TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 6, 2007 1:44:44 GMT -5
Well I hope that people decide that is worth while to convert there mags, (hint to the guys coming to the midwest April event) atfer all it is quite easy and in one afternoon you could have enough converted to fill up your 5cell with. Oh and 2ndBat feel free to post pics of your Thompson with its new mags here when there done.
I have just been informed by Niedy that he has mailed out the 190rnd mag and 60rnd mag to me, those should be in by the end of the week. This means I will be able to start on the Drum mag converison very soon, now that Ill have a 190rnd mag to work with.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 9, 2007 15:57:32 GMT -5
Well yesterday I recived the 190rnd mag and 60rnd mag from Neidy, thanks abunch for the mags Neidy huge help
Anway I am also trading russian a 420rnd higcap for two 60rnd mags and then buying two more 60rnd mags from him which will finish my stick mag loadout.
When Im done I will be carrying 6 60rnd mags (in two 3cell pouches) and 5 20rnd mags (in one 5cell pouch) and my 50rnd drum mag.
Now that I have the 190rnd mag I am off to buy a Springer 50rnd Drum mag, I am a bit concerned though that the mag may not be long enough to get to the bottom of the Drum mag andstill have enoug room to get your finger up imnto the mag to able to wind the 190rnd mag, but if this is the case I do have a contingency plan.
I am playing around with the idea of making the winder in the from of the Drum mag somehow wind the internals from the 190rnd mag. This would be great, but again its only an idea at this point.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 9, 2007 20:47:38 GMT -5
After I posted on the length of the Drum mag compared to the 20rnd mag I decided to go to Kapowwe.com and look at there picuters of the M1921 Thompson with the Drum mag. I was intersted in seeing where the bottom of the Drum mag was in relation to the bottom of the grip, well it turns out its roughly, from what I can tell, a good inch or two longer than a 20rnd Stick mag but not as long as a 30rnd stick mag, its somewhere between the two which means that the stock 190rnd mag will not work and niether will the stock 420rnd mags the 420rnd mag is about an inch too long and the 190rnd mag is about an inch or two too short.
What does this all mean, well it simply means that the 190rnd mag will have to be modifyed so it is longer so the winder for the 190rnd mag will be able to be accesed through the bottom of the Drum mag. Or I will have to attach gear system for winding the 190rnd mag inside the Drum mag via the Drum mag winding key located at the front of the Drum mag.
So tonight I decided that I would take a better look inside the 190rnd mag and see what my options will be. Well interstingly enough the 190rnd mag and the 420rnd mag actually share an interchangable feed system, the only difference between the two mags it the attachment to feed bbs are different lenghts of the 20rnd mag and 30rnd mag. There is an attachment that simply snaps on that is longer for the 30rnd mag than the 20rnd mag.
This is very good becuase it means I will be able to lengthen the 190rnd mag by that inch or two simply by adding an extension which means there will be no perminate modifications made to the 190rnd mag, so if I feel like it I can switch it back to a 20rnd highcap.
Now my other option, one that I actually lwould ike far better is to create is a very simply three gear winding system that will work by winding the existing winding key on the front of the Drum mag insead of having to use a winder at the bottom of the 190rnd mag sticking out slightly from the Drum mags bottom. This can be easily achived by attaching a small gear to the back of the Drum mags winding key inside the Drum mag, then add another gear turned sidways to meet the Drum mag winding Key gear to form a 90 degree angle, then this gear will simply turn one of the existing gears on the 190rnd mags feed mechanism (the 190rnd mag will not be inside its exterior shell when instaled in the Drum mag so the internals are not covered) this will intern be fully capable of winding the 190rnd mag via the Drum mag winding key on the front of the Drum mag.
Im sorry if this sounds confusing but its kinda hard to explain like this.
