Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	United States

Service history

In service

1943–present

Wars

World War II[ Chinese Civil War Greek Civil War First Indochina War Korean War Cuban Revolution Algerian War Bay of Pigs Invasion Vietnam War The Troubles Laotian Civil War Sino-Indian War Rhodesian Bush War Cambodian Civil War Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shaba II Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Argentine Dirty War Falklands War Soviet–Afghan War Iran-Iraq War Persian Gulf War Moro conflict Burundi Civil War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War Syrian Civil War

Production history

Designer	George Hyde
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	General Motors, others
Unit cost	Approx. USD $15 (1943; equivalent to $217 in 2018)
Produced	1943–1945  early 1950s
No. built	655,363; 606,694 M3 48,669 M3A1

Specifications

Mass	M3 (empty): 8.15 lb (3.70 kg) M3A1 (empty): 7.95 lb (3.61 kg)
Length	29.1 in (740 mm) stock extended, 21.9 in (556.3 mm) stock collapsed
Barrel length	8 in (203.2 mm)
Cartridge	.45 ACP (11.43×23 mm), 9×19mm Parabellum
Action	Blowback, open bolt
Rate of fire	450 rounds/min cyclic (= 7½ / second)
Muzzle velocity	920 ft/s (280 m/s)
Effective firing range	Sights fixed to 100 yards (91 m)
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Fixed rear peep sight and blade foresight, calibrated to 100 yards for caliber .45 M1911 ball ammunition