M1A1 BB submachinegun.
This report covers:
- I owned one!
- Uses 2 CO2 cartridges
- Magazine
- The BB gun
- Select-fire
- Plastic stock is realistic!
- Sights
- Is the description finished?
- Summary
Just a reminder before we begin. Friday is July Fourth, the American Independence day. It’s one of the four holidays I get each year, so today’s report will be posted until next Monday.
Today we look at an airgun that I know many of you will like—Thompson’s M1A1 submachinegun. This one is a BB gun and it’s one of the Umarex Legends products, which means it is very realistic.
The Thompson name is trademarked by Saeilo Enterprises, Inc., the parent of Kahr Arms, so I’m guessing Umarex doesn’t use it for licensing reasons. The title M1A1 was given by the U.S. Army in 1938 when they simplified the M1928 model for cost and production reasons.
I owned one!
I have only owned a few of the firearms that the Legends airguns are patterned after like the Colt SAA and the P08 Parabellum (German Luger). The Thompson is another firearm I once owned. That one was semiautomatic only and it was made by Auto Ordinance. If ever a firearm was unsuitable for me—that one was it. Why? The pull (length from the center of the butt to the trigger) was several inches too long.
When I pulled this one out of the box and hefted it I found it is exactly the same. Umarex has copied the firearm well, as they always do! The pull on this one measures just shy of 17 inches / 431.8 MM.
Uses 2 CO2 cartridges
This one uses two 12-gram CO2 cartridges, so factor that into your purchase. I remember from my days in the Army, guys could not keep their rifles off the rock-n-roll setting on their M16s. This gun will go through gas and BBs quickly!
Magazine
Most people think of Tommyguns with a drum magazine. The drum holds either 50 or 100 rounds of .45 ACP cartridges. It sounds great EXCEPT—there are several special procedures to be followed to load one. If you only plan to shoot one drum it is a great way to go but if you want to shoot more than one there is some learnin’ to do. I prefer the stick mag, which is what the M1A1 comes with. Also consider this—a 100-round drum mag for the .45 firearm costs over $900. A 30-round stick mag for the same ammo costs under $100.
The BB magazine holds up to 30 BBs in a single stack, plus the CO2 cartridges and the firing valve. It costs $55 and is essential to the operation of the gun.
They look cool but loading those drum mags is a chore!
The BB gun
Now let’s turn our attention to the BB gun we are testing. It is nearly 32-inches / 81.28 CM long and weighs 7 pounds, 10.3 oz. / 3.01 Kg. It’s a chunk! And that 17-inch pull plus the finger-groove forearm way out there means the weight is well forward of center. In other words, it’s nose-heavy.
My aluminum Thompson firearm weighed 11.5 pounds / 5.22 Kg., so by comparison the BB gun is a lightweight! But it doesn’t feel like one. Imagine what a steel Thompson weighs!
Select-fire
The BB gun can be fired single-shot, which is a real blessing when you need to chronograph the velocity. It possibly fires from an open bolt. That would mean the bolt handle on the right side of the gun reciprocates. If that’s the case you need to be careful of it during full-auto firing. The manual calls the bolt handle a pinch point so it’s something I will check in the test.
Here, on the gun’s left side you see the select-fire switch on the left and the safety on the right. The knurled button in the center of the picture is the end of the magazine release lever. Push up and the mag comes out.
Plastic stock is realistic!
I was amazed by how great the stock looks. It is plastic and it is hollow, but it looks like real wood. As for the hollowness, buyers complain about the overall weight, so they gotta cut back somewhere.
Sights
The sights aren’t adjustable but the rear sight does follow the military design of being both an open notch and a large peep sight. Believe it or not soldiers didn’t always spray and pray. They had to carry their ammo into battle and they weren’t shooting BBs!
The rear sight is both an open notch and a large peep.
Is the description finished?
