Sten MK IITypePlace of originUnited KingdomService historyIn service1941–1960s (United Kingdom)Used bySeeWarsProduction historyDesignerMajor Reginald V. ShepherdHarold J. TurpinDesigned1940ManufacturerROF Theale(plus numerous sub-contractors making individual parts)Various underground resistance group factoriesProduced1941– (version dependent)No. built3.7–4.6 million (all variants, depending on source)VariantsMk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VIUnit Cost $10 or £2.3 in 1942 (equivalent to $154 or £106 in 2018)SpecificationsMass3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)Length762 mm (30.0 in)length196 mm (7.7 in),version dependent; 500–600 round/min365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) (suppressed models)Effective firing range100 mFeed system32-round detachableSightsfixed peep rear, post frontThe STEN (or Sten gun) was a family of British chambered in and used extensively by forces throughout and the. They had a simple design and very low production cost, so they were also effective for resistance groups.STEN is an, from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for.Over four million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s.
Contents.History The Sten emerged while Britain was engaged in the, facing invasion by Germany. The army was forced to replace weapons lost during the evacuation from while expanding at the same time.
Prior to 1941 (and even later) the British were purchasing all the they could from the United States, but these did not meet demand. American entry into the war at the end of 1941 placed an even bigger demand on the facilities making Thompsons. In order to rapidly equip a sufficient fighting force to counter the Axis threat, the, was commissioned to produce an alternative.The credited designers were Major R.
Shepherd, Inspector of Armaments in the Design Department at The, (later Assistant Chief Superintendent at the Armaments Design Department) and Mr. Harold John Turpin, Senior of the Design Department of the (RSAF), Enfield. Shepherd had been recalled to service after having retired and spending some time at the Birmingham Small Arms Company.The Sten shared design features, such as its side-mounted magazine configuration, with the 's, which was a copy of the German. In terms of manufacture, the Lanchester was entirely different, being made of high-quality materials with pre-war fit and finish, in stark contrast to the Sten's austere execution. The Lanchester and Sten magazines were even interchangeable (though the Lanchester's magazine was longer with a 50-round capacity, compared to the Sten's 32-round capacity).The Sten used simple stamped metal components and minor welding, which required minimal machining and manufacturing. Much of the production could be performed by small workshops, with the firearms assembled at the Enfield site.
Over the period of manufacture the Sten design was further simplified: the most basic model, the Mark III, could be produced from five man-hours of work. Some of the cheapest versions were made from only 47 different parts. It was distinctive for its bare appearance (just a pipe with a metal loop for a stock), and its horizontal magazine.
The Mark I was a more finely finished weapon with a wooden foregrip and handle; later versions were generally more spartan, although the final version, the Mark V, which was produced after the threat of invasion had died down, was produced to a higher standard.The Sten has been described by Max Hastings as: 'highly unreliable, prone to jamming, and inaccurate beyond 30 metres. It was unsuitable for guerrilla operations in open country because it encouraged waste of ammunition. But it was easy and cheap to produce, a gun was said to cost fifteen shillings (three quarters of a pound), and was supplied to the (French) Resistance in huge quantities'.The Sten underwent various design improvements over the course of the war.
For example, the Mark 4 cocking handle and corresponding hole drilled in the receiver were created to lock the bolt in the closed position to reduce the likelihood of accidental discharges inherent in the design. Most changes to the production process were more subtle, designed to give greater ease of manufacture and increased reliability. Build quality ranged from quite good (Canadian production) to poor (early British production.) Sten guns of late 1942 and beyond were, in general, highly effective weapons, though complaints of accidental discharge continued throughout the war.The Sten was replaced by the from 1953 and was gradually withdrawn from British service in the 1960s. The other Commonwealth nations made or adopted their own replacements.Design The Sten was a submachine gun firing from an with a fixed firing pin on the face of the bolt. This means the bolt remains to the rear when the weapon is cocked, and on pulling the trigger the bolt moves forward under spring pressure, stripping the round from the magazine, chambering it and firing the weapon all in the same movement. There is no breech locking mechanism, the rearward movement of the bolt caused by the recoil impulse is arrested only by the mainspring and the bolt's inertia. The basic operating principles were similar to those of the German, Russian, US and numerous other designs.
