M3A1 with stock extended from Modern Firearms
M3 "Greasegun"
Type	sub-machine gun
Nationality	US
Era	WW2
History
Date of design	1942
Production period	1942 -
Service duration	1942 - 1990
Operators	US
War service	WW2, Korea
Specifications
Type
Calibre	.45 / 9 mm
Barrel length	203 mm
Ammunition	.45 ACP, 9mm Parabellum
Magazine	30 round box
Action	Blowback
Rate of fire	450 rpm
Muzzle velocity	280 m/s 920 ft/s
Weight	3.7 kg
Length	745 (570) mm
Variants	M3, M3A1
Number built	~680,000

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M3 SMG

The Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3/M3A1 (1942) was a submachine gun developed by the United States during World War Two as a cheaper substitute for the Tommy Gun. It was nicknamed the "Grease Gun" because of its resemblance to an automotive grease gun. image taken with permission from Modern Firearms website at http://world. ... A submachine gun is a firearm which combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is between the two in weight and size. ... The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ... The . ... Ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds are popular handgun ammunition. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... This article is about the year. ... Thompson M1928 The Thompson submachine gun, also known as the Tommy gun, was an American submachine gun (SMG) that became infamous during the Prohibition era. ... A grease gun is a common workshop and garage tool used for lubrication. ...

History and Design

When World War II began the Thompson submachine gun was the standard US submachine gun. However the Thompson was expensive and slow to manufacture. Inspired by such cheaper mass-produced firearms as the German MP38 and British Sten, the .45 caliber M3 was introduced in 1942, designed specifically for simplified production using stamped metal parts. The MP40 was the standard German submachine gun for most of WWII. It was descended from the virtually identical MP38, the only differences being cost-saving alterations to some of the components. ... Sten Gun Type Service sub-machine gun Nationality United Kingdom Era World War II Platform Individual Target Personnel History Date of design 1941 Production period 1941 - Service duration 1941 - early 1960s Operators United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Partisans War service World War II, Korean War, Specifications Type select-fire sub machine...

Far easier to manufacture than the Thompson, the M3 incorporated several updated design features. A low cyclical rate of fire made it easier to control than other submachine guns, and the straight line of recoil thrust made it easier to control during automatic fire. In contrast to the relatively fragile Thompson its simplicity and generous tolerances made it far more reliable under the adverse conditions encountered at the fighting front. When the M3 was adopted as a standard weapon, the Thompson was categorized as a "Limited Standard" or "Substitute Standard" submachine gun.

The M3 used the blowback method of operation. It could only be fired on fully-automatic but experienced soldiers could usually get off single shots with it. It used the .45 ACP cartridge, same as in the Colt pistol, in a 30-round magazines. Before firing, the ejection port had to be opened manually by the operator. The . ... Rimmed, centerfire . ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles on various subjects. ...

Variants

M3

• Entered service December 1942
• Designed specifically as a low cost substitute for the Thompson submachine gun. Production at General Motors automobile parts plants was simplified by making use of stamped metal and only a little machining. A number of deficiencies were found during the initial two years of use. Combat introduction in time for use in Normandy (June 1944) was delayed until the deficiencies were corrected but continuing doubts about its reliability made it unpopular with troops.

This article is about the year. ... Thompson M1928 The Thompson submachine gun, also known as the Tommy gun, was an American submachine gun (SMG) that became infamous during the Prohibition era. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Vauxhall. ...

M3A1

• Entered service December 1944
• The A1 model corrected the faults of the earlier version. New features included a larger ejection port, a stronger cover spring, and a change to the cocking method. The original M3 was cocked by a crank-like lever. On the M3A1, the bolt had a machined recess which was exposed when the ejection port cover was opened. The user inserted a finger to pull the bolt back to the cocked position. It could be adapted to fire the 9mm Parabellum round by changing the barrel and bolt, and an adapter permitted the use of the magazine from the British Sten gun.

Although the M3 remained in service after the war through the Korean War and the Vietnam War, it was never popular because of slow rate of fire and lack of accuracy. It remained in limited use with US forces as a tank crew arm into the 1990s. 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds are popular handgun ammunition. ... Sten Gun Type Service sub-machine gun Nationality United Kingdom Era World War II Platform Individual Target Personnel History Date of design 1941 Production period 1941 - Service duration 1941 - early 1960s Operators United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Partisans War service World War II, Korean War, Specifications Type select-fire sub machine... The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁/韓國戰爭), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... The Vietnam War was fought from 1957 to 1975 between Soviet and Chinese-supported Vietnamese nationalist and Communist forces and an array of Western and pro-Western forces, most notably the United States. ...

A flash suppressor was developed for use with both the M3 and M3A1. After World War II, a curved barrel was made for use with the M3A1. When used with special ammunition loaded with spherical bullets, this allowed the M3A1 to be fired around corners without exposing the operator. This article or section should be merged with Flash hider A flash suppressor is a device attached to a rifle to reduce the brilliant muzzle flash which occurs upon firing. ...

External links

Small Arms Review: The M3A1 Grease Gun

See also

• List of submachine guns
• List of World War II firearms
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces