More Commando Rifle Info, Old Ads and Literature

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More Commando Rifle Info, Old Ads and Literature

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 | East Tennessee, Guns |

I found those images at John Torelli’s page* from the manual for the Commando Arms Mark 45. I dig the op-art Mark 45 logo. He also has more pages of the manual and a pic of the rarely-seen pistol version. Thanks to John for giving me permission to use his scans.

Commandos were made in Knoxville, TN. They were affordable, semi-automatic rifles that resembled the Thompson Commando submachine gun. The Mark 45 version even used Thompson magazines which are still widely available even today.

I knew about the company’s factory address on Clinton Highway. Torelli’s page lists a company address of 2515 Sutherland Avenue and a phone number of 615-523-3393. Note that when this ad was published the company’s name had changed from Volunteer Enterprises to Commando Arms, reflecting new ownership. According to this page and this one the name change occurred in 1978.

I’ve been exchanging email with a nephew of the man who co-designed the Commando and started Volunteer Enterprises. I’ve already learned a few things from him, and some family members are willing to share information. I’m leaning towards starting a site for the gun since it’s such an interesting and ignored piece of Knoxville history. I’ve promised a friend I’d create a blog for his non-profit group, so the Commando site will have to come after that.

I haven’t mentioned this on the blog because I stopped blogging about gun purchases, but last year I bought a Volunteer Enterprises Commando Mark 45. That’s it below. The case seems to be the “Heavy gauge vinyl carrying case with full-length zipper and inside clip pocket” mentioned in the manual. It previously belonged to an entertainer whose name you’d recognize. I’ll share that story at some point.

Torelli’s page says “Dry firing, the trigger pull is off the scale to the point that you’ll probably check to see that the crossbolt safety isn’t engaged.” That’s no joke. When I got mine I couldn’t get it to dryfire at all until I hosed down the interior with Breakfree CLP lubricant. When I took it to the last blogshoot Sebastian thought it was broken because he couldn’t get it to fire. Sebastian is a big fella, and I think he was being considerate in not wanting to hurt my gun. I told him to go ahead and pull the trigger as hard as he needed to and then it worked fine for him.

* Link updated February 22, 2009 following the shutdown of AOL’s Hometown service.

Tags: commando rifle

3 Comments to More Commando Rifle Info, Old Ads and Literature

Knox Joe
May 31, 2008

A friend of mine bought one of those in the 1980’s and had never fired it. I talked him into taking it to the range and even supplied the ammo, Winchester FMJ.

We could not get the gun to chamber a round from the magazine. We resorted to inserting a round into the chamber and closing the bolt. The round would fire, but the next would fail to feed.

As with yours, the trigger pull was horrid, probably 20 pounds or more. I don’t remember anything about the accuracy. My friend decided to sell it at a gun show.

Nick S.
January 13, 2009

I inherited one of these guns from my grandfather. A Commando Mark III with two greasegun magazines. The gun’s lower looks like it’s been cast out of pot metal, but the rest of the gun seems decently finished. I’ve put about a hundred rounds through it, and it’s a lot of fun to shoot. Taking it apart, you can see how ruggedly simple the design is.

RICK
August 10, 2009

I really can’t understand why people think these are so valuable. I own this cheap, sorry “a– imitation I won decades ago. The firing pin had broke. I went around the “almighty internet” to find parts…no luck.

Next, I had the “bright idea” to buy another working model in order to retain its firing pin and bring it to a machine shop a relative is employed by, in order to duplicate.

This would have me owning two, but I would hope to sell both in terms of getting “one” good firearm.

For a little while, I followed sales and auctions on these, watching people command over $300-800 for this garbage.

In reality, pawn shops dont know what they have and hope to prey on the unknowing.

When mine was working, these things do not feed well and jam. It only wanted quality ammo, but unless you have/did a good alteration on a grease gun mag, it still wouldnt feed properly.

My advice, like others, forget about the damn thing.