These shared similar attributes and faults; they were simple and cheap to manufacture, and put an automatic weapon into the hands of soldiers, greatly increasing the short-range firepower of the infantry, especially when the main infantry weapon was a capable of only around 15 rounds per minute and not suited for short-range combat. However, the open-bolt firing mechanism, short barrel, and use of pistol ammunition severely restricted accuracy, with an effective range of around 100m.Stoppages could occur for a variety of reasons: some as a result of poor maintenance, while others were particular to the Sten.
Carbon buildup on the face of the breech or debris in the bolt raceway could cause a failure to fire, while a dirty chamber could cause a failure to feed. Firing the Sten by grasping the magazine with the supporting hand tended to wear the magazine catch, altering the angle of feed and causing a failure to feed – the correct method of holding the weapon was as with a rifle, the left hand cradling the fore piece, as per the picture of firing one below.Additional problems stemmed from the Sten's magazine, which was a direct copy of the one used in the German MP-38, originally in order to facilitate the use of German 9 mm magazines. Unfortunately, this decision necessarily incorporated the Erma magazine's faults in the process. The magazine had two columns of 9 mm cartridges in a staggered arrangement, merging at the top to form a single column. While other staggered magazines, such as the Thompson, fed from both the left and right side alternately (double-column, double feed), the Sten magazine, like the MP38, required the cartridges to gradually merge at the top of the magazine to form a single column (double column, single feed).
As a consequence, any dirt or foreign matter in this taper area could cause feed. Additionally, the walls of the magazine lip had to endure the full stresses of the rounds being pushed in by the spring.
This, along with rough handling could result in deformation of the magazine lips (which required a precise 8° feed angle to operate), resulting in misfeeding and a failure to fire.Modern 9 mm magazines, such as those used by the, are curved and feed both sides to avoid this problem. If a Sten failed to feed due to jammed cartridges in the magazine, standard practice to clear it was as follows: remove magazine from Sten, tap the base of the magazine against the knee, re-insert magazine in Sten, then recocking the weapon and firing again as normal. To facilitate easier loading when attempting to push the cartridges down to insert the next one, a magazine filler tool was developed and formed part of the weapon's kit.The slot on the side of the body where the cocking knob ran was also a target of criticism, as the long opening could allow foreign objects to enter. On the other hand, a beneficial side-effect of the Sten's design was that it would fire without any lubrication. This proved useful in desert environments such as the, where lubricating oil retained dust and sand.The open bolt design combined with cheap manufacture and rudimentary safety devices also meant the weapon was prone to accidental discharges, which proved hazardous. A simple safety could be engaged while the bolt was in the rearwards (cocked) position.
However, if a Sten with a loaded magazine, with the bolt in the closed position, was dropped or the butt was knocked against the ground, the bolt could move far enough rearward to pick up a round (but not far enough to be engaged by the trigger mechanism) and the spring pressure could be enough to chamber and fire the round. The Mk 4 cocking handle was designed to prevent this by enabling the bolt to be locked in its forward position, thereby immobilising it.
Wear and manufacturing tolerances could render these safety devices ineffective.Variants Sten guns were produced in several basic marks (though the Mk I saw limited service, and the Mk IV was never issued), and nearly half of the total produced were Mark II versions. Approximately 4.5 million Stens were produced during the second world war.Mark I The first ever Mk I Sten gun (number 'T-40/1' indicating its originator Harold Turpin, the year 1940 and the serial number '1') was handmade by Turpin at the Philco Radio works at, during December 1940/January 1941. This particular weapon is held by the historical weapons collection of the 's Infantry and in,.The first model had a conical and fine finish. It had a wooden foregrip and forward handle (sometimes this was made of steel), as well for a section of the stock. The stock was a small tube outline, rather like the Mark II Canadian.
