![]() ![]() The drums were also difficult to load under field conditions, especially at night. The somewhat bulky drums were heavy, easily damaged, and the cartridges in them rattled. There were also problems encountered with the smaller fifty round drums in combat. ![]() The one-hundred round “C” drum was found to be too heavy for military applications. The onehundred round drums were only obtained for testing and evaluation purposes. forces procured a large number of the fifty round “L” drums and a very limited number of the big “C” drums. When fully loaded the one-hundred round drum weighs 8.25 pounds.ĭuring World War II, the British and U.S. The fully loaded one-hundred round Kahr ìCî drum shown with the top cover removed. It is not clear exactly how many of the original “C” drums were made, estimates from known drum serial numbers suggest that at least 5,000 were manufactured a number of them going to overseas customers. The cost per “C” drum to Auto-Ordnance was approximately $6.39 each. Both the “L” and “C” drum shared a few common parts including: the winding keys, retainer clip and faceplates. The operating springs for the drums were obtained from the Wallace Barnes Company of Connecticut. However, like the Thompson guns, the actual manufacture of the drums was subcontracted out to a vendor: John’s Machine and Stamp Works of Cleveland, Ohio. Oscar Payne, who had designed the Thompson submachine gun, was also credited for designing both the “L” and “C” type drums while employed by Auto-Ordnance around 1920. This drum had an enormous one-hundred round capacity and could be had for a mere $20 retail. In addition to the fifty round drum magazine, for those customers requiring more firepower, Auto-Ordnance offered an even larger capacity drum magazine referred to in their sales literature as the “C” drum. The fifty round model was designated as the “L” drum by the Auto- Ordnance Corporation with the retail price of $18 each. The drum was offered as an extracost option. The fifty round capacity drum was first introduced commercially along with the Colt manufactured Thompsons, back in 1921. The round drum-type magazine is often viewed as an essential part of the Thompson submachine gun image and legend. ![]()
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