Lanchester Machine Carbines

[quartermaster-1939-69]

I've recently been doing some research in to the production of Lanchesters so if you have any questions about them then I might be able to help, but can't guarantee it! 

[BillyDixon]

are these all deactivated guns in europe ? ive got a beat up one but at least i can shoot it , just sayn

[Rekraps]

On 10/17/2024 at 1:54 PM, quartermaster-1939-69 said:

I've recently been doing some research in to the production of Lanchesters so if you have any questions about them then I might be able to help, but can't guarantee it! 

My middle name is "I want it"...

[quartermaster-1939-69]

@BillyDixon , the UK yes, and we can own them and shoot them. A Lanchester will set you back about $1500, a 1928 Thompson about $1900 for one in good condition. How much are they where you are? Just askn. 

[StrangeRanger]

Lanchesters seem to be around $20,000-24,000.  Real ones don't come up all that often.  There are quite a few "Stenchesters" of late, built on a gunsmith-made registered Sten tube with a Lanchester parts kit.  Don't pay attention to what they sell for and don't much care

 

Edited October 18, 2024 by StrangeRanger

[quartermaster-1939-69]

How does it work in the states when they cut up the receivers and sell them as parts kits? Particularly with guns like the Sten. Can you just build a gun on a new tube and register it as a full auto? 
 

I’m guessing the guns that haven’t been previously chopped and put back together are the guns that demand a premium price? 

[StrangeRanger]

There are no new "transferable" SMGs under US laws.  Any newly built guns are restricted to dealers only

Import of MGs/SMGs ceased in '68 and domestic manufacture of transferables  ceased in '86.  A lot of builders cranked out and registered Sten tubes prior to the deadline and they have subsequently been converted into a variety of other guns besides Stens (e.g. the aforementioned "Stenchesters.")

Original intact guns demand a significant premium

[Frank I.]

Charlie Erb, a Class 2 MG manufacturer, used to build Stens up until the ban in 1986, using new receiver tubes and surplus parts kits. He sold them for $150.00 plus a $200.00 Federal Transfer tax. Today, with a fixed supply and growning demand, due in part to the internet, Sten "tube" guns are now $10,000.00 USD.

Before the internet, legal machine gun ownership in the U.S. was not widely known.  

ATF has allowed Sten tubes to be used for making a Sterling SMG or a Lanchester.  

[StrangeRanger]

Got a minor problem with my Lanchester.  The front sight will not stay put.  It keeps sliding to the right.  It's not loose in the dovetail. I can't push it back to center with my fingers, it requires a punch and a small hammer.  Common issue ?  Any ideas?

[Rekraps]

15 hours ago, StrangeRanger said:

Got a minor problem with my Lanchester.  The front sight will not stay put.  It keeps sliding to the right.  It's not loose in the dovetail. I can't push it back to center with my fingers, it requires a punch and a small hammer.  Common issue ?  Any ideas?

Locktite.

[StrangeRanger]

Loctite probably isn't the answer.  It works by filling in the very small spaces between the threads.  In the Lanchester front sight there are no spaces it is a dovetail but unlike conventional dovetails the male part (the sight itself) is slotted transversely and springs outward against the faces of the female dovetail seat (the sight base)

It takes a hammer to move it so it would seem to be secure but it has moved to the right twice for no apparent reason. I'm more curious about the cause than the cure

[Rekraps]

On 10/21/2024 at 3:59 PM, StrangeRanger said:

Loctite probably isn't the answer.  It works by filling in the very small spaces between the threads.  In the Lanchester front sight there are no spaces it is a dovetail but unlike conventional dovetails the male part (the sight itself) is slotted transversely and springs outward against the faces of the female dovetail seat (the sight base)

It takes a hammer to move it so it would seem to be secure but it has moved to the right twice for no apparent reason. I'm more curious about the cause than the cure

Try it. I used it for another application for a smooth pin that slowly moved over time and it did the trick. 

[BPinFL]

Peen some dimples in bottom of the female dovetail then tap sight back in.  Has worked for me in similar fitting situations.

[Rekraps]

On 10/18/2024 at 6:04 PM, quartermaster-1939-69 said:

@BillyDixon , the UK yes, and we can own them and shoot them. A Lanchester will set you back about $1500, a 1928 Thompson about $1900 for one in good condition. How much are they where you are? Just askn. 

Wait a minute. You can own and shoot a fully automatic Lanchester? I thought FA guns were outlawed in the Kingdom?

[quartermaster-1939-69]

Hopefully this answers the questions. Yes we can, but not as