Spitfire Carbine
Spitfire Mfg. Co. · Carbine · Discontinued · 1967
Also known as: Spitfire, Poor Man's Thompson
Overview
The Spitfire Carbine is an American pistol-caliber carbine produced by Spitfire Mfg. Co. of Phoenix, Arizona during the late 1960s. A blowback-operated, open-bolt semi-automatic firing from a heavy round bolt with a fixed firing pin, it pairs a tubular steel upper receiver with a cast aluminum lower and is styled after the Thompson submachine gun, earning the nickname "poor man's Thompson." Offered in 9x19mm Parabellum and .45 ACP, it feeds from surplus Thompson, M3 grease gun or Sten magazines and functions much like a tube-gun version of the M3A1. The ATF reclassified the design as a machine gun in 1968 because its safety lever could be used to hold the sear down and fire fully automatically, ending production.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3000 g (105.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 965 mm (37.99") |
| Barrel Length | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Aluminum |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
- .45 ACP — also known as .45 Auto, 45 ACP, 11.43x23mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Tube Receiver, Fixed Firing Pin, Uses Surplus Magazines, Thompson Styling
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Production years: 1967-1968
Limited production; ended when the ATF reclassified the carbine as a machine gun in 1968.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1968
Notes
Reclassified as a machine gun by the ATF (Ruling 1968-368) not because of its open-bolt design but because the safety lever could hold the sear down to permit fully automatic fire without modification. Surviving examples are NFA-regulated. Frequently confused with the unrelated .22 Spitfire (5.7mm MMJ) M1 carbine conversion by Melvin Johnson.
Background
Marketed to civilians as an affordable Thompson look-alike, the Spitfire's tube-gun simplicity proved its undoing: the same parts-economy that made it cheap also let its safety lever pin the sear for full-auto fire, and the ATF declared it a machine gun in 1968, forcing owners to register or destroy their rifles.