How am I Supposed to Fix This?! (Extreme Gun Restoration attempt)

Play World of Tanks for free at: tanks.ly/3sOUJCk , you'll get a bonus pack and support the channel at the same time!

To quote the esteemed gun wizard Mark Novak: "A gun is only new once." That was a loooong time ago for this M3. A museum wall is a dignified ending. Thanks for showing us the process in preserving what was left of this gun.

My first thought was "This is why people say these videos are fake." and the first thing he did was prove it's real. GG lad.

You are one of the few restoration channels I trust, and love

Gun: *Pieces crumbling off*
Backyard Ballistics: "I can fix her."

It's very possible you have a field modified M3 right there, a significant amount of them of M3s (before the introduction of the M3A1) were field modified to different extents. Most notably a cutaway in the upper receiver and the installation a more traditional charging handle. it is also possible that the plates were lost during disassembly and replaced with the spring.

Sometimes things are beyond full repair. What you did is very commendable and admirable. Firearms are, after all, pieces of human history. Even as a museum piece what you did is extremely important.

I grew up in Luxembourg and I have seen tons of recovered guns. Guns that were dug up, guns found in barns, in drawers, attics, basements, pretty much anywhere you can imagine. We filled museums with them and 2 of my Garands and my Stg were well preserved barn/attic finds. From what I have seen, 99% of all the restoration vids are fake. Never seen guns that look like their stuff. The guns you show us however are spot on. I thoroughly enjoy all your work, fantastic channel, keep up the good work!

I’m amazed this was salvageable for ANY purpose. Turned out to be a pretty visually interesting piece in the end. Bravo!

I've heard something about these, the unusual spring in the back was used by soldiers to increase the rate of fire and was almost always added by the user.
A similar thing was done with sten guns.

The extra spring in the rear was added in the armory to increase the rate of fire. This just limited how far back the bolt could recoil which helped a little with felt recoil impulse, but increased the rate of fire quite a bit. Some people added rubber pads, and some used a 1.5 inch diameter spring cuttoff :)

you scared me so much dry-firing it, not because "hur durr bad" but rather because the metal is so weak, i almost expected the bolt to just come flying out the front because it broke off the entire barrel assembly lmao

This rusty piece of junk could still land you in prison in Hungary. My friend once dug up a WW2 PPSh submachine gun in an even worse state. He was reported to the police by some "good citizen", and he was paid a visit by SWAT. The court case dragged on for years, as the prosecutor did everything to convince the court that it was a fully operational automatic weapon, and the police brought in a so-called "forensic expert" who claimed the same. It took my friend a lot of money to find another gun expert to say the opposite, and call the court's attention to the fact that 80% of the "gun" was completely missing. For this reason he wasn't convicted for illegal possession of a firearm, but only a part of a firearm.

You got a little gun in your rust mate

This grease gun reminds me of a Lewis Gun a local dealer had displayed in his shop decades ago. It had been lost during a training exercise along the US coast in WWII. Years later someone spotted the remains in the sand. Only the front half of the gun was left and it was a complete mess. It eventually ended up in his shop as a ghostly reminder of WWII.

Said it the last time I watched one of your videos, and I’m saying it again. “I used to watch all of these restoration videos, and be enamored with just how talented some those people were at erasing years of neglect. Then I happened on your video where you detailed exactly what to look for in those that proved the persons posting restoration vids were completely fictitious. I was so disappointed, but extraordinarily grateful as well. I still am. Yours is the only restoration channel I still watch”

The US Marine Corps used the M3A1 well into the 1980's for armor crews. Excellent channel and video. Thank you!

Absolutely amazing work. How you even got the bolt out let alone made it operate is quite frankly a miracle. Great work.

That extra spring is a field added element. I can never remember where exactly the GI's sourced the spring, or how they figured it out, but it had the effect of boosting fire rate. Edit: I cannot believe how much progress you made on that. Once it became clear how damaged the receivers were I thought that bolt mechanism was done for, not for a wizard like you!

I appreciate you actually explaining what you are doing and why you are doing it, even some legit restoration videos leave me scratching my head as to wtf is actually going on

The way this looks, you'd think this is evidence they had automatic firearms back in the bronze age.

Impressive work! The fact that it even moves again is quite an achievement, let alone the trigger mechanism functioning.

Jeez. These are the youtube channels that need to be preserved. My man here isn't asking for subscribers or trying to entertain 9 year olds, he's educating us and doing a damn fine job of it. He's warning us of other channels that simply attempt to entertain, and he puts love into his work. Keep it up man!

It's appropriate that this is called a grease gun cause it looks like it was fried in it

I have found that the slowest, messiest, and definitely the smelliest method of removing rust is the most effective ! I use a solution of approximately 1 to 20 molasses in water. It may take repeated applications for a month or so, but I have found the results to be amazing. Great video, as always !

