Grease Gun Help

Hi All,

This is my first post so I apologize if I am doing it wrong.

I recently was in an old machine shop and out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked like an M3. After getting a closer look, it sure enough was. The only thing is...I'm not sure if it is real or was machined at the shop.

The gun itself is by no means functional, or even could be. The story was that the owner of the machine shop was brought this gun to crush after someone was waving it around in public way back when. The gun is certainly crushed, and quite rusted, but something I would love to have provided it is WWII era.

On the gun itself, I noticed someone burnt through it with a welder, which is when I became suspicious. I also didn't see if it had numbers on it, but if it does...what type of certifications/numbers would I look for?

I'll try to get a picture of it soon.

Thanks everyone!

Steve

 

a picture would help indeed

 

The gun was probably made unserviceable after it was taken away from the crazy guy. This was done in many ways, often by cutting it up by a welding torch so it won't function. It sounds like the owner of the shop may have done that AND crushed it. That made it legal for anyone to own it. Being that it was a U.S. military firearm there should be a serial number on it somewhere. That would give you a clue as to when it was made.

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Such a waste.

 

AS to post-war Grease guns.

The Ithaca Gun Company produced some 33,000 for the Korean War serials are 721,330 to 754556. Depending on how long ago the "nut" waved the gun, the Medea Corporation produce some M3A1s using leftover Ithaca receivers, the serial number is prefixed with an A or a B.

AFAIK, all of the Guide Lamp M3s & M3A1s were produced 1943-45.

 

I agree that a cutting torcgh was commonly used to deactivate guns so that should not cause suspicion, rather the opposite.