tricky9914 Posted June 14 Report Share Posted June 14 Hey all! I just picked up an M3A1 Grease Gun - I've never owned one before. Through my reading, I have determined that it is highly recommended to swap the smaller rear buffer plate of the M3A1, with the larger plate from the earlier M3 design (to spread more of the impact force across a larger surface area of the back of the receiver tube). I have found this one Numerich: (https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/881560 Is this the correct part? Hard to tell from the photos. If not, can anyone point me to a source or perhaps has one for sale? Also, live everyone else, I am in need of new recoil springs. Thank you for any assistance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFA amnesty Posted June 14 Report Share Posted June 14 That is difficult to tell from the picture. Guess you will need to contact them. I searched for your plate and can't believe how the GG gun parts have dried up but I have a parts kit so have not looked in a long time. I did find the plate you need on Gun Broker but have no idea if this is a fair price to pay for one. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1109782740 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted June 14 Report Share Posted June 14 I recently purchased one of those from Numrich. That is the larger M3 plate that you need to prevent damage to the back of the receiver. The one I received was brand new in the cosmoline. The dimensions given in the ad are correct for the large plate. Guide Rod Assembly, Attached Plate, New (Measures 1-5/8" x 1-1/4") The reason they went to the narrower plate on the M3A1 was so you could remove the bolt/rods/spring assembly without removing the ejector housing. It turned out to be a bad idea. The rear of many grease gun receivers have been bulged out and even cracked when fitted with that narrow plate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricky9914 Posted June 14 Author Report Share Posted June 14 Thank you very much for the responses! I am ordering the Numrich part now. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted June 14 Report Share Posted June 14 1 hour ago, NFA amnesty said: That is difficult to tell from the picture. Guess you will need to contact them. I searched for your plate and can't believe how the GG gun parts have dried up but I have a parts kit so have not looked in a long time. I did find the plate you need on Gun Broker but have no idea if this is a fair price to pay for one. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1109782740 That's the front plate, he needs the back plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFA amnesty Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 (edited) 5 hours ago, Frank I. said: That's the front plate, he needs the back plate. Good catch Frank. I must be tired tonight. Tricky, enjoy your GG, they are a lot of fun. Edited June 15 by NFA amnesty error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Repo recoil springs on GB... they work just fine. I would strongly suggest that you also source an extractor (APEX). Price is no concern, parts are drying up so get them while you can. complete bolts can be had for around $500... get one... oh, and the front plate retaining spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricky9914 Posted June 15 Author Report Share Posted June 15 rekraps, can you please link me to the GB springs. I am not finding them. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff51 Posted June 16 Report Share Posted June 16 How do you change the plate out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 9 hours ago, Jeff51 said: How do you change the plate out? The rear larger M3 backplate from Numrich is already installed on the guide rods. Remove the bolt assembly from the receiver, retract the bolt slightly (hold it back, it is under spring pressure), remove the spring clip at the front, remove the bolt/spring assembly and slide it on the new rod/backplate. reinstall the front plate and clip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 I finally received my M3 backing plate/guide rod assembly from Numrich today (boy are they slow) but quickly realized there is no way to install it without removing the ejector, which I’m hesitant to do. Advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damifino Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 Cut a slot in the plate to clear the ejector. Why not just remove the housing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 That's why the government changed it so you did not have to remove the ejector housing. You could cut a clot in it to clear the ejector but that would weaken it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 On 6/15/2025 at 8:18 AM, Rekraps said: Repo recoil springs on GB... they work just fine. I would strongly suggest that you also source an extractor (APEX). Price is no concern, parts are drying up so get them while you can. complete bolts can be had for around $500... get one... oh, and the front plate retaining spring. A couple of days ago I was up in the storage warehouse (WH2) and noticed that we have a large box of M3 grease Gun recoil springs sting in the red packaging. These came in with a recent inventory purchase. So, those will get restocked on the APEX Gun Parts web site in the next few weeks. