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M3 Submachine Gun

From Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
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The M3 & M3A1 submachine gun (original name - U.S. Submachine Gun, Caliber .45, M3 & U.S. Submachine Gun, Caliber .45, M3A1). The M3 was commonly referred to as the "Grease Gun" or simply "the Greaser", owing to its visual similarity to the mechanic's tool. The Grease Gun it was not the official name of the weapon. Although there have been quantum leaps in submachine gun construction and design since the early 1940s (when the M3/M3A1 was designed), the M3/M3A1 is still an excellent example of its type. Due to the large .45 ACP round the M3/M3A1 fires and its simple construction with stamped/pressed steel, it is very reliable, extremely simple to operate, compact, has .45 caliber knockdown power, has relatively high controllability on full-auto due to the low cyclic rate, simplicity of fixing and maintaining it, cheap manufacturing costs, and ease of sound suppression and/or conversion to 9x19mm, all of which appealed to many in the early special forces and paratrooper communities. The compact size, reliability, and stopping power of this weapon kept it in service with the U.S. for decades after WW2 (particularly among armored vehicle crews up until the introduction of the M4 Carbine), and it is still used in some countries into the 21st century.

The original design of the M3 featured a crank-type cocking lever. In practice, it quickly became clear that it was fragile and prone to breakage, incapacitating the gun. As a result, some of the M3s were equipped by field gunsmiths with full-fledged charging handles as on other submachine guns, instead of the original levers. However, since the M3 bolt was so lightly-sprung that it could be pulled back with one finger, it was decided to simply equip it with a cocking notch, which was done on the subsequent M3A1, with production starting in December 1944.

In 1943, the Guide Lamp company produced about 1,000 weapons chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum. The weapon had 9mm caliber barrels and a magazine adapter to allow the use of 32-round Sten magazines. The weapon conversion received official military markings as the US 9 mm SMG. The US Army placed an order for another 25,000 units of this conversion. But already at the end of 1943, the order was limited to 500 units. In February 1944, conversion was approved and put into production. But it is assumed that only a limited number of pieces were made. The first 1,000 or so guns in this caliber were for testing purposes only. The 9mm conversion was only tested on the M3 model and was not continued with the introduction of the M3A1 model.

In 1944, the OSS also commissioned the production of approximately 1,000 weapons with integrated silencers from Bell Laboratories. The sound suppressor has been found to be 80% as effective as the Sten's sound suppressor. Work on weapons equipped with a silencer continued with the introduction of the M3A1 model. The tests showed that the silencer was heating up too much, so an additional barrel cover was used. The first model was officially named OSS M3 and the second model as OSS M3A1.

M3 with "field modified" charging handle. This modification replaced the M3's crank-style charging handle (which was known for being fragile) with a new, more conventional handle slotted in the receiver. Modifications of this type were based on the first version of the weapon.

On the basis of the weapon, the T29 Carbine project in .30 Carbine caliber was created. Designed to compete with the German StG 44 with intermediate ammunition. It is believed that only 3 prototypes were made. The first two prototypes had a 14-inch barrel. And the third prototype had an 8-inch barrel.


M3

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M3 - .45 ACP
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OSS M3 - .45 ACP

Specifications

(1942 - 1944)

  • No. built: 606694 (9mm less than 1000 pieces)
  • Type: Submachine Gun
  • Country of Origin: U.S.A.
  • Caliber: .45 ACP, 9x19mm, (less than 1000 pieces)
  • Weight: 8.15 lb (3.70 kg)
  • Length: 29.8 in (75.7 cm) stock extended / 22.8 in (57.9 cm) stock collapsed
  • Barrel Length: 8 in (20.3 cm)
  • Capacity: 30-round detachable box magazine (32-round mag from the Sten, less than 1000 pieces)
  • Fire Modes: Full-Auto only (450 RPM)

