Chuck, I'm with sevens on the Thompson, though I've never fired one. I've handled a couple and talked to several people who've owned em, it was pretty much unanimous that they're very cool and interesting guns, but not as fun to shoot very often as one would think. That said however, my hat is off to gentlemen like your dad who were/are willing to fight for our country.
Jim, I'm the total opposite, I'd much rather shoot something I can reload vs rimfire. I haven't bought any 22 lr for years, as I refuse to pay the going prices. I realize it's still technically the cheapest round to shoot, I just hate seeing that brass go to waste. Not to mention the millions of rounds of it produced every day just like it used to be, yet the prices are still outrageous because they know people will pay. Plus, with rimfire, you're stuck with what the factories offer, with centerfire I can pretty much make up any kind of load I want.