The M3 was great to fire but it must be remembered that there was no selector switch so the weapon always fired automatic. You pulled the bolt back with your finger to lock it to the rear. You learned to squeeze and release the trigger fast to at least get a 3 round burst. Never could get it to fire a single shot. The only safety was to close the cover plate causing a small piece of metal to fit into the bolt. The weapon was easy to clean. The "stock" acted as a ram rod to hold your cleaning patch or wire brush. Also as a wrench to remove the barrel. Due to its length and fire power I never understood why it was done away with for tankers or those that needed something small. Of course an M4 is almost as small and does have a selector switch but compare a 45 round to a 5.56 round for close in fighting.
