M3 Grease Gun

444 Magnum · Apr 17, 2023

No, I didn't buy one, but I wish I could.

I got a call from a friend yesterday. He sold his mother's house and the new owners were doing some renovations. Look what the contractor found hidden inside the wall!

It's missing the barrel and the mag.

The contractor gave it to the homeowner who, in turn, called my friend to inform him. It's now in the custody of the ATF.

My friends stepfather, long since passed, was an FFL holder. Since the gun was in the wall, however, I don't think he had the appropriate paperwork on this one!

You just never know...all I ever find are bugs, terds, and snake skins.

robvious · Apr 17, 2023

they are a blast... (apologies)
also not mine...

alwslate · Apr 17, 2023

A gun that I have always wanted. I wish now that I had bought one back in the 60s when they were fairly common at gun shows for a few hundred $.

rwsmith · Apr 17, 2023

Just today..

I was wondering what it would take to make one of these. Maybe in 9mm? Just curious.

RM Vivas · Apr 17, 2023

Early gun.

Had a kid come up to me once when I had the shop with a G43 that had the original instruction book and a spare firing pin in the but trap. Said he found that and another gun in an attic. HAd a picture of the second gun; STG-44.

Never followed up on it. Could have been a stupidly lucky kid, could have been a BATFE set-up. I'll never know.

I did have a guy come by with a DEWAT'ed STG-44. Said his grandfather brought it back and then had ATF DEWAT it and supposedlyu there was an envelope with the DEWAT paperwork somewhere in the house. I spoke with ATF and they said that a gun registered as a DEWAT (they only did that for a limited time) could be 'RE-WAT'ed" because the paperwork counted as pre-68 registration. Just had to do the forms, drop the tax and you could re-activate the gun. IF YOU HAD TEH DEWAT PAPERWORK.

Miss those days.

I always tell people: I didn't have the gun shop to sell guns, I had it to BUY guns!

Best,
RM Vivas

ACORN · Apr 17, 2023

Poor old war veteran probably got crushed.

jeeps · Apr 17, 2023

$18,000ish today on class3 stamp .

steelslaver · Apr 17, 2023

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I thought it was some kind of old time grease gun missing the hose and grease cartridges.

Goony · Apr 17, 2023

I wonder how often a contractor makes a discovery like this and the homeowner is never the wiser. Kudos to this one for his honesty.

Drm50 · Apr 17, 2023

You would be surprised how much stuff from WW2 is still in the woodwork, literally. Used to be when a full auto surfaced the sheriff would take possession of it and end of story. He could file for dept. ownership or it went up the line to ATF. Some went home with deputies to start their second unofficial unlicensed life.
In todays political atmosphere I would not want to find one or have anything to do with one.

THE PILGRIM · Apr 17, 2023

Again - a neighbor of ours had this big Wood Box under his bed.
He mailed home parcels of ‘parts’ from Italy.
Grease Gun, MP40 and a Italian Beretta I think, small wood stock, Mag sticks out the side.
I would say, Marvin’s got Chine Guns under his bed.
Skeptical Buddy - no he ain’t!
Your making that up!
Marvin, can I show him your Guns? Go ahead.
First auto loaders I ever saw.

wundudnee · Apr 17, 2023

I once attended a farm sale of a deceased firearms collector. He had a wide variety of guns including pepperbox derringers, Marbles game getters, palm pistols and many military collectibles including a fully operational grease gun.
The auctioneer stated he was just selling equipment and the buyer was responsible for it. The grease gun sold for nearly nothing and the buyer got cold feet and turned it back to be auctioned again. The second buyer just carried it away kind of nonchalantly on his shoulder. I heard later that BATF contacted him about three days later about his errant ways.

Nick B · Apr 17, 2023

Somewhere in the house is the barrel and magazines.

Inland7-45 · Apr 17, 2023

Drm50 said:
You would be surprised how much stuff from WW2 is still in the woodwork, literally. Used to be when a full auto surfaced the sheriff would take possession of it and end of story. He could file for dept. ownership or it went up the line to ATF. Some went home with deputies to start their second unofficial unlicensed life.
In todays political atmosphere I would not want to find one or have anything to do with one.[/QUOTE

If I remember correctly machine guns discovered under similar circumstances can be registered under ATF form 10 for use by the law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction where the gun is discovered. Our town police department received an MP 40 that was discovered in a trunk at our city museum. The MP 40 became police department property but they can’t transfer it anywhere not even to another police agency. When they no longer want the gun it must be surrendered to ATF or destroyed. I believe that destruction of the reciever by flame cutting into 3 sections fulfills the requirements.

Grayfox · Apr 17, 2023

That one is missing the barrel. Can't tell if the bolt is in it either. I'm afraid that is just some junk spare parts.

1972-73. I was the driver of an M578 Recovery Vehicle in 2nd Armored at Ft. Hood. I was supposed to carry a 1911, but we didn't have enough to go around. There was no rack for a rifle in the driver's compartment. After breaking my 3rd M-16 stock

, our Armorer found me an old M3A1 to carry as a personal weapon.
I liked it. I'd just hook the wire stock in my web gear and wear it like a pistol. It sure beat lugging a rifle around all the time.

BTW: it doesn't fire nearly as fast as you see in the movies. Its actually pretty slow for a sub-machine gun.

DWalt · Apr 17, 2023

Just how much of such a SMG can remain to not be considered illegal? Say someone hacksawed a piece out of the receiver to the extent that it is incapable of being fired. I have seen such remnants at gun shows, but I don’t know what the rules are.

Retired W4 · Apr 17, 2023

It's too bad the owner didn't pull it out of the wall during The Amnesty.

Smoke · Apr 17, 2023

rwsmith said:
I was wondering what it would take to make one of these. Maybe in 9mm? Just curious.

The first unit I was in in Germany issued M3s to all the track drivers.

There was a Machinist/Welder in Service Battery who frequently had to fabricate parts for them. He said that he could make one from scratch for about 13 bucks.

Based on my working in the sheet metal fabrication industry I'm guessing the body of the grease gun was stamped everything else was machined. You probably couldn't make one for 13 bucks but it wouldn't be too hard

max · Apr 17, 2023

GM made them during WWII, and I believe the cost was $17.

.455_Hunter · Apr 17, 2023

My active duty Army unit had them (M3A1) until the summer of 1998, replaced with open sighted M4s. Arriving in early 1999, I unfortunately never got to take one to the range.

M3 Grease Gun

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