- My BEST airsoft gun..., February 20, 2008

INTRODUCTION: Well. First off I would like to start off by asking you to PLEASE rate this review if it HELPED you or not. I intend to include EVERY detail i know on this AEG, but I am also throwing in my knowledge of the real steel thompson, because while you may not find this interesting, a lot of other people including me might find it interesting to know. So please don’t rate this review non-helpful just because the first paragraph is not about the airsoft gun. THANK YOU.

THE REAL STEEL Thompson originated in 1928 (Actually way before WW2) During the end of WW1. It arrived too late to be fully supplied as America's standard Sub-Machine gun. At that time it was called the M1928A1, or better known as the "Tommy" gun. The name originates from its inventor, Colonel J. T. Thompson. The gun worked on the usual blowback system. It was of course, a .45in. The gun used either a standard 50-round box magazine or the 20-round box magazine, or "stick" magazine. In 1938, The real "THOMPSON" came into view. It was called the M1A1. It was, indeed, the M1928A1 or "Tommy" gun, but with several changes, mostly external. The main difference INTERNALLY was the abolition of the H-piece and the substitution of a heavier bolt to compensate for this. Externally, A huge difference was the change of the fore-grip, for the better in my opinion. The "Tommy" gun had a long coil around the barrel, and a forward pistol grip. This was exchanged for the wooden straight forehand grip you can now see on your casual Thompson. (Google it for a pic, you will know what I'm talking about) The rear sight was also changed, The rather complex backsight on the M1928 was traded out for a simple flip. (The one on Call of Duty) The new Thompson could not take the 50-round drum magazine. But this was not a huge loss, for the drum mag hadn’t proven very reliable in dirty situations. The other 20-round stick mag could be used, and a 30-round stick mag was created for the Thompson. Yet another simplification was the incorporation of a fixed firing pin on the face of the bolt, resulting in the M1A1 version of the gun.

NOW THE AIRSOFT GUN!!!!

TNSIDE OF THE BOX The beautifully crafted Thompson was horizontally laid in the Styrofoam, with the magazine (modeled after the 30-round stick mag) out of the gun, and under the grip. the sling was located to the right of that, and the speed loader further to the right.

THE RPM was slow, but it was acceptable. I probably would have taken any other gun back, but the slow cyclic rate sort of fits the Thompson’s style. But it makes up for the low RPM in the power, accuracy, and most definitely intimidation factors. This gun truly is amazing already, and the low cyclic rate has not bothered me AT ALL during wars, this fine piece of Equipment IS so Accurate and has the distance that I hardly ever need to take it off Semi-Auto. But yes, I will admit it does indeed of a rather low RPM. But don’t let that bother you. Moving on....

THE INTIMIDATION FACTOR is off the charts. EVERYONE knows the Thompson, and when they see me walk up to a war with it, I can see the group cautiously eyeing it EVERYTIME. Even better, the sound makes your eyes water. It is a load CRACK!! It makes you glad you’re not on the other end. I have stopped several enemy charges by simply firing this gun straight up into the air, no joke. Sends them running every time.

THE FPS is very good. My locale airsoft shop tested it with a .12g BB just for kicks....It graphed in at 426 FPS!! I was amazed. This strong power is needed For when your shooting at your enemy through a not COMPLETELY solid object, like if you were shooting through a bush, the BB will make it through EVERY time, and the enemy is SURE to feel it!!

ACCURACY is one of my FAVORITE parts of this gun. It’s amazing. I can get retreating men over a field away! (In my woods, some fields over 110 feet.) I can pick out a soda can every time from about 80-90 feet. And that is EVERY time. I can hit a soda can form 100-120 feet away a little over half the time. The sights are very cool, they are the M1A1 sights, and the rear sight has two different ways you can aim the SMG. Like a rifle, or if you do some minor shoulder adjustments, the sight look like somewhat of a pistol-like sight.