One unique feature was that the front pistol grip could be rotated forward to make the firearm easier to stow. The barrel sleeve extended all the way to the end, where it met the flash hider. Along the top of the tube surrounding the barrel was a line of small holes and its sights were configured somewhat differently. About 100,000 were made before production switched to the Mark II.
Sten Mk I's in German possession were designated MP 748(e), the 'e' standing for englisch.Mark I. This was the first simplification of the Mk I. The foregrip, the wooden furniture and the flash hider were removed for production expediency. Mark II The Mark II was the most common variant, with two million units produced. It was a much rougher weapon than the Mk I. The flash eliminator and the folding handle (the grip) of the Mk I were omitted.
A removable barrel was now provided which projected 3 inches (76 mm) beyond the barrel sleeve. Also, a special catch allowed the magazine to be slid partly out of the magazine housing and the housing rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise (from the operator's perspective), together covering the ejection opening and allowing the weapon and magazine both to lie flat on its side. With a Sten Mk II in on 13 June 1941.The barrel sleeve was shorter and rather than having small holes on the top, it had three sets of three holes equally spaced on the shroud.
To allow a soldier to hold a Sten by the hot barrel sleeve with the supporting hand, an insulating lace-on leather sleeve guard was sometimes issued. Sten Mk II's in German possession were designated MP 749(e), the 'e' signifying 'englisch'.
Some Mk IIs were fitted with a wooden stock as this part was desirable and interchangeable with the Mk V. Also, the uses the receiver and components from the Sten Mk II.Regular Mark II:. Overall length: 762 mm (30.0 in).
Barrel length: 197 mm (7.8 in). Weight: 3.2 kg (7.1 lb)Mark II (Canadian) During a version of the Sten gun was produced at the Long Branch Arsenal in now part of.
This was very similar to the regular Mark II, with a different stock ('skeleton' type instead of strut type) and improved quality of manufacture. It was first used in combat in the in 1942.The Mark II is made in China with a copy known as the M38. British paratroopers in during armed with the Sten Mk V.Introduced in 1944, the Mk V was essentially a better-quality, more elaborate version of the Mk 2.
Changes included a wooden pistol grip, a vertical wooden fore grip, a wooden stock, and a bayonet mount. There was a No4 Lee–Enfield foresight and the weapon was of better quality manufacture and finish than the Mk2 and Mk3. The Sten issued to paratroopers held seven full magazines.Another variant of the Mk V had a swivel stock and rear sight mirror intended for firing around corners in urban warfare, similar to the developed by the Germans for the.Mark VI See suppressed models. Overall length: 908 mm (35.7 in). Barrel length: 198 mm (7.8 in). Weight: 4.5 kg (9.9 lb)Suppressed models.
Sten Mk VIS Mk IIS and Mk VI models incorporated an integral ('silencer') and had a lower muzzle velocity than the others due to a ported barrel intended to reduce velocity to below the speed of sound; 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s). The suppressor heated up rapidly when the weapon was fired, and a canvas cover was laced around the suppressor for some protection for the firer's supporting hand. Mk IIS The Mk IIS was, as the name suggests, a suppressed version of the Mk II.
Captured examples of the Sten Mk IIS in German service were designated MP 751(e).Mk VI The Mk VI (or '6') was a suppressed version of the Mk V. The Mk VI was the heaviest version due to the added weight of the suppressor, as well as using a wooden pistol grip and wooden stock.The suppressed models were produced at the request of the (SOE) for use on clandestine operations in occupied Europe, starting with the Mk IIS in 1943. Owing to their tendency to overheat, they were fired in short bursts or single shots.In addition to its use in the European Theatre, the Mk IIS saw service with clandestine units in the Southwest Pacific Area such as the and SOE's on operations against Imperial Japanese forces. The Sten Mk IIS was used by the party during their raid into Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour.The Sten Mk IIS also saw service with the Australian Special Air Service (SAS) in Vietnam.Experimental models Mark II (wooden butt model) This was a standard Sten Mk.II submachine gun with a wooden butt attached in place of the wireframe steel butt used with Mk.IIs. This wooden butt model was never put into service; it is likely that this was due to the cost of producing it.Mark II (Rosciszewski model) This was a Sten Mk.II modified by Antoni Rosciszewski of Small Arms Ltd. The magazine was mechanically operated by the breech block movement. The trigger was split into two sections, with the upper part of the trigger offering full-auto fire and a lower part offering single shots.
