WWII Grease gun

[T.R.]

This is the M3 which I wrongly described as M9 in an earlier post. I apologize for the goof. This photo was copied from a website.

I'm not sure how many are still in existence as many obsolete small arms were destroyed and sold as scrap metal during Clinton years. I haven't handled a "grease gun" since 1971.

The Thompson was costly to make and heavy, too. So US Gov't designers came up with the M3 sub machine gun as a viable alternative. The M3 issued to me was reliable and accurate to 100 yards or so. By accurate, I mean to say that a short burst would shoot three or more 45 ACP bullets into a man sized target at 100 yards or so. A hit anywhere counted; think about it.

If this weapon interests you simply google M3 + WWII and many interesting sites come up.

Let's give peace a chance!

TR

 

[Gordon]

I traded into one early in 68 (right after Tet) for fear of the M16 I was gonna get issued when I wound up at the 101st . I was a 97b intelligence guy so I thought it would be handy. Mine was actually an M3 with the crank handle to cock it. They weigh at least as much as a full on M-16 and while you CAN hit someone at 100 yards it was better at much less than 50 yards. Seemed and still does a lot of weight for little results.I traded it and would up with the coveted Swedish K 9mm, which was not much better and harder to feed in Nam. A Colt Commando was and is a far superior system IMHO.Still I'd like to have an M3, they were very fun to shoot!

 

[Dr.Rob]

Only ones I've seen 'live' are with WW2 reinactors but I know they were still 'issued' to tankers in the 80's. None of the tankers had ANYTHING good to say about them at the time.

Probably because by 1985 those stamped metal guns were 40 years old and hadn't been fired a great deal and were 'primitive' compared to that new Beretta pistol.

 

[gloucestergarand]

As a 2LT in a Mech Battalion in Korea in 1977, I got a pretty good butt-chewin for letting my M113 driver participate in dismounted recon patrols at GP Oulette, inside the DMZ, with his issued M3A1. Seems there was a "prohibition" on automatic weapons for us "DMZ Police". Guess our M16A1's didn't count, or for that matter, the M2's and M60's on the GP's.

Had a better experience as a Tanker at Ft. Lewis in 1978....for some oddball reason, we had a ton of .45ACP ball and typical Army, once the ammo was drawn, it was a too-hard to turn it back in. So my tank platoon simply brought all our M3A1's together and spent about 2 hours loading every magazine we could find....had some mighty fine fun.

 

[Zip06]

In 1963-64, in Vietnam, we were picking up quite a few weapons the Army issued in Korea during that war. The M3 was one I picked up. Anyone that could hit anything with it at 100 yards was doing better than I could. The best battlefield pickup I saw was a WWII MP38 Schmeisser. As I recollect it was a 9mm and you could hit stuff with it. Unfortunately, 9mm ammo was rare and it was traded off. The French used a lot of German weapons during their war in Indochina. Most of the Soviet Bloc weapons were SKS's.

 

[COgunner]

My dad carried one of those across Europe as the driver of a half-track toward the end of the war.

Sure would like to have one. Western Firearms in Dallas currently has 3 for sale, but they range from $21k to $24.5k. Pretty good appreciation from the $25 bucks or so the government originally paid for them! If I knew they would continue to appreciate, I might consider splurging for one.

 

[AK103K]

The one in the pic is actually an M3A1, the M3 had the cocking handle on the side. The M3A1 you opened the cover and put your finger in the "hole" in the bolt and pulled it back.

The M3 was the first SMG I ever shot. I was 8. I was also hooked. Its been downhill ever since.

 

[jojo200517]

So is anyone cranking out a semi auto version of this? The one in that pic looks brand spankin new. I'd be interested in the normal M3, I don't see being a fan of sticking my finger in the hole in the bolt to cock the M3A1. I'd reckon those parts become somewhere between slightly warm to 3rd degree burns hot. I been looking at a MAC 10 but I like this .45 cal bullet hose too.

 

[black_powder_Rob]

I wish they were, I would definatley be interested

 

[AK103K]

Someone was making, or attempting to make/market a semi auto version. Havent seen any ads lately though.

They all get "warm", all depending on how you shoot them.

The MAC's are fun too. Your looking at both ends of the "speed" spectrum between the MAC and the M3. The M3 is about the slowest shooting SMG you'll ever shoot, the MAC is pretty much the quickest.

 

[little joe]

Check out " M3 grease gun clips suppressed and 1928 thompson comparison " on youtube.

It will put a smile on your face.

 

[ACP230]

The Thompson was the first subgun I shot.
An M3 was the second. I found it easier to hit with the M3.

Later, I shot a suppressed M3 in a side match at the old Second Chance Bowling Pin Shoot.
Targets were steel Pepper poppers and the 230 grain FMJ bullets made more noise hitting the plates than the M3 did working.

