M3 Greasegun and M1911 in service.

[1-12 INF (M)]

When I was in the 1-12 Infantry, 4th Infantry Division in 1983, the arms room had M3s. Not the A1 models either with the finger hole in the bolt, these had cocking levers. I don't know when they were finally turned in, but if we had to go defend the Fulda Gap from the Soviets, at least some of our guys would have been carrying those.

In 1990, as a member of the 3rd Armored Division, we were still equipped with the M1911A1 pistol.

Official histories will list both these weapons as replaced long before, but they were still soldering on the active duty Army.

Did any of our readers run into weapons that 'should' have retired long before they used them?

[cwartyman]

1988 Boot camp at Parris Island the pistol I Fam fired was the 1911. Went to Desert Storm 2 years later O's and SNCO's were carrying M9's.
Mack

[Tuna]

Tank crews had the M3 and some may still have them.

[Sean P Gilday]

1/258FA NYARNG still had M3A1's in the arms room in 2004. They were the drivers weapon for their M109A6 Paladins. The unit went to Iraq as M.P.'s and came back as a Light M119 Towed FA Bn and the greasers were gone.

1/5 SFG(A) and 3/10 SFG(A) were carrying M1911A1's in 2004-2005 when I was assigned to CJ-SOTF in Baghdad

[Johnny in Texas]

Don't the Marines still carry M1911A1's when kicking in doors.

[ismith]

I heard of an Army Reserve public affairs unit that showed up in Iraq cira 2003 with M16s lacking forward assists.

[George in NH]

Regular AF basic with the M16, Dec 69. Finished tech school (M16 and M15 S/W) and reported to Andrews AFB Apr 70. Arms room filled with M2 Carbines!! I drew a M15 S/W as I could not draw an M2 because I was not qualified on it! One day, while in line to draw shotguns for training the arms room was handing out Rem 870's. The man in front of me drew a M1912 Trench!! He said "What is this thing?". I drew my 870 and offered to trade and he did! Thought I had died and gone to Heaven!! Had to turn it in at the end of the day. Damn!! No idea where it might be now. Merry Christmas, George in NH

[Shooter5]

1/258FA NYARNG still had M3A1's in the arms room in 2004. They were the drivers weapon for their M109A6 Paladins. The unit went to Iraq as M.P.'s and came back as a Light M119 Towed FA Bn and the greasers were gone.

1/5 SFG(A) and 3/10 SFG(A) were carrying M1911A1's in 2004-2005 when I was assigned to CJ-SOTF in Baghdad
SF units still have the M1911A1's. In addition, various other obsolete weapons are still found there such as the M3 Grease Gun and M1 Carbine, among others. Regular Army Mech and Armored units have all transitioned to the M4. Guard units have managed to hang onto odds and ends well into the 2000s.

[Former Cav]

1966 while at Camp Casey and right before the Army hired civilian guards for the base we stood in the tower with a 1912 trench gun and the ammo was FULL length brass as I recall. I was with Hq & Hq Co, 7th Inf Div and worked on the rifle range out the back gate. We had the good old M-14 out there!

[Michael Tompkins]

I was with 3rd A/D until 1981. Tankers had M3s and we carried 1911A1s. One day on post, I even saw 2 guys from 1/36 Inf carrying M1Ds.

[blackhawknj]

When I was in a mech infantry battalion in the NJNG 1977-1981 they were carried on the M88s. Fired one once. Basically our version of the Sten Gun.

[Gatofeo]

I carried a Smith & Wesson Model 15 in the Air Force in the 1970s, as a Security Policeman. Great .38 revolver. It was standard issue at the time.
Mentioned this to a coworker, a retired USAF radar repairman, and he said their whole repair crew were issued S&W M15 .38s in the mid 1990s in South America!
Seems that the M9 Berettas were needed by more active units in the Middle East, but supply hadn't caught up to demand.
I liked the .38, never did fire the Beretta. I got out before they were adopted.

[Ltdave]

when i was i the Air Force, i drew (for an exercise) an M-16. it was 12,000 (plus a couple dozen) serial number, had green furniture, duckbill flash suppressor, triangle shaped charging handle...

carried the M15 smith revolver doing LE augmentee duty, would have carried it as a cargo courier but i never couried anything...

carried M1 Rifles for the Honor Guard...

carried and fired a BAR and fired an M1919 .30 machine gun when we would use the museum's historical group as an Opposing Force team vs. security police, civil engineers and hospital troops during medical red-flag and during SAC exercises...

[Sean P Gilday]

I heard of an Army Reserve public affairs unit that showed up in Iraq cira 2003 with M16s lacking forward assists.Saw a USAF guard at BIAP in March 2005 with a worn version of their XM-177E1 or GAU-5 whatever they called it.
The lower receiver had no finish left at all was Aluminum covered with a spray of solid film lube

[Fred]

In 1981, when I was in the 1/73 Armor, out at Ft. Irwin, CA, we received a shipment of Grease Guns that were brand new along with magazines that were all in foil wrappers. They all went into the Company Arm's Room. We never got to shoot any of them and as I recall, we never went to the firing range for any small arms training. That is except when we went to the tank gunnery range and then of course we had our M-85's (50 cal.) on our top cupalla's. I think that they must've been the model with the hole in the bolt because I can't remember any bolt handle or knob.
When I was HQ HQ Commander of the 917th Support Group in Kansas City back around 1985-87, I'd kept all of our 1911 .45's in our arms room instead of turning them all in for the new 9mm's. I just liked the 1911. My replacement switched them over upon taking over though.

[TomSudz]

We had to fam fire M-79's at Benning in the 80's. In 2005-06 the Marines had M-79's in the towers on the base perimeter. Our (PANG) kids had no idea what they were and the Marines were surprised when some of us "old" doggies knew what they were- and even knew how to use them. I never spent a minute in a tower, but you never pass up a chance to shoot something cool.

There were also some m-60's on top of vehicles even though they were replaced by the M-240. It seems like infantry units had priority for "new" weapons, then the other combat arms, then everybody else. The units that would be considered "rear eschelon" had the old stuff like the 60's.

[joem]

US 1917 enfield for guard duty 1966 at boot camp in Mississippi. No ammo, it was pristine. Wish I could have kept it

[Michael Tompkins]

As an MP at Ray Barracks in the FRG, I remember reading the desk blotter about an incident involving an E-5 squad leader in 1/36 Inf dressing as a Soviet soldier complete with battle tunic, helmet and AK-47 drawn from the arms room (a lot of units had soviet weapons in their arms room for familiarization) and attempted to "scare" the new troop pulling guard duty at the motorpool. Poor troop had no ammo and it scared the crap out of him. E-5 got busted for pulling his prank.

[p246]

US 1917 enfield for guard duty 1966 at boot camp in Mississippi. No ammo, it was pristine. Wish I could have kept it

Now except for no ammo that I find to be very cool.

[holdover]

in '68-69 in Nam, the Arvin and PF had M2 carbines, Thompsons, M1s and grease guns. Got to fire them all what a hoot, I believe some of our tankers still had the grease gun. When I moved to a farm in VA in 1975 I met a class 3 dealer that I allowed to come to the farm and shoot all the rock and roll guns, MG34s and 42s and every other full auto arm there was she would come with a U-haul trailer full of ammo, talk about being in hog heaven. Those of you who go to the VA gun shows and know Joan should ask her about the shooting