Thompson Sling Use - Alternate Method

[McKee]

Kind of bored.. thought i'd post a simple but useful little tidbit. If nothing else it's my contribution to the grand repository of knowledge that is the Internets.

The airsoft Thompson is an amazing AEG. It's a solid workhorse of a gun sporting the venerable V6 mechbox. Thanks to it's hop up design, it is a reliable and accurate gun out of the box. Cybergun / KA models mean you can usually pick one up for less than 200$ new: probably one of the best value-for-money AEGs you can purchase.

One fatal flaw, however, is that due to the physical dimensions of the gun and the location of the sling mounting points: excess stress is created where the barrel meets the receiver leading to breakage.

Your options are as follows:

Don't use a sling
Attempt reinforcement (usually complex and of questionable effectiveness)
Tempt fate and use the sling anyway


I present you with another option! I have successfully used this method for some time now with no problems. I used heavy zip ties to create a mount point, but you could use anything (a hose clamp would be a good option). This takes stress off the front end (and consequently the weak connection point) and distributes it across the thicker, stronger chamber area. Add a pinch of para cord and you're in business. In addition it allows the sling to be used in a more practical manner than with the traditional configuration.

[ccyg8774]

Nice...
Is that a Chinese AK sling? They seems to match with any WW2/Vietnam era guns.

[McKee]

Yes. Usually I use my thompson in a vietnam SF setup, hence the jury rigged camoflauge and chicom sling (the chicom vest also fits 6 thompson mags perfectly). You can pick up a chicom sling for next to nothing on the net.

Originally Posted by ccyg8774

Nice...
Is that a Chinese AK sling? They seems to match with any WW2/Vietnam era guns.

[buellxbk]

I like it and your right the forward sling mount puts a lot of stress in the narrow piece that holds the front hand guard/barrel to the reciever. I have a parts gun that broke at the exact point. Good job, will try this with my own Thompson.

[DrDoUm]

Are the Tie-wraps repro or issued 1942?

[buellxbk]

I believe those are actual Spanish civil (1936 vintage) war tie-wraps, rare but still accurate.

[KenTsui]

So the gun are known to break in half where the mag well is if you use the original sling points?

[buellxbk]

Not right at the mag well but just infront of it. If you look at Mckee's second photo you can see the two machine screws that attach the front assembly to the main body. The thin piece that runs out from that point attaches the front hand grip and outer barrel to the gun, there is a small grub nut on the actual out barrel I believe and those are the only two attachment points. The break occures just infront off those two machine screws. I am going from memory but I think thats it, I have one at home that is broken so I'll check to make sure I got it right.

[Rusty Lugnuts]

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/attachm...3&d=1362936101 Here's one i fixed with rebar http://www.airsoftcanada.com/attachm...2&d=1362936101 BTW looks like a screw is missing in your sling photo

[buellxbk]

Was that a hard fix to do. I picked another Thompson up for parts year ago and it was a parts gun for the soul reason of it being broken at that point. Maybe I'll think about fixing it up now that I see that fix Rusty did.

[Rusty Lugnuts]

what have you got to lose right? you probably can't notice in the picture, the reinforcing piece is JB welded (like epoxy) as well as screwed on.