Is building a semi auto Thompson reweld from a parts kit with receiver stubs a thing or no?

[Kalash65]

Do these guns exist?  Thanks for any input!

[okrana]

From the top: IF the receiver is destroyed per current ATF specs, they consider the destroyed receiver scrap. You can(I am not a lawyer) reassemble into a semiauto assuming you follow their guidelines, whatever they may be that day,week,month,year......for such a gun as you want to make.

Good luck.

Okrana

[deerslayer]

Several people made builds with denials.  "weasel" was one that i think even submitted for atf approval. 

A welded thompson eventually cracks.  Then you weld it again.  A good job welding can get you many thousands of rounds.  

[renovate7]

weaponguild.com.  lots of people doing it

[johnsonlmg41]

it's a thing for people with a lot of spare time, everyone else just spends $1200 and buys a complete gun ready to run.  There are lots of things no longer made that are worthy of spending time to put back together, but I can't see how you can spend 2K+ on a parts kit, have to buy a long barrel, and spend days fabricating and refinishing to end up with a $1200 gun with weld marks that as Dan pointed out may likely break apart?   Somewhere there is an Amish lifestyle joke in guys that are doing these builds?

[johnd.bush]

While there are issues (mechanical and legal) with building up a semi auto Thompson, it's not like you are doing anything groundbreaking.   My own personal experience with welding demilled Thompsons back together only goes back maybe 40-50 years but have never had one crack.  BARs that were of the cast variety yes, they will crack.  I remember Jack Tomlin selling cut up Thompson demils by the pick up truck load, Curtis Earl selling the so called demilled ones from the Navy, The sheared ones from that ship in San Pedro and does anyone think that tons of those did not "live again"....  Outside of a STEN putting a Thompson back together is about the easiest project in this hobby.   And those of you who used to go to Great Western and were into FA, there were stacks of saw-cut two-piece Thompsons, MG34s, UD42s and others sitting on tables for 2 and 3 hundred bucks.   Enjoy the things you can do with your own hands, but for god's sake don't be like the person that finds a buried jar of gold coins and has to talk about it, spend it carefully and enjoy it privately....