Brass Bolt

[Robert Henley]

Are there any advantages or disadvantages to a brass bolt?:

 

http://www.gunbroker.com/Item/685214727

 

Robert

[warren]

It was an early attempt by the British during WW II in die casting.

The sear and trip points quickly wore.

[johnsonlmg41]

I think the only advantage would be if you store your sten in an aquarium for safe keeping. Then I would prefer the supposedly "rare" bronze bolt that are for sale everywhere.

[Grasshopper]

Hi Robert,

 

No real reason to get one. At one time they were hard to find and collectors kind of liked them as they were rare and well lets face it, folks like to collect stuff.

 

Then in the early 2000's a bunch of Sten Mk 3 kits came in and while not advertised as such, many came with the rare bronze bolt. I know as I got one bronze bolt out of every 3 or 4 kits I ordered. It seems a bigger stash may have been found since then.

 

I don't know of any practical reason for having a bronze bolt other than to have something different. It certainly will not wear as well as the steel bolt.

 

Enjoy,

 

Grasshopper

Edited August 22, 2017 by Grasshopper

[MG08]

Pretty much what Grasshopper said. I have a several MK II kits in the shop somewhere with bronze ( not brass) bolts. I guess they were easier to make at the time, perhaps non-sparking ? If that would be an issue. I seem to remember there was some other technical reason but I am too lazy to go look at my STEN book. Bronze was surely easier to machine in small shops that hard to get steel in the UK during early WWII. I built half a dozen STENS back in the old days as a class II, and it was truly amazing how crappy you could make one and get it to work. I know some guys who literally screwed them together with machine screws on old ( rusty) muffler pipe of the wrong dia and shot them.

[2ndArmored]

Like Thompson SMG parts kits, supply tends to ebb & flow. I did an internet search and couldn't find any for sale from the major suppliers. Numrich advertised bolts, but didn't state what the material was. Some appeared to be bronze. It might be worth a call. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/

 

Certainly bronze will wear out faster than steel, but when? After 50 rounds? 5,000? 500,000? I bought a parts kit (yes, another one) about 5 years ago that came with a bronze bolt - the firing pin was gone, subsequently drilled out and replaced with a steel pin by a prior owner.

 

Do you want it for a competition gun? Just as a backup? A collector's piece? An investment? Just because? (a reason which needs no explanation).

 

My MkII has a bronze bolt and though I've put only a few hundred rounds through it (because it only comes out once a year, part of an annual WWII shoot that we do), it's never caused any problems. It's gotten rained on and mudded and dirty as hell but kept running. And if I don't get around to cleaning it for a week, I know it won't get rusted.

 

To paraphrase my dad, would you rather have the bolt or the $100?

Edited August 30, 2017 by 2ndArmored

[geefal]

Got one

 

To paraphrase my dad, would you rather have the bolt or the $100?

 

I got one I would gladly trade for someone's $100 bill

[2ndArmored]

The bolt's currently on its 5th relisting. It looks like no one's willing to trade it for $100.