>sold for $34,500 that's the biggest markup I've ever seen lol

Camera facing Ian: mild spring day. Camera over Ian’s shoulder: Siberian winter

Kid in the 1940's. "Cool! no more silly home made pipe guns for me. I get a real Military weapon if I join the Army!" Then the Army gives him this...

"See that cover? Open it... and now you killin'. Close it up... now you ain't".

there just is something awesome about low rpm smg's like this. I love the thump-thump-thump sound. It sounds powerful.

I have always found something charming about guns like the Grease gun, Sten and PPS. Pure utilitarian design.

I spent 33 years as a tanker, and these were issued to us, 2 per vehicle on the M60 series tanks. Out of all the weapons I fired in that 33 years, the "grease gun" was the one I had the most fun with. Just watching those big, marble-sized slugs rip out of there and pummel the target was always a hoot.

Ironically, the gun with the best barrel-preserving rate of fire also has the easiest barrel to replace.

Adjusted for inflation the firearm should only cost $93.57 today. It was only $6 new.

Looks like someone dismantled a bicycle to make it lol

the thing that impresses me most about Ian, is his unwavering professionalism, while remaining very chill and likeable. whatta guy

I remember that slow rate of fire of the M1 when I was stationed in the Philippines' in the 70's. I had several burst fired at me one night, for years I thought it was a Thompson that was used until years later when I heard a Thompson being fired, the rate of fire was to fast and I came to the conclusion that in fact it was a grease gun. It was not uncommon to hear fully auto fire near the perimeter, however it was normally M16 with Filipino Army or the AK's used by Communist rebels. There were lots of weapons from WW2 floating around the Philippines every village had a militia armed with M1 carbines. When I heard the first burst it was odd due to the unusual boom boom boom, I didn't realize they were shooting at me until I heard the second burst then those big 45's slug hitting the pavement in front of me and making a bussing sound as they skipped off the pavement. The next burst hit behind me, I never saw where they came from but they had to be literally lobbing the rounds from a good distance. I'm surprised the rounds got as close as they did. I was armed with a patrol dog, a 38 revolver and two slap flares, I didn't stick around for a fight as I had no cover and was out gunned. Just another exciting day in the Philippines', strangely it wasn't as scary as one might imagen.

Friend of mine rented an M3 at a range once, and put a couple rounds in the ceiling after the sear let go and it ran away from him. Rangemaster was pretty ticked off until he fired it and the same thing happened.

I know Ian goes to Maine a lot, but it was weird to see him in the snow. I'm so used to seeing him in the desert.

We carried 2 of the grease guns on our M-60a1 tanks in the '70s. The weapon is so simple and easy to clean. I loved it. It was like having a piece of WW2 history with you. Thank you for the review.

So many firearms, even "higher quality" firearms wobble and flex as they fire (you can see it in the slow-mo clips) but this thing seems really solid/stable!

We actually still had several of these when I was in the Marines 86-93. We used them for the motorcycle riders and in fact took them to Desert Storm with us. Really enjoyed shooting them because while like he said the sights suck its very controllable and a lot more comfortable than it looks. One thing the high speed showed that I hadn't realized is its a very rigid gun when firing. Having seen many machine guns/SMG's fired now on high speed I was expecting to see the gun and stock flexing but this doesn't at least not much. Useless trivia but interesting all the same. Thanks Ian

I really like that scene in fury. "Coonass run him trough that gun" Open's the dust cover. "Now you killin'." Closes the dust cover. "Now you ain't."

I was in the Army as a 19Kilo armor crewman the Grease gun was a tankers weapon. I loved it. Thank you.

I was issued an M-3 grease gun while an Army tanker in the 80s. my favorite weapon of all time. nothing else comes close. controlled full auto, shooting a .45 bullet, and if your target is within50-60 meters, you win. I'm 60 years old now and can't see far anyway so I'm good with the M-3.

Carried it when I was in the Military. Thanks for the memories.

An oldie' but a goodie'

1986, I was in the armory of a NM National Guard ADA battery that was still using M42 "Duster" SPAAG twin 40mm guns. In the arms room, they had racks of M3s.

I enjoy watching the hang time of the bolt in high-speed footage you can truly appreciate the fact there's no harsh slam at the end of its travel.

I wish they sold these at walmart.

I thought it was interesting, while watching the high speed footage, that you could actually see the inconsistency of the ammo . The bolt did not always go back the same distance with every round fired and the brass was not always ejecting with the same amount of hight...