I actually thought this was another fake channel and wanted to see how obvious it was, I’m surprised and more entertained that this isn’t faked

I am very impressed. In the beggining I was sure the whole thing will just fall to pieces if cleaned and in the end you have a working trigger and bolt assembly. Just incredible, thank you very much for the video

I love that you not only say we can trust you're really working on a rusted piece but show us how you test to prove it was really rusted and not just faked.

I think it has some rust on it. I’m not sure though. You’re the expert here so I’ll let you decide

i think the missing part is the safety/ejection port cover

“Something is missing.” About 70% of the metal that should make up the gun. 😂
Was that found at the bottom of the ocean?

One of the best restoration channels. I hate those ones where it’s just some lame elevator music in the background while the restoration process is happening at 10x speed. I like that you give commentary and show the process in real time instead of sped up.

This was supposed be a cheap short term “throwaway” solution from almost 80 years ago in terrible condition. You did your best, well done nonetheless.

Thank you for making this content. I know you must have gone "Why am I even doing this?!?" on this lump of mostly-just-iron-oxide while struggling to get even simple things done. I still enjoy watching though, and hearing your train of though on the different challenges is a big part of the overall entertainment. Hope you wont shy away from having a go at "gonners" in the future.

A friend of mine likes to watch restoration videos and asked me the other day, “Didn’t you say most of these videos are fake?” I told him, “Yep, but if you want to watch the best restoration videos that are 100% real and explain how to do it, watch Backyard Ballistics! He’s awesome!”
Thank you man for never doing fake crap and for explaining everything you do in these!!! You’re amazing!!!

Appreciate your mention of fake rust. So many channels "aging" their "restorations" these days for clicks

Poor thing looked like it had been stored in a well. Good job making anything useful from the bones. Your usual thoughtful, well executed work.

"daddy what happened to that old M3 receiver"
"well, we took it out far into a special place on an Italian farm where old M3 receivers live in happiness"
*Meanwhile, at the M3 taxidermy lab...*

At least you get to see the inter workings of the gun.

7:15 "This is one of the few instances where barrel removal is required to take a gun apart, so needed to pull out the light saber from the shop to help me get this thing off"

There are other channels out there that would have knocked off the “years” of “rust” and have gotten this working. Why can’t you do similar miracles.😉

Thank you, world of tanks, for creating a chemical solution that could help refurbish this gun

These were manufactured in my hometown of Anderson, Indiana by Guide Lamp. My grandmother worked there during WWII

I imagine the history that came with that gun. What stories would it tell. I just found your channel today with this video and I’m already a fan.

It's truly remarkable that you were able to restore ANY mobility to that gun, let alone restore the full movement of the action. Well done.

Awesome restoration. Always enjoy watching these to relax at the end of the day. Keep it up.

One of my first thoughts just was: "is this real?" But then i saw that it's your channel, and i saw the pieces of the grip just crumbling away. Geez....

its fitting that the gun is able to rest in a museum now. insane that you were even able to save any of it

Modest AF about that weld lol it was pretty damn slick mate lol. This gun got the treatment it deserved for comforting some soldier somewhere at some shitty time.

AT first glance I thought this was just another fake "restoration" video.
Then I watched it. Faith restored.

Dude that thing looks like it came out from the earth's formation, its so rusted there's almost no gun left, thats wild!!

Love the videos man. I've seen so many absolutely obviously fake restoration channels and the viewers and algorithm eat them up. Its nice to see that people like you care about delivering real restoration content.

Considering where you started from. Good Job.

Your Restoration Videos are the Best. Your Narration is informativie and to the point.
I enjoy restoration videos, but only ones like yours - not the ones with only "scrubbing" sounds.

You mentioned your second channel, and I was able to finally find it on your Channels main page, but you might think about linking it in the description of your videos! Other than that, though, another fascinating restoration!

Heartbreaking to see an old gun left like that. Glad you could at least stop the process and get its parts moving again.

The only non hoax restoration channel

EDTA is very good for this application. I use it on antique swords to good effect. You can also form a hydrogel with it for applications where submersion isnt an option - I gel mine with Agar.
With very bulk corrosion like seen here, its appropriate to begin with mechanical methods - microblading, micro air abrasion, etc.

I love the fact that you decided to stabilize the gun so it can be put in a museum.

The fact that this could even be somewhat restored is insane! Great job!❤

Dude, I know it wasn't the prettiest but holy crap you actually restored some function to it! It doesn't even break when the bolt slams against the back of the barrel either! That's actually so cool! You did amazing! Whatever this restoration cost the client, they definitely got their moneys worth!

love watching these, especially knowing they're genuine

That would be a crazy apocalypse gun tho

You are a young man with knowledge and skills far beyond your years and the painstaking effort you put into every video - especially this one - astonishes me. Please keep producing content. Your channel is awesome! Thank you for sharing what you do.

It's like restoring a metal deep fried burrito!

Is it a very very VERY bad idea? Yes
Do I also want to see it fire off a single 9mm FMJ? Also yes

The fact you got it abstractly functional is the miracle here. Phenomenal!
I imagine this project burned a lot of "patience oil"

One of the few times it may have been easier to reproduce the gun than restore it.

