Variants butt stock for STEN Mk II and STEN Mk III

[allweaponsww2]

Hello everyone! It is known that there were 2 main types of butt stocks for Mk 2 and Mk 3 - "skeleton" type and strut type. I have a question, were these variants produced in parallel? Is it true that Canadian STENs had only a "skeleton" type?

Thank!

Edited May 13, 2020 by allweaponsww2

[m3bobby]

So the butt STEN follows the following sequence (if I remember correctly).

 

Bar stock with wood inserts very early for Mk1

2 piece tube stock for Mk1 and Mk1*

T butt for early Mk2 and seen on the Mk3

Skeleton butt for late Mk2 and Mk3.

Wood butt for the Mk5 with plate steel or gun metal butt plate.

 

Interestingly, the abutment plate of the Mk1 2 piece stock was cast and these were later used on the T butt by grinding off the 2 mounting boss and welding the single tube to it. These are quite scarce if you find one.

 

Of course theres proper nomenclature for these butts but no one calls them by their numbers. And then theres the semi official or trial versions, the main thing is they are all interchangeable.

[johnsonlmg41]

Actually there are several stocks of the loop type. One holds a bayonet, one holds a cleaning rod, one is plain, one looks like the picture above with the vertical reinforcement. Some have sling loops, some do not. I'm not that well versed on T stock variations, but I'd guess there's a couple of those as well? HTH

[m3bobby]

For the loop stocks, they are the same nomenclature. The Canadian version has the loop ends welded to the abutment plate but on the Lines Brothers variant, the ends are welded together and then that join is welded to the plate. The re-inforcing bar version isnt common and was dispensed with as not required. After all the idea was to simplify not add more work. The cleaning rod variation again is just the addition of clips, more superfluous parts.

 

The T stock variations are massive because of the different manufacturers but they all conform to the same pattern. The only difference Ive really seen is the use of Mk1 abutment plates on Mk2 butts by Unique and Unity (U&U).

[2ndArmored]

Was the loop/skeleton stock an entirely Canadian production?

[m3bobby]

No, they were made by Lines Brothers in the UK but are slightly different to the Long Branch version. The LB of Long Branch and Lines Brothers really confuses things sometimes.

[Got Uzi]

Ill hahe to see what we have for my dads. Got a bunch of parts and there is a loop stock with the cleaning rod inside it. It would be interesting to see the loop stock with a bayonet inside

[Frank Iannamico]

Ill hahe to see what we have for my dads. Got a bunch of parts and there is a loop stock with the cleaning rod inside it. It would be interesting to see the loop stock with a bayonet inside

 

Here is a photo from the 1st edition of my Sten book with a bayonet in the stock. The stock came from IMA many years ago, advertised to secure a bayonet.

Peter Laidler told me that there was absolutely no Sten stock ever made to carry a bayonet. (?) The bayonet fit perfectly and was quite secure.

[Got Uzi]

Very interesting to say the least