I get these videos in my recommendations right after dice releases a new unlock in tides of war in battlefield 5. Sometimes I wonder if there's an actual person sitting behind KZfaq's algorithm who's trying to troll people.

The description is very apt. And when a war is on and all that’s wanted is the cheapest serviceable bullet hose (accuracy not being a first priority), this is what you get.

I love my M3A1. Its a great engineering solution during the war. Having issues with charging handle? just drill a hole in the bolt and stick your finger in it! I agree with you the front sight is not very good but typical for some WW2 guns.

Looks and sounds very comfortable to shoot...

“You look like a sten gun” is my new favorite insult

Color me surprised as a unit Armorer in the US Army. Got to West Germany 1988-1989 and in the arms rooms there were half a dozen M3A1 grease guns for the M88 tank retrievers. Hated them, then got to shoot them. It's actually a favorite now and I would love to see an updated M3A2.

My dad was a tank crewman, specifically a gunner, in M60A3's in West Germany, in the 1980's. He said he was issued a 1911 and a Grease gun as his personal weapons. I wish he was still around so I could ask him which version he had!

Rescued one of these from a downed chopper in RVN during my tour out by Ashua Valley. Rehap it and used as my backup weapon as radio op. The M-16 wasn’t the best for dropping NVA, this worked every time if they were close enough. Gifted to a newbie when we rotated to OKI!

We ran into one of the M3’s while I was a National Guard medic on a range in the early 80’s. It would make your thumb raw to load the magazine. It was a lot more fun to fire than load. 30 rounds don’t last long. Some “just back from basic” truck driving recruits were qualifying with their 1911 45 cal pistols next to us. A few of them might have gotten a few extra rounds in their target.

I carried a Greasegun for exactly one week while I was in Vietnam. It looked cool - but it was almost impossible to hit anything intentionally with that thing past about 20 meters and I was essentially helpless when the enemy was shooting at us past 100m. I also realized that the cheap little pig weighed exactly as much loaded as my M-14 - so I got my rifle back and sold the Greasegun to a SeaBee.

While the STEN is simpler (presumably) cheaper, the grease gun seems to have struck the balance between simplicity and effectiveness far better. Of course they had the benefit of several years of war when designing it. Thinking of the Kriss Vector(touted as low recoil, easy to shoot), it’s couple of pounds lighter but I wonder if the extra complexity is really worth it over the 80yr old M3?

A friend was a tanker in the 1990's to early 2000's, he said the m3 that he was issued had started use in M4 Sherman's and was still being use in a M1A2 MBT. Don't know if it is true, but he has pictures with one from 1998.

Had the opportunity back in 1985 when I was 15 years old. The .45acp version we had a ton of rounds to fire it was a great day I will always remember.

A friend of mine was a army engineer in Germany in the early 80s and his service weapon when he was in armored carriers was the first version M3.

The large capacity American V-twin of SMGs, thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

I was a 19K when I was in the US Army and heard lots of stories about these guns, and how some units STILL have them! If they were to update the design to include a pic rail on top and switch the irons to a simpler blade and notch design, you'd have a very durable, powerful and easy to maintain and could make thousands for relatively cheap. If I had the option to carry one of these instead of carrying an M4 AND an M9, you better believe I'd choose this beast. Not to mention how great of boon to the grunts this thing would be during urban ops such as room clearing.

These were issued to my 8" Artillery unit (4/92) into the late '80s. We had the M110 Sp and every driver was issued an A1 and a Grease Gun.

I have fired this weapon . I carried one in the cupola of the M60A1 in the early 70’s. Loved it .😁

I just love the sound of the M3 "chugging" away!

The rate of fire is excellent for control and the rationing of ammunition. It also looks like a great gun for left handed shooters as well. Watching the rounds ejecting in the video, shows them moving away from the shooter at the front of the weapon. I never had interest in these weapons, probably due to their look. Now I see what a great firearm they really were. Thanks for the video. 👍🏼

We had these into the mid 90’s also. I worked at Ft Knox 94-96 fixing all the tanker/cav scout training weapons and in the consolidated arms room were about 50 of these that saw regular use. We also had about 10 M79s, which were also pretty sweet.

I currently own a m3 grease gun mine is the previous model with a charging handle which I prefer over using ur thumb as a cocking handle. The gun is a pure blast to shoot and very controllable and reliable. They are however very rare and hard to find in a transferable status. This makes them very valuable about the same price as a non Colt WW2 Thompson. They are however way more rare. I would consider them an excellent investment and I have no doubt will increase in value substantially over the years. Great piece of history and a blast to shoot.

