3 ms·

I got to fire one of these at a range in Vegas while I was at a bachelor party a couple of years ago (Everyone else went for the Desert Eagles and AR-15s things

I got to fire one of these at a range in Vegas while I was at a bachelor party a couple of years ago (Everyone else went for the Desert Eagles and AR-15s things like that, but being a history buff I picked the Thompson just to see what it was like.) The first thing you notice when you pick it up is just how damn heavy it is - the thing is incredibly dense. The range owner explained that the weight of the thing was what made it so effective - especially in the hands of people with little training, the "kickback" of a normal gun would make it hard for someone without a lot of training to keep fire concentrated over a sufficiently small area, but the heft of the Thompson makes it "drop" back into place very nicely after the round is fired and the recoil kicks in. Sure enough, when we pulled the targets back, mine was the most accurately shot round-for-round (no one there was very experienced with firearms), which I found to be pretty impressive since everyone else was shooting modern weapons and I had this old brick - but the range owner said that was what made the thing so effective. You could put it in almost anyone's hands and make them fairly dangerous with little to no training.

laxatives 12y ago
Just curious, do you know what someone with training would do differently with a modern weapon? I imagine there's more to it than hold it tight or wait between taking shots.
- troisx 12y ago
  With a modern submachine gun, you actually twist the handles away from each other in a way that compensates for the drift of the barrel that occurs when using full auto.
- ctdonath 12y ago
  I've had machine-gun training, with UZI, MP5 and M16. http://www.donath.org/Defense/Guns/LFI-IV/DCP01305.JPG http://www.donath.org/Defense/Guns/LFI-IV/DCP01305.JPG Probably the biggest factor is simply spending time practicing, becoming comfortable with the power & behavior of the weapon, and developing the nuances to compensate. Modern ones are significantly lighter weight, subject to muzzle rise (recoil makes point-of-aim move up) and just general jumping around. Very recent ones better address such movement, both in balance of action and by using significantly lighter (weaker) ammo designed for penetration over power (lots of tiny holes vs a few big ones). Addition of a silencer helps by mitigating muzzle blast & recoil. Old or new, it's having spent enough time shooting it to grow accustomed to the behavior; what seems overwhelming & uncontrollable at first becomes predictable & manageable.
- Bahamut 12y ago
  You only would fire in short bursts in order to conserve ammo and to avoid massive recoil altering your shots. Also you lean into your weapon (assuming the buttstock is against the shoulder) Edit: I should mention that I have had training with various weapon systems - I have fired the M16, M4 Carbine, M249 SAW, M240, and M27 IAR.

laxatives 12y ago

Just curious, do you know what someone with training would do differently with a modern weapon? I imagine there's more to it than hold it tight or wait between taking shots.

troisx 12y ago
With a modern submachine gun, you actually twist the handles away from each other in a way that compensates for the drift of the barrel that occurs when using full auto.
ctdonath 12y ago
I've had machine-gun training, with UZI, MP5 and M16. http://www.donath.org/Defense/Guns/LFI-IV/DCP01305.JPG http://www.donath.org/Defense/Guns/LFI-IV/DCP01305.JPG Probably the biggest factor is simply spending time practicing, becoming comfortable with the power & behavior of the weapon, and developing the nuances to compensate. Modern ones are significantly lighter weight, subject to muzzle rise (recoil makes point-of-aim move up) and just general jumping around. Very recent ones better address such movement, both in balance of action and by using significantly lighter (weaker) ammo designed for penetration over power (lots of tiny holes vs a few big ones). Addition of a silencer helps by mitigating muzzle blast & recoil. Old or new, it's having spent enough time shooting it to grow accustomed to the behavior; what seems overwhelming & uncontrollable at first becomes predictable & manageable.
Bahamut 12y ago
You only would fire in short bursts in order to conserve ammo and to avoid massive recoil altering your shots. Also you lean into your weapon (assuming the buttstock is against the shoulder) Edit: I should mention that I have had training with various weapon systems - I have fired the M16, M4 Carbine, M249 SAW, M240, and M27 IAR.