nmsang501 Posted April 4 Report Share Posted April 4 I just bought an M3 Grease Gun for the equivalent of 900USD. How'd I do? The Serial number is 193883, I was wondering if anyone could help me get an estimation on the date of manufacturing on the gun. I'd also like to ask what's the meaning of the P mark on the receiver and on the barrel assembly. I also noticed two recesses on the barrel assembly. On first glance, it looks like damage, but when inspected closely, they seem symmetric to each other, which makes me believe it could have happened during the manufacturing process. Would anyone know if this is normal, or abnormal to the gun? Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 Well, today is your lucky day. I'm going to triple your investment by offering you $1,800 for the gun, with just a few stipulations: 1) What country are you located in, 2) Is this a functioning SMG, & 3) You have to pay postage. The "P"s are proof marks, and this a a gorgeous M3... I thought mine was nice. Looks completely original to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Being he said "equivalent " I'm assuming he's not in the US, so no sale if it's a functioning mg. If it were and available for transfer, I'd easily quadruple his investment. And Scott, you need a remedial math course!😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmsang501 Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 1. I'll leave that up to your imagination. Hehe 2. Yes, it is a functioning SMG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 9 hours ago, BillinBama said: Being he said "equivalent " I'm assuming he's not in the US, so no sale if it's a functioning mg. If it were and available for transfer, I'd easily quadruple his investment. And Scott, you need a remedial math course!😄 You are always upping me on nice stuff! Arghhhhhhh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
signal_4 Posted April 27 Report Share Posted April 27 (edited) Man. And I thought I had hit the jackpot when my neighbor gave me an all original Inland 44 M1A1 paratrooper carbine with all the correct cartouches. But you win ! Edited April 27 by signal_4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 Nope....pretty sure you're the winner. The other guy has what would be a parts kit here, and eventually will be a parts kit there. The carbine looks really nice, and can't beat the price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmsang501 Posted April 28 Author Report Share Posted April 28 Oh damn, that's a beautiful M1 Carbine. I wish I had one as good looking. Still waiting for mine. I'm currently waiting on what's either an M1A1, or an M2A1. Depends if uncle pulls through HAHA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmsang501 Posted April 28 Author Report Share Posted April 28 I'm actually curious what led you to believe this gun would become a parts kit? You sound pretty confident Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 On 4/4/2025 at 11:24 AM, nmsang501 said: I just bought an M3 Grease Gun for the equivalent of 900USD. How'd I do? The Serial number is 193883, I was wondering if anyone could help me get an estimation on the date of manufacturing on the gun. I'd also like to ask what's the meaning of the P mark on the receiver and on the barrel assembly. I also noticed two recesses on the barrel assembly. On first glance, it looks like damage, but when inspected closely, they seem symmetric to each other, which makes me believe it could have happened during the manufacturing process. Would anyone know if this is normal, or abnormal to the gun? Thank you so much! This thread has drifted off the original topic... The letter P is a firing proof mark. As far as a manufacturing date, that's hard to determine, but here are some manufacturing figures. I only researched M3A1 numbers/dates because of the often-reported 15,469 number, which was incorrect based on known serial number ranges of M3A1s. Total submachine guns manufactured from 1943 to 1945 by Guide Lamp: 606,694 M3, and 82,281 M3A1 models, for a total of 688,975 weapons. During subsequent research, the author of this book discovered that the reported 15,469 M3A1 production figure was actually a typographical error in the Ordnance Department’s Log of Significant Purchases. The actual Guide Lamp M3A1 production figures are listed below. These corrected figures were obtained by the author from the Cincinnati Ordnance District records that the Guide Lamp plant reported to during World War II. Guide Lamp M3A1 PRODUCTION (1945 only) April 30,117 May 26,000 June 17,164 July 9,000 August: production canceled. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 5 hours ago, nmsang501 said: I'm actually curious what led you to believe this gun would become a parts kit? You sound pretty confident Haha Well, you are being a bit protective with information about the gun. If it is a fully functional FA gun, then it would make sense for you to tell us where you are as very few countries allow possession of machineguns outside the military. So, what I think was meant was that if it is not a functioning gun then the logical place for it to go is the US. People pay good money for the parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmsang501 Posted April 29 Author Report Share Posted April 29 I understand what you mean. I have my reasons for hiding where I'm from, but I'm from a country somewhere in Asia. There're hundreds of surplus M3s lying around, and I've seen at least 15 in private hands within the last two years I've been collecting. Average prices for Grease Guns here go for as low as $1700 to as high as $4500. However, a single magazine can cost upwards of $180 each. So far, I've spent more than $500 dollars just to get 3 of the Sparks-Withington magazines. I just got lucky with mine since the guy selling it to me needed the money quick, and had no magazine to go with it, which is why I've spent the last few weeks tracking down leads for magazines. Currently looking for a spare barrel assembly to turn it into a silencer Hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 Well, if someone were to take a vacation to said asian country, and said person were to somehow carry a couple of M3 mags (in parts probably), in his/her luggage, and happen to meet up with the above poster said person might be persuaded to offer the M3 mags/parts for a fair price. Or not. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmsang501 Posted April 30 Author Report Share Posted April 30 That someone would make a lot of money. A CZ Shadow 2 Magazine here costs slightly more than $100, a 1911 Mag usually costs more than $60, and for PMAGS, their usual price here is around $55. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted April 30 Report Share Posted April 30 On 4/29/2025 at 7:24 AM, nmsang501 said: I understand what you mean. I have my reasons for hiding where I'm from, but I'm from a country somewhere in Asia. There're hundreds of surplus M3s lying around, and I've seen at least 15 in private hands within the last two years I've been collecting. Average prices for Grease Guns here go for as low as $1700 to as high as $4500. However, a single magazine can cost upwards of $180 each. So far, I've spent more than $500 dollars just to get 3 of the Sparks-Withington magazines. I just got lucky with mine since the guy selling it to me needed the money quick, and had no magazine to go with it, which is why I've spent the last few weeks tracking down leads for magazines. Currently looking for a spare barrel assembly to turn it into a silencer Hehe. Ah, thanks for clarifying. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelkih Posted May 14 Report Share Posted May 14 Nice. I paid $7,500 for mine about 7 years ago, and I thought I did REALLY good. Haha! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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