Thompson Auto Ordnance 1911

Habakkuk21 · 04-23-2005, 06:55 PM

My local gunshop has an older THompson Auto Ordnance 1911 for sale. My out-the-door cost is $425. Should I buy it?

Dave Sample · 04-24-2005, 02:37 PM

No!

Roy Collins · 04-24-2005, 11:44 PM

No. Too high.

lefty o · 04-25-2005, 10:34 AM

absolutely not.

Jesse · 04-25-2005, 04:00 PM

No, Bad quality... stay away! Just put it down... and walk away...!

Habakkuk21 · 04-25-2005, 08:12 PM

Well, I went to the bank, withdrew $450, walked into the gun store and said, "I want to try that Thompson to see if I want to buy it." They wouldn't let me shoot my reloads, so I had to buy a box of their ammo.
Eyes & ears on, back on the range. The steely-eyed bearded shooter places a silhouette target on the holder, and advances it to 20 feet. After checking again to make sure the 1911 is clear, he loads 3 rounds of 185 grain JHP into the magazine, pops the magazine into place, and racks the slide. Aligning the iron sights to the center of mass, he breathes, relaxes, aims, sights, and squeezes off a round. BOOM!!! A .45 inch hole appears in the target, below and to the right of the aiming point. Another round: BOOM!!! This time, however, something feels wrong. A quick glance at the weapon shows that the slide hasn't returned to battery; in fact, it is almost fully back in the locked position! Oh no! A stovepipe! Carefully, our intrepid shooter ejects the magazine, and clears the jam. He reloads the third and final round from the first series. BOOM! OUCH! The ejected round has flown straight back, striking him in the forehead.
"This does not bode well," mutters our hero to himself. With a growing sense of disappointment, he considers the possibility that the currency resting just above his right buttock will be returned to his financial establishment on the morrow.
Still somewhat hopeful, he removes seven more rounds from the freshly opened box of Remingtons, and thumbs them, one at a time, into the magazine. Again he draws a bead on the center of mass of the silhouette, which remains hanging in isolation on the all-but-deserted range. Again, he repeats the series of steps, hammered into him so long ago under the South Carolina sun by red-faced, sweating, profane, range instrutors. B-R-A-S-S!! Seven times he runs the cycle, and each time he is rewarded by the roar of the fast-burning powder, and the satisfying kick as the .45 ACP bullet exits the barrel. To his dismay, however, he experiences two additional stovepipes.
"Three out of ten," he mutters. "That's not good, not good. Do I want to pay $425 in the hope that a small amount of tweaking will turn this into a reliable firearm? I think not."
Sadly, he slides the plastic cartridge holder back into the green and white box, and closes the flap. He polices up up his brass, but leaves the silhouette target hanging downrange as a mute witness of what was not to be.
Is there a 1911 in the future for our hero? Perhaps so; however, for the nonce he shall remain content, nay, happy, as he sends round after round downrange from the muzzle of his faithful Hi-Point .45, as well as lesser calibers from his S&W and Browning.
The end.

gunssb · 04-25-2005, 08:37 PM

It's great that they let you try it - thanks for the report. I guess you didn't get a chance to try it with 230gr FMJ ?

Habakkuk21 · 04-25-2005, 08:53 PM

Actually, I had to rent it for $8, which would have paid for an hour of shooting. After 10 rounds, though, I had all the information I needed. Since I would have had to buy the ammo from them, I didn't try anything else but the 185 gr SWC. I'm going to keep the 40 rounds I have left in case I need to shoot my bad ol puddy tat or enter a shooting competition or something.

lefty o · 04-25-2005, 11:49 PM

sounds like it runs like an AO. if you wanted to learn to do some gunsmithing on 1911's you could go back and offer $250, and not feel bad about cutting it up.

Dave Sample · 04-26-2005, 01:34 PM

They are bad guns. Period. If you spend another $400.00-500.00to make it run, it will still be worth $200.00 at the most.
If you want a good 1911 cheap, look around for a Norinco. They rarely need anything more than a good reliablity tune up by a competent pistolsmith. $300.00 for the gun + $100.00 for the smith and you would be good to go for a very long time.

redhawk9 · 05-22-2005, 02:57 PM

Here's a question fer ya'all: I have recently built my first .45, on an ESSEX arms receiver and I have purchased the remining parts needed (including numerous assorted extra parts). Knowing that I am a complete neophyte when it comes to building a pistol, I knew I wa going to have to "tweak" certain things with it to get it to reliably function. With the asistance of a "range rat" at my local range, I determined (and addressed) one of the problems in respect to feeding (had to polish the barrel link so it didn't jam into the receiver and slow the inertia down too much). One suggestion I was given was to have it throated. Now, I'm ALMOST mechanically inclined and I can follow directions reasonably well, but I'm having troubles FINDING the instructions on how to accomplish the task. I have the tools I will probably need (brand new DREMEL tool), but I need someone to advise WHERE I need to polish it.

