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Executive summary of the core content
Looking at the history of firearms in the world, it can be clearly found that although the United States has always been a gun country, there are very few bright spots in the development of submachine guns. However, among these "few bright spots", there is a bright spot that miraculously shines. This is the American M3/M3A1 11.43mm submachine gun (inscription on the gun: SUB-MACH GUN CAL.. 45 M3 Guide。 Guide transliterated as "Gad" – Editor's Note).
From the Thomson M1928 submachine gun to the "Gad" M3 submachine gun
Until the outbreak of World War II, not a single submachine gun was in service in the U.S. army. Prior to this, a long-established, well-manufactured, complex structure, expensive Thomson submachine gun, as the only authentic submachine gun in the United States, has always been popular only in the United States, and even became the "standard" weapon on the American underworld. The reason why the U.S. army has not had a standard submachine gun is probably due to the Army's preference for rifles and not too fond of submachine guns, so that after the war began, the few Thomson submachine guns were hastily equipped to the troops as weapons for junior officers and non-commissioned officers of infantry detachments.
However, the needs of war and warfare are not subject to the will of man, they lead and transform people's ideas. Of course, without exception, the US military was forced to re-recognize the value of submachine guns and began to pay attention to the development of submachine guns. On the one hand, while continuing to equip the troops with the Thomson M1928 submachine gun, an improved version of the M1928A1 Thomson submachine gun was produced- the M1 and M1A1 Thomson submachine guns with simplified structure and reduced mass. On the other hand, it began to consider the development of a new concept of the standard submachine gun, and eventually replaced the submachine gun of the Thomson series, which was not ideal.
In 1941, the U.S. General Administration of Arms and Industry's Light Weapons Development Division conducted a comprehensive test and tactical and technical assessment of the British-made "Stern" submachine gun. The Americans believe that we should fully draw on the advantages of the "Stern" submachine gun in all aspects, develop a new standard submachine gun with a simpler structure, smaller quality, lower cost, convenient for mass production, and suitable for the US military gun system.
M3 submachine gun receiver right
The crosshairs are welded to the receiver and can only be used to adjust the accuracy by changing the shape of the flake crosshairs
Ejector window dust/safety covers prevent foreign objects from entering
In the same year, Hyde, a gun designer with a deep knowledge of submachine guns, was appointed as the chief designer of the new submachine gun; another man named Samson was appointed as the craft designer of the new submachine gun, and he was a chief engineer of General Electric Co. Ltd. who was very proficient in metal stamping technology. The cooperation between the two can be described as "a combination of bubbles and beads". It is no wonder that the development of the M3 submachine gun, from the introduction of combat technology indicators in June 1941 to the finalization and mass production at the end of 1942, took only more than a year, which can not but be said to be a miracle in the history of firearms.
New combat technology indicators and unique production processes
The tactical indicators of the M3 submachine gun are mainly proposed to meet the needs of armored mechanized troops, which are mainly reflected in the following three aspects. First, completely get rid of the "shadow" of the Thomson M1928 and M1/M1A1 submachine guns, especially the emphasis on simple structure and lighter quality, so as to achieve a veritable "brand new". Second, the concept of the British "Stern" submachine gun is generally adopted as an all-metal, round receiver, but the design should be optimized. Third, the stamping and welding processes are used to the greatest extent possible, so as to obtain the highest possible production efficiency and economic benefits.
The inside of the dust/safety cover has a safety pin that locks the bolt and acts as a safety guarantee
The M3 submachine gun has a telescopic stock with a stock card above the grip
M3 submachine gun stock pulled out of state. The stock can also be used as a strip to wipe the barrel
The difference between "Gadder" and Thomson is relatively large. Because the Thomson submachine gun has the same posture as the rifle, the quality is similar to the rifle, and it has a fast and slow machine, which can control a single burst, so the infantry (including the airborne infantry) unit is not much equipped, but it is not abandoned. However, the armored tank mechanized units were less fond of the "Thomson". Because holding the "Thomson" in and out of the chariot is really heavy and stupid, and it is very inconvenient. The original design of the M3 submachine gun is to strive for simple structure, short body shape, rugged shape, all using metal parts, which is very conducive to the use of stamping process. The production line and tooling equipment of the headlight factory of general motors in the United States were soon transformed into the production line of the M3 submachine gun. In addition to the bolt, barrel, spring, shaft, pin, rod and almost all stamped parts, the workers use thick steel plates to rush out the left and right receivers with grips and magazine mounts, and then weld them together to form a receiver/body assembly. When you pick up this submachine gun and see the weld that surrounds almost the whole gun, you will not only not think of it as rough, but will sigh at its superbness. Of course, the other fixtures of the M3 submachine gun, including the crosshairs, the shooting door and even the strap ring, are also welded without exception. While maximizing the use of stamping and welding processes, the main components such as barrels, barrel holders, bolts, etc., are also designed in concentric circles as much as possible and assembled with threads, thus simplifying the few machining operations to the greatest extent possible.