THE CAPACITY/MAGAZINE is brilliant. It looks JUST like the real-steal 30-round mag, down to every detail. 60 is not a HORRID capacity, but it isn’t really enough for a good war. I bought two $30.00 fully metal high cap mags from my locale airsoft shop, and those are decent....I mean they help, ALOT, but they also jam...ALOT. And when they do, Its hard to find something good to hit them against, as this is the quickest (and unfortunately most efficient) way to unjam them, and this still takes awhile. Something like a helmet would be perfect to unjam them. It happens so much that in a war one time I was left with nothing but my reliable, but low-cap sixty-round mag, and two almost fully loaded, yet jammed hi-caps. I have lubed them several times, yet the problem continues. But the mag that came with the gun, no problems here. A clean, smooth feed. Really makes you feel safe with that sixty-round mag in, low-cap or not!

Accesories: It comes with the classic speed loader, nice quality there. Now, the sling. Oh, man. A real looker. She is the classic Thompson sling, the green one you always see in the movies. It looks AMAZING on this gun. Unfortunately, Shortys is right. Mine lasted about two days before it broke....just take there word for it, Don’t use it, except for looks. It also comes with a rather new-looking cleaning rod. Good stuff.

CONCLUSION: My best gun, I have gotten over twenty kills in the past month, and only gotten out twice, and one of those times I had this slung on my back and was trying to get some kills with my UTG M3l TrI-barrel shotgun. My favorite airsoft gun, and one of my favorite real guns, and a definite classic at that. Get this gun For that amazing feeling of security on the field.

~It Is Not The Gun That Makes The Soldier; It Is The Solid Tactician Holding It.

- Definitely, February 09, 2008

This gun is absolutely amazing. This model might be a slightly different version than mine, because Shorty's says it weighs 6.5 lbs, where mine weighs 9.6. However, it shoots hard, accurately, and is damn loud. When I first shot it I thought my brother was lighting off firecrackers again. With high polished .20s, I was consistently hitting a soup can at 150 feet. At a small match I went to recently, I borrowed a friend's .25s and turned up the hop-up and was hitting a dollar bill at 180 feet 7/10 shots. Great gun, no problems, buy it.

- Thompson Lovers!, February 16, 2008

This M1A1 is a very decent airsoft gun. I have this gun and the TM M1A1. While this does not have the blued finish of the TM, it has a good quality flat black paint, that resembles parkarization. The furniture is pretty good, but a wood stock kit would really dress this up nicely.
The power of this gun is great for the price. I chronographed this over ten shots with KSC .2's and had an average of 377 fps! The range is on par for most good quality Mid level guns, and easily hits torso targets during battles between 150 and 200 feet.

The stock can hold large batteries. I changed the battery connectors to large ones and now use an 8.4v 3300ma, which makes this gun purr.

The gear box does shoot harder than a stock TM, but it is not as smooth. You can hear and feel the difference when you shoot this side by side with the TM.

Overall this is a really nice gun, and if you love Thompsons, it is a great alternative the TM at nearly $100 cheaper, which would allow for more magazines or even a wood stock kit.

I have a lot of fun shooting this, and will pick this over my G&G M4's, as it shoots hard, is accurate enough for skirmishes, and it is a Thompson!

I give this 5 stars as compared to other guns under $200. I would give it 4 stars as compared to the TM M1A1.
Hope this helps.

- Good Gun buy it, February 08, 2008

This is a great gun. My friend has one and it hits pretty hard but the RPM's is a little low so yo will need to get a new battery.

Please rate this post

- M.A.N-Most Awsomely Nice, March 21, 2008

Firstly, i love the thompson m1a1 sub-machine gun, its my favorite operating firearm, not only is the airsoft gun an awesome addition to any collection, the real weapon kicks butt.... holding this airsoft gun makes you feel like Tom Hanks in Saving Privat Ryan or a true American Gangster.....not only is it just mean looking and everyway accurate to the look and feel of a military thompson but this gun packs a punch.....360-400 fps, 160-200ft, quite better than the tm version i say, the only downside to a hardcore airsofter is the slow rate of fire, although quite accurate to the thompsons real rate of fire....but with the fps on this gun dont worry about rpm.....a great buy to anyone who is into airsoft and can spend over $150 for a gun, either way Buy IT you wont be sorry.....except for the guys you shoot with it.