Suggestions are appreciated.

lefty o · 05-22-2005, 06:40 PM

wilson combat has a book on gunsmithing the 1911, and will show you want you want to know about polishing the feedramp, and throating the barrel. if your barrel link is the proper length, there should be no need to do anything to it.

Habakkuk21 · 05-22-2005, 09:34 PM

Go to homegunsmith.com, and click on the "Progress" button at the top of the page. Then click on the "Sistema Project," and scroll down to the entry for September 18. If you click on the 'details" link, he explains the whole process, and includes pictures of how & where to do it.

06-06-2005, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habakkuk21

Well, I went to the bank, withdrew $450, walked into the gun store and said, "I want to try that Thompson to see if I want to buy it." They wouldn't let me shoot my reloads, so I had to buy a box of their ammo.
Eyes & ears on, back on the range. The steely-eyed bearded shooter places a silhouette target on the holder, and advances it to 20 feet. After checking again to make sure the 1911 is clear, he loads 3 rounds of 185 grain JHP into the magazine, pops the magazine into place, and racks the slide. Aligning the iron sights to the center of mass, he breathes, relaxes, aims, sights, and squeezes off a round. BOOM!!! A .45 inch hole appears in the target, below and to the right of the aiming point. Another round: BOOM!!! This time, however, something feels wrong. A quick glance at the weapon shows that the slide hasn't returned to battery; in fact, it is almost fully back in the locked position! Oh no! A stovepipe! Carefully, our intrepid shooter ejects the magazine, and clears the jam. He reloads the third and final round from the first series. BOOM! OUCH! The ejected round has flown straight back, striking him in the forehead.
"This does not bode well," mutters our hero to himself. With a growing sense of disappointment, he considers the possibility that the currency resting just above his right buttock will be returned to his financial establishment on the morrow.
Still somewhat hopeful, he removes seven more rounds from the freshly opened box of Remingtons, and thumbs them, one at a time, into the magazine. Again he draws a bead on the center of mass of the silhouette, which remains hanging in isolation on the all-but-deserted range. Again, he repeats the series of steps, hammered into him so long ago under the South Carolina sun by red-faced, sweating, profane, range instrutors. B-R-A-S-S!! Seven times he runs the cycle, and each time he is rewarded by the roar of the fast-burning powder, and the satisfying kick as the .45 ACP bullet exits the barrel. To his dismay, however, he experiences two additional stovepipes.
"Three out of ten," he mutters. "That's not good, not good. Do I want to pay $425 in the hope that a small amount of tweaking will turn this into a reliable firearm? I think not."
Sadly, he slides the plastic cartridge holder back into the green and white box, and closes the flap. He polices up up his brass, but leaves the silhouette target hanging downrange as a mute witness of what was not to be.
Is there a 1911 in the future for our hero? Perhaps so; however, for the nonce he shall remain content, nay, happy, as he sends round after round downrange from the muzzle of his faithful Hi-Point .45, as well as lesser calibers from his S&W and Browning.
The end.

I was thinking about buying another Auto Ordnance..I used to have one years ago

Habakkuk21 · 06-07-2005, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logansdad

I was thinking about buying another Auto Ordnance..I used to have one years ago

I think that there are some really good ones out there, but the one I fired wasn't in that category.
Check out
http://forum.m1911.org/forumdisplay.php?f=8
which is the Auto-Ordnance forum in the Manufacturers section of M1911.org. I betcha that you'll find lots of info there about what years were good and what years were RUN AWAY!
I bought a Rock Island Armory 1911 Government model about a week and a half ago, and love it. It was cheaper than the used AO, and it works flawlewssly.
And, in case you didn't know, I'm really glad to have you back. I missed you!

