Functional simplicity: M3A1 "grease gun"

[olegvolk]

Controllable submachine gun in 45ACP with built-in magazine loader built for about $6US during WW2. 2010 equivalent price would have been about $76. Though all but the simplest guns made now cost more due to regulations and firearm excise tax, this illustrates how easily submachine guns of usable quality can be manufactured if other guns are ever

Comments

[abno]

God that thing is ugly.

I want two.

[zyama_deadborn]

A crude but effective weapon.

[abno]

I'm ALL for it!

[maineshark]

Yup. The gun banners don't seem to grasp that full-auto is easier to build than semi-auto. A semi-auto is a full-auto with added mechanical complexity to interrupt the normal operating cycle.

Special Meaning

[tlekas]

This photo has special meaning for me. My father was born and grew up in Greece. He was about 15 when the German occupation started in 1941. The village he lived in was occupied and his home had German troops quartered in it. As he told it, during WW II, he ran some message for the resistance but otherwise did not do much. However, after WW II Greece had a civil war between the Greek communists and anti communists. The US provided weapons and the British some troops to help the anti communist side. My father fought on the anti communist side until he was wounded. He did not get into his foxhole quite quick enough when a mortar came in. I have 10 photos that he brought back either of him or of others he was with. One has him holding a M3A1, another has someone else holding one.

Oleg - In case you might find them of interest I'll email some to you.

Re: Special Meaning

[trebor1415]

The novel "The Lietenants" By W.E.B Griffith has an account of U.S. advisors working with Greek forces against the communists after WWII.

It's a good read. Yes, it's fiction, but I think it probably gives a good acount of the situation then, albiet from the point of view of the U.S. advisors. The novel got me interested enough to read more about that period in history.

The CMP has been selling M-1 Garands returned from Greece that were originally supplied as lend-lease during that time.

Btw, any chance of posting any of those photos publically? I'd love to see them.

Rob

Re: Special Meaning

[tlekas]

Thanks for the novel recommendation. I'll read it.

My father did not talk much about the war. Some years ago I decided to learn more about it. One problem was trying to find a reasonably unbiased source of information. From what I have seen most books come at it from one of a number of points of view. I ended up reading:

Modern Greeks: Greece in World War II: The German Occupation and National Resistance and Civil War

By: Costas Stassinopoulos

For a good fictional film dramatization see "Eleni" if you can find a copy. John Malcovich stars in it.

There are also related books. I don't know if the books or the movie came first.

I have read:

"Eleni" and "A Place for Us: Eleni's Children in America" both by Nicholas Gage

I also see that there is:

"Eleni: A Savage War, A Mother's Love, and A Son's Revenge - A Personal Story" Also by Nicholas Gage

Re: Special Meaning

[tlekas]

I have been meaning to put some photos up on line. I have put these up. See:
http://picasaweb.google.com/TonyLekas2/ChristopherAndreasPapaLekasGreekCivilWar

ппс забыли

[vvova]

он вроде ещо легче деается, специально для этого создавался,+ лучше и патроны дешевле!

Rifling

[anonymous]

If you ever get a chance to visit the gunsmith shop at Colonial Williamsburg you'll find that their rifling machine is a jig made mostly out of hand carved wood. It would be very easy to replicate with a hammer, chisel and a few inexpensive supplies from any hardware store.

Re: Rifling

[coldservings]

I commend to you the foxfire books which tell how to do just that. The barrel making is not something I'd recommend for high power cartridges. Boring a suitably narrow hole--straight--through a barrel is probably the larger challenge.