Commendable pros versus regrettable cons
The Americans took inspiration from the British "Stern" submachine gun, painted the tiger according to the cat, and indeed painted vividly and majestically, and really created a praiseworthy gun. In 1942, the U.S. military conducted a comprehensive test of the M3 submachine gun at the Aberdeen Test Site, under the condition that there was a comparison of submachine guns from other countries. The results show that the M3 submachine gun is simple and firm, easy to carry, less faulty, light in weight, powerful, including reliability and life expectancy and a series of indicators are among the best, can be called a close combat, especially the "sharp weapon" of urban residents.
The outstanding advantages of the M3 submachine gun are mainly in the following two aspects.
First, it is unique in the development of versatility and versatility. For example, in response to the problem that the "Stern" submachine gun is easy to "misfire", a shell window dustproof/safety cover has been added. Close the ejector window dust/safety cover, and the insurance card pin on the inside can indeed lock the bolt in the front or rear position to achieve insurance; Open the dust/safety cover of the ejector window and the insurance is lifted. In response to the problem that the stock of the "Stern" submachine gun could not be folded, the M3 submachine gun used a retractable through bar/stock. The stock is made of steel wire, and when the stock is pulled out, it can be comfortably and accurately aimed at the gun; when the stock is removed, it can be used as a strip to wipe the barrel. By replacing the barrel, bolt and magazine adapter, the Stern submachine gun's 32-round magazine and 9mm Balabaerum pistol cartridges can be used. In addition, in order to meet the needs of special operations, a barrel assembly with a muffler was developed, and the standard barrel was unscrewed and replaced with a barrel with a muffler, which could be transformed into a veritable micro-submachine gun. Even the small oil jugs and gun straps on the gun are common to the heavily equipped carbines. The well-intentioned designers are evident.
The left side of the M3 submachine gun receiver also retains a small oil jug like the M1 carbine
The M3 submachine gun has a larger bolt size and mass, and a low rate of fire can be achieved with this bolt
Second, it is unique in the development of styling layout and ergonomics. First of all, the M3 submachine gun has a very deterrent shape and appearance. Because the M3 submachine gun is produced in automobile manufacturers, some people jokingly call it the "grease gun" for automobile lubrication, but it is this unique shape that makes its body shape particularly rough and powerful. The appearance and shape of weapons is an important factor that cannot be ignored in the combat effectiveness of weapons. It plays a direct and important role in building confidence in the weapon and in creating fear of the weapon among the enemy personnel. The power of "Gad" is fully reflected in its appearance and shape. The M3 submachine gun's styling layout and ergonomics are just right, and anyone holding it will feel handy and coordinated. In addition, its flaky crosshairs are mounted on the front of the receiver, and the barrel can be easily extended from the chariot to shoot.
Secondly, the shooting stability is good and the shooting accuracy is high. This is mainly because the barrel of the M3 submachine gun is coaxial with the bolt, coupled with the large ratio of bolt to bullet mass, the bolt forward impulse and the recoil impulse of the bullet are almost equal, so that it is extremely well controlled when shooting, and it is not at all as violently shaken as when the M3 submachine gun is shot in some movies. In fact, the M3 submachine gun is within 100m, as long as the door is covered with a hole and the target at the same time, and the rapid shooting, the probability of hitting is very high. In addition, because the theoretical rate of fire is not high, although there is no fast and slow machine, it is relatively easy to control the single shot with the index finger that pulls the trigger.