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damifino Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 (edited) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/TM-9-1005-229-35.pdf Like Mongo said, a slot will weaken it. But it will still have more area than an M3A1 plate. Edited July 31 by damifino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 20 minutes ago, Mongo said: That's why the government changed it so you did not have to remove the ejector housing. You could cut a clot in it to clear the ejector but that would weaken it. I considered cutting a slot, but as you said, it weakens the plate. What to do...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 On 6/14/2025 at 4:46 PM, NFA amnesty said: That is difficult to tell from the picture. Guess you will need to contact them. I searched for your plate and can't believe how the GG gun parts have dried up but I have a parts kit so have not looked in a long time. I did find the plate you need on Gun Broker but have no idea if this is a fair price to pay for one. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1109782740 that is the correct part. I can't tell either from the original photo on Numerich. The pricing on GB for this part has held steady recently. I'd get it while you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 The plate/rod assembly shown in the link is the larger plate, I just received one from Numrich. The "skinny" plate is listed here: https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1054570 The rods aren't attached but that's an easy fix. My gun has the "skinny" plate but I want to install the new plate/rod assembly from Numrich with more meat on it. It's the one that won't clear the ejector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 Well, what I thought would work did. I'd never removed the trigger group before, the ejector is part of that instead of beginner to the receiver. Drop the trigger group and the bigger backing plate goes in easily, why was I worried? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted August 3 Report Share Posted August 3 On 7/31/2025 at 11:27 AM, APEXgunparts said: A couple of days ago I was up in the storage warehouse (WH2) and noticed that we have a large box of M3 grease Gun recoil springs sting in the red packaging. These came in with a recent inventory purchase. So, those will get restocked on the APEX Gun Parts web site in the next few weeks. Richard PLease let us know when they are posted for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APEXgunparts Posted August 3 Report Share Posted August 3 5 hours ago, Rekraps said: PLease let us know when they are posted for sale. The M3 Grease Gun springs are on a table in the sorting warehouse now. They will be bagged in pairs. The old red cellophane packages have come apart due to age. I am not sure if these will get a new SKU or be restocked. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted August 4 Report Share Posted August 4 On 7/31/2025 at 11:45 AM, BillinBama said: I considered cutting a slot, but as you said, it weakens the plate. What to do...... IMHO don't cut or modify anything Removing the ejector housing is no big deal, it's part of routine maintenance. I remove mine regularly when cleaning (have to because of the large backplate). If you don't have a GI manual for the GG you should get one...you just remove the trigger guard and the housing drops right off. The manual shows how to use end of the buttstock as a tool to remove and install the trigger guard. EZ you will probably find a lot of grime/carbon and dirt inside the housing. When I was younger, I could easily remove the trigger guard with my hand, but I use the buttstock now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekraps Posted August 4 Report Share Posted August 4 15 minutes ago, Frank I. said: IMHO don't cut or modify anything Removing the ejector housing is no big deal, it's part of routine maintenance. I remove mine regularly when cleaning (have to because of the large backplate). If you don't have a GI manual for the GG you should get one...you just remove the trigger guard and the housing drops right off. The manual shows how to use end of the buttstock as a tool to remove and install the trigger guard. EZ you will probably find a lot of grime/carbon and dirt inside the housing. When I was younger, I could easily remove the trigger guard with my hand, but I use the buttstock now. I kidding. The trigger guard on mine is so stiff it kills me to remove it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinBama Posted August 5 Report Share Posted August 5 12 hours ago, Rekraps said: I kidding. The trigger guard on mine is so stiff it kills me to remove it. Yeah, my arthritic hands found it too hard to remove, I'd seen somewhere that the wire stock could be used, amazing how military guns were designed so parts of the gun could be used as tools. Thanks for all the help, at my age I need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank I. Posted August 5 Report Share Posted August 5 The M3A1 stock was designed as a tool to remove the trigger guard, and the barrel. A magazine loader, and one of the struts is threaded for a cleaning brush. In basic training, we were shown how an M16 could be disassembled with a live round. (for routine field maintenance) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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