It was very complex in design and never fielded.Mark II (pistol grip model) This was a Sten Mk.II with a wireframe pistol grip, intended for use with paratroopers. It was compact but predictably uncomfortable to fire.Model T42 This was a Sten Mk.II modified with a 5-inch barrel and folding stock, as well as a conventional pistol grip and redesigned trigger guard. It was dubbed the 'T42' in prototype phases, but never entered service.Mark III (wooden model) This was a Sten Mk.III with a 'Lanchester' type wooden body and butt, and bayonet fittings. Sling swivels were also added.
It never entered service due to the costs associated with producing it. Mark III (wooden model II) This was a Sten Mk.III entirely encased in a wooden body, with the only external metal parts being the trigger, barrel, magazine and cocking handle. The trigger and pistol grip were in line with the magazine. The reasons for its creation are likely an experiment into increasing the comfort and handling of the weapon in freezing temperatures.Mark IV The was a smaller version which did not progress beyond the prototype stage. It was near pistol-sized and it had a different configuration with a conical flash hider, a rear pistol grip, a very light stock and a much shorter barrel.Rofsten Developed at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Fazakerley (ROF), the Rofsten was an odd Sten prototype with a redesigned magazine feed, ergonomic pistol grip, selector switch and cocking system. The weapon was cocked by pulling the small ring above the stock. A large flash eliminator was fixed onto the barrel, and a No.5 bayonet could be fixed.
It was made to a very high quality standard and had an increased rate of fire (around 900 rounds per minute).The Rofsten was made in 1944 as a single prototype and ROF wanted to submit it to trials the next year. Despite better quality there were numerous reliability problems due to the much higher rate of fire. The budget cuts prevented the modifications and this version never got beyond the prototype stage.Foreign-built variants and post 1945 derivatives Argentine Sten. MP 3008 copyLate in the war Germany was seeking a cheap version of the machine pistol for the. For that purpose a modified Sten was designed by and named the. The main difference was the magazine attached below the weapon. Altogether, roughly 10,000 were produced in early 1945, just before the end of.
Austen Mk I The Mark I Austen (from ' Australian Sten') was a 9mm Australian submachine gun derived from the British Sten gun developed during the by the. It externally resembled the Sten but had twin pistol grips and folding stock resembling those of the German. A Mk 2 version was also produced which was of different appearance and which made more use of die-cast components. 20,000 Austens were made during the war and the Austen was replaced by the in the 1960s. Imperia submachine gun After the Second World War the Belgian Army was mainly equipped with a mixture of British and American submachine guns.
The army, wanting to replace them with a modern and preferably native design, tested various designs with the and licence-produced being selected. However, the Imperia was an improved Sten with a fire selector and retractable stock.Sputter Gun A short-lived American invention developed in the 1980s, the was designed to circumvent that defined a as something that fired multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger. The Sputter Gun had no trigger, but fired continuously after loading and the pulling back of its bolt, firing until it ran out of ammunition. The gun was very short lived as the quickly reclassified it.Halcon ML-57 The was a simpler derivative of the Sten gun of Argentine origin that was fed from a vertically inserted magazine.International Ordnance MP2 During the 1970s-1980s, International Ordnance of San Antonio, Texas, United States released the MP2 machine pistol.