The magazine mount of the M3 submachine gun, the magazine is stuck and exposed, which is easy to cause the magazine to fall off
A large barrel nut is used to secure the barrel to the receiver. The barrel nut has knurled surfaces that can be disassembled manually even without tools
Finally, the M3 submachine gun is well considered in terms of ease of use. Just three examples. First, the magazine card is large and reliable, the magazine positioning is indeed, the left and right thumbs can be easily pressed, even if the winter wears large gloves does not affect. Second, when the telescopic butt is pulled out, there is no need to press the stock card shoot, and when it is retracted, the thumb of the left hand can be used to press the stock card shoot, and it is pushed forward, compact and stable, which is very convenient and fast. The third is the wide trigger guard, which also provides convenience for winter gun shooting.
In 1944, an improved version of the M3 submachine gun, the M3A1 submachine gun, was introduced, and its processing cost was even lower, when it cost only $22 to produce an M3A1 submachine gun.
The handle on the right side of the receiver pulls the handle
The main difference between the M3 submachine gun and the M3A1 submachine gun is only that the former has a crank-like pull handle, and the shell window is smaller; the latter cancels the pull handle, and when loading, it can directly hold the groove at the front of the bolt with the finger and pull it back into place, and the shell window is larger. The actual use shows that although the pull handle of the M3 submachine gun is slightly complicated, it increases the concern of failure, but it is more convenient to use when wearing large gloves in winter. Of course, compared to the overall ergonomics of the M3 submachine gun, these concerns and inconveniences are minimal. In addition, the M3A1 submachine gun muzzle also added a removable flared flame suppressor, although the muzzle flame is contained when shooting, but at the same time increases the recoil; the rear end of the stock is welded with an "L" angle iron, which plays a role in facilitating the compression of bullets into the magazine. These two items are indeed suspected of "painting snakes and adding feet".
The M3 submachine gun has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds. Unlike the magazine of the Thomson submachine gun, a double-row, single-entry structure is used
When the handle is turned to pull the handle, the pawl inside the receiver unfolds backwards, driving the bolt backwards
Everything should be seen in two. As far as the British "Stern" submachine gun is concerned, the M3/M3A1 submachine gun takes its essence and removes its dross, which can be described as blue out of blue than blue. However, there is also a pity, that is, the copy of the "Stern" submachine gun double row single-entry magazine, which can not but be said to be a big and only failure! This reminds us of the little tiger learning the art with the cat, and the trick of going up the tree is not learned. The large-capacity magazine adopts a double-row single-advance structure, which is extremely difficult to press the bullet and the reliability of the ammunition supply is poor, which means what this means for a melee weapon, it goes without saying. In fact, the Americans have long used the "Thomson" submachine gun with a double-row double-entry magazine that is convenient for pressing bullets and reliable for ammunition supply. The reason for this may not be unrelated to the rush to replace the old "Thomson" with a new standard submachine gun. It can be seen that the idea of absolutization, or copying or completely denying, is really harmful and useless. Even so, though, the M3/M3A1 submachine gun is a good gun. In fact, M3/M3A1 submachine gun failures in combat use, especially ammunition supply failures, are rare.
During the Chinese Liberation War, the U.S. government supplied a large number of M3/M3A1 submachine guns to the Nationalist army. The Kuomintang Shenyang Arsenal (later in Taiwan) also copied a large number of M3A1 submachine guns (named "Three-Six Type", but the "clone" was relatively rough, more faulty, and not as good as the original). Of course, our army also captured a large number of M3/M3A1 submachine guns and "Type 36" submachine guns in the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Speaking of this, it reminds me that in some films and television films that show the theme of military history during the War of Resistance Against Japan and even the Red Army, the M3/M3A1 submachine gun often appears, which is obviously contrary to historical facts.
At the mouth of the M3 submachine gun magazine, the bullets become a single row. In order to supply European use, but also out of consideration to exchange with the stern submachine gun magazine, this magazine form was adopted
Above the back of the gun is a perforated door
In the nearly half-century after the end of World War II, the M3/M3A1 submachine gun has never withdrawn from the sequence of US standard weapons. From the Vietnam War in the 1960s to the various military operations of the US military in the 1980s, "Gad" can be seen everywhere in the US military, especially in the special forces. Until now, there are still many countries in the world where the military or paramilitary organization still uses the M3/M3A1 submachine gun.
The M3/M3A1 submachine gun embodies the new concept of the United States in the development of small arms and light weapons, and can be regarded as a new page in the history of the development of light weapons in the world.
Editors: Wei Kaigong, Zhao Yiran, Li Hao
Proofreader: Wang Xiaotao, Wei Kaigong
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