The M3A1 was still standard issue to US tankers all the way into Desert Storm. I know I saw M3A1s carried by tank crews in 1993 when I served with the 24th Infantry Division.

I inherited my dad's tools when he passed away years ago. Out of all the stuff he had, one was a late 1930s grease gun. I've actually used it on several occasions and it does look exactly like the gun you've shown her. Thank you for posting this video

Great explanation and demonstration. Love how you were explaining things - you're very humble and explaining practical ergonomics as to how firing effects you (sighting, experience, and ease of loading) - and the history.

Carried one in the Army. First ever shot was way low. Told about bolt weight thing you mentioned by an older Platoon Sergent and shot expert with it. Loved it!!!

Ive always wanted one of these, that and the Australian Owen Gun. Something about how they were designed to be these things of pure practicality really is just interesting. That and they both look like plumbing fixtures.

This thing is beautiful in its simplicity. I love smart, simple, and efficient designs.

When I was a Ft. Bragg in 1981 going through Special Forces school the 82nd had M-551 Sheridans. The crews still had M-3's, a 50-year old weapon. It was small enough to not take up much room in the tank (space is at a premium in armored vehicles) and it gave them a gun to use if they had to bail out of the tank. I still remember seeing guys carrying the M-3, it was in the inventory all they way into the '80s.

Just found this channel props to the crew that produces this content. Including the host. It's not often you find people that make weapons videos with out being a dork. Very approachable and informative. Beyond professional. Thank you.

Fun fact: Delta Force got hold of a number of these, thanks to their very first commander, Col Charlie Beckwith. They got a bunch of suppressors too and were really well liked and called them unrivaled in suppressed use, thanks to .45 being subsonic. They used them, mostly suppressed, till they got hold of the MP-5 and SD models and replaced them.

Before I to Vietnam in 1966 I was stationed in Turkey and our Commander said any and all personnel would be trained on the available firearms in our Armoury. I was the first to be sent and was trained on the .38, .45 M1 carbine, Thompson, M3A1,M-16, BAR and M-60. I had a blast and would go there for 2 hours per day and learned how to teardown and reassembly each and ever weapon. After I learned to take down and clean each weapon then we would go to range and let the party begin.

The three basic descriptions of a legend , simple efficient reliable .

I lived in Fairfield, ME for about 9 months. I lived in an apartment complex just down the street from Julia. I hadn't discovered Forgotten Weapons at that point and I would drive by and say, "Oh, cool. Firearms auction." I never ended up going for various reasons. I regret that so much.

I always thought the grease gun looked like a really shitty MP 40

Nice. I remember Steve McQueen in ‘Hell is for Heroes’. As a kid this was the ultimate.

A lot of pretty sentiment for a POC! My family has had experience with this weapon in time of war and peace, and all involved have a negative view of this weapon. First My Dad carried one for a short time, and it discharged on 3 separate occasions by it's self! first two were when Dad was in the Philippines at Luzon, walking through the jungle and hopping down, the bolt jumped the sear and discharged a round. lastly for him he was a part of the occupying force in Japan and the Army ran jeep patrols in the foot hill areas. These patrols were 2 man teams and part of that was a M3, which went with the jeep. Once you got the patrol the new team would check the weapon and continue on with their patrol. On one occasion one of the new patrol members checked the M3 and threw it in the back seat, where it promptly discharge striking one of the patrol members in the abdomen. He was rolling around yelling, my Dad and the other members grab the guy and where trying to get his uniform off to check the wound. Luckily the bullet just clipped the soldiers side and his heavy sweater he was wearing held the bullet up again his skin as it circled around to his front, only ended up with a burn where the bullet passed. ...AND lastly my experience with the M3, I was in the Army, training at Ft Knox on all weaponry that went on a M60 tank, unfortunately that included a M3 for the driver. We went to the range to get acquainted with this weapon, I was one of the first to try to fire it, standing on line waiting for the order to fire, and when it came I pulled the trigger, and it started bucking, and when I let go of the trigger, it continued to buck ...I had a "run away" ...and it didn't stop firing until the magazine went empty. I saw 2 other incidents of this problem happen that same day with other soldiers. I was very happy to find when I got to my permanent duty station and assigned as a driver I was issued a M16!

Still in service in Argentina. There is a locally made version of this gun. It is called PAM (pistola ametralladora) here. A relatively slow rate of fire but I doubt wheter anyone would need more bullets per minute considering how powerful that 11.25 mm rounds are.

