michel latouraille Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 Good morning all,This post is the first I post on this site. I therefore present my friendly greetings to your entire community.I wanted to associate myself with your reflection in order to present you a curious detail on a STEN.this one was parachuted to the maquis of the center of France and I do not know the reason for the present of this trace of machining on this weapon.Do any of you know what this is about? thanking you ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 one more picture ... Regards ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy artillery Posted March 18, 2022 Report Share Posted March 18, 2022 Welcome. Thanks for sharing the Sten pictures. I'm not sure of the reason for the specific machining. I considered that it may have been done to provide additional retention for the magwell (although the plunger is usually sufficient, it's always possible this particular weapon may have had some issue). Perhaps someone else may have more specific feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyDixon Posted March 19, 2022 Report Share Posted March 19, 2022 what are the markings that are stamped on the mag housing ? any other markings, knowing this helps identify, where is this weapon on display ? perhaps one of our members has seen it before , any chance this weapon is a under ground built item, i wonder about the loop stock as i thought the mk2 stens were mostly the stick stocks,, just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted March 20, 2022 Report Share Posted March 20, 2022 These three stens were found in France the middle one appears to have similar cuts on the top sideBarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyDixon Posted March 20, 2022 Report Share Posted March 20, 2022 the bolt handles look kinda long and the sheet metal trigger group cover looks kinda odd, are these possibly underground manufacture ?just wondering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 They sort of appear to be German to me? Utilizing a German bolt to relocate the magazine well to the bottom, in which case there is no hole to lock the housing in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 The German version (viz. 3008) had a different magazine well, among other notable differences (e.g. no barrel shroud, different front sight location, etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Yes, I own one, but there were many variations and methods of building them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 From what I understand, the first German copy was literally that - a duplicate of the British design. The 3008 came next. So it's either a clone or a substantively different version. Why would the Germans change just one part? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 If you're German and you captured a sten with one or no magazines all you had to do to utilize MP40 magazines is drill the bolt handle, rotate the bolt, redo the ejector, put a spacer in the front of the mag well and you have an MP3008. This is much faster than building one from scratch and could potentially be done in the field. That's how I would start to build MP3008's which really weren't "a thing" anyhow for the most part. Once you've rotated the magazine housing you'd be surprised how nice of a gun a sten becomes? No one makes guns at the end of the war from scratch if they don't have to?Or they just rotated the housing and continued to use sten mags? Either way it's a game changer for that gun. To the original question, the cuts may not be significant at all? Maybe to move the ejector or get rid of markings or ?Better pics get better answers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 Thank you for your abundant posts on this subject. I think we must reject the idea of an association between the use of this Sten and the charger of an MP3008. In fact, historically, the German "Sten" is practically never seen in France. The MP 40 was infinitely more common. Moreover, in the center of France, the fighting did not much oppose the Germans to the Resistance (except in 1944 when they left for Normandy) but rather the French Militiamen to the Resistance. In fact the mix of Franco-German weapons and accessories is not a prosperous track in my opinion.Does the idea of manufacturing machining persist? but why ?also possibility to rig an accessory? But which one? I'm looking to see if it's possible to raise the manufacturing plant thank you again for your helpMLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndArmored Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 The metal pigtail of the sling attaches to a hole in the barrel shroud. On a suppressed Sten, that shroud is absent. Could those cuts be there for the sling to thread through on a MkII(S)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyDixon Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 sten copys were made in small workshops in poland, denmark, italy and others, from a distance they all looked like stens but up clouse many differences,,with crude welding and hand made parts, where is this sten that you posted photo of and what markings are on it, just askin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 this sten comes from a farm in central France. No copy possible here, the originals are very numerous and are not worth much ... MLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted March 23, 2022 Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 Historically German stens are not generally found at all with so few made. There are several here in the US, and only a few Germans and a sub made it over here? LOLI bet stens were worth a LOT during the war? No way to make that run unless the bolt is modified and the ejector is moved. Maybe the magazine housing is just twisted down to make it hang on the wall better? And isn't actually functional? Better pics would end speculation/ guessing game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2022 "the magazine housing is just twisted down to make it hang on the wall better?" indeed, it is to fix it to the wall that the entrance to the housing magazine is turned downwards. however, the question remains as to the purpose of this very particular machining. good evening to all of us MLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 hi here are some more pictures of this curious Sten you can observe : n°, différents factory inscriptions if you've any idea about the original question : what is the purpose of this machining ? do not hesitate to communicate it ! regards MLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 a new one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 a new one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 letter "R" and war department arrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel latouraille Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 3 letters "MLL" Any idea about the factory ? Anyway, would you have a good book reference on the subject of the Sten? I am afraid there will not be one in Europe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 for codes The Broad Arrow MK 2 by SkennertonFor others book The Sten machine Carbine Both available in the EU, not necessarily cheap, but lots of info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinSten Posted April 1, 2022 Report Share Posted April 1, 2022 Thanks for sharing the Sten pictures from France!Need better pictures of that serial number but it appears to beFZ, which would make it a late production ROF Fazakerley assembled gun(most likely since Fazakerley assembled the most MKIIs).The B&T is a sub contractor mark and mostly likely stands for Broadhurst & Thompson. They only made magazine housings so maybe this was a sub contractor anomaly.Further research is needed, buAll this information came from the Peter Laidlers wonderful book The Sten Machine Carbine. Its expensive now. But it is an unequalled resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinSten Posted April 1, 2022 Report Share Posted April 1, 2022 Need to find the 3 to 4 digit production code (usually starts with a meter that numbers example S261)on that stock if there is one. Could be one about 20 different sub contractors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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