21 replies to this topic

[NFA amnesty]

Not the best photos from my iPhone 5 but wanted to share some quick photos of my STEN.  Received the Original Bayonet from APEX as a Christmas Gift!

 

APEX still have some original Bayonets with different markings for anyone interested in purchasing an original vs reproduction.  These are hard to come by!!  Richard what is the back story on how you found these?

 

My STEN came with a T-Stock with matching patina, but the  Loop fits me better and still looks good in my opinion.  

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•  1.JPG   151.72K   41 downloads
•  2.JPG   167.02K   40 downloads
•  3.JPG   125.79K   42 downloads
•  4.JPG   131.81K   46 downloads
•  5.JPG   109.49K   45 downloads

Edited by NFA amnesty, 25 December 2020 - 03:47 PM.

[BillyDixon]

is the sten a tube gun oa a c&r ? just wondering

[NFA amnesty]

The real deal C&R British.  Wondering if someone was carrying it on Christmas Day during WW2?

[APEXgunparts]

That is a nice early STEN gun!
I really like the markings on the mag housing and the early cocking handle.

Some years ago APEX had the opportunity to purchase a whole lotta STEN's for kits.
Because we bought them all we also had the opportunity to buy these STEN bayonets.
We had a gent who actually knew something about them come down to sort them out.
He was also friendly with author Graham Priest, who basically wrote what is known about the STEN bayonets:
https://www.amazon.c...h/dp/0954549201

 

Those 2 exchanged images and info concerning these bayonets.
Prior to this the biggest lot of them had entered the collectors market during the 1960's thru a surplus store in Canada.
We have a very talented friend who visit's from South Africa, he owns "Hire Arms" http://hirearms.co.za/
He is a long time collector and was amazed to have more than one of these bayonets in his hands.
They just don't exist anymore in Great Britain or South Africa.

Richard

 

[NFA amnesty]

Thanks Richard.  Love that bayonet, and with so many fakes on the market, awesome to acquire a real one from your shop.  Now I need to take a trip of our local BLM area and test out the sten.

 

Appreciate the background on the bayonets and Merry Christmas.  

[michaelkih]

Nice Sten.  I have one of those bayonets as well and bought it from Apex years ago.  Thanks for bringing them in.

 

Mike

[NFA amnesty]

Nice Sten.  I have one of those bayonets as well and bought it from Apex years ago.  Thanks for bringing them in.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike.  Someone had a youtube video of a STEN and Bayonet which inspired me to find my own C&R gun.  Can't recall who put that video together but would like to thank them.  

[m3bobby]

It would appear the mag well was originally intended for a STEN Mk1 before being used on a Mk2.

Have a look for a manufacturer code on the other side of the housing.

[NFA amnesty]

It would appear the mag well was originally intended for a STEN Mk1 before being used on a Mk2.

Have a look for a manufacturer code on the other side of the housing.

You are correct and the form 4 lists Mk1 but of course it is a Mk2.  I will take a picture and post regarding otherside of the mag well. 

 

Also the 4 numbers on the barrel match the mag well serial number (Last 4 numbers) which of course is listed on my Form 4.  I did a search on this site and believe you informed another STEN owner that the serial number was placed on barrel in order to keep them mated and the serial number should be at the 12 o'clock position as it was zeroed in from factory if I understood that correctly. 

 

Any info you can provide about my STEN based on these markings would be most appreciated M3bobby.

Attached Files

•  Sten Mag well.JPG   111.7K   17 downloads

Edited by NFA amnesty, 29 December 2020 - 10:58 PM.

[NFA amnesty]

More photos:

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•  Sten 1.JPG   75K   12 downloads
•  Sten 2.JPG   98.08K   15 downloads
•  Sten 7.JPG   77.33K   16 downloads
•  Sten 3.JPG   57.54K   12 downloads
•  Sten 4.JPG   55.82K   12 downloads
•  Sten 5.JPG   155.65K   10 downloads
•  Sten 6.JPG   152.59K   10 downloads

Edited by NFA amnesty, 29 December 2020 - 10:45 PM.

[APEXgunparts]

Lots of markings indicating the "feeder" factories that supplied parts.
Skennerton has a book that lists them all.
I have run across MARK 5 barrels with serial numbers, and Mark 2 barrels with an alignment line indicating the top of the barrel.
I think your STEN is quite early.

Richard

[m3bobby]

Thats an interesting gun, S&S is the early marking for Spear and Sons which changed to S106 when contractor codes were introduced. Obviously this housing has both so was likely made before the switch but didnt leave the factory until after. Perhaps they werent aware the code was an attempt to disguise the manufacturer and therefore rendered useless by the S&S logo. In fact it would have the opposite effect as any half intelligent enemy would now know that S106 was S&S!!

