Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 252

M3 & M3A1 submachinegun

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗

U.S. Model M3 and M3A1 submachinegun, cal. .45, original Guide Lamp or Ithaca Gun Co. manufacture only, mfd. prior to 1954.

ATF lists cal. .45; this is the .45 ACP cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESMade by one of the makers ATF names: “original Guide Lamp or Ithaca Gun Co. manufacture only”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1953 or earlier (ATF’s dates)ATF: “mfd. prior to 1954”
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Guide Lamp (GM); Ithaca Gun Co.¹
Type
SMG
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
.45 ACP
Made
Original Guide Lamp or Ithaca · c. 1943–1953ATF: made in 1953 or earlier; start year approximate²
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “M3 submachine gun” ↗, maker: Wikipedia: GM Guide Lamp Division made the M3/M3A1 1943-1945; Ithaca Gun Co built 33,200 during the Korean War
  2. Wikipedia, “M3 submachine gun” ↗, years: Guide Lamp "produced 606,694 of the M3 variant... between 1943 and 1945"; infobox production 1943–1945, early 1950s; ATF limits prior to 1954
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passYears: 1942–1953 → 1943–1953. Wikipedia M3 submachine gun: adopted December 1942, Guide Lamp production 1943–1945, Ithaca in the early 1950s

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

M3 & M3A1 submachinegun

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “M3-SMG.jpg” by Curiosandrelics, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M3 submachine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The M3 is an American .45-caliber submachine gun adopted by the U.S. Army on 12 December 1942, as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3. The M3 was chambered for the same .45 ACP round fired by the Thompson submachine gun, but was cheaper to mass produce and lighter, at the expense of accuracy. The M3 was commonly referred to as the "Grease Gun" or simply "the Greaser", owing to its visual similarity to a grease gun, a mechanic's tool.