- EXCELLENT !!!, March 08, 2008

This is a great, low cost (to the TM Tommy Gun) its a great alternative air-soft sub-machine gun. It is an incredible deal, good power, good shooting, great range, reasonably well made production and attractive.
This gun in the field, is a very good 'point and shoot' type weapon.
The sight setup is open and it is easy to acquire targets with it.

All in all, this gun is definitely a must have for anyone who wants a solid AEG and a very close excellent representation of a classic SMG.

- Great Replica, April 20, 2008

The gun is exceptional for it's price with only a few flaws.
During field testing, I noticed the hop-up system is a little sensitive and inconsistent at times. There is only a tiny margin between too much hop-up and too little, but once you nail that margin, then the hop-up works wonderfully as the BBs travel in a straight line, which is visible through the iron sights.
At under 50 feet of distance, the consistency is great. Aiming through the iron sights, the gun could send the BB perfectly towards what you're aiming at.
At longer distances the accuracy is noticeably lowered. However, with a perfectly adjusted hop-up, this gun could engage a man sized target at 120 feet with relatively ease.
The rate of fire is not as fast as some other AEGs at the same price range, but it creates better control over distances and does not lower the accuracy.
Aesthetically, the faux wood furniture of the gun looks and feels like wood, with a non-reflective finish. The metal adds some nice weight to the gun, and gives an overall sturdy feel.

In conclusion, this gun is highly recommended to anyone whose interest is in WWII reenactment. This gun could also hold its own against other high-end guns, but at an open field, you might want to take cover as opposed to place too much confidence in this gun

- A soild buy, June 03, 2008

When this gun first came out on Shorty's website, I was a little skeptical, since it was a Cybergun. My first airsoft gun was a Cybergun M1A1 Thompson springer, and that lasted me two weeks maybe. But it seems Cybergun has really stepped it up with this AEG!

Durability: This gun is EXTREMELY durable, I've taken so many spills with this gun. When I was bringing an objective back to my team's base, I tripped on a vine and took a really hard fall; my Thompson went clattering to the ground. I freaked out because I thought for sure the gearbox had dislodged or something had broken. But low and behold, the gun was perfectly fine! I've had this gun for about a month and a half now, it's taken so much use and abuse, and it still works flawlessly! It's an extremely durable AEG, especially for a clone.


Performance: The specs claim that this AEG shoots 360 fps, but when I chronoed it at an OP I played last weekend, it was shooting 370 fps.

Pros: 

-Extremely accurate for an SMG

-Able to house virtually any battery type in the butt stock with little or no cosmetic or electrical alteration

-Has a nice, realistic "crack!" sound when the bb leaves the barrel after being fired

-Full metal(opposed to it's plastic Tokyo Marui conterpart)

-Decent rpm 650(700 if you use a 9.6 battery with it)

-360 fps(perfect)

-Version 6 gearbox fires very smoothly, a surprisingly solid gearbox for a clone

Cons:

-The gun can be a little awkward to hold at first, compared to other guns. But you get used to it pretty quickly.

-Only comes with one 45 rd mid-cap



Overall, this gun is a great buy, deff worth the money. Hope this review helped.

- this is great, February 11, 2008

this has slow rpm and a pretty good fps. its internals arent the greatest and its not really for using in wars unless u like to shoot from the hip the whole time. get it for shooting around and display if u get it

- Great gun, March 03, 2008

I don't own this gun but i have borrowed it from my friend...

This gun is a great replica, buy a drum magazine and it will be the best looking gun you've ever see. However, even though it looks great, this gun has a relatively low rate of fire with the stock battery, but if you purchase a small to large connecter, (like it says in the discription)and a large type battery the guns performance and ROF will increase greatly. Also this is a relatively inexpensive gun for the FPS that it shoots. You can go around and find that most quality guns which shoot 360 fps outta the box cost around $280-$350. The only thing that isnt good about this gun (and this doesnt really matter too much) is that it will not look good with a scope and its hard to find a lot of accessories for the gun.

To sum things up, this gun is a good buy, but you will want to get a larger battery. Also, unrelated to the gun, i think everybody should have a smart charger. And its hard to find a lot of accessories for it (i think i misspelled accessories). If i had an extra $230 i would probably buy this gun.