Their guns were assembled with parts purchased from Savage and other subcontractors. At first Auto-Ordnance only made receivers and frames in house. By August of 1941, the plant was manufacturing the U.S. The first months after the building was occupied were spent renovating the facilities, and making tools and gauges not already supplied by Savage. Russell Maguire opened his Auto-Ordnance factory in a former automotive brake shoe plant located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It wasn’t until the autumn of 1941 that Auto-Ordnance opened its own factory, to assist Savage with the overwhelming wartime demand for the weapon.
The Auto-Ordnance Corporation had first relied on Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in 1921, and then Savage Arms in 1940 to actually manufacture the Thompson for them. Several attempts were made to simplify the weapon in order to expedite manufacture, but these had limited effects on increasing production.Īlthough all Thompson Submachine Guns have the Auto-Ordnance Corporation name roll-marked on the receiver’s right side, only a small portion of the total production were actually manufactured at the Auto-Ordnance Corporation’s own Bridgeport factory, especially when compared to the total number made. During World War II the Savage Arms Company experienced difficulty in keeping up with the ever-increasing demand for more Thompsons.