It was intended as a more compact, simpler derivative of the British Sten gun to be used in urban guerrilla actions, to be manufactured cheaply and/or in less-than-well-equipped workshops and distributed to 'friendly' undercover forces. Much like the pistol of World War II, it could be discarded during an escape with no substantial loss for the force's arsenal. The MP2 is a blowback-operated weapon that fires from an open bolt with an extremely high rate of fire.Cellini Dunn SM-9 The is a machine pistol of Guatemalan origin and manufactured by Cellini-Dunn IMG, Military Research Corp and Wildfire Munitions as the SM-90. It is blowback operated, firing from an open bolt and can use magazines from Ingram submachine guns inserted into a similar foregrip that can be rotated 45 and 90 degrees for left/right handed operators. The layout of the receiver is somewhat simpler than that of a Sten with its internal components light in weight enabling a very high rate of fire of 1200rpm. Its forward pistol grip can hold a spare magazine as well as handling the weapon when firing.Pleter 91 The was created in 1991 when the breakup of in the midst of emerging war left the newly formed Republic of Croatia with small number of military firearms. Since the prevented the Croatian military from legally buying them on open market (so they were mostly obtained on the world black market, but with significantly higher price and sometimes of questionable quality), to fulfill the immediate need for arms, they tried to resort on quick and simple locally made designs.Despite having a vertical magazine well (designed to accept 32-round double-feed direct copy of magazine, rather than original single-feed Sten-type magazine), analogies with the Sten include a striking resemblance in the barrel assembly and in the bolt and recoil spring.
In addition, this gun also fires from an open bolt, and is further simplified by removing fire mode selector or any safety.SaskSten SMG International in Canada manufactured reproductions of the Sten in six variants. They made copies of the Sten's Mk 1., Mk II and Mk III, a 'New Zealand Sten' (a Mk II/III Sten hybrid, with sights and a fixed magazine housing similar to the Mk III), then branched out into 'hypothetical' Sten-guns with a 'Rotary Magazine Sten' (a Mk II Sten with a drum magazine attached below the weapon and wooden horizontal forward grip on the left side of the weapon) and the 'FRT Gun' (a long barrel Sten with a wooden or Mk 1. type butt stock, a drum magazine attached below the weapon and sliding ramp rear sights).
These last two being obviously not Sten reproductions, especially if they included a drum magazine. The 'Rotary Magazine Sten' is a vertically fed Sten which uses a modified Sten bolt, which can use either PPSh drum magazines or stick magazines. The FRT gun is essentially a Suomi that uses a Sten trigger mechanism. All SaskSten guns fire from an open bolt. Service The Sten, especially the Mark II, tended to attract affection and loathing in equal measure.
Its peculiar appearance when compared to other firearms of the era, combined with sometimes questionable reliability made it unpopular with some front-line troops. It gained nicknames such as 'Plumber's Nightmare', 'Plumber's Abortion', or 'Stench Gun'. The Sten's advantage was its ease of mass-production manufacture in a time of shortage during a major conflict.Made by a variety of manufacturers, often with subcontracted parts, some early Sten guns were made poorly and/or not made to specification, and could malfunction in operation, sometimes in combat. The double-column, single-feed magazine copied from the German MP28 was never completely satisfactory, and hasty manufacturing processes often exacerbated misfeed problems inherent in the design. A common statement heard from British forces at the time was that the Sten was made 'by out of Woolworth.'
British and Commonwealth forces in the early years of the war often extensively test-fired their weapons in training to weed out bad examples; a last-minute issue of newly manufactured Stens prior to going into action was not always welcomed. The MK II and MK III Stens were regarded by many soldiers as very temperamental, and could if dropped or even laid on the ground whilst the gun was cocked. Others would fire full-automatic when placed on 'single', or fire single shots when placed on 'automatic'. This was particularly true of early Stens using bolts, where the sear projection underneath the bolt could wear down more easily than ones made of steel.Stens could jam at inopportune moments. One of the more notable instances of this was the assassination of - on 27 May 1942, when a Czechoslovak soldier – Warrant Officer – fired his Sten point blank at Heydrich, only to have it misfire. His comrade then hastily tossed a grenade, which mortally wounded Heydrich. There are other accounts of the Sten's unreliability, some of them true, some exaggerated and some which are.
