I was talking with my grandfather about the weapons he used in WW2. He told me about a short gun with a folding stock that he was really fond of but forgot the name of. I have looked around for a pic or reference but can not find either. Does anyone know what this weapon may have been? He was Recon in Northern Africa and Southern Italy, if that helps at all. Thanks in advance.

Sten? British, I'm not sure if any American troops would have used them. I also don't know if they had folding stocks -- they were pretty spartan.

The M1 Carbine is available in both conventional and folding stock configurations. Perhaps this is the rifle he remembers:

M1 Carbine

The only other American weapon I can think of is the .45 ACP 'Grease Gun' that superceded the Thompson strictly due to cost considerations. Technically the 'Grease Gun' (I have forgotten the Military M#) has a telescopic stock.

Hope this helps,
XWind

The grease gun was the M3 Submachine gun...

What happened to all these so called "grease guns"
have they ever been available for sale.

Texican,
Were you able to determine which rifle your Grandfather was referring to?

Pygmy,
Thanks for the info on the the M3 designator for the grease gun. It seems I never can remember that one.

Cummins Cowboy,
I've been to a lot of shows and don't ever remember seeing an M3. I seems there should be a lot of them still around and would be particularly desirable with the 9mm conversion kit included with the standard .45ACP hardware.

Keep us Posted...

Cheers,
Xwind

p.s. If anyone could help me figure out how to post an image on this board I would be very grateful.

I went over to his house this past weekend and showed him the pic of the M1 with the folding stock. He said it looked like the one he had. Thanks for the help gentlemen.

I was in the Army in the late 80s and early 90s and some of the artillery guys still had greese guns. If they ever came available for sale you would need a class 3 license because they are full auto.

Guys,

The M-3 "Grease Gun" was standard issue as the personal weapon for Tankers up until a few years ago. It was taken out of inventory around 1998 or so. At least they were in my armory for the tankers un untill then.

As for being for sale? No chance. The US government does not put obsolete automatic weapons on the civilian market. Ever see an M-14 at a gun show? While there are a few M-14's, M-16's, Grease Guns and such on the market, they came from round-a-bout means. They are not cheap either.

Regards,

Eric

There were more than a few M3's used by our guys in Vietnam while I was there. I wasn't overly impressed with them, but then again I never used one. Semper Fidelis.

Oops, system hiccup caused double entry.

[ 04-11-2003, 12:45: Message edited by: XWind ]

Texican - Glad you could ID the gun you were interested in.

On Grease guns, as I mentioned, superceded the Thompson for cost, and ease of manufacturability. They, for those who haven't seen one, are a pretty cheap looking piece of stamped metal nowhere near the quality of a Thompson...which is why they replaced them. They got their nickname from their resemblance to the grease gun you use on your car etc.

It's obvious the Gov't doesn't wholesale out it's full auto weapons (not to citizens anyway) but conversions to semi are not un-common, however I don't know the plans or fate of the M3. It seems the M1 carbine was full auto and you can find those quite readily.

The only reason I would want one is for historic value and with the 9mm conversion might make a fun little plinker...even in semi-auto.

FWIW,
XWind

[ 04-11-2003, 12:26: Message edited by: XWind ]

X-Wind
The M1 carbine (and the M1 rifle for that matter) were Semi-Auto only. The M2 carbine was the one that had the full auto capability (they do look alike except for the selector however)

Hello;
I believe the designation for the folding stock carbine was M1A1. Grease Guns also came in M3 and M3A1. The difference being that the A1 dispensed with the cocking handle. In its place was a hole in the bolt, where the operater inserted his finger. Obviously you can always make cheap cheaper. The couple I have seen even dispensed with parkerizing, something I was told was normal.
Grizz