3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3
| 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 | |
|---|---|
A 3-inch M3 anti-aircraft gun on a M2A2 carriage in firing position with outriggers and crew platform unfolded, preserved in Brazil | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | USA |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1928–1945 |
| Used by | USA |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1927 |
| Produced | 1928 |
| Variants | Anti-tank |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Complete: 16,800 lb (7,600 kg) Barrel: 2,302 lb (1,044 kg) |
| Length | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Barrel length | 12.6 ft (3.8 m) 50 caliber |
| Width | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Height | 9.4 ft (2.9 m) |
| Shell | Fixed QF 76.2 x 585R |
| Shell weight | Complete: 24.6 lb (11.2 kg) Projectile: 12.8 lb (5.8 kg) |
| Caliber | 76.2 mm (3 in) |
| Action | Semi-automatic |
| Breech | Vertical sliding-wedge |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage | Four wheel with four collapsible outriggers |
| Elevation | −1° to +80° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 25 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 854 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 21,000 ft (6,400 m) +85° |
| Maximum firing range | 8.3 mi (13.4 km) +45° |
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The 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 was an American anti-aircraft gun which served throughout the 1930s and into early World War II. Developed from the earlier 3-inch M1917 and 3-inch M1918 guns, it was in the process of being replaced by the time of the US entry into World War II, but was subsequently adapted into an anti-tank gun role, both free-standing (as the 3-inch M5) and in a self-propelled tank destroyer (the M10). It may have seen action in the Pacific Theatre.