Volume 1 Small Arms Training Pamphlet No 22 Sten Machine Carbine 1942, I have not got all of this just paragraphs that I have in my old notes from 1971, but I confess, my memory is still of locking back. These notes were not instructional notes the weapon was obsolete but the trials unit had a variety of weapons and I fired it on a few occasions. I shall have to contact an old armourer pal and see what official mods were issued. There is another point I cannot figure out, many times over the years I have read of a 'runaway' Sten. how does this happen? If dropped and the weapon does discharge why would it runaway, there is no trigger pressure so the sear would engage and keep the block back. An ode to the Sten By Gunner SN Teed You wicked piece of wicked tin call you a gun? Don't make me grin You're just a bloated piece of pipe you couldn't hit a hunk of tripe But when you're with me in the night I'll tell you pal you're just alright Each day I wipe you free of dirt You're dratted corners tear my shirt I cuss at you and call you names You're more trouble than all my dames But boy I love to hear you yammer when you're spitting lead in a business manner. You conceited piece of salvage junk I think this prowess talk is bunk yet if I want a wall of lead Thrown at some Jerry's head it is to you I raise my hat you're a damned good pal You silly Gat!
Argh! A lesson in not how to handle one. Look where he has his hand at 5 seconds until told to move it. we were told not to bang the end of the mag but to wiggle it to make sure it secure. Also he has no clue where the magazine relaese button is. I can remember all that & I not seen one for over 20 years Hoo hum. [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCzX6_BniuA&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
The first picture on this thread was Stirling 9 mm which we first had in the Army January 1957 and it was a dream compared with the Sten Gun. The Sten did not have a safety catch and if you dropped a loaded Sten or jumped around with it then it would go off on its own. Even on the battlefield I would never put a magazine on the gun till the last moment for fear of it going off. The Sten gun was not a accurate weapon and all you could do was to hose an area down with it. The Stirling on the other hand was fairly good up two hundred yards
The Australian F1 SMG was also based on the Stirling, however the magazines was on top (ala Owen Gun) with an SLR butt. We used the forward sling mount to stop hands covering the barrel and as per the photos had to lean into the gun.
Argh! [YOUTUBE]nCzX6_BniuA[/YOUTUBE] Argh indeed. If this is Gott I'd hate to see what the Teufel looks like!
Just seen this old Pathe film of the manufacture & testing of Sterlings. Lots of mag banging & holding by the people who make them. NEW STERLING GUN - British Pathe
Just seen this old Pathe film of the manufacture & testing of Sterlings. Lots of mag banging & holding by the people who make them. NEW STERLING GUN - British Pathe Fab stuff, I like the Freeze demo (looks like Ice anyway). Have we got a dedicated Pathe clips thread? If not, why not? So much bloody marvellous stuff comes from there. Will add it to the links anyway, should have done ages ago.
There has bee previous threads on the Patchett SMG and it's use at Arnhem. I did some digging on this at the Archives and came across the attached agreement between Sterling and Patchett. It would appear that the post war Sterling was based on Patchett's design. Patchett subsequently successfully sued for arrears of royalties that he was owed by Sterling on the sale of their guns. John
F1 submachine gun (Australia) The F1 submachine. Characteristics Caliber: 9x19mm Luger/Para Weight: 3.26 kg unloaded Length: 715 mm Barrel length: 203 mm Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute Magazine capacity: 34 rounds Effective range: 100-200 meters The F1 submachine gun has been designed at the Australian Lithgow Small Arms Factory by 1962. Originally known as X-3 prototype, it appeared in 1962 as possible replacement for obsolete and aging Owen submachine guns. It was adopted as F1 by mid-sixties, and served well until late eighties, when it was officially replaced by the 5.56mm F88 assault rifle, a license-made version of Steyr AUG. F1 was simple, reliable and popular weapon. F1 submachine gun is blowback operated, selective fired weapon which fires from open bolt. It uses tubular receiver with top-mounted magazine. Cocking handle is set at the left side of weapon, and does not reciprocate when gun is fired. Its slot is covered by sliding dust cover. Weapon is made in so-called in-line layout, and the front of the buttstock slides over the rear of the receiver, and is fixed there by special catch. For disassembly, gun is unloaded, then catch is pressed and buttstock pulled off the receiver toward the rear; then, bolt and return spring are removed. Sights are of fixed type, and due to top-mounted magazine are offset to the left. Rear sight is made folding for more comfortable carry. Unlike many other submachine guns, F1 can be fitted with standard rifle bayonet, which is attached to the right of the perforated barrel jacket.
HI Dave55, The SMLE and its spin offs and derivates as I found when using it in the Army Cadet Force (ACF), prior to 1970 was in my opinion a good weapon, robust and accurate. The STEN on the other hand, as my father told me was cheap and dangerous to user and close friends, never mind the enemy. It was simple and cheap to produce in vast numbers and easy to use. The SMG, we were never allowed to call it the Sterling, was a bit safer, but could still cock and fire itself when dropped onto a reasonably hard surface, entertaining as long as you are not too close. The great thing about this weapon is that it folded up quite small, great for AFV crews and REME fitters. Turn the safety catch of an SLR to fire, hold at arms length by the muzzle and drop on the floor, the mechanical noise you will hear is the hammer being released. The German MP had all the faults of the STEN and was, in fact, even more dangerous than the later marks of STEN with the hole in the left of the reciever wall into which the end of the cocking handle could be locked. On the other hand it looked better and, as Terry Pratchet points out, style counts for a lot. It's also worth remembering that the Germans copied the Sten towards the war's end, they were desperate by then, just as we were in 1940.