France manufactured (well-made) Sten copies postwar into the early 1950s, evidently believing in the basic reliability and durability of the design.A well-maintained (and properly-functioning) Sten gun was a devastating close-range weapon for sections previously armed only with bolt-action rifles. In addition to regular British and Commonwealth military service, Stens were air-dropped in quantity to fighters and partisans throughout occupied Europe. Due to their slim profile and ease of disassembly/reassembly, they were good for concealment. Wrapping the barrel in wet rags would delay undesirable overheating of the barrel. Guerrilla fighters in Europe became adept at repairing, modifying and eventually scratch-building clones of the Sten (over 2,000 Stens and about 500 of the similar were manufactured in occupied Poland). Staged photograph: A armed with Sten Mk II SMG, France, 1944.Canadian infantry battalions in northwest Europe retained spare Sten guns for special missions and the Canadian Army reported a surplus of the weapons in 1944.The Sten saw use even after the economic crunch of, replacing the Royal Navy's submachine guns into the 1960s, and was used in the, including specialist versions for.
It was slowly withdrawn from British Army service in the 1960s and replaced by the; Canada also phased out Sten, replacing it with the.The Sten was one of the few weapons that the could produce domestically during the. Even before the declaration of the State of Israel, the had been producing Stens for the; after the declaration, Israel continued making Stens for use. The opposing side also used (mostly British-made) Stens, particularly the irregular and semi-regular.In the 1950s came into use in the for weapons—Stens were then known as L50 (Mk II), L51 (Mk III) and L52 (Mk V).One of the last times the Sten was used in combat during British service was with the during the of 1956–1962. In foreign service, the Sten was used in combat at least as recently as the.In 1971 various marks of Stens were used by guerilla fighters during the.A number of Stens were in limited use by the US during the, including c. 1971, by the.In 1984, Indian prime minister was by two of her bodyguards, of whom fired the entire magazine (30 bullets) of his Sten at point-blank range of which 27 hit her.In the and the, both nationalists and communists used the Sten. Some Stens were converted by the communists to 7.62×25mm by using the magazine housing from a to accept curved PPS magazines.
British, Canadian, and Chinese Stens were seen in the hands of the communists during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.The acquired moderate numbers of Stens in the late 1950s, mainly Mk. III versions. Refurbishment at the Arsenal included of the arms. Stens in Finnish service saw limited usage by conscripts (notably ) and were mostly stockpiled for use in a future mobilization.During the movement in 1994 some Zapatista soldiers were armed with Sten guns.: Used by the Albanian National Liberation Army during WW2. The weapons were supplied by the British SOE.: Modelo C.4. Locally produced during WW2.
Locally produced during WW2.: had 10 Stens in 1963.: praised the Canadian Sten Gun in his 1958 interview with.: Used by Czechoslovak troops for; the assassination of. The gun jammed and failed to fire.: Used by the Danish resistance movements like. Locally produced.:76 115 MK 2s and 3s bought in 1957–1958, used until replaced by assault rifles.: Used during WW2 by the forces, the and some captured from the Resistance were used by the pro-German. Still used after WW2.: Used in the and the. (captured).:.
(Used by the regular police paramilitary GSU, army paratroopers replaced by G3A3/4, M4 and HK416). (Used by the and the -sponsored irregular during the.: Used by and in 1950s to 1970s.: still in service in 2006.: Used some captured Stens during WW2, under the designations MP 748 (e) for the Mark I to MP 751 (e) for the Mark V. From late 1944, they produced an almost identical copy for home defence: the.: Used by the Norwegian resistance, 1940–1945. The guns came to the resistance groups by air (supply drops). Used by the Army after the war. Used by the Recognized Guerrilla Units during. Used by and main resistance army in occupied Poland – the (Home Army).
Majority of resistance's Stens was dropped to Poland in SOE's supply drops, but part of Polish Stens was produced in occupied country. Polish engineers also designed their own Sten version –. After war used by many anti-communist partisans groups –.: known as m/43.: The purchased 168 guns in 1950.: Suppressed Stens used during Vietnam War (used by American special forces).: and.: used by the. Also used after the war.Non-state groups. The and. The and. – Gallery.