When they installed a bomber cannon on an M1 Garand, the Japanese nicknamed them “monster weapons”.

The trigger was rudimentary but functional. The stock was more complex. The M1 Garand rifle’s stock was designed to fit the Garand’s receiver. The A&M M2’s receiver had a completely different shape. The rear of the machine gun’s receiver featured a buffer tube. This tube housed the recoil spring and protruded several centimeters behind the main body of the weapon.

Little took a spare Garand stock and began to cut it. He removed the front section and hollowed out the rear to accommodate the buffer tube. The work required precision. If the stock was too loose, the weapon would be unstable; if it was too tight, it would crack under the recoil. Little worked six hours on the first stock.

He used hand tools, files, chisels, and sandpaper. Once the work was finished, the stock slid onto the buffer tube with minimal play. He drilled the holes for the mounting bolts and secured the stock to the receiver. The weapon was now equipped with a shoulder rest, but it still lacked sights and a bipod. The BAR’s bipod was easier to install. It attached to a bracket designed for this purpose on the barrel shroud.

Little fabricated a 6.35 mm thick steel adapter plate. This plate allowed the bar bipod to be fitted to the ANM2’s barrel. He welded the adapter in place and tested the bipod’s deployment. It worked. The weapon could now be used in the prone position. The rear sight presented another problem. The ANM2 was equipped with rudimentary sights designed for aircraft use.

These sights were unsuitable for ground combat. BAR sights were considered, but the BAR’s rear sight had its lateral adjustment wheel on the right. However, the ANM M2’s receiver configuration required this wheel to be on the left. M2 heavy machine gun sights were found in the spare parts inventory. These sights had a left-side lateral adjustment.

He modified the sight mount to fit the A&M2’s receiver and attached it to the top plate with screws. The final modification concerned the ammunition feed system. The A&M2 was designed to be belt-fed from aircraft ammunition stores. Marines could not carry loose ammunition belts into combat, so Little fabricated a 100-round sheet-metal ammunition box.