Description
TM 9-2200 Small Arms Materiel and Associated Equipment – October 1956
This U.S. military technical manual is TM 9-2200, Small Arms Materiel and Associated Equipment, dated October 9, 1956. It was jointly issued with Air Force Technical Order 11W3-1-5 as an illustrated reference covering small arms, infantry support weapons, mounts, training devices, and related equipment used by the Army and Air Force during the early Cold War.
Publication Details
This edition documents the military’s small-arms inventory after the Korean War and includes both proven World War II weapons and newer postwar equipment. Its organized entries provide a useful snapshot of the arms and support equipment serviced by military small-arms personnel in 1956.
- Army manual number: TM 9-2200
- Air Force technical order: TO 11W3-1-5
- Official title: Small Arms Materiel and Associated Equipment
- Publication date: October 9, 1956
- Technical information current to: June 15, 1956
- Issuing authorities: Departments of the Army and the Air Force
- Pagination: 115 numbered pages
- Format: Illustrated identification and technical-data reference
- Superseded edition: TM 9-2200 dated April 14, 1949
Publication History
The October 1956 edition replaced the April 14, 1949 issue of TM 9-2200. The revised manual added sighting equipment, newly standardized major items, and shipping data. It also updated ammunition and equipment information while removing references to obsolete major items. Joint publication as Air Force TO 11W3-1-5 made the same reference available to both Army and Air Force personnel.
Purpose and Contents
The manual was prepared for the basic training of Ordnance maintenance personnel and as a reference for other military branches and services. It compiles the main characteristics of firearms, machine guns, shotguns, infantry mortars, recoilless rifles, shoulder-fired launchers, and associated equipment. Individual entries may include photographs, dimensions, weights, operating features, ammunition types, performance data, shipping information, related equipment, and references to specialized publications.
Documented Applications
TM 9-2200 applies to weapons commonly handled by military small-arms repairmen and support personnel. Its coverage includes personal weapons, crew-served arms, infantry support weapons, aircraft guns, machine-gun mounts, bayonets, handcarts, training devices, sights, telescopes, and fire-control instruments. It is an identification and data guide rather than a complete maintenance manual for any single weapon.
Handgun Equipment History
The handgun section covers .22-caliber training pistols, .32- and .380-caliber automatic pistols, .38-caliber revolvers, and the .45-caliber M1911 and M1911A1 service pistols. Models include Colt and High Standard target pistols, Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, and the lightweight M13 revolver. These arms supported marksmanship training, personal defense, military police duties, aircrew use, and other specialized assignments.
Rifle and Carbine Equipment History
The manual documents the .30-caliber M1, M1A1, and M2 carbines along with the M1903A3, M1903A4 sniper rifle, M1 rifle, National Match M1, M1C sniper rifle, and M1D sniper rifle. It also covers .22-caliber training rifles and the M4 and M6 survival weapons. This mix shows how the military retained proven wartime rifles while supporting target training, sniping, aircrew survival, and general service roles.
Shotgun Equipment History
The shotgun section covers the 12-gage Stevens M520-30, Stevens M620A, and Winchester M1912 riot-type shotguns with 20-inch barrels. Military shotguns filled specialized roles in guard work, prisoner control, security operations, training, and close-range combat. Their continued listing in 1956 confirms that these commercial-pattern arms remained part of the military supply system after World War II.
Automatic-Weapon Equipment History
Automatic weapons include the Browning M1918A2 automatic rifle, Thompson M1928A1, M1, and M1A1 submachine guns, and M3 and M3A1 submachine guns. Machine-gun coverage includes the .30-caliber M1917A1, M1919A4, M1919A4E1, M1919A6, M37 tank gun, and AN-M2 aircraft guns. The .50-caliber section includes the AN-M2, AN-M3, Browning M2 heavy-barrel variants, and water-cooled M2. These weapons supported infantry, armored vehicles, aircraft, antiaircraft defense, and fixed defensive positions.
Mortar and Recoilless-Rifle Equipment History
The manual covers 60mm M2 and M19 mortars, the T18E6 mortar, 81mm M1 and M29 mortars, and the 4.2-inch M2 and M30 mortars with their associated mounts. Recoilless-rifle coverage includes the 57mm M18A1 and T15E16, 75mm M20, and 106mm M27 and M27A1. These weapons gave infantry units portable high-angle fire, antitank capability, and direct-fire support without the weight of conventional artillery pieces.
Launcher and Pyrotechnic Equipment History
Grenade-launcher coverage includes the M1, M7-series, and M8 designs, while the rocket-launcher section covers the 3.5-inch M20, M20B1, M20A1, and M20A1B1. The manual also identifies the M1A1 ground signal projector, M9 hand pyrotechnic projector, and AN-M8 pyrotechnic pistol with its M1 mount. These devices supported antitank defense, signaling, illumination, and communication in the field.
Aircraft-Weapon Equipment History
The aircraft-weapons section includes the 20mm M24A1, M39, T160E3, and T160E4 automatic guns, as well as the experimental .60-caliber T130E3. Their inclusion reflects the manual’s joint Army and Air Force role. These weapons belonged to the generation of automatic aircraft armament used as military aviation moved from World War II piston aircraft to faster postwar jet designs.
Associated and Training Equipment History
Associated equipment includes .30- and .50-caliber machine-gun mounts, ammunition and water chests, link-loading equipment, repositioning machines, bayonets, knives, scabbards, and handcarts. Training equipment includes M3 and M4 machine-gun trainers, M28 and M31 subcaliber mortars, the M7 subcaliber rifle, and the T12E1 training cartridge system. These items helped military units transport, mount, supply, maintain, and train with their assigned weapons.
Sighting and Fire-Control Equipment History
The 1956 revision added a dedicated section for sights and fire-control equipment. Covered items include the M1917 machine-gun clinometer, M18 reflex sight, M4 and M6 sights, M27 and M27A1 sight units, M73B1, M81, M82, and M84 telescopes, aiming posts, and related mounts. This section shows that accurate weapon employment depended on a coordinated group of optical, mechanical, and aiming components.
History of Use
Many weapons in this manual had served during World War II and the Korean War before remaining in active, reserve, training, vehicle, and security roles. Newer postwar weapons were included beside older designs that remained useful and widely supported. The manual therefore records an important transition period when the services maintained large wartime inventories while adopting new weapons, mounts, optics, and training systems.
Ideal For
This detailed joint-service reference is well suited to collections and research focused on American small arms and support equipment from World War II through the early Cold War.
- World War II, Korean War, and Cold War firearm collectors
- U.S. Army and Air Force technical-manual collectors
- Military historians and small-arms researchers
- Museums, archives, and reference libraries
- Gunsmiths and military-weapon restoration specialists
- Collectors of sights, mounts, bayonets, and weapon accessories
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .25", Approx weight .5lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
Please visit our page about order lead times here: Order Lead Times.