The M3 & OSS M3 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Battleground 101st Airborne troopers M3 1949
The Most Wanted Man (L'Ennemi public No 1) Fallone's henchmen M3 1953
China Gate Gene Barry Sergeant Brock M3 1957
Nat "King" Cole Goldie
Five Gates to Hell Dolores Michaels Athena Roberts M3 1959
Patricia Owens Joy
Neville Brand Chen Pamok
Ken Scott Dr. John Richter
Nancy Kulp Sister Susette
Nobu McCarthy Chioko
Benson Fong Gung Sa
John Morley Dr. Jacques Minelle
Shirley Knight Sister Maria
Greta Chi Yvette
Vietnamesse guerillas
The Longest Day 1975
Hell Is for Heroes Steve McQueen Reese M3 1962
The Black Seagull (Chyornaya chayka) Aleksei Loktev Ramon M3 1962
Anatoli Adoskin Antonio
Cuban seamen
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964
Pierrot Goes Wild (Pierrot le Fou) OAS members 1965
Battle of the Bulge George Montgomery Sgt. Duquesne M3 1965
None But the Brave Sammy Jackson Cpl. Craddock M3 1965
Brad Dexter Sgt. Bleeker
Is Paris Burning? A French Resistance fighter M3 1966
Sorrel Flower (Fleur d'oseille) Bob Sissa "The Musician" 1967
Operation Kid Brother Neil Connery Dr. Neil Connery M3 1967
THANATOS guards, Allied Intelligence agents
The Dirty Dozen Lee Marvin Major Reisman M3; with and without "jungle-taped" magazines 1967
Stuart Cooper Roscoe Lever
Al Mancini Tassos Bravos
Richard Jaeckel Sgt. Clyde Bowren
Telly Savalas Archer Maggot
Donald Sutherland Pinkley
Ben Carruthers Glenn Gilpin
Charles Bronson Joseph Wladislaw
Jim Brown Jefferson
John Cassavetes Victor Franko
German soldier
Dark of the Sun Kenneth More Doc Wreid 1968
Peter Carsten Lt. Henlein
Olivier Despax Lt. Surrier
Machine Gun McCain Gangsters 1969
Five for Hell Aldo Canti Nick Amadori M3 1969
Salvatore Borghese Al Siracusa M3; With "jungle-taped" magazines
Samson Burke Sgt. McCarthy M3
Luciano Rossi Johnny White M3
Machine Gun McCain M3 1969
Hornets' Nest M3 1970
Gang War in Naples Vincenzo Falanga Pietravalle's henchman M3 1972
The Mechanic bodyguards 1972
No Way Out Grunwald's henchman 1973
The Violent Professionals Bruno Corazzari The blond robber M3 1973
Bruno Boschetti The bearded robber
Emergency Squad (Squadra volante) Gastone Moschin Marsigliese M3 1974
Rabid Dogs Don Backy "Blade" M3 1974
Gambling City Criminals M3 1975
The Eagle Has Landed Army Ranger 1976
The Muthers Rosanne Katon Anggie M3 1976
Pirates
Sky Riders Terrorists 1976
Greek Army
Go Tell the Spartans Burt Lancaster MAJ Asa Barker M3 1978
The Inglorious Bastards 1978
From Hell to Victory US Army soldiers 1979
G.I. Samurai Shin'ichi Chiba Lt. Yoshiaki Iba 1979
jsdf members
Superman II 1980
Oasis of the Zombies Eduardo Fajardo Colonel Kurt Meitzell 1982
Partisans
Never Say Never Again U.S. Navy SEALs 1983
Jungle Warriors Nina van Pallandt Joanna Quinn M3; With suppressor 1984
Emilio Messina Mastranga's bodyguard
The Vengeance of the Winged Serpent (La vengeance du serpent à plumes) Mexican soldiers M3; fitted with perforated barrel shroud 1984
Commando Leopard Rebels 1985
On Wings of Eagles 1986
The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission 1987
The Sicilian Christopher Lambert Salvatore Giuliano M3 1987
John Turturro Aspanu Pisciotta
Carabiniers, soldiers, outlaws
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission Alex Cord Dravko Demchuk M3 1988
Operation Corned Beef Zargas' henchman With muzzle device 1991
Payback Jeff Imada Chow's bodyguard M3 1999
Chow's thug
Blow guards 2001
City of God 2002
Rescue Dawn 2006
Smokin' Aces Kevin Durand Jeeves Tremor 2006
Chris Pine Darwin Tremor
Assembly Communist soldier M3 2007
Speed Racer 2008
Black Dynamite Tommy Davison Cream Corn M3 2009
Brother's War U.S. Army Soldier 2009
Inglourious Basterds 2009
Red and White (Merah Putih) Dutch soldier M3 2009
The Marine 2 Arms Dealers 2009
Captain America: The First Avenger Kenneth Choi Jim Morita 2011
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014
The Monuments Men 2014
The Taking of Tiger Mountain 2014

Television

Show Title / Episode Actor Character Note Air Date
Doctor Who (Classic Series) 1963 - 1989
Mission: Impossible - Season 1 1966 - 1967
Garrison's Gorillas Horst Ebersberg Dutch Resistance Member 1967 - 1968
Mail Call 2002 - 2009
The Company Chris O'Donnell Jack McAuliffe 2007
The Pacific 2010
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2 2014 - 2015