Shocked these aren't still being made today give how cheap, simple and effective they are

I just came here from watching the villar perosa footage; the rate of fire difference is astonishing. Grease gun: tat tat tat Villar Perosa: BRAAAAAAH!!!!!

My father who was a LRRP in Veitnam actually used to carry one of these.

The high-speed footage here is perfect for observing the kick from the bolt in a straight blowback. Especially compared the the MP5 which didn't move at all

I was on an M88 crew in the 80's and issued this sweetheart....God i loved bring this to main gate guard duty over my M203 as the captain of the guard NEVER had any clue how to do an inspection of this thing.

Among the best sounding guns ever.

I had the chance to fire a bunch of different automatic weapons at a police event in Las Vegas, and this was by far the most fun to shoot. I really enjoyed the slow tempo firing and distinct sound. Didn't enjoy the little droplets of oil all over my shirt though.

We had them in our armor battalion (4/35 Armor) in Germany in the 70s...it was the standard weapon for tank crews and other vehicle drivers/crews

My grandfather was in the gulf war and he’s told me that tank crewman carried grease guns at the start of the conflict.

I had one of these when I was in South Vietnam. I had won it in a card game, much later the bolt broke and rather than hunt around for a new bolt I went and destroyed it with a thermite grenade.

"some sort of plumbing assembly that fires bullets"...how apropos, my sentiments exactly!

It’s so simple and crude by design yet it’s reliable and effective in its designated role gotta love it.

Difference between it and the sten is the common sense to have the magazine fed from below the gun.

Fired one of those in Vegas at a gun range with that open bolt you can feel the bolt moving back and forward but super simple easy to use any farmers son would work out how to use it in a few mins no trouble

Hello Ian. I am not a gun guy but a historian, specifically the period from the 1929 depression to 1980. I enjoy your videos on WW II weaponry especially.

Great video, brother! One of the best guns ever made.

carried one along with a 1911 sidearm when I was in the army

Open that cover. Now you're killin'. Now close it. Now you're not.

Long service career and very reliable. Ian called the sight issue correctly but you learned. It was really quite controllable..

I was a tanker on an M60A3 tank in 84-86. We had those monsters on board.

All I can hear is heavy screaming “YA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA”

While it has a slower automatic rate of fire, it makes up with control, accuracy, and .45 ACP ammo!

My oldest brother, a vet from the Korean War, carried this during his tour of duty in Korea. Told me once it saved his life several times! Simple, reliable, and according to him, pretty easy to break down. Ha ha. This day and time it mostlikely would be called a caulk gun!

In the summer of 90 a couple of the guys in my platoon at boot camp were 12F, and even then they still had a familiarization day with the grease gun. I didn't even know it was still in service at the time.

As was once said on RCR, "I WAUNT IT!"

A while back I got to fire both the Grease Gun as well as a Thompson, and an MP40 as well, and I really have to say, the grease gun was a joy to shoot compared to the Thompson. Maybe had I shot it (thompson) more I would have gotten used to the recoil. But man, does the Thompson ever kick upward. The shooting range I was at had a policy of hanging targets upside down when people shot the Thompson because everyone would always aim for the head and end up hitting the roof. All that being said, the MP40 was absolutely beautiful to shoot. I may just be remembering it differently, but it honestly felt like I was shooting liquid, it was so smooth.

Fired one of these at a range in Dallas today and it was a dream to shoot. Very controllable and easy to use and the trigger is surprisingly good for such a crude gun.

Mr. S I got to fire one of these in '74 while in the Army. It looked and felt cheap and had a good heft to it but I liked it a lot. Over dark ground on a sunny day I could actually glimpse for a split second those big slow .45 balls going down range. I would like to have one and yes, I preferred that slow rate of fire to the m-16.

"Flip that cover up..now you killin" *flips it down" "You you aint"

“See that cover, open it” “Now you killing” “Close it” “Now you ain’t”

In the early 1980s, those things were realistically slightly longer bayonets used by the tank crew member who was sent out to be a ground guide or local security. They are sub-machine guns after all. I certainly enjoyed firing those things back in the day.

No childhood was complete without wanting a greez-gun.

Had a GySgt who carried one in RVN, in an ambush react he was a man possessed.

The gun was sold for as much as I make in a year ._.

A weapon I have always wondered about. Thank You .

That’s crazy how slowly it shoots, but it makes since. You can see that big mass of metal sliding back in forth in the slow mo shots.