I am so looking forward to your video of home made rust removal recipes on your second channel!
For the curious, that second channel is called Beyond Ballistics.

When I first went in the US ARMY M-60 Tank crews and combat engineers still used them in 84. I was on the new M-1 and we had 1911s and 1 M-16 in the turret.

I understand there could be copyright issues, but the Mission Impossible theme would be in order, in this case.

Really liked the video. It is amazing to see work done on a completlly lost cause. Would love to see more in future.

Even though it’s ugly and completely useless I love it and honestly kinda want it lmao.
Great video and great job!

You are a miracle worker Carlo! Such a pleasure to watch you figure out how to make this thing into something more than just trash. Watching you take it apart to really reminded me why they called it a grease gun. It looks exactly like one, especially with a stock off.

Hey, I use EDTA as well. Got that tip from my wife who is an art conservator. They fix old metal objects sometimes, I mean reeeeaallly old metal objects.

Wow, love your skills and determination. That rust removal is incredible 👏

Бог мой... Да, вот разница между профессионалом и всякими придурками, что только играются и делают вид, что они восстанавливают оружие. В их роликах каждая вторая пушка в таком состоянии, как здесь в начале видео. И ничего - спокойно "восстанавливают" до стреляющего состояния, используя кучу разной агрессивной химии или даже пескоструйный аппарат. Прямо по затвору и стволу. Тут же несчастный пистолет-пулемёт превращён безжалостным временем в действительно убитый экземпляр. Я рад, что у тебя получилось сделать хороший музейный экспонат, у которого даже затвор движется, а не просто кусок железа, отдалённо похожий по форме на М3. Это лучшее, что можно было с ним сделать, не производя нового оружия и не кривляясь, подсовывая в конце видео свой второй, работоспособный экземпляр этого ПП.

a super cheap but very slow way to remove rust is to use molasses mixed with water. it will damage cast iron if left too long, but is total benign for any kind of steel and works amazing

I'm amazed you got to restore it to a point where parts were actually moving again!

Another channel that does “restorations” would somehow have this running flawlessly by the end. How dare you not make fake content >:(

Rest in Peace M3

That was amazing! So much good stuff in this video. Can’t wait to learn about your parkerizing process. As for evaporust, I couldn’t live without it!

Honestly after the conditions of the gun. My jaw dropped that you could even cycle it. Well done!

Turning a KFC drum stick into a grilled peice of chicken

Sehr gut gefällt Mir nicht nur die technische Meisterleistung, sondern auch die Vernunft, deutlich zu machen, das dieser Gegenstand nicht mehr zu benutzen ist.
Wer so was täte, wäre völlig irre.

Love your videos. Cant believe you make things look so good

Seeing a new backyard ballistics video, it’s the always kept promise of having a great evening!

This video is EXCEEDINGLY SATISFYING. I am not a restorer of firearms but I am a restorer of motorcycles and rusted sheet metal, stamped metal, and metal tubing can be difficult to overcome. ELEMENTAL MAKER has created the best DIY SOLUTION, as you have discovered. Minor correction, in that Tetrasodium EDTA was used in his video BUT your use of Disodiium EDTA is also FANTASTIC. Something that restorers MUST UNDERSTAND is that all common acids will REMOVE GOOD METAL -- and that is supremely bad in restoration projects. EDTA and its commercial variant Evapo-Rust are a type of chemicals called CHELATORS that I have little understanding of. Thank you for bringing Chelation to the forefront of restoration work and helping bring these chemicals to light as accessible and affordable to RESTORATION ENTHUSIASTS!
Source: ruclips.net/video/f9kBdJQMPPI/видео.htmlsi=-I1GsxmZecHchBsF

I got my dad a transferable M3 for his 60th birthday. Despite being so simple it’s so much fun to shoot. He loves getting new shooters to try it out.

he literally has a stencil of a gun hows he restore that

From "what even is this thing underneath?" to "click - it´s working".
Awesome work !

Bro that's the 9mm SMG from new Vegas

Fun Fact: The M3 and M3A1 were so cheap that the US Military did not stock spare parts (other than extra magazines) or offer ordnance repair/support. These guns were disposable. If they broke they were discarded. This is the USA version of a STEN in terms of cheapness. Crazy thing is, US tankers were still issued these for Desert Storm in 1991!

is this for once not a fully fake restoration channel?

The spring is likely from a mattress believe it or not. I remember hearing stories about it awhile back. Apparently, if your M3 broke in that way and you couldn't find a replacement, it wasn't unheard of for soldiers to simply rip the springs from a mattress and stuff it into the gun.

Was this recovered off a ship wreck?
The fact you got it apart, let alone got it moving again, is absolutely incredible work.

all these videos are fake.. the rust is colored on LOL

6:48 and 18:00 looks like a cool weapon skin

I was expecting the gun to dissolve completely except the barrel, bolt and wirestock ... you did an amazing job saving what could be saved ...

Looks like an smg that cursed skeleton pirates would use