[RayChuang88]

However, unlike the awful Sten, the M3 "grease gun" was a very reliable, fairly well-built and accurate weapon.

[DCBryan1]

However, unlike the awful Sten

Ive had several. Only the MK III would get close to awful. As with any SMG, if you have crappy magazines, you'll have a crappy shooting experience. I bought Sten Mags 100 at a time....would throw 30 or so away after a day at the range.

Oh, and you need a sten gun/Lanchester magazine loader or you are going to have a very bad day loading.

[Buffalo Head]

"M3 "grease gun" was a very reliable, fairly well-built and accurate weapon"

Reliable - yes, accurate - no. Not that the latter matters much in a full-auto only weapon. In fact, an accurate submachine gun is almost an oxymoron. The intended purpose was to spray lots of bullets towards a target and hope that at least one ends the threat.

The M3 series fires from an open bolt and incorporates a massive bolt to counter the recoil momentum. Upon squeezing the trigger, that bolt slams home and greatly disrupts the gun from wherever the sights may have been pointing. I carried one in Vietnam until I bought a much better M1A1 Thompson Submachine Gun on the gray market.