I purchased this Sniper 1 back in 2006 off ebay. That same year I found a square asa for it but since then it’s been sitting, Earlier this year Benji Silverstein showed me a neat CCM barrel he found somewhere and I thought it would make an excellent combo to restore this Tommy Gun Sniper 1.
Last month when I was in Northern California I dug through some of my boxes of junk to find a Thompson stock (although partially unfinished) and the adapter. I had found both probably 5 or so years back but never had a chance to pair them with Sniper #71.
This classic combo looks and shoots great. The stock needs the steel butt plate and the stock sling attached (I have them around) and could use a nice finish as well, but in the meantime it does shoot!
Surprisingly, this Sniper 1 sealed up and chronographed perfectly after minimal IVG adjustment. The first two shots in the video are at 286 and 278 feet per second off a 12 gram and I got around 25 shots off the next cart.
A nice shot showing the top side of the welded feedpot. Wear on the left side looks like Auto Trigger wear but I’m not sure where it originated.
In the video I state this Sniper 1 was likely produced around late 1987 to early 1988. I think it would have actually been built in early to mid 1988. Probably around the time Bud Orr had his first small shop set up in Santa Ana.
I also say that the Square asas are correct on Snipers up to 180-200. I had originally through the square asas went with the welded feedneck bodies and would be correct on serials up to about 250-300. I forgot about this photo posted by Bad Boyz Toyz of Renick Miller’s Sniper 1s with the Thompson stock and square asa and a press fit feed neck. Renick lists the serial as #312 for the sniper with the Square asa and 326 for the round asa sniper. Renick writes:
“They are actually strangely close sn#’s the square asa gun is 312 and the other is 326.”
The hole drilled all the way through the pump handle shows it’s an early pump. I do not know the purpose of the brass pin in the left side rear of the pump handle.
This sniper 1 does show some use, notice the ding at the front base of the square asa.
And big thanks to Benji for the awesome CCM barrel. It’s possibly the only barrel that would work out as nice or better than a stock WGP Ribbed Thompson barrel on this Sniper 1.
And find classic Ammo Boxes (1 and 2) here:
http://www.baccipaintball.com/gear/hoppers/140-rds-and-smaller-loaders/wgp-ammo-boxes.html
