PAM-1
Dirección General de Fabricaciones Militares - Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles · Submachine Gun · Out Of Production · 1955
Also known as: Pistola Ametralladora Modelo 1, PAM 1
Overview
The PAM-1 is an Argentine 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, a licensed derivative of the American M3A1 'Grease Gun' rechambered from .45 ACP to 9mm and built by the state arsenal FMAP (Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles) under the Dirección General de Fabricaciones Militares. It is a simple, stamped-steel, blowback, open-bolt, full-automatic weapon fed from a detachable box magazine and fitted with a retractable wire stock. As the original model of the PAM family it retained the M3-pattern ejection-port dust cover as its only safety, an arrangement later judged inadequate and remedied on the improved PAM-2 by the addition of a grip-safety lever at the rear of the magazine well.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3300 g (116.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 725 mm (28.54") |
| Barrel Length | 200 mm (7.87") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 450 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Ejection Port Cover
- Features: Retractable Wire Stock, Based On M3a1 Grease Gun, Flip Rear Sight 50 100m, Stamped Sheet Steel Construction
Variants
- PAM-2 - Improved Model
Service history
Operators
- Argentine Army · adopted 1955 · as PAM
- Argentine security and police forces
Production
Estimated total produced: 33,000 · Production years: 1955-1961
Approximately 33,000 PAM-1s were manufactured; about half were later converted to PAM-2 grip-safety configuration.
Origin
Country of origin: Argentina
Discontinued: 1961
Notes
The PAM-1 entered service with the Argentine Army in the mid-1950s following a 1950 prototype, and roughly 33,000 were built between about 1955 and 1961. After production ceased, approximately half of the PAM-1s were converted to PAM-2 configuration by adding a grip safety. Magazine capacity is commonly reported but was not confirmed here, so it is left null. Physical dimensions and rate of fire follow the PAM/M3A1 pattern shared across the family.
Background
Argentina's answer to the need for a cheap, mass-producible submachine gun was to simply copy the American M3A1 'Grease Gun' and neck it down to 9mm Parabellum, producing the stamped-steel PAM-1 that armed the Argentine military through the Cold War.