TommyGunner
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Post by gbpackers202 on Mar 12, 2007 18:05:10 GMT -5
Good luck with the project, sounds like something you could sell to a company ;D
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 12, 2007 23:37:14 GMT -5
If there is anything that I have learned from working at Revell that can be applied to all major coporations especially ones in the Hobby industry (models, airsoft,....other stuff) is that if it has been thought of and considered by the company and if it has been suggested by countless people, and that hasnt made them want to make it, you can be certain that the requested product wont be comming out in the forceable future. I can however understand your point in presenting this to a company but I can guarentee you that they have considered it and it does not have the market potential (considering very few people own an M1928 kit so a Drum mag is amlost certain to continue to be non existant as a mass produced product but as a small garage made item that others can make if they so choose too)
I do however plan on making printable instruction sheets on how to make 20rnd mags and 50rnd Drum mags ( I can also provide a mod for a reall cap 30rnd mag if anyone is interested but I think the 60rnd mags are just fine to represent the 30rnd mag)
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 19, 2007 11:28:48 GMT -5
Alright I was thinking about something last night concerning the number of rounds carried on a mag, I personnally enjoy the fact that there are only 20rnds in a 20rnd mag but as it has been stated before it is totally justifyable to carry a mag with double the capacity of a reall steel mag, would anyone be interested in me attempting a 20rnd mag with 40rnds in it?
If so Ill attempt it, but if not Ill leave to 20rnd mag conversions as is.
Also anyone have a Springer 50rnd Drum mag the want to get rid of? ;D
TommyGuner
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neidy
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Post by neidy on Mar 22, 2007 22:02:40 GMT -5
Ahhhhh you cut my 60rd magazine up! I never used it more than 3 times anyway haha. Very cool man!
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 25, 2007 22:17:41 GMT -5
In the spirit of the mag conversions and my quest to carry more mags with less ammo permag, I have been thinking about another conversion.
I recently purchased a Springfield rifle and with it came three 30rnd mags, now these fit perfectly inside a colt.45 mag pouch (British WW1 version) and are quite enough, with a pump mag to play most of a game with, but I was annoyed that I couldnt put them inside my Pleated bottomed WW1 M1910 Springfield Ammo belt (original 1915 dated) so I filled each pocket with 1 5rnd stripped clip of inhert ammo (adds a ton of freaking wieght to the impression) But I was wondering why shouldnt I be able to put the mags for my rifle into my belt.
Well I thought about it and found that if I cut the mags down to a size that would fit inside the pouches I would loose about 1/2 the ammo capacity permag giving me between 10-15rnds permag. But at the same time the reduced size of the mags would mean a modification of the mag well on the rifle also.
I personally like the idea of not carrying a pump mag and having 10 pouches filled with 1 10-15rnd mag each and wouldnt mind having to reload twice as often than if I was using a 30rnd mag, but what do you think. I also dont see this as a disadvantage seeing as the range of the rifle and its accuracy far exceeds almost all stock or slightly upgraded AEGs.
while the conversions are quite simple to do and very straight forward if there is interest I can in the next month or two post on how to convert your mags and the rifles mag well.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 28, 2007 21:30:43 GMT -5
Alright I purchased the Drum mag from www.Kapowwe.com , it cost me $30 but they threw $16.50 for shipping, so all in all my Drum mag will cost when Im done about $65 to make, boy I shure wish I could have gotten a used Drum mag, would have been half the cost. Good thing is I got a free Springer colt.45 for my purchase. But Ill be able to build it just in the nick of time for our April event, I get back from Florida next Thursday and Ill have that one day to make the mag, talk about cutting it close, Ill make shure to take pics along the way so you can see what is involved. When this is finished I will be creating a new thread in the Technical section on how to go about the conversions step by step and this thread will be deleted (to save bandwith) but the new thread will still contain all the research and info from this one. TommyGunner
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2nd Bat
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Post by 2nd Bat on Mar 28, 2007 22:49:22 GMT -5
The VSR style mags are extremely cheap at $5.00 a piece so a mod would not be terribly expensive even if you buggered a few up attempting it. Once done and sized they allow the person who modifys the actual springfield or Kar rifle to cut a smaller channel into their stock base which would a good thing.
