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When America entered World War II, the standard U.S. military submachine gun was the famous Thompson M1928A1. The downside of the Thompson Submachine Gun—the Tommy gun—was that it was heavy, hard to produce and expensive to produce. Thus, the Army requested a new submachine gun to replace it. The new variant, known as the M3 Grease Gun, offered low cost, could be produced quickly and was simple. However, it still wasn't simple enough and was made even simpler with the introduction of the M3A1. The crank handle on the M3 was taken off and replaced with a finger hole on the side of the bolt for the M3A1, creating less problems for soldiers during combat. The M3A1 saw service during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even up until Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. For more on the U.S. M3A1 Grease Gun, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
There was a time when firearm manufacturers were primarily known for producing only one specific type of gun. In fact, their fame, reputations and, often, their fortunes hinged upon it.
Applications are now open for the 2026 NRA Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.), an all-expenses-paid, six-day leadership and scholarship program for rising high school juniors and seniors.
Despite what mainstream news outlets would have us believe, most armed citizens are thoughtful, deliberate, responsible Americans whose foremost concerns are the well-being of themselves and their families.
We recently caught up with Concurrent Technologies to learn more about its latest advancements in metal injection molding (MIM) as it pertains to cartridge case manufacturing.