Original Item: Only One Available. Currently this gun appears to be functional as a blank fire cap gun. However, as we don't have any caps to test it we can't be totally sure. The bolt does pull back and fly forward when the trigger is pulled. This is the Hudson WWII U.S. Army Thompson M1A1, which is no longer produced. Superb replica which field strips exactly like the real thing! Includes a 20rd stick magazine.

This one was the latest version produced by Hudson out of Japan before they went out of business years ago. These are excellent replicas and make great wall-hangers. Also perfect for any re-enactor or just for a militaria collector. These are very rarely seen for sale and when they are, usually they are deactivated and unable to cycle the special cap firing brass cartridges (5 included with this auction!). This model has NOT been deactivated.


Fully constructed of metal and wood, there is no plastic whatsoever anywhere. This is one of the best Thompson M1A1 replicas you will find.

The Thompson will operate very much like the real thing as it is engineered close to the original, and also operates like the original in every way, such as: Side cocking handle, safety selector, selectable fire: Semi and Full auto (semi blank fire only), loading, ejection of rounds, magazine loading/ removal, locking. etc. Internals are also copied which provides very much same fire rate and field-strip is exactly like the original.

The Hudson Thompson has the following markings:

Thompson Submachine Gun Caliber .45 M1A1
U.S. Property, HUDSON
Auto Ordnance Corporation Bridgeport Connecticut U.S.A

A wonderful display piece, ready to play with or go on the wall!

The Thompson was used in World War II in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers (corporal, sergeant, and higher), and patrol leaders, as well as commissioned officers, tank crewmen, and soldiers performing raids on German positions. In the European theater, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian commando units, as well as in the U.S. Army paratrooper and Ranger battalions, where it was issued more frequently than in line infantry units because of its high rate of fire and its stopping power, which made it very effective in the kinds of close combat these special operations troops were expected to undertake. Military Police were fond of it, as were paratroopers, who "borrowed" Thompsons from members of mortar squads for use on patrols behind enemy lines. The gun was prized by those lucky enough to get one and proved itself in the close street fighting that was encountered frequently during the invasion of France. A Swedish variant of the M1928A1, the Kulsprutepistol m/40 (submachine gun, model 40), served in the Swedish Army between 1940 and 1951. Through Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union also received the Thompson, but due to a shortage of appropriate ammunition, its use was not widespread.

In the Malayan Campaign, the Burma Campaign and the Pacific Theater, Lend-Lease issue Thompsons were used by the British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army infantry and other Commonwealth forces. They used the Thompson extensively in jungle patrols and ambushes, where it was prized for its firepower, though it was criticized for its hefty weight and poor reliability. Difficulties in supply eventually led to its replacement in Australian Army units in 1943 by other submachine guns such as the Owen and Austen. The Thompsons were then given to the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy. New Zealand commando forces initially used Thompsons but switched them for the more reliable, lighter, and more accurate Owen during the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal campaigns. The U.S. Marines also used the Thompson as a limited-issue weapon, especially during their later island assaults. The Thompson was soon found to have limited effect in heavy jungle cover, where the low-velocity .45 bullet would not penetrate most small-diameter trees or protective armor vests. (In 1923, the Army had rejected the .45 Remington–Thompson, which had twice the energy of the .45 ACP). In the U.S. Army, many Pacific War jungle patrols were originally equipped with Thompsons in the early phases of the New Guinea and Guadalcanal campaigns, but soon began employing the BAR in its place as a point defense weapon.