If you ever stumble across a volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 at a local gun show or in a dusty corner of a pawn shop, you're looking at a very specific slice of 1960s and 70s Americana. It's one of those firearms that immediately makes you do a double-take because it looks so much like a Thompson submachine gun, but something about it feels just a little bit different. It's not quite a "Tommy Gun," but it's trying its absolute hardest to be one, and that's exactly where its charm lies.
Back in the day, the folks at Volunteer Enterprises in Knoxville, Tennessee, realized that there was a massive market for people who loved the aesthetic of the classic Prohibition-era submachine guns but didn't want to deal with the hefty price tag or the NFA paperwork of a real full-auto Thompson. So, they came up with the Commando series. The Mark 45 is perhaps the most recognizable of the bunch, chambered in the hard-hitting .45 ACP and built to look like it belongs in a grainy black-and-white gangster flick.
Why People Love the "Poor Man's Thompson"
The first thing you notice when you pick up a volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 is the weight. It's not a plastic, flyweight modern carbine. It's made of steel and wood, and it feels like a solid chunk of history in your hands. Even though it was designed as a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive rifles, it doesn't feel "cheap" in the way we think of modern budget guns. It's heavy, it's chunky, and it has a very mechanical soul.
The appeal was simple: it looked cool. During the late 60s, there was a huge resurgence in interest in WWII and classic firearms. If you were a guy who wanted a .45 caliber carbine for home defense or just for plinking at the range, the Commando Mark 45 was a tempting option. It offered that iconic silhouette with the vertical foregrip and the finned barrel, which served more for looks than actual cooling, but hey, it worked for the vibe.
A Bit of History from Knoxville
Volunteer Enterprises started production in the late 1960s. They were based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, and they really leaned into the "Commando" branding. The volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 was their flagship, but they also made versions in 9mm (the Mark 9) and even some .22 caliber variants later on.
One of the more interesting aspects of the company's history is how they navigated the changing laws of the time. Early models were actually designed to fire from an open bolt. If you're a firearms history nerd, you know that the ATF eventually took a very dim view of open-bolt semi-autos because they were "readily restorable" to full-auto fire. Because of this, later versions of the Mark 45 had to be redesigned to fire from a closed bolt to stay on the right side of the law.
Eventually, the company went through some changes and became Commando Arms. You might see some rifles marked that way instead, but for collectors, the ones with the "Volunteer Enterprises" stamp are usually the ones people hunt for. They represent that original era of independent Tennessee gun making.
The Mechanics: How It Actually Works
Mechanically, the volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 is about as simple as a hammer. It's a straight blowback design. There's no complicated gas system or rotating bolt here. When you pull the trigger, the heavy bolt moves forward, fires the round, and the recoil pushes that bolt back against a big spring to cycle the next round.
Because the .45 ACP is a relatively low-pressure round, this simple system works perfectly fine, though it does mean the bolt has to be quite heavy to keep the action closed long enough for pressures to drop. This contributes to that "chunky" feeling I mentioned earlier. When you fire one, you can really feel that big mass of steel moving back and forth inside the receiver. It's a very tactile shooting experience.
The Magazine Situation
One of the best things about the Mark 45 is that it was designed to use M3 "Grease Gun" magazines. For those who don't know, the M3 was the stamped-steel submachine gun used by the US military in WWII and Korea. Because there were millions of these magazines produced, they were incredibly cheap and easy to find for decades.
Using the Grease Gun mags was a stroke of genius. They are built like tanks, hold 30 rounds of .45 ACP, and they generally feed very reliably. If you find a volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 today, you can still find magazines for it relatively easily, which isn't always the case with "orphan" guns from fifty years ago.
The Sights and Furniture
The sights on these rifles are well, they're basic. You've usually got a simple flip-up or fixed rear aperture and a blade front sight. They aren't meant for precision long-range shooting, but for hitting a soda can at 50 yards? They do the job just fine.
The furniture is another highlight. Most came with decent walnut or hardwood stocks. The vertical foregrip is the iconic piece, though. It gives you that classic "untouchable" feel while you're at the range. Some versions even had a wire stock or a different pistol grip configuration, but the fixed wood stock is definitely the most common look you'll see.
What's It Like to Shoot?
If you're expecting the refined, smooth recoil of a modern AR-15, the volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 is going to give you a bit of a reality check. It's a thumper. Since it's a blowback .45, the recoil is more of a "push" than a "snap," but you definitely know you're shooting something substantial.
It's surprisingly fun, though. There's something deeply satisfying about the clack-clack sound of the heavy bolt cycling. It's not the most accurate rifle in the world, mostly because of the heavy trigger and basic sights, but it's plenty accurate for some "recreational ballistic therapy." Plus, it always turns heads at the range. You'll inevitably have someone walk over and ask, "Hey, is that an old Tommy Gun?"
Things to Look Out For
If you're thinking about picking one up, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Since these haven't been in production for a long time, spare parts aren't exactly growing on trees. While the magazines are easy to find, internal parts like firing pins or extractors might require some hunting or a talented gunsmith if they ever break.
Also, because they were built as "budget" firearms, the finish on some of them hasn't always aged gracefully. You'll often see them with some thinning bluing or a few dings in the wood. Personally, I think that adds to the character. It looks like a gun that's seen some action, even if that action was just a lot of Saturday afternoons at a gravel pit.
Another thing to check is the feed ramp. Like many older .45 carbines, the volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 was mostly designed to run full metal jacket (FMJ) "ball" ammunition. If you try to feed it fancy modern hollow points, it might get a little finicky. Stick to the round-nose stuff, and it'll usually chug along all day.
Final Thoughts on This Tennessee Classic
The volunteer enterprises commando mark 45 isn't a high-speed, tactical weapon for the modern age. It doesn't have rails for lights, and you're not going to be mounting a red dot on it easily. But that's not why you buy one.
You buy a Mark 45 because you appreciate the oddballs of the gun world. You buy it because you like the weight of steel and the smell of old walnut. It's a reminder of a time when small companies could put out a fun, unique product that filled a specific niche for people who just wanted to have a good time at the range without breaking the bank.
It's a conversation starter, a fun plinker, and a cool piece of Tennessee manufacturing history. If you ever get the chance to trigger one of these off, take it. It's a loud, heavy, glorious blast from the past that still brings a smile to your face today. Just make sure you bring plenty of .45 ACP, because once you start shooting, it's hard to stop.