Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3/M3A1
The M3 was a blow back submachine fielded in December 1942. It could
only be fired on fully-automatic. It used a .45 cal. cartridge in
30-round magazines. It's rate of fire was 350-450 spm. The M3A1 was
used during World War II and Korea. Following World War II, the role
of submachine guns was greatly diminished with the introduction
of assault rifles and light portable machine guns. Submachine guns
are still used by Special Forces, air crews, armored vehicles,
counter-terrorist units, and Naval personnel (679,200).
- M3 (1942) was designed specifically to simplify
production by making use of stamped metal parts. A number of
deficiencies were found during the initial two years of use.
These deficiencies were corrected in the model M3A1.
- M3A1 (1944) had a larger ejection port and a stronger
cover spring. It was also designed so it could fire 9mm Parabellum
cartridges by changing the barrel and bolt and adding an adapter
to the magazine. Following World War II, a curved barrel was made
for use with the M3A1. A flash hider was developed for use with
both the M3 and M3A1.
Sources and Resources
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m3smg.htm
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Saturday, August 07, 1999 6:35:42 AM