Editors’ Picks 2018: Auto-Ordnance Tactical Thompson Rifle

by
posted on April 24, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
newgun7.jpg

Auto-Ordnance, maker of the semi-automatic Thompson and other vintage American designs such as the M1 and M1A1 carbines and M1911A1 pistol, has a surprise for you. When was the last time the Tommy gun got a serious update? Well, here’s a clue, Franklin Roosevelt was still president. Auto-Ordnance has produced a concept gun with a new streamlined upper receiver, a 16" barrel with a muzzle brake and a rounded aluminum fore-end—and, yes, it’s M-LOK-compatible. Built on a semi-automatic M1927 lower with an all-new side-cocking upper, this Tactical Tommy gun takes your favorite AR pistol grip and has an M4-style adjustable buttstock. The final design hasn’t entered production, but judging by the response so far, it’s coming. Although it will take the excellent Thompson stick magazine, Auto-Ordnance advises it may take a different drum than the one designed by John Taliaferro Thompson and his crew back in 1919. auto-ordnance.com

Latest

Beretta’s three arrow logo
Beretta’s three arrow logo

500 Years in Business: Beretta’s Staying Power

Once Italian, now global, always family-owned; Beretta, the world’s oldest industrial firm, balances continuity and new ideas in its 500-year-old pursuit of gunmaking perfection.

A Traditional Turn: The Derya EX1300 & EX1400 Shotguns

While the company is mostly known for radically modern shotgun designs, Derya's new EX1300 and EX1400 are wood-stocked, break-action shotguns designed for the skeet range or hunting field. 

I Carry: Daniel Defense H9 in an ANR Designs Holster

In our latest “I Carry” segment above, we’re taking a closer look at the Daniel Defense H9, a unique, striker-fired design that borrows popular features from several different handguns. 

A Surprising Conversation on Just How Far an Anti-Gun State Can Go

In Massachusetts this fall, ballot question 9 is an effort to repeal 2024 legislation known as “An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws,” a complex package of fees, red tape, training requirements, and other burdens placed on law-abiding gun owners. 

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 2, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Are Snub-Nose Revolvers Still Relevant?

In a world of micro-compact handguns, does the venerable snub-nose revolver still have a place? Here are four reasons why you might still consider carrying a snubby.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.