1003

EARLY ORIGINAL GUIDE LAMP M3 GREASE GUN.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 9,500.00 USD
EARLY ORIGINAL GUIDE LAMP M3 GREASE GUN.
Cal. 45 ACP. S# 160231. Bbl. 8". The M3 grease gun was first adopted by the United States military in the early 1940’s. During WWII, the general motors corp., Guide Lamp division, produced just under 650,000 M3 & M3-A1 grease guns. Unlike 45 ACP SMGs at the time, the grease gun was intended to be mass produced w/ very loose tolerances ensuring fit & function over multiple platforms. Guns available prior to the introduction of the grease gun, such as the Thompson SMG & Reising, were complicated & expensive to manufacture w/ several machined parts & a lot of necessary hand-fitting. The grease guns design is a simple blow back operated, open-bolt firing mechanism utilizing a tubular receiver which was far less expensive & much easier to manufacture in lg. numbers. The original M3 such as this particular example was cocked by utilizing a spring loaded lever mounted on right side, rear of the mag. well. The M3-A1 model was simplified even more by removing the necessity of a cocking lever, substituting a slot cut into the bolt & operated by the finger of the shooter to perform the same task. This example is an early original; all exposed metal surfaces are parkerized. The dust cover is lined w/ a felt material & serves two purposes: one, as the name indicates is to keep foreign debris from entering the ejection port w/ the secondary purpose of proving a sort of safety by means of obstructing the bolt from closing when in use. Sights are original style, welded front blade & fixed rear peep. Collapsible stock utilizes a mag. loading tool in what would later become the standard stock for the M3-A1. Left side markings of mag. well “SUB-MACH GUN / CAL 45 M3 / Guide (partially obstructed by mag. release) / US Ordinance mark / US NO 160231”. MAGS: 1-30 rd. steel. CONDITION: overall exterior finish is the correct patinaed parkerizing w/ only a few shiny areas where mechanical intervention takes place. Marks primarily behind the right side charging lever & on the left side coinciding w/ the charging lever retaining pin. Cocking mechanism works smooth & fluid & top cover properly restricts bolt from closing when cocked. bbl. Locking pin engages bbl. nut fittingly. Collapsible stock remains tight in both open & closed positions. Fire control mechanism appears to function correctly when cycled by hand. Bore is shiny w/ good rifling. NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT MG REQUIRING BATF TRANSFER BEFORE TAKING POSSESSION. FULLY TRANSFERABLE. (03-1473/JZ). CURIO CLASS III. $7,500-9,500.