Editing M3

{{PlayableUnit

|nationality = United States

|classification = SMG   

|manufacturer = General Motors, Ithaca Gun Company

|artist = {{artist name|November}}

|fullname = United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3

|voiceactor = {{voice actor name|Yamane Nozomi}}

|releasedon = {{doll_server_alias|server=CN|alias=M3}}, {{doll_server_alias|server=TW|alias=M3}}, {{doll_server_alias|server=KR|alias=M3}}, {{doll_server_alias|server=EN|alias=M3}}, {{doll_server_alias|server=JP|alias=M3}}

|weaponinfo =

The M3, officially designated the 'United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3', is an American-made automatic submachine gun designed for the US Army in 1942. It was designed to be a cheaper, easier to produce replacement for the famous Thompson submachine gun, and is chambered for the same .45 ACP pistol cartridge. The M3 was commonly referred to as the "Grease Gun" or simply "the Greaser", owing to its visual similarity to the mechanic's tool. The M3 began to enter front line service in mid 1944, but due to delays caused by production issues and approved specification changes, the M3 saw only limited combat use in World War II. The updated M3A1 variant was used in the Korean War and later conflicts.<ref name = "Grease Gun Wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_submachine_gun Wikipedia entry on the M3]</ref>

 

After its introduction to service, mechanical issues with the M3 were reported in February 1944 by stateside units in training, who cited early failure of the cocking handle/bolt retraction mechanism on some weapons. An investigation revealed several deficiencies in the construction of the M3's bolt retraction mechanism, together with issues concerning barrel removal and retention as well as easily bent rear sights. As a result, several improvements were made. These included a new dust-cover design, modifications to the ejector, a metal guard around the magazine release, and a strengthened rear sight. In December 1944, in response to field requests for further improvements to the basic M3 design, an improved, simplified variant of the M3 was introduced, known as the M3A1. 15,469 M3A1 submachine guns were produced before the end of World War II, and 33,200 more would be made during the Korean War.

 

The M3 is an automatic, air-cooled blowback-operated weapon that fires from an open bolt. Constructed of plain 1.5 mm-thick sheet steel, the M3 receiver was stamped in two halves that were then welded together. This made the M3 incredibly simple to manufacture, as only a handful of parts required precision machining. The bolt was drilled longitudinally to support two parallel guide rods, upon which were mounted twin recoil springs. This configuration allows for larger machining tolerances, and makes the gun reliable even in wet, sandy, or muddy conditions. The weapon's only safety is the hinged ejection port dust cover. This cover has a metal tab on the underside that fits into a notch in the bolt, locking it in either the forward or rearward position. The M3 has no mechanical means of disabling the trigger, and the insertion of a loaded magazine loads the gun. With receiver walls made of relatively thin-gauge sheet metal, the M3/M3A1 is subject to disabling damage if dropped on an open dust cover – the covers bend easily, negating the safety feature. Dropping the gun on a sharp or hard surface can dent the receiver enough to bind the bolt.<ref name = "Grease Gun Forgotten Weapons">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ivr4QdhVtU Forgotten Weapons video on the M3 and M3A1]</ref>

 

|gallery=<gallery>

File:M3_S.png|Profile image

File:M3.png|Full artwork

File:M3_D.png|Full damaged artwork

</gallery>

*In the Girls' Frontline 4coma, M3 is shown as wanting to be helpful in her squad. However, she begins to doubt her role in the team after being called a 'grease gun'. The 'grease gun' moniker comes from the M3's similarities to an actual grease injector gun.<ref name = "M3 GFL 4coma 1>[https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=51103562 GF 4coma: 'Definitely not a Grease Gun']</ref>

*The OSS version of the M3 includes a silencer and booby trap system called the 'Bushmaster Device'. The device consists of a triggering hook and pull-type trigger. If the firing safety is off and the tripwire is pulled, the striker pushes the spring, launching the hook and depressing the M3's trigger until the magazine is empty. The silenced M3 was intended to be used by US OSS (now known as the CIA) and British SOE (Special Operation Executive).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hNLrDbw8nc Forgotten Weapons video on the M3 OSS variant]</ref>

**It should be noted that a special barrel for the M3 is needed in order to attach a suppressor. However, the performance of the suppressor itself is considered very poor compared to the M3's British competitor, the STEN.

*After the discovery of the 'Krummlauf' curved barrel for the {{doll name|StG44|AR|3}}, the US army began to experiment with curve-barreled M3s in 1945. Initially, the curve-barreled version of the M3 was intended for tank crews, to allow them to fire back from within the tank cupola or driver's hatch at assailants. Aside from the armored crew version, the infantry version was intended to be fired from a foxhole, windows, and around wall corners without exposing themselves. Neither of these designs were ever adopted due to accuracy issues, a fault they shared shared with the 'Krummlauf'.