06-07-2005, 07:56 AM

I don't think I'll take a chance on it

might just look at a Brazilian Springfield :insane:

06-16-2005, 04:30 PM

I saw a brand new one that looked downright tempting :right:

06-27-2005, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logansdad

I saw a brand new one that looked downright tempting :right:

in fact it looked like an early Norinco

xtriggerman · 11-07-2007, 09:40 AM

Hi folks,
I can tell you a little obout the early West Hurley AO 1911's. If it stamped colt 45 acp on the barrel, its made mostly from original millitary parts on a essex frame and slide with a commercial colt barrel. If the barrel is just polished over the chamber, Its junk. Thats a numrich barrel and a considerable higher number of below spec "market" parts. This transition into cheap parts started in ernest after SN 4000 (1983). So if you happen to see a AO with SN 4000 or earlier, your looking at a decent peice. Back then they had a wholesale price of $289. I had the dubious honor of putting together the 1911A1 production line for George Numrich back then. The stories I could tell you, Maybe another time.....

rondog · 11-07-2007, 01:25 PM

I've heard nothing good about the AO pistols.

If you're interested in a good bargain in 1911 .45's, look into the Rock Island Armory guns. Seriously. I have three of them and they're flawless, plus there's a helluva lot of other dedicated RIA fans out there. You can find brand new GI models, Compacts (Officers size), and Tacticals all for less that $400. Sarco and Centerfire Systems are great places to get them online, and a lot of stores/gun shops carry them too. Go to this forum, there's lots of RIA lovers here and all the info you could ever want..... The M1911 Pistols Organization Forums Site - Armscor/Rock Island

04-23-2005, 06:55 PM	#1
Habakkuk21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 174	Thompson Auto Ordnance 1911 My local gunshop has an older THompson Auto Ordnance 1911 for sale. My out-the-door cost is $425. Should I buy it? __________________ Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.

04-25-2005, 04:00 PM	#5
Jesse Administrator Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,950	No, Bad quality... stay away! Just put it down... and walk away...! __________________ Jesse www.gunandgame.com

04-25-2005, 08:12 PM	#6
Habakkuk21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 174	Well, I went to the bank, withdrew $450, walked into the gun store and said, "I want to try that Thompson to see if I want to buy it." They wouldn't let me shoot my reloads, so I had to buy a box of their ammo. Eyes & ears on, back on the range. The steely-eyed bearded shooter places a silhouette target on the holder, and advances it to 20 feet. After checking again to make sure the 1911 is clear, he loads 3 rounds of 185 grain JHP into the magazine, pops the magazine into place, and racks the slide. Aligning the iron sights to the center of mass, he breathes, relaxes, aims, sights, and squeezes off a round. BOOM!!! A .45 inch hole appears in the target, below and to the right of the aiming point. Another round: BOOM!!! This time, however, something feels wrong. A quick glance at the weapon shows that the slide hasn't returned to battery; in fact, it is almost fully back in the locked position! Oh no! A stovepipe! Carefully, our intrepid shooter ejects the magazine, and clears the jam. He reloads the third and final round from the first series. BOOM! OUCH! The ejected round has flown straight back, striking him in the forehead. "This does not bode well," mutters our hero to himself. With a growing sense of disappointment, he considers the possibility that the currency resting just above his right buttock will be returned to his financial establishment on the morrow. Still somewhat hopeful, he removes seven more rounds from the freshly opened box of Remingtons, and thumbs them, one at a time, into the magazine. Again he draws a bead on the center of mass of the silhouette, which remains hanging in isolation on the all-but-deserted range. Again, he repeats the series of steps, hammered into him so long ago under the South Carolina sun by red-faced, sweating, profane, range instrutors. B-R-A-S-S!! Seven times he runs the cycle, and each time he is rewarded by the roar of the fast-burning powder, and the satisfying kick as the .45 ACP bullet exits the barrel. To his dismay, however, he experiences two additional stovepipes. "Three out of ten," he mutters. "That's not good, not good. Do I want to pay $425 in the hope that a small amount of tweaking will turn this into a reliable firearm? I think not." Sadly, he slides the plastic cartridge holder back into the green and white box, and closes the flap. He polices up up his brass, but leaves the silhouette target hanging downrange as a mute witness of what was not to be. Is there a 1911 in the future for our hero? Perhaps so; however, for the nonce he shall remain content, nay, happy, as he sends round after round downrange from the muzzle of his faithful Hi-Point .45, as well as lesser calibers from his S&W and Browning. The end. __________________ Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.