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Time Stranger 1985
Tour of Duty Stan Foster Sgt. Marvin Johnson 1987 - 1989
Najica Blitz Tactics Fuyuki 2001

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Notes Release Date
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines "Submachine Gun" 1998
Fallout 2: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game 1998
Day of Defeat 2003
Forgotten Hope 2003
Shellshock Nam '67 "The Greaser" 2004
Call of Duty 2 multiplayer mode only 2005
Civilization IV 2005
Company of Heroes 2006
Forgotten Hope 2 "M3 Grease Gun" M3 variant 2007
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway 2008
Fallout: New Vegas "9mm SMG" 2010
Mafia II 2010
Dino D-Day 2011
Gotham City Impostors 2012
Call of Duty Online 2013
State of Decay "M3" added in Breakdown DLC 2013
Sniper Elite III "Patriot Weapons Pack" DLC 2014
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly M3 Grease Gun M3 & M3 with M9 flash hider 2014
Dying Light hybrid of a Intratec TEC-9 and a M3 2015
Mafia III "M1N8" M3, OSS M3 2016
Heroes & Generals M3 variant 2016
Call of Duty: WWII M3, OSS M3 2017
Insurgency: Sandstorm M3, M3 with M9 flash hider, OSS M3 & M3 modified with rails 2018
State of Decay 2 M3 Field mod & OSS M3 2018
Battlefield V "M3 Grease Gun" added in the 5.2 patch of the "War in the Pacific" (2019), M3 with M9 flash hider 2018
Enlisted M3, M3 Field Mod, OSS M3 2021
Sniper Elite 5 M3 & OSS M3 2022

M3A1

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M3A1 - .45 ACP
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OSS M3A1 - .45 ACP

Specifications

(1944 - 1994)

  • No. built: 48669
  • Type: Submachine Gun
  • Country of Origin: U.S.A.
  • Caliber: .45 ACP
  • Weight: 7.95 lb (3.61 kg)
  • Length: 29.8 in (75.7 cm) stock extended / 22.8 in (57.9 cm) stock collapsed
  • Barrel Length: 8 in (20.3 cm)
  • Capacity: 30-round detachable box magazine
  • Fire Modes: Full-Auto only (450 RPM)

The M3A1 & OSS M3A1 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
The Bridge (1959) 1959
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse Gangsters and security guards M3A1 1962
Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard A British police constable M3A1 1963
Wake Up and Die (Svegliati e uccidi) An Italian criminal 1966
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? US Army soldier 1966
We Want the Colonels (Vogliamo i colonnelli) Paramilitaries, carabiniers M3 1973
A Special Cop in Action (Italia a mano armata) Marcello Monti Torri M3 1976
Death Force Leon Isaac Kennedy McGee 1978
soldiers
Sailor Suit and Machine Gun Tsunehiko Watase Makoto Sakuma Flashpaper replica 1981
Yuki Kazamatsuri Mayumi Sandaiji
Hiroko Yakushimaru Izumi Hoshi
Yakuza
Across the Gobi and the Khingan (Govi Khyangand tulaldsan ni) Valeriy Lushchevskiy Temirkhanov M3A1 1981
On the Pomegranate Islands (Na Granatovykh ostrovakh) 1981
Attack Force Z Mel Gibson Cpt. P.G. Kelly OSS M3A1 1982
Sam Neill Sgt. D.J. Costello
John Phillip Law Lt. J.A. Veitch
Chris Haywood Able Seaman A.D. Bird
John Waters Ted King
The Challenge 1982
Order No. 027 (Myung ryoung-027 ho) North Korean commandos, South Korean soldiers M3A1 1986
Equalizer 2000 A rebel M3A1 1987
Operation Corned Beef Zargas' henchman With muzzle device 1991
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah American troops Replica 1991
Last Action Hero Thug M3A1 1993
Heaven & Earth 1993
Dead Presidents Bokeem Woodbine Cleon M3A1 1995
The Walking Dead (1995) 1995
Seven Years in Tibet Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers M3A1 1997
Burnt Money 2000
Ticker Terrorists M3A1 2001
Sniper 3 Seen on wall 2004
Man on Fire (2004) 2004
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War 2004
Street Kings Common Coates M3A1 2008
Inglorious Basterds American soldier 2009
Elephant White M3A1, said to be used by Charles Bronson in The Dirty Dozen 2010
Sinners and Saints Johnny Strong Detective Riley 2010
There Be Dragons Spanish Nationalist soldiers 2011
Gangster Squad Holt McCallany Karl Lockwood OSS M3A1 2013
Fury Logan Lerman Norman Ellison M3A1 2014
Saints and Soldiers: The Void 2014
Colonia Chilean soldiers M3A1 2015
Hacksaw Ridge Vince Vaughn Sergeant Howell M3 2016
Operation Chromite Kim Sun-a Kim Hwa-young M3 2016
The Foreigner Pirates M3 2017
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Seen in armory 2019

