Posted on 06/07/2017 10:19:45 AM PDT by w1n1
In this segment of WW2 firearms, two lucky shooters from Iraqveteran8888 Youtuber got a chance to fire the M3A1 "Grease Gun" and in doing so they were in awed by its raw power. Watch as they shoot this historic firearm, showcasing how forceful it still is today.
According to Wikipedia, “The original M3 was an answer to the somewhat complex design and high production cost of the M1A1 Thompson during World War II.” This 'Grease Gun' was made cheaper for WWII, and used actively up until Desert Storm.
Did you notice how accurate the firing was? It was by no means created for precision shooting as it’s main purpose was for area shooting.
This gun was semi accurate up to 75 yards, so if you're looking to get your own soon be sure to shoot within this range. Chambered for the .45ACP cartridge, it is notable for its very low rate of fire – 350-400 rpm, which made it quite controllable and easy to shoot for relatively inexperienced troops. See the rest of the grease gun WW2 footage here.
We shot it a lot on our ranch. Ammo back then was cheap. As the vid showed the gun was very easy to shoot and accurate.
That's not the only gun we shot up there.
Ed
We had these in Germany. The Mechanics were issued them. It was the simplest weapon I have ever broken down and reassembled. I was a SAW Gunner and the Grease Gun was just so different and basic.
My dad used one of these in Korea. Apparently it was assigned to his tank. He said they called it a “burp gun” sometimes.
LOL! Now there's a term I haven't heard in ages. Heh-heh.
Video games?
Really? Sigh.
The M-60s had these. I loved 'em.
Shot one with a curved barrel. You wont have anywhere near this much fun with out shooting a Tommy gun.
They remained a basic issue item on the M88 tracked recovery vehicle into at least the mid-90s.
The trusty DAT retriever.
I was commisioned as a DAT officer before being moved over to the MP Corps, and yes, “Mike 88” was a good friend to have.
When took ROTC in early 1970’s the local National Guard unit
was an armored unit (M48 Patton)
They has Grease Guns as personal weapons in case had to
defend themselves
“They remained a basic issue item on the M88 tracked recovery vehicle into at least the mid-90s.”
Same for the M578 Tracked Recovery Vehicle for the smaller tracked vehicles based on the M113 APC. My battalion had one M578 so those crewmen had the only M3s in the unit. Always enjoyed seeing those come out of the arms room.
He also said “the burp gun would walk all over the place when you fired it”. He said he preferred the M2 Carbine.
True. I qualified with a Grease gun in 1994 with B Co, 1/635th AR, KSNG who had some of the last M60a3 TTS tanks in the Army. Fun gun to shoot. They worked better in the desert than the M231s the Cavalry unit had.
If the machine shop has 80-ton stamping metal presses like the Anderson, Indiana Guide Lamp plant where most of the M3 and M3A1s were produced.
Of course, the design is simple enough that 2 1/4-inch muffler tubing and 1/16-inch 1020 carbon sheet steel can be used instead. But the economies of scale are more easily realized by stamping and robot welding a half-million or so at a time.
We still had 'em in '95 and '96 in the M88s and the AVLB scissors bridges, since the vehicles had the interior clamps to hold the guns in place to keep them from banging around inside. After the VTRs got upgraded to M88A1s, the clamps were cut out, and the M4s replaced them. Officially, anyway. We had a LOT of combat losses in the sandbox.
S. S. Kresge's? You could get most anything at Kresge's in the late '50s- early '60s....
Never fired either, but learned to dis/re-assemble both. (military school, late 50s)
When I was with 1st Bn, 32d Armor, 3d Armored Division 75-78, we had ‘grease guns’ as a crew served weapon on our tanks. Since we were only issued M1911s, the Grease Gun was used when we dismounted at night lager for outposts and perimeter guard. The 3-12 Cav’s M-60 tanks still had them in the mid-1980s. The main reason was that there was NO place to safely store a M-16 inside the M-60 series tank. I recall that our FO brought his M-16, even though told by the company commander not to. The tank ate it — that is, it got caught on the turret when it rotated and proceeded to bend it into a piece of junk.
I have an Empty crate marked;
SUB MACH .45
It would hold 5 or 6
Grease Guns
I just read a magazine article on the Sten that says it was the inspiration for our ‘grease gun.’
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