Tommy Gun Saga

Schlitz 45 · February 17, 2020, 04:34 PM

Got a Kahr/Auto Ordnance Thompson T5 (aluminum receiver) as a Christmas present & was thrilled until I actually started trying to use it. It was rough as a cob right out of the box, stick magazine needed work just to be able to slide into the gun, stick mags had multiple malfunctions & drum mag would malfunction every 5th round that required disassembly of the drum and working on the leading edges of the drums push pawls so they wouldn't hang on the cartridge rims. Lots of feeding & extraction issues. Tuned the extractor, polished the bolt, etc.
I read a ton of mostly old posts about other's issue with Kahr customer service, lack of QC, & fixes but not many recent posts about them good, bad, or indifferent.
It's gotten better every time I go out to the range, about 6 times times now with a little over 1,000 rounds it's breaking in & got through two drums without issue & a couple of jams with the stick mags last weekend but still the best outing yet. In the weeks between shooting & tuning I've refinished the wood grips/stock & due to cabin fever this last week I infilled the roll marks & logo to see how it looks, I'm still undecided. I wouldn't want to go to war with it but when it works it's quite accurate & hopefully I can get it's reliability up to what I'm accustomed to. Let me know what you think.

T. O'Heir · February 18, 2020, 01:54 PM

"...Lots of feeding & extraction issues..." Think mag fed semi-auto, not Thompson SMG. Feeding issues can be magazine or ammo. Extraction issues can be a cleaning before firing or ammo.
Drum mags are an issue all by themselves. Totally different critter from a box mag. Might be a spring tightness thing.
However, assuming it was last Christmas(2019) it's still under warrantee. That you must register. You really should not have to fix a BNIB firearm right out of the box to get it to work.
https://shopkahrfirearmsgroup.com/pages.php?pageid=5

**44 AMP** · February 19, 2020, 01:21 AM

I had one of the all steel guns for quite a few years, my gun was West Hurley, apparently made shortly before Kahr bought them.

Not sure how much is the lighting in the pictures but your gun is cosmetically different from mine, specifically the finish on the bolt knob, the mag release and barrel fins. My gun also had a different shape safety.

Mine was flawless with stick magazines (properly modified for the semi auto), both 30 and 20 rnd. Gun fed EVERYTHING, without any issues at all, GI ball, LRN,, LSWC and JHP ammo, and was accurate enough to put 5 shots in one ragged hole at 25yards and also ring the 200 yd gong using the ladder sight, despite a long heavy "spongy" feeling trigger.

The drum mag I had, on the other hand was 5rnds and jam, next 5 and jam, repeating that until empty. Always meant to work on it but never got around to it.

I passed mine on to my son a few years ago, he wanted it, and I had enjoyed it for long enough. I've read a number of people who had trouble with their guns, but mine (bought used but looked new) was always good. And despite the factory manual saying 230gr FMJ only mine ran on everything, which made it a bit unusual from what I heard.

Good luck with yours. and DO buy a spare extractor!! or two. just in case,,

bfoosh006 · February 19, 2020, 05:14 PM

I can't comment on the drum mags...

But make sure the interior and the follower on the stick mags are free of any oil / anti rust preservative.

That stuff can be gummy.... and caused plenty of grief in my Metalform 9MM Colt pattern mags function.

Far from smooth slick function before cleaning... MUCH better after cleaning.

Schlitz 45 · February 23, 2020, 02:34 PM

Nice day in between snow storms yesterday so we went out to the range, mostly to work on Mrs hand gun skills & I ran 200 rounds through Tommy with only 3 feeding issues-best record yet. About 20 shots in the rear sight flew off and hit me, took a second to figure out what had happened.Back home I upsized from the 8-32 screws & drilled & tapped for 10-32 cap screws with red locktite. Much like the other issues I’ve chosen to take care of this on my own rather than rely on Kahr customer service. Even without the rear sight I was breaking clay pigeons out at 50 yards easily-nice, fun to shoot & accurate carbine with a classic profile.

