Jump to content

Thompson SMG 5 cell Magazine pouch: Original or replica?


Giovanni R.
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello,

I got this Thompson SMG pouch in near-to-NOS conditions, I'm not sure if it's original or not. If it's a replica looks very well made. Did someone has info about the maker?

Someone told me that the lift the dots had been changed with Greek ones (and the closures were the only odd thing when I saw it for the first time).

 

Thanks in advance

Giovanni

FB_IMG_1642751132232.jpg

FB_IMG_1642751136137.jpg

FB_IMG_1642751139850.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Browninggunner688

The LTD fasteners look like the cheap repro ones, I have also never heard or seen this maker for these pouches, the know makers that I have catalogued and also  on the machine gun forum do not list this as a know maker. This pouch in question looks original to me with bogus markings and the original female LTD fasteners replaced, a picture of the male stud would confirm original or repro pouch. I'm on the fence with this one. 

 

Known makers are......

 

Rusco (U.S. marked middle flap, Rusco inside left hand pouch flap, these are rare.)

American leather products co 1942

B.B.,Inc 1943

Boyt 1943

General shoe corp 1943

Hoosier T&C.G.1942

J.S.&Co1943

R.M.T.Co 1942

Unmarked Russian lend lease.

U.S.M.C  R.M.C.O 1944 (for the Reising SMG as the mags for this do not fit properly in Thompson specific pouches they are too long, there is a thread on here somewhere about this confirming the info, Thompson mags do fit In this pouch though.)

M.E.Co 1943. (British made ones these are also stamped on the middle flap U.S. and the makers mark is under a flap. These are rare also, I have only seen 2 in over 30 years collecting.)

 

If this is a new unheard of manufacturer of these pouches I would like to see more evidence of them then I would add it to my list.

 

Any new info greatly appreciated to the pouch in question.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Nick.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This lists also a BAB or Barbara Anne Bag I think there is a post on this one specifically,  and a 1942 RM marked inside middle flap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again and thanks for the replies. I've taken a couple more of pictures of the lift-the-dots. I've asked info about the producer on a reenactment page and someone posted some other webbing with the same maker stamp, the curious thing is that hi quality replicas are commonly made by well known producers, and I was wondering about who else made this kind of material being first of all a reenactor.. Just to clarify that I'm not pretending to have an original piece.

 

Thanks, Giovanni

20220123_100747.jpg

20220123_100755.jpg

20220123_101006.jpg

20220123_101034.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one with the same marking, but slightly different LTD's. I pulled it straight from the ex-Russian Lend-Lease crate and I believe it to be original. Maybe the LTD's on your pouch were replaced?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So was I; I have seen them unmarked, marked on the inside of the belt loop and marked like this. I think I paid €20 for it, and it seems adding fake markings to it isn't worth the effort for that price. There were heaps of these available then (around 10-12 years ago I think), and while still not rare most of those have gone into collections by now I guess.

 

As with the Russian M1936 pistol belts,  I can't remember seeing one that was marked 'US' but didn't pay special attention to them either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the only photo you needed to post to tell this is a repro. Fake LTD fasteners are easily spotted once you know what to look for, smooth backs. 

fake ltd.jpg

 

Real ones:

real LTD.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very interesting thread, I'm book marking this.

 

As it seems it is a repro, I will have to agree as the LTD fasteners do not look real to me compared to the real ones I have in my possesion.

 

Also, something I notice is the way the reverse side of the flap points where the fasterner backs show, the triangle folds are more defined and

come to a stronger point at the tips than the suspected repro does. Maybe something to consider when figuring if one is real or repro?

 

One more thing, the stamp appears to say 'D.B. Inc 1943' instead of 'B.B. Inc 1943' as it should be according to BrowningGunner's list of manufacturers he posted.

This could be a genuine error when reproducing in another country like China where they may or may not confirm markings before reproducing such items for sale.

Just my 2 cents...

 

Nice pouch still! Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fake female lift the dot fastener were clear from the beginning but other features were still in doubt (and looks like they still are). Let's see what Browninggunner688 has to say on the male ones, if they are repro too the pouch is a reproduction as change them would be nearly impossible (while the female ones are really easily removable). Anyway I'm happy if this topic got all this interest!

I got this pouch with a nice webbing set that I paid half of the value so I'll be happy anyway! 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...