The MP5 family has an impecible reputation, and they've earned it. But the Thompson has class- milled steel and hardwood, no stampings, no aluminum, no plastic. The estetic appeal is much greater to me, and I like the bigger bullets better. Another nice thing is that is heavy, which means less felt recoil and less muzzle climb. But then again, I also wish I had a body that would work in a zoot suit.

Oh, and Leigh, the Thompson's reliability is similiar to the M-16 (a much exaggerated issue, stemming from the failure to issue cleaning kits with the first several thousand M-16s and the switch to a very dirty burning powder at the same time) or the FAL (who's lack of reliability you never hear about), and much greater than the SA-80's, which the UK is still issuing for reasons that escape my comprehension.