February 17, 2020, 04:34 PM	#1
Schlitz 45 Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2018 Location: Colorado Posts: 385	Tommy Gun Saga Got a Kahr/Auto Ordnance Thompson T5 (aluminum receiver) as a Christmas present & was thrilled until I actually started trying to use it. It was rough as a cob right out of the box, stick magazine needed work just to be able to slide into the gun, stick mags had multiple malfunctions & drum mag would malfunction every 5th round that required disassembly of the drum and working on the leading edges of the drums push pawls so they wouldn't hang on the cartridge rims. Lots of feeding & extraction issues. Tuned the extractor, polished the bolt, etc. I read a ton of mostly old posts about other's issue with Kahr customer service, lack of QC, & fixes but not many recent posts about them good, bad, or indifferent. It's gotten better every time I go out to the range, about 6 times times now with a little over 1,000 rounds it's breaking in & got through two drums without issue & a couple of jams with the stick mags last weekend but still the best outing yet. In the weeks between shooting & tuning I've refinished the wood grips/stock & due to cabin fever this last week I infilled the roll marks & logo to see how it looks, I'm still undecided. I wouldn't want to go to war with it but when it works it's quite accurate & hopefully I can get it's reliability up to what I'm accustomed to. Let me know what you think. Last edited by Schlitz 45; February 17, 2020 at 04:42 PM.

February 18, 2020, 01:54 PM	#2
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...Lots of feeding & extraction issues..." Think mag fed semi-auto, not Thompson SMG. Feeding issues can be magazine or ammo. Extraction issues can be a cleaning before firing or ammo. Drum mags are an issue all by themselves. Totally different critter from a box mag. Might be a spring tightness thing. However, assuming it was last Christmas(2019) it's still under warrantee. That you must register. You really should not have to fix a BNIB firearm right out of the box to get it to work. https://shopkahrfirearmsgroup.com/pages.php?pageid=5 __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

February 19, 2020, 01:21 AM	#3
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	I had one of the all steel guns for quite a few years, my gun was West Hurley, apparently made shortly before Kahr bought them. Not sure how much is the lighting in the pictures but your gun is cosmetically different from mine, specifically the finish on the bolt knob, the mag release and barrel fins. My gun also had a different shape safety. Mine was flawless with stick magazines (properly modified for the semi auto), both 30 and 20 rnd. Gun fed EVERYTHING, without any issues at all, GI ball, LRN,, LSWC and JHP ammo, and was accurate enough to put 5 shots in one ragged hole at 25yards and also ring the 200 yd gong using the ladder sight, despite a long heavy "spongy" feeling trigger. The drum mag I had, on the other hand was 5rnds and jam, next 5 and jam, repeating that until empty. Always meant to work on it but never got around to it. I passed mine on to my son a few years ago, he wanted it, and I had enjoyed it for long enough. I've read a number of people who had trouble with their guns, but mine (bought used but looked new) was always good. And despite the factory manual saying 230gr FMJ only mine ran on everything, which made it a bit unusual from what I heard. Good luck with yours. and DO buy a spare extractor!! or two. just in case,, __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

February 19, 2020, 05:14 PM	#4
bfoosh006 Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 1,089	I can't comment on the drum mags... But make sure the interior and the follower on the stick mags are free of any oil / anti rust preservative. That stuff can be gummy.... and caused plenty of grief in my Metalform 9MM Colt pattern mags function. Far from smooth slick function before cleaning... MUCH better after cleaning.

February 23, 2020, 02:34 PM	#5
Schlitz 45 Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2018 Location: Colorado Posts: 385	Nice day in between snow storms yesterday so we went out to the range, mostly to work on Mrs hand gun skills & I ran 200 rounds through Tommy with only 3 feeding issues-best record yet. About 20 shots in the rear sight flew off and hit me, took a second to figure out what had happened.Back home I upsized from the 8-32 screws & drilled & tapped for 10-32 cap screws with red locktite. Much like the other issues I’ve chosen to take care of this on my own rather than rely on Kahr customer service. Even without the rear sight I was breaking clay pigeons out at 50 yards easily-nice, fun to shoot & accurate carbine with a classic profile.