There is probably more to tell—like how easy the magazine is to load and whether the bolt handle moves during firing. If I don’t find a lot more I’ll incorporate it into the other reports to keep us on schedule.
Summary
I like the M1A1 so far. It’s reasonably heavy and reminds me of my Thompson firearm in many ways. I just hope it performs like it looks.
Yes they do faithfully follow the features of the military version.
And to those that thinks the drum mag is cool.
Remember when the mag is full thats 100 rounds of 230 grain ball ammo you are carrying around on that already heavy steel & wood rifle.
With a drum mag, it hits right at 20 lbs fully loaded (9 kilos) thats sneaking real close to an M60 general purpose machine gun when empty.
Not to mention, when shouldered, that drum mag gets in the way of your left hand (for a right handed shooter),
Do I like them?
YES!
This is whats on my wall at the end of the hall between the bedrooms.
The power of Rub N Buff! (its a type of artist paint that you can use to make an object look worn.) they have many colors to choose from.
Happy Wednesday!
Ian
B.B.
Yes, but can it shoot the star out of the target?
Happy Birthday America,
-Yogi
Yogi,
It depends on whether the person running the booth is using a red marker or not.
I would just buy one directly – unfortunately, in Germany automatic is not allowed. This is the one and only thing which still holds me from buying one. I read only positive reviews so far.
I think the wood imitation is as good as on the Winchester (Umarex). It feels like a real one indeed!
I’m affraid about what will come – the big enabler! 🙂
I have not had the pleasure of hefting this. I can well imagine the very mass of this reduced the recoil to almost nothing. No wonder they went to the M3. Carrying this thing around may not have been fun, but when it hit the fan, I can well imagine this was quite nice to have.
What I have a problem understanding is why was the length of pull so long. I understand that will put all the weight forward to help keep that muzzle down, but great googly moogly that calls for some long arms. That would not be a problem for me, but this is most definitely not for short people.
“This is most definitely not for short people.” Yer short friend will second and third that. That is why he carries the MP40, Umarex bb version and the GSG-MP40 9mm semiauto. FM woulda have to stick to M3s, Stens, or PpSh-type sprayers back in the day. Helmet would have been doffed to the guys hefting a B.A.R around.
This is a good video on the use of Allied weapons by German forces in WWII – one of them was the Thompson.
https://youtu.be/WAeb1-bI5gA?si=n0iifUcuCPs6Xgfb
I am guessing the extra long length of pull is there to allow a shooting posture that accommodates the recoil of an automatic firearm. This looks to be an interesting series. I hope everyone (as applicable) enjoys the 4th of July celebrations.
The M1A1 “Tommy” gun was still in the armory on my first submarine until it was decommissioned in 1980. Even though according to wiki it was pulled from service in 1971. The other weapons in the armory were the WW2 issued 1911’s, M-14’s, and the 870 pump shotgun. Based on the wear patterns external and internal on all the weapons I handled, thousands of rounds were fired from each. The Tommy’s were only pulled out when we pulled into a foreign port. The 1911’s and shotguns were used for day to day security and watch stander qualifications, the 1911’s were so loose that hitting a man sized target at 25 feet was problematic even for experienced shooters. The M-14’s were typically only pulled out for shark watch when we had a steel beach day (barbecue and swim call topside in the middle of nowhere).
I never saw the Tommy guns after my first boat, but the other weapons were still in use on submarines and other ships when I retired in 1994.
Mike
“The Thompson is another firearm I once owned. That one was semiautomatic only and it was made by Auto Ordinance.”
BB,
A friend of mine had that same gun; while it worked OK for him (6′ 4″ inches tall), it was a stretch for me.
Hence, I tried it but didn’t buy it…the firearm, that is. 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
To Whom It May Concern: May the Fourth be with you, with all of US. Freedom is not free. FM thanks God the blessing to be living in a country where we are still, hopefully always, citizens and not subjects. It does require effort and vigilance to ensure that does not change.