So what you have is the magazine housing from an Enfield Assembled gun on a body assembled by Fazakerly. Obviously the 2 didnt start life together and Id say the Enfield mag housing is earlier at 1941/2. The Faz body is most likely mid 1942 as it has a screw on trigger cover. It looks to have Canadian markings on the mag housing so that part at least was in their ownership. The Faz body didnt stay in British hands for long as hasnt been upgraded with the Mk5 cocking handle slot (or at least I should say it doesnt appear to have been). That would suggest that the gun may have been liberated from service before the Mk5 handle was introduced.

By 1942 Longbranch were in full swing with the Sten so I guess they wouldnt need British Stens to be supplied. Im completely surmising here but I wonder if a Canadian Armourer has scrapped 2 Stens, built whats left into one gun and taken it home. Then at some point its ended up over the border.

All I can say for sure is that the serial is from Enfield but the body is Faz. If theres no Mk5 handle safety hole its pre 1942. The barrel looks like a replacement which is understandable and the serial was applied much later.

This is a really interesting gun and more interesting than the run of the mill Stens you come across.

Do you know any history? Is there anything in the reg docs?

[NFA amnesty]

Thanks M3bobby for all the info on my STEN and it appears to be an "interesting weapon"..  There is no safety hole on my STEN.  After loading up the picture of the mag well, I also noticed the broad arrows.  I was curious if this might have been a resistance weapon which might help explain the lack of upgrades, but with the Canadian markings, highly doubt it now.   I have no history on my STEN, wish it could talk.  

 

I will file a FOIA on it and might get some limited info that way.

 

How do the welds look to you on the STEN?  I assume they do not look factory from Britain.   Also wondering when Longbranch was starting up, did they use any parts supplied from Britain to put together early weapons for training purposes regarding assembly?

 

Guess we can speculate all day but will never know.  I do like your hypothesis on an Armourer putting this together and just liberating the weapon! 

[m3bobby]

The welds are very British and nothing like Longbranch. The tube/body/receiver are very typically Faz welding. An Enfield body is welded a little different to any other assembler and has very shallow tabs on the trigger plates where its welded to the tube. A Longbranch would have 3 spot welds in this area.

[WinSten]

Very interesting C&R Sten. Here is a few pictures of mine for comparison.
I believe it to be an Enfield assembled gun.

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•  3E15BBCC-FA21-493B-920E-27861ECD6E24.jpeg   109.68K   12 downloads
•  3685787B-E6CB-4991-9C79-1E9A1632CA5A.jpeg   163.77K   14 downloads
•  4E5E9161-A0DA-45E0-BFA2-73B3CB059883.jpeg   83.09K   15 downloads
•  325265AB-C741-44F4-898C-5AF80AB839C3.jpeg   88.33K   15 downloads

[WinSten]

A few more.

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•  0797510A-C440-436A-A8D4-D94AC5EE7458.jpeg   174.57K   10 downloads
•  24F16D3B-2828-4770-8340-47107912404F.jpeg   125.16K   12 downloads
•  652AFB7F-1CDE-406E-B3A2-EEC5F938E8BE.jpeg   107.12K   12 downloads

[m3bobby]

Hi, I can tell you its not an Enfield assembled gun. I suspect its another Faz assembled gun but the odd thing is the magazine well. The markings dont look original and the lack of manufacturer markings is very unusual. The serial number isnt in a format I recognise other than on post war Belgian made guns.

I have a suspicion that this Sten may have been refurbished by the Indians in the 1950s/60s but dont know how it would have ended up in the USA.

[WinSten]

Thanks for the response M3bobby. I think your theory is quite interesting, wish these old guns could talk.
The magazine well has always puzzled me on this Sten.
its shiny finish is not one i have seen on any other
Sten. Also the the letters look almost hand stamped
Ive read somewhere that the England stamp is possibly from a 60s era import by interarms but Ive been unable to confirm this.

[WinSten]

Thanks for the response M3bobby. I think your theory is quite interesting, wish these old guns could talk.
The magazine well has always puzzled me on this Sten.
its shiny finish is not one i have seen on any other
Sten. Also the the letters look almost hand stamped
Ive read somewhere that the England stamp is possibly from a 60s era import by interarms but Ive been unable to confirm this.

[Barry]

I thought the stens that were exported were marked ENGLAND
Most of the ones Ive seen were dewats
Barry