3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3

3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3
A 3-inch M3 anti-aircraft gun on a M2A2 carriage, 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)[1]
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°[1]
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°[1]

The 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 was an American anti-aircraft gun which served throughout the 1930s and into early World War II. ^[2] 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.^[2]