The Legend Tom Dornaus

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aseries2
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The Legend Tom Dornaus

Post by aseries2 »

Good afternoon,

Today is 8 years since we lost Tom Dornaus. I was going through some pictures and found this.

Tom shooting the original Pachmyr Special in 1976.

I wish he could have seen the rebirth of the 10 mm.

Rest in peace my friend. You are missed.

E
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Tom Dornaus and the Pachmyr Special 1976
Tom Dornaus and the Pachmyr Special 1976
Tom Dornaus Trophy.jpg (1017.28 KiB) Viewed 39999 times

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TheBritishContingent
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Re: The Legend Tom Dornaus

Post by TheBritishContingent »

Hi aseries2,

Apologies for not responding sooner to your posting. Its a bit hectic in these regions at the moment.

Thank you very much for posting and sharing this image of Tom from "back in the day" and letting us all think back to Tom. I never had the opportunity to meet him in person-but he is certainly missed. I did get the opportunity to pick up a rather rare tool he machined for removal of the front barrel crown on the Bren. He did not make too many of these. And I picked up one of his Bren pistol stands as well. I would have liked one of his canes with the Bren pistol grip...but sadly he had stopped doing them by then.

I understood that he had a knowledge about my particular Bren-it has a production oddity he noted - and he was curious as at the time of its ongoing threat to end up smelted on a factory floor. A conversation was muted- but sadly it never occurred.

I'm just in the last stretch of negotiations to visit another surviving Bren Ten at a national museum, and its been a great opportunity to promote the vision, work and competency of Tom Dornaus, Anyone who knows a bit about pistols and ammunition development will know of the Bren Ten. But too often Tom's genius of conception, design, building and developing the Bren Ten is often overlooked.

Many suppliers has attempted to bring in a copy of a Bren Ten=but failed. Tom made them from the drawing board up. Yes there were some design creep and sacrifices he would rather not have made. Yes material and supplier choices, final measurements and cash flow issues all made the Bren all but still-born. But it was Tom that made it and what a cracking pistol he made!

You likely know far better then I that Tom was heart broken at the loss of D&D. Financially he put everything he had in to the project. And Morally I know that he continued to feel bad about the loss of peoples money until his passing. He was an honourable man and I am sorry I never got to meet him. And to say thank you to him to his face.

I'd have told him - that I always found that if you got one of these pistols in your hands it was almost always an accurate, dependable tack driver. I'd like to have let him know that his design and vision has influenced me and my life for...ohhh 40 odd years now. There was a time BBT (before Bren Ten) but I don't recall it too well... There will never be a ABT (after Bren Ten) in my life. His design and vision will stay an interest to me to the end of my days.

Thanks for sharing this image and reminding us of his passing. He deserves afar greater fame then he has at this time for his work as a gunsmith. And then Gun Designer.

Rest in continued peace Tom,

A humble Bren owner
TBC
My Government does not trust me with my guns, so why should I trust them with theirs?

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