If they weren't so expensive I'd own one.

 

[Avenger29]

I do believe a company called Valkayrie Arms made a semi Grease Gun...

Dunno about the quality, though...

 

[Palo]

While in another service living in Africa before becoming an American, I carried an M3A1, which frankly was fine for up to 75m. I also packed an M-79 "blooper" for anything beyond that range. Worked out to be a good combo and both never let me down.

 

[Hatterasguy]

Good little machine gun, it was built to be super cheap, stamped out by the million, and sold for scrap when it was all over.


I think they made a 9mm conversion for them.

 

[DMK]

I think they made a 9mm conversion for them.

They did. there was at article in Americal Rifleman about these a while back. IIRC, the 9mm conversion was for OSS use. Probably very rare now.


I'll bet these things made a great little PDW back in the 40s and 50s.

 

[Palehorseman]

I was issued one of those things stateside back in the 1950s, sorry piece of work IMO. IIRR, accurate range was given as 25 yards and if I lost it, would have to pay 25 bucks.

Later was issued a BAR, great piece for laying down fire, but it and ammo was heavy as hell for a 130 pound skinny kid humping it cross country.

 

[jeff-10]

I was stationed in South Korea in the mid 90s. I remember some tankers had them. Not sure if it was a Guard unit training there or part of the 2 ID. I distinctly remember talking to the tankers about them and they explained they had never shot them because they could not get a hold of any .45 ammo. Before that we would get tickled whenever we came across M16A1s, M21s or the old pump 12 gauges issued to some units. The M3s though were a total anachronism.

 

[TheDriver]

I've handled a gen-u-ine grease gun. Wasn't able to shoot it, unfortunately. I forget what it was worth....some absurd sum.

 

[navyretired 1]

I was going to point out the picture was an M-3A1 based on no crank handle. It sure wasn't fun cock that sob with your finger but I thought it was a good weapon for it's intended purpose. If I remember right cyclic rate was about 450 RPM and it was absollutly dependable. A machine pistol is for getting the enemies heads down so we could put on aimed co-ordinated rifle fire and it did a damn good job of that. I use to keep one in the gun tub with me in case the fifties run dry and I had to de de out of there. I alway's grudged the 12 mags I kept more than the gun, as you had to download the mags and clean every day during Monsoon or they'd rust and only one round would feed. Those buggers were heavy mush more that the gun.
Just in case weapon's are always a pain-in- the-A$$ if you just carry and maintain and seldom if ever fire.
It was a good piece of gear. The only machined parts were barrel and bolt and some trigger part every thing else was stamped at GM's Guide Lamp Division which made head lamps & buckets prior. The M-3 cost approx $20 each and approx. 700,000 were made, during Korean conflict Ithaca also made some M3A1's.
I just found out although supposedly retired in 1950's They continued to serve into the 1990's and 1st Gulf War In the 13th Transportation battalion.

 

[sixgun_grunt]

Is anybody making a semi auto reproduction of these ? Seems like it would be a fun range toy. I am in the National guard ( PA ) We are a stryker brigade so we have alot of guys that used to be tankers and talk about them every now and them, seems these little sub guns were'nt liked very much.

 

[rcmodel]

My dad was a door-gunner on a road-grader in the Philippine islands during WWII.

The Seabee's had issue 03 Springfield's, and access to a few Thompson SMG's.

During his service there was still mopping up going on, and the few remaining Japanese liked to lay in wait for a dozer or road grader to come plodding along, and then do a Banzai suicide charge, flinging grenades at the lumbering construction equipment.

He said there was nothing better then the Thompson for stopping them in their tracks outside grenade range.

But, if he had to carry one & the ammo & mags for one on foot 24/7, he would rather have had a spear and taken his chances!

rc

 

[RonE]

I had one for a while in Viet Nam. Carried it because it looked cool and worked well. It would reliably feed and fire .45ACP shot shells. Traded it for another "cool" gun, don't remember what.

 

[camper]

Sure liked the one that was assigned to me back in 65. Great shooter and you needed to step on the sling to keep it from climbing after more than a two round burst.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

Well, I only spent 20 years on tanks, and for the first 16 we carried M1911A1 pistols and had 2 M3A1 grease guns on each tank. The grease gun was accurate enough and had a low enough rate of fire that we could cut down the 1x4 that held the E-type silhouette targets at 54 meters or so during familiarization fire by firing single shots. It was all trigger control. Most of my guys like them just fine.

Dismay hit the troops when we got the M9 pistols and our M3A1s were replaced by M16A2 rifles. Let me tell you, it was much easier to clear an M3A1 out of a tank hatch than an M16A2.

If I knew I was going to be fighting in a city, I can't think of a much better house-to-house, room-to-room gun.

ECS