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Mar 29, 2007 11:38:59 GMT -5
True as soon as I get the mags back Ill be looking into actually converting them, Ill also buy about 8 more so I can begin cutting them down to size to fit inside my M1910 belt, I hope to have 11 10rnd mags total. This will bring me right to the actuall number of rnds carried by a riflemen and becuase of the better acuraccy and distance achived by a rifle only having 100rnds is totally acceptable to me especially since you go through them far slower than if you were using a semi auto rifle. Plus the addition of 2 90rnd pump mags would bring to to what the average USMC riflemen would carry in the number of rounds in his belt and bandoliers.
But just to even things out if I am carrying that much ammo I felt I shoudl be weighted down do I bought 100rnds of inhert 3006 ammo on strippers to put in by cartidge belt and bow howdy does it add wieght.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 9, 2007 22:55:19 GMT -5
Alright I give you without further adue, the 50rnd Drum mag conversion for the M1928A1 Thompson SMG. I used the Springer 50rnd Drum mag and a slightly modifyed 190rnd mag, with an small extension to make a what is quite possibly an 800rnd highcap (not too shure) but it holds a ton of ammo. Alright here are the steps you need to take to make one of these Drum mags. And I built it in just over an hour! Everything was very straight forward, I first started by gutting the Drum mag, this was then followed by a test fit of the 190rnd internals, it turns out you only need to add a 1 inch extension to the area where the two halfs of the mag meet up to get the bottom of the 190rnd mags winder to stick out the bottom, for the extension I used a pice of a bb tube loader I got with my Thompson. I then proceeded to dremel out a hole at the bottom and the top for the parts of the 190rnd mag to stick out of. I also had to make small channels at the top of the mag to let the hopup control sit inside the drum mag so the mag would fit flush with the upper reciver. There was also some minor filling to do on the exterior around thew slide to get it to fit. I them superglued (massive ammounts of it too) the 190rnd internals into place iniside the drum mag and then using Sheet Styreen mad walls to hold the bbs in to feed into the 190rnd mag. The bbs are loaded into the existing hole for loading bbs and thats it. Also even with things filled down the mag is still actually quite hard to get on the gun and off (just like the reall one) and if its not pushed up far enough to where you here the rnds load into the gun it wont fire. Also I didnt have it in the pics but I added wieghts to the mag that brought it to about 7 pounds added to the existing weight of the gun it an get tiring to carry in the fireing position. Like I said the mag holds a ton of rounds and I can guerentee you that you wont run out of ammo for several games in the infantry role, but I use the mag stricktly in the squad support role. I used it at our most recent game and it worked flawlessly And my personal favorite pic with my Weapon taken by Gordak TommyGunner
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Post by hank on Apr 10, 2007 11:30:50 GMT -5
Wow! That is the coolest m1928 I have ever seen. Great job! I plan to convert a standard 60rd mag to a drum mag in the next few days too. Any suggestions would be great.
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Post by killbucket on Apr 10, 2007 15:27:42 GMT -5
Very nice work. I gotta get a proper sling. that just looks.... RIGHT. Tatters at the edges complete the feel.
Am I going to go spend ~$80 to cut up a springer gun? You bet.
My Dremel feels very loved these days. Thanks for the continued inspirations!
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 10, 2007 15:47:59 GMT -5
My Drum only cost $46 delivered plus $20 for the 190rnd mag, so thats about $60ish, so it shouldnt cost you $80 at all.
TommyGunner
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Cpl. Hicks
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Post by Cpl. Hicks on Apr 10, 2007 19:28:53 GMT -5
Great job! Nice work, keep it up. I will definatly have to do that with my drum.
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silencer
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Post by silencer on Apr 11, 2007 11:44:44 GMT -5
Wow great job man. Serriously, that looks fantastic! Overall, would you say it was hard? or easy?
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 11, 2007 11:48:45 GMT -5
Very easy to do I had the entire Drum mag built in about an hour.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 11, 2007 13:43:46 GMT -5
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 11, 2007 22:30:13 GMT -5
One thing I am also looking at is the possibility of taking the Springer Thompson Stock and attaching it to the TM M1928, not perminently of course (same way the stock stock attaches lol) But this could help with getting that look without spending the extra $250 for the wood kit.
So if you want a True M1928 with a drum mag buy the $100 Chicago typewriter for the stock and drum mag, then maybe if you buy the CYMA you can convert that into a look alike M1928 using the Springer reciver and barrel. Just some ideas Im throwing around.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 12, 2007 11:34:59 GMT -5
Now that 20rnd mags have been built useing Reall Steel and converted 60rnd mags, and I have built a highcap Drum mag the next and very last step of my Thompson mag series will come in the form of a 100rnd Drum mag. I plan to use the internals from a 60rnd mag and some copper tubing to achive the 100rnd mark. Im not too shure when Ill be starting this step of the series (guess it all depends on when I get another Drum mag) but until then Ill be working on my Springfield and when it finnally gets warm (not snowing!) Ill be taking pics of the my Thompson gunners impression and Springfield Riflemens impression.
TommyGunner
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 13, 2007 11:44:50 GMT -5
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Post by hank on Apr 13, 2007 12:40:11 GMT -5
The Thompson drum pouch is also sold a impactguns.com. And they give you a 2 day or next day air option, tommygunshop.com does not. Thats where I am ordering mine.
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YankeeDiv26
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Post by YankeeDiv26 on Apr 13, 2007 15:03:51 GMT -5
I dont see why you'd really want to use the springer stock. From some reviews i've read that the finish doesnt look good and i could see you running into problems with mounting it and using a battery in it. I'm sure it would be easy to run a wire in but does the springer stock have a buttplate that you can use to replace the battery fairly easily? also from what i've seen on this thread alone you really go the extra yard for authenticity purposes and using the springer stock might look like a girl with a great body but a dog of a face (because that m1928a1 of yours sure is a beauty). sorry if i sound a little critical or cynical but im just telling you my opinion on using the springer stock.
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 13, 2007 15:12:58 GMT -5
There is a special way of painting and finishing that I will be using to replicate a realistic wood finish of the stock, and I do agree with you that it probably will be very hard and yeild nothing but a failure, but since I dont have to modify anything but the Springer stock itself I have absolutly nothing to loose with this endevor but my time.
I also was looking around at ima-usa.com and found an M1928 stock for $35 that I could convert, the only problem would be getting the battery in the stock what with all that wood in the way lol.
TommyGunner
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Cpl. Hicks
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Post by Cpl. Hicks on Apr 13, 2007 15:42:40 GMT -5
the only problem would be getting the battery in the stock what with all that wood in the way lol. TommyGunner One of my friends tried to do this with his M1A1 stock, it was quite difficult, but do-able, He succeeded, but it took him forever.
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 23, 2007 18:25:10 GMT -5
Well here is the pic with all of my mags the only highcap is the drum mag but otherwise I have 10 20rnd mags for 2 5cell pouches and 4 60rnd mags for my 2 3cell pouches (still need 2 more 60rnd mags to fill that 2nd 3cell pouch) Also I decided to remove the really hard to use M1928 sight and attach a field made peep sight like you see in the photos (don't worry Im still gonna use the stock sight becuase it looks so cool!) This basically completes the mag conversion thread, Im up for some suggestions as to what people would like to see next, gotta keep myself buisy somehow lol. TommyGunner
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Post by hank on Apr 24, 2007 10:27:24 GMT -5
Amazing! Really cool TommyGunner! I don't even have half as many mags as you, only 2. How did you remove your rear sight, is it glued on? Also, are you planing to make a standard 60rd mag in to a drum mag?
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TommyGunner
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Post by TommyGunner on Apr 24, 2007 11:21:06 GMT -5
Yeah I guess I could make a 100rnd mag out of a 60rnd mag, all I would have to do is buy another drum but the probelm is where could I put it, so not only would I have to buy another Springer Drum mag but I also would have to buy another Drum mag pouch to carry it in. Ill probably end up making that 100rnd Drum mag though, simply for kicks.
Also the sight simply unscrews by 4 screws undone from the iniside, then I simply superglued on the field made sight (that can be ripped off and the stock sight re-attached latter)
TommyGunner
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Cpl. Hicks
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Post by Cpl. Hicks on Apr 24, 2007 11:58:04 GMT -5
Congratulations, I knew you would finish. You have been an inspiration to many of us.
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