2ndArmored Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 How often does your sten fail to feed? "Failure to feed" includes stove-pipes, jams, failure to strip off a round, or anything else that prevents a bang when the trigger is pulled. I'm getting about 1 per magazine, regardless of which mag or what bullet weight I use. I know the sten was a hastily-constructed weapon of war, but I've got a 1919A4 that hasn't jammed since I got it a decade ago. I'm new to the Brit world of warfare, so I'm not sure what's to be expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksnest Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Mine runs like a Swiss watch! Mine is a C&R Longbranch. Who made yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I know the Canadian products are more reliable and better-made. Mine's a plain ol' Lines Bros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoscoeTurner Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 No issues with mine, shoots perfectly with factory or reloads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MG08 Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 If the gun is "original" it should run better than that. Hard to diagnose from your description but problems appear to be almost always magazine related. I have also seen "weak" ammo cause failure to clear the ejection port. I have had several STEN MKII and one MK V guns and as long as good mags and ammo was on hand, they run well. Happy to try to figure out the problem if you can get more details...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoscoeTurner Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Most of the Sten feed problems I have seen over the years have more to do with the shooter holding the magazine while shooting than most other causes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalbert Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Ammo plays into the scenario more than with other SMG's, in my opinion. Magazines are the first place to look, but if you're consistently seeing the issue with different mags, you may want to try different ammunition. Also, as Roscoe Turner stated, some failures are shooter induced, if you hold onto the magazine. David Albertdalbert@sturmgewehr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3bobby Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Being Lines Brothers it must be a MkIII so there shouldn't be a problem with the mag well drooping so that's one less thing to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 I was taught early on not hold the mag "like those idiots in Hollywood" (to quote a shooting buddy). I'll keep playing with ammo and mags and see if that improves things. Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Hi 2ndArmored, I've a bunch of Stens and they are all excellent runners. When shot in competition, I cocked the gun at the start of the day and lowered the bolt at the end of the match when I put it away. I work hard to never pull the trigger on an empty chamber. Tactical mag changes are much faster w/o messing with the bolt. In other words, they run 100% if set-up correctly. I agree with others that magazines must be of good quality and condition. Don't mess with trying to "fix" the 20 round mags (that were wire converted to single stack). Use good quality WW2 vintage mags. With that you should be good to go. I load them to 32 rounds. My guns will eat any ammo. I run handloads balanced for the guns. If you are careful you can load ammo that will run the gun w/o the bolt striking the back of the receiver. Very smooth that way. A bit of tuning and you should get a sweet running gun. Good luck. Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCity Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 I have had some problems also with my STEN. I was advised to try 124 grain ammo, but have not had the opportunity to do so yet. I do not hold it by the magazine, but tend to somewhat rotate the weapon so that the mag is slightly facing downward. Trying to break that habit. I do have 3 mags so that I can switch to a different one if I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 As expected, the consensus blames the magazines. Is there a more efficient way of determining which my sten will like besides buying armfulls of mags at my next gun show, then trying them all out at the range to see which ones work, then selling off the rest at the following gun show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3bobby Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 The obvious thing to do is firstly look for undamaged mags. Next you could do with some drill rounds and the little profile gauge that shows if the top round is seated in the lips and presented at the correct angle. I think the dimensions of the gauge are in the notes to Armourers if you have that and is a simple home made tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Again, thanks for all the advice. You'd be surprised (at least I am) by how many vendors don't want you putting ANYTHING into their magazines (lest it ruin their collector value??), so that option wasn't as actionable. But by tweaking both the offending magazines and my handloads, I was able to get 'er humming. :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoscoeTurner Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 It should not come as a surprise. When you have to deal with idiots who treat everything on a trade table like it was a $1.00 plastic toy it doesn't take long for vendors to start being careful.Again, thanks for all the advice. You'd be surprised (at least I am) by how many vendors don't want you putting ANYTHING into their magazines (lest it ruin their collector value??), so that option wasn't as actionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 It should not come as a surprise. When you have to deal with idiots who treat everything on a trade table like it was a $1.00 plastic toy it doesn't take long for vendors to start being careful.Again, thanks for all the advice. You'd be surprised (at least I am) by how many vendors don't want you putting ANYTHING into their magazines (lest it ruin their collector value??), so that option wasn't as actionable.Understood, hence my surprise. I pick up only things I'm interested in buying, so I have a vested interest in treating them properly. (Plus that archaic "Respect others' property" thing dad taught us.) I have no idea what the dozen guys before or after me do to the vendors merchandise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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