Real Thompson woodwork fitted

I have finally got around to fitting real woodwork to my Hudson Thompson which sets it off beautifully.

The stock seems to be an original one with a Vulcan Corporation stamp and possibly issued for commonwealth countries as it has got the swivel mounts on the top of the stock and side of the forend, also at some point has been back to the Augusta Arsenal for a rebuild because it is stamped with AAE.

Although I love the Hudson woodwork I think it looks too new and the old/worn woodwork gives it a lovely dated look.

also I have fitted a real mag too....


Sadly as with most things modelgun it wasn’t a straight forward fit as the original screws couldn’t be used because they are an imperial thread and Hudson uses metric M6 metric thread, also some of the screw holes didn’t line up.


Fitting the stock
This WAS a straight bolt on using the Hudson screws

Fitting the Forend
This was a very tight fit onto the chamber assy and I had to remove some wood from the front for it to fit well, but when this was done the screw lined up and was fixed using a different screw as the original one is the wrong thread and the Hudson one is too short.



Fitting the pistol Grip
This was a little tricky as the screw was about 5-6mm out of line, so I elongated the hole and made the hole deeper as the Hudson screw is quite a bit shorter.



And here are the results

Before with the Hudson woodwork



After with the real woodwork



8ace

********Updated photos from new server***********

Bought my Hudson in May and finally got around to working on it. After replacing the extractor ( https://mp40modelguns.forumotion.net/t3044-replacement-hudson-m1a1-extractor ) I tackled the wood-work having been inspired by 8Ace!

As requested, here's a before & after photo of my modified Hudson furniture.

I replaced the shoulder-stock with a real one, and sanded/re-shaped the pistol grip and fore grip before re-staining them.
Not as good as a total replacement....but not as much work getting the screws to align properly.
Guess I'm born lazy!



But maybe if the other wood parts become available to me locally, I'll swap them over!

The process:

Removing the pistol grip and fore-grip, I re-shaped the wood using photos from the internet as a guide, until they had lost their Hudson look.

I first marked out the areas to reshape with a black felt-tip pen using printed full-size photos as templates; the I used used a coarse grip sandpaper until the bulk was removed. This was then sanded with finer sandpaper, being careful to keep the shape symmetrical on both sides (particularly on the pistol-grip).

After it was fitted, the shoulder-stock was used as a guide to mixed up some wood stains (light red + a very dark brown) I had in my workshop.
This was applied with a piece of cotton rag in two coats to achieve the dark colour required, and avoid a "brushed-on" look.

The sling is a WW2 original.

Kiwigunner

Very nice job especially on the pistol grip

8ace

Thanks 8Ace.

I decided the fore-grip need a bit more work....it's drying in my workshop at present, but will post a pic later!

Cheers
Kiwigunner


Later:

Fore-grip re-stained (darker)

and re-installed on the Hudson M1A1

Very nice Kiwi.
That darker wood certainly makes the gun look way more authentic like a real gun.
Hmmm.....I might have to give it a try too.

That looks great… did the stock fit the Hudson body without a problem?

Hello cushy,


Welcome to the Forum!


Reading through the original post, it states:



"Fitting the stock
This WAS a straight bolt on using the Hudson screws"

however, pistol grip and forend need some modifying.

Thanks… I think the issue here is that it’s a Hudson M1A1 and I’m looking at my own MGC 1928… the 1928 has a removable stock with a different attachment. So I suppose my question is MGC related… I’m happy to shell out for original woodwork for the MGC but not if the stock doesn’t fit…

I’ve managed to fit my MGC with original woodwork now… easier said than done… also original Cutts conpensator and Lyman sight… I’ve done a post on it…