It might have been fine if I had the proportions of an early 20th century man (140 pounds, 5'7) but as a biggish modern guy I just can't get my hand around the grip of the thompson. It doesn't help that my hands are perpetually swollen from arthritis but the pad at the base of my thumb just doesn't fit behind the grip, the back of my hand is all crammed against where the stock attaches to the receiver and I have to twist my hand out like 30 degrees to hold it and I have to either really curl my trigger finger back or just work the trigger with the base of my finger. At least for me it's one of the biggest disappointments in ergonomics I've ever experienced because it looks so cool but I just can't use it, even for fun. The paratrooper M1 carbines are a similar story. They're better but I can only fit two fingers on the grip, I have to either lift my pinky and just rest it on top of my ring finger or let it awkwardly hang loose. There's less grip space than a modern microcompact pistol, exacerbated by the bar where the folding stock attaches to the grip so I can't even do a half-pinky grip