M3 MACHINE GUN .45 CALIBER "GREASE GUN" USA 1942 (WWII) 1313

Reproduction of a submachine gun, made of metal, with simulated loading and firing mechanism, movable safety cover, removable magazine and retractable stock with double position.

The M3 was an automatic submachine gun designed in 1941 by George Hyde, a gunsmith with experience in the German army during World War I and who emigrated to the United States in 1927. The weapon was commissioned by the American army after observing the effectiveness of European submachine guns such as the German MP or the British Sten and the production and cost problems of the Thompson M1928A1.

The M3 submachine gun was aimed at simplicity: recoil-operated from an open bolt and firing bursts from a straight, double-stack magazine with a capacity of 30 .45 ACP (11.4 mm) rounds. An all-metal weapon, it had a telescopic stock and an ejection port for the disposal of spent cartridges, which also acted as a safety device in case the weapon was dropped or accidentally discharged.

Despite manufacturing problems, the M3 won the favor of soldiers and became popular as the "Grease Gun." This name comes from its resemblance to the pressure-operated grease guns used by mechanics to maintain heavy military equipment. By the end of the war, some 600,000 M3s had been manufactured. It was also used in the Korean and Vietnam wars and remained in service until the mid-1990s.

The Grease Gun entered combat in 1942 with the US Army during World War II, a global military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945, in which most of the world's nations were involved, grouped into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II (the US, USSR, the United Kingdom and China, among others) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan and Italy). It was the largest war in history, with more than one hundred million soldiers mobilized, and in which the major contenders devoted all their economic, military and scientific capacity to the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. It was the deadliest conflict in human history, with a final result of between 50 and 70 million victims.

Measurements: 59 cm
Weight: 3.145 g