Chuck Spano/Medea Corp

[Remo Williams 1]

My good friend and Class 2 manufacturer, Charles D. “Chuck” Spano passed away on August 12, 2025 at 78 years old. Chuck handled many transfers for me and sold me one of his Medea M3A1’s that he was keeping for himself. Chuck told me that in 1983 he got word that the die presses used to press out grease gun shells was in Miami awaiting shipping to South America. Through one of his political contacts, Chuck was able to get some time on these presses and thus the Medea Grease Guns were born. Whenever the CIA rumor would pop up, he would always laugh and say he wish he made that up himself. Medea also manufactured MP40 and Sten tubes, as well as a handful of BAR receivers. God speed my friend.

[Frank I.]

I remember speaking with Mr. Spano on the phone when I was researching my M3 book, he was very courteous and answered all my questions about his Medea grease guns. I remember he told me they were Guide Lamp stamping dies, but the "checkered" pattern on the pistol grip tells me that the dies were probably from Ithaca's post WWII production run. 

RIP Sir

 

[BillinBama]

Another one gone, we're losing all the early MG experts/founders of our hobby.  Scary this one, only a year older than me!  Some make fun of the "lesser" MG's, like the MK760 version of the Model 76, but each one was filling a need, adding to the small number of registered NFA guns, and advancing the cause.  Just because a gun isn't the original concept doesn't make it a pariah.  I never knew that part of the Medea story, or had forgotten it, ineresting.

[Rekraps]

On 8/23/2025 at 12:03 AM, Remo Williams 1 said:

My good friend and Class 2 manufacturer, Charles D. “Chuck” Spano passed away on August 12, 2025 at 78 years old. Chuck handled many transfers for me and sold me one of his Medea M3A1’s that he was keeping for himself. Chuck told me that in 1983 he got word that the die presses used to press out grease gun shells was in Miami awaiting shipping to South America. Through one of his political contacts, Chuck was able to get some time on these presses and thus the Medea Grease Guns were born. Whenever the CIA rumor would pop up, he would always laugh and say he wish he made that up himself. Medea also manufactured MP40 and Sten tubes, as well as a handful of BAR receivers. God speed my friend.

thanks for the info... always good to know.