Shooting the M3A1 Grease Gun
World War 2 SMGs at the Range
•
6m 27s
The M3 (and its followup improved M3A1 model) was the United States' answer to the high cost and manufacturing complexity of the Thompson submachine gun. The M3 "Grease Gun" (because really, that is what it looks like) was a very inexpensive weapon with a stamped and welded receiver and only a few milled parts. It also had the slowest rate of fire of any World War 2 submachine gun at about 450 rounds/minute. Its weight, compactness, and controllability made it almost universally preferred over the Thompson, at least by soldiers who had to carry and fight with either of them.
The Grease Gun is reputedly extremely controllable because of its low rate of fire, but this is my first time to actually try shooting one. Will it live up to that reputation?
Up Next in World War 2 SMGs at the Range
-
Marlin M2 at the Range: A Remarkably ...
After yesterday's history and disassembly, I had a chance to take the Hyde/Marlin M2 submachine gun out to the range today for some test firing. It is a remarkably nice gun to use - with a good in-line stock design and low rate of fire, it was extremely controllable. Better than both the Thompson...
-
Beretta 38/42 at the Range
The pre-war Beretta Model 38A was a magnificent SMG, but it included a fair number of fancy elements that would prove to costly to justify once wartime production needs grew. Beretta would simplify the design progressively over the course of the war. What we have today is a Model 38/42 with a muc...
-
The Owen SMG: Looks Bad; Shoots Good
The Owen Gun is one of the really good submachine guns fielded during the Second World War, but is a very scarce gun to find today. I had a chance to briefly shoot one year ago, and when I had the opportunity to try one out at Morphy's, I jumped at it. Feeding from the top and ejecting out the bo...