04-25-2005, 08:53 PM	#8
Habakkuk21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 174	Actually, I had to rent it for $8, which would have paid for an hour of shooting. After 10 rounds, though, I had all the information I needed. Since I would have had to buy the ammo from them, I didn't try anything else but the 185 gr SWC. I'm going to keep the 40 rounds I have left in case I need to shoot my bad ol puddy tat or enter a shooting competition or something. __________________ Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.

05-22-2005, 09:34 PM	#13
Habakkuk21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 174	Go to homegunsmith.com, and click on the "Progress" button at the top of the page. Then click on the "Sistema Project," and scroll down to the entry for September 18. If you click on the 'details" link, he explains the whole process, and includes pictures of how & where to do it. __________________ Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.

04-24-2005, 02:37 PM	#2
Dave Sample Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 99	No!

04-24-2005, 11:44 PM	#3
Roy Collins Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Louisville Kentucky. Posts: 322	No. Too high.

04-25-2005, 10:34 AM	#4
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 6,366	absolutely not.

04-25-2005, 08:37 PM	#7
gunssb Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: socal Posts: 1,818	It's great that they let you try it - thanks for the report. I guess you didn't get a chance to try it with 230gr FMJ ?

04-25-2005, 11:49 PM	#9
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 6,366	sounds like it runs like an AO. if you wanted to learn to do some gunsmithing on 1911's you could go back and offer $250, and not feel bad about cutting it up.

04-26-2005, 01:34 PM	#10
Dave Sample Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 99	They are bad guns. Period. If you spend another $400.00-500.00to make it run, it will still be worth $200.00 at the most. If you want a good 1911 cheap, look around for a Norinco. They rarely need anything more than a good reliablity tune up by a competent pistolsmith. $300.00 for the gun + $100.00 for the smith and you would be good to go for a very long time.

05-22-2005, 02:57 PM	#11
redhawk9 Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3	Here's a question fer ya'all: I have recently built my first .45, on an ESSEX arms receiver and I have purchased the remining parts needed (including numerous assorted extra parts). Knowing that I am a complete neophyte when it comes to building a pistol, I knew I wa going to have to "tweak" certain things with it to get it to reliably function. With the asistance of a "range rat" at my local range, I determined (and addressed) one of the problems in respect to feeding (had to polish the barrel link so it didn't jam into the receiver and slow the inertia down too much). One suggestion I was given was to have it throated. Now, I'm ALMOST mechanically inclined and I can follow directions reasonably well, but I'm having troubles FINDING the instructions on how to accomplish the task. I have the tools I will probably need (brand new DREMEL tool), but I need someone to advise WHERE I need to polish it. Suggestions are appreciated.

05-22-2005, 06:40 PM	#12
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 6,366	wilson combat has a book on gunsmithing the 1911, and will show you want you want to know about polishing the feedramp, and throating the barrel. if your barrel link is the proper length, there should be no need to do anything to it.

06-07-2005, 07:56 AM	#16
Logansdad Guest Posts: n/a	I don't think I'll take a chance on it might just look at a Brazilian Springfield :insane:

06-16-2005, 04:30 PM	#17
Logansdad Guest Posts: n/a	I saw a brand new one that looked downright tempting :right:

11-07-2007, 09:40 AM	#19
xtriggerman Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Catskill Mountains NY Posts: 25	Hi folks, I can tell you a little obout the early West Hurley AO 1911's. If it stamped colt 45 acp on the barrel, its made mostly from original millitary parts on a essex frame and slide with a commercial colt barrel. If the barrel is just polished over the chamber, Its junk. Thats a numrich barrel and a considerable higher number of below spec "market" parts. This transition into cheap parts started in ernest after SN 4000 (1983). So if you happen to see a AO with SN 4000 or earlier, your looking at a decent peice. Back then they had a wholesale price of $289. I had the dubious honor of putting together the 1911A1 production line for George Numrich back then. The stories I could tell you, Maybe another time.....

11-07-2007, 01:25 PM	#20
rondog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 3,680	I've heard nothing good about the AO pistols. If you're interested in a good bargain in 1911 .45's, look into the Rock Island Armory guns. Seriously. I have three of them and they're flawless, plus there's a helluva lot of other dedicated RIA fans out there. You can find brand new GI models, Compacts (Officers size), and Tacticals all for less that $400. Sarco and Centerfire Systems are great places to get them online, and a lot of stores/gun shops carry them too. Go to this forum, there's lots of RIA lovers here and all the info you could ever want..... The M1911 Pistols Organization Forums Site - Armscor/Rock Island