Manufactured in the 1970s/1980s as part of the "A" suffix serial range, the Auto-Ordnance 1928 Thompson is virtually a continuation of the vintage Tommy Gun. One of the signature weapons of U.S. history, the Thompson was one of the great "heavy metal" submachine guns, operating semi or full automatic on an open bolt, fully machined with fine hardwood furniture; the later sheet metal guns may have had them beat for cost effectiveness but not for style. Blade front and folding ladder peep rear sight, with the signature Thompson-marked Cutts Compensator and cooling fins on the barrel, dual pistol grips, and a quick-detach buttstock. The trigger group is fitted with a set of selector and safety switches, and the receiver has the Auto-Ordnance patent info on the right and the model markings on the left. The magazine slot is configured for drum magazines and stick magazines. Internals follow the 1928 pattern, with the interior of the receiver stamped "QF" and a hand-scribed matching serial number, with traces of an earlier, non-matching scribed number that had been polished down prior to bluing. Magazine absent. Included with the lot are two extra buttstocks (one sans iron), one full auto trigger housing, two AC pattern barrels, and a grouping of 1928 pattern parts. Provenance: The Mel Raucher Collection

Excellent, with 90% plus original blue finish, showing some actuator cycling marks on top of the receiver, light scratches and handling marks on the balance. The wood is fine, with a small chip absent from the rear pistol grip and numerous scattered mild scuffs and dings overall. Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) under the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 478.