Unusual Sten Gun at the Argyll's Museum

I was over at Stirling Castle visiting the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders museum. While I was there I noticed something unusual. There was a display of a WWII Vickers gunner which also had a Sten MKII with a Compensator very similar to the Cutts compensator on the m1928 Thompson gun.

Anyone seen this kind of thing before? What on earth is it? Is it wartime or a postwar modification?

Any ideas?

I would have taken a photo, but the 'No photography' signs everywhere put paid to that idea.

I have tried contacting the museum since for more information or a photo, but have received no reply.

If anyone here visits the museum, or lives in the vicinity and could pop in, I'd be much obliged.

Regards
Joe

 

Was it not a top venting blank firer?

 

I was over at Stirling Castle visiting the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders museum. While I was there I noticed something unusual. There was a display of a WWII Vickers gunner which also had a Sten MKII with a Compensator very similar to the Cutts compensator on the m1928 Thompson gun.

Anyone seen this kind of thing before? What on earth is it? Is it wartime or a postwar modification?

Any ideas?

I would have taken a photo, but the 'No photography' signs everywhere put paid to that idea.

I have tried contacting the museum since for more information or a photo, but have received no reply.

If anyone here visits the museum, or lives in the vicinity and could pop in, I'd be much obliged.

Regards
Joe

Does it look anything like this? Just to give everyone an idea.

This Australian paratrooper with an Australian made Austen MK11.

 

Sten Mk1 and Mk4 both had a conical flash-hider,with the Mk1 version cut back to also act as a climb reducer.

Make a sketch of what you saw? Maybe we will recognise something.


Some museums actually have very limited firearms knowledge, so its always possible they either got some butchered specimen from a de-act dealer, or a non-standard Sten recovered by a unit on operations (there were about 20 sten copies worldwide) and subsequently donated to the museum.

 

One of the later models had a wooden handle under the barrel, also had sights at the end and was capable of receiving the spike bayonet.

Perhaps this is the confusion.

Regards
Tom

 

That is the Sten Mark V you are talking about Smudger.

Regards
TonyE

 

Nope, it looked like a perfectly normal Sten MkII but with something very similar to this on the muzzle (without the sight though):



Photo from here: THOMPSON PARTS - GUTTERRATT MACHINE GUN

 

The plot thickens.

Thanks for the model Tony, I could not think off the top of my head and did not have time to look it up.

Regards
Tom

 

Sten Mk1 and Mk4 both had a conical flash-hider,with the Mk1 version cut back to also act as a climb reducer.

Make a sketch of what you saw? Maybe we will recognise something.


Some museums actually have very limited firearms knowledge, so its always possible they either got some butchered specimen from a de-act dealer, or a non-standard Sten recovered by a unit on operations (there were about 20 sten copies worldwide) and subsequently donated to the museum.


Mk1

 

Compensator_-_US_Patent_2451514



1948 publication


Handbook of the Thompson Submachine Gun, Model of 1928, Model of 1921 - USA - 1929


Cutts - page 51

 

Well, I finally got a reply!

Here is what they wrote:


I have just had a chance to look into the case and examined the sten gun.

Mystery solved, it appears that during de-activication/making the weapon unusuable, rather than the methods employed today, those responsible for the process tried blocking the barrel amongst other methods. Rather than having any unsightly screw thread/blockage showing they added what looks like a supressor to the muzzle. I have attached some images where you can see what has happened. The end piece is not the same metal material as the rest of the gun and when you seperate it from the muzzle you can see it is not from the same period and it could not be attached in any way to the normal barrel.

Having never studied the sten gun in its various forms everyone working here probably took it for granted that the end piece belonged to the weapon. I suspect the cost involved in trying to correct this work without damaging the barrel and the difficulty of legally transporting a weapon of this nature to someone who could do it might prove a problem however it is something I will think about in the future. I am glad you asked about the object otherwise we would have been blissfully unaware of that there was something wrong with it.

 

hahahahaha... no wonder no-one could guess what it was.

What a botch job!

Why on earth didn't the gunsmith simply use a bit of solid bar for the barrel, with a slight counterbore to give the impression of a bore?

If they want the address of a decent Sect5 RFD who has cut hundreds of Stens, let me know.....

 

A nice result. At least we now know how the muzzle came about!

Regards
Tom

 

This isn't a bodge job as such, this STEN has been in civilian ownership and the owner has had a compensator fitted. It looks to have been a good job.