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note / Episode Air Date
Front Without Mercy (Front ohne Gnade) US Army soldiers Ep.12 1984
Band of Brothers Craig Heaney Pvt. Roy Cobb 2001
Band of Brothers Donnie Wahlberg Sgt. C. Carwood Lipton 2001
Hawaii Five-0 (2010) - Season 2 2011 - 2012
Burn Notice - Season 7 2013
Hawaii Five-0 (2010) - Season 5 2014 - 2015
Hawaii Five-0 (2010) - Season 6 2015 - 2016
SEAL Team - Season 1 2017 - 2018
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - Season 1 Demimonde Club Guard "La Dame de Fer" (S1E04) 2023
The Continental: From the World of John Wick Arnmundur Ernst Björnsson Uzan "Brothers in Arms" (S1E01) 2023
Bowery Member "Loyalty to the Master" (S1E02)

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro Bank Security 1979
The Cockpit American motorcyclist Ep. 3 "Knight of the Iron Dragon" 1993
Burn-Up W Outlaw 1996
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage Washimine-gumi wakashus 2003
Desert Punk 2004
Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C³ Rin Haruna M3A1, airsoft 2013
Ace Attorney 2016

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Notes Release Date
World War II Online: Battleground Europe 2001
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix M3A1 with M9 flash hider 2002
BloodRayne "Greaser SMG" long barrel 2002
Vietcong 2003
Call of Duty: Finest Hour "Grease Gun" 2004
Conflict: Vietnam 2004
Condemned: Criminal Origins "Submachine Gun" with the barrel and sights of a Carl Gustav M/45 2005
Elite Warriors Vietnam 2005
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood 2005
The Suffering: Ties That Bind M3A1 with M9 flash hider 2006
Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 2006
7.62 High Calibre w/ various attachments 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV Unusable 2008
Men of War (Video Game) 2009
Project Reality: Vietnam Incorrectly ejects rifle casings 2012
Project Reality: Normandy "Greasegun" 2013
Company of Heroes 2 Added with Western Front Armies add-on (2014) 2013
Phantom Forces 2015
Day of Infamy 2016
Sniper Elite 4 "Silent Warfare Weapons Pack" DLC 2017
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam 2017
Call of Duty: WWII "Grease Gun" 2017
Battlefield V "M3 Grease Gun" added in the 5.2 patch of the "War in the Pacific" (2019), OSS M3A1 2018
Gun Club VR Grease Gun 2018
Post Scriptum 2018
Strange Brigade "Audley A40 Exemplar" 2018
Vigor "Grease Gun" 2018
Death Stranding Fitted with a barrel shroud Unusable 2019
Enlisted M3A1 2021

FM P.A.M

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FM P.A.M-1 - 9x19mm
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FM P.A.M-2 - 9x19mm

The FM PAM (Pistola Ametrelladora Modelo) series of submachine guns are Argentinian copies of the M3A1 "Grease Gun" chambered in 9mm Parabellum. Produced by Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles (FMAP or FM) in Rosario, the PAM 1 was essentially a rechambered copy of the M3A1 using thinner steel; problems with overheating and controllability led to the PAM 2, which added a grip safety to the magazine housing.

Specifications

(1954 - 1961)

  • Type: Submachine Gun
  • Country of Origin: Argentina
  • Caliber: 9x19 Parabellum
  • Weight: 6.61 lb
  • Length: 2ft 4,46in / 1ft 9,18in
  • Barrel Length: 7,87in
  • Capacity: 30-round detachable box magazine
  • Fire Modes: 850 rpm

The FM P.A.M-1 & FM P.A.M-2 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
The Boys of War Argentinian soldiers 1984
An Ungentlemanly Act Argentinian soldiers 1992
Blessed by Fire Argentinian soldiers 2005

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Notes Release Date
Project Reality: Falklands FM P.A.M-1 2012