 ACP with 100-Round Drum — Superb

Description

The Thompson Lightweight Deluxe solves the one problem every Thompson owner eventually mentions. A steel-receivered 1927A-1 weighs around thirteen pounds and is magnificent to shoot and exhausting to hold; this one uses an aluminium alloy receiver instead and sheds several pounds without changing anything you can see. It ships with a 100-round drum.

Where the Weight Goes

The receiver and barrel assembly on the Thompson Lightweight Deluxe are aluminium alloy rather than machined steel. That single change is worth several pounds on a carbine of this size, and it is the difference between a gun you shoot from a bench and a gun you can hold up offhand for a full magazine without your arms complaining.

The trade is honest and worth stating: less mass means marginally more felt recoil. In practice 45 ACP is a low-pressure cartridge and this is still a heavy carbine by modern standards, so the difference is noticeable only if you have shot both back to back. Most owners consider it a bargain.

Specifications

• Model: Auto-Ordnance Thompson 1927A-1C Lightweight Deluxe
• Caliber: 45 ACP
• Barrel: 16.5 in, finned, with compensator
• Action: semi-automatic
• Receiver: aluminium alloy
• Magazine supplied: 100-round drum
• Stock and grips: walnut
• Foregrip: vertical
• Sights: adjustable
• Finish: blued

A note on the photograph: the image shows this carbine fitted with a stick magazine, which is how most owners shoot it. The 100-round drum is included in the box. Thompson drums wind with a key before use and want unwinding after a session rather than being left under tension — and a loaded 100-round drum is heavy enough that you will notice it immediately.

Why it is worth considering

• Aluminium alloy receiver, several pounds lighter than the steel version
• 100-round drum magazine included
• 16.5 inch finned barrel with compensator, the full Deluxe treatment
• Walnut furniture and vertical foregrip
• Semi-automatic and Title I, requiring no NFA paperwork
• Takes the same sticks and drums as every other Thompson

Who it suits

The Thompson Lightweight Deluxe is the one to buy if you intend to shoot your Thompson rather than display it, and the included drum means you get the iconic silhouette without paying separately for it. Collectors after the most faithful reproduction should note that the aluminium receiver is a modern departure and the steel Deluxe is the closer article.

Ammunition, Handling and Transfer

The Thompson Lightweight Deluxe 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 before relying on them and lead round nose is best kept out of a barrel you would rather not scrub. With the drum fitted, check how the rounds are seated before winding.

Shooting it is the reason to choose this version over the steel one. The balance still sits forward of the trigger as it does on every Thompson, but at this weight you can hold it up long enough to enjoy the fact, and it is comfortably the easiest of the range to run standing. It remains steady enough from a bench to shoot respectable groups. Manufacturer information is published by Auto-Ordnance.

Compare with the steel Deluxe Carbine, the 18 inch Deluxe with 100-round drum and the plain Commando, 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 more thing worth knowing if you are new to the platform. Every Thompson in this range — steel or aluminium, Deluxe or Commando, 16.5 inch or 18 inch — uses the same magazines, the same drums and the same manual of arms. Whichever you start with, anything you buy for it transfers to the next one, which makes the Thompson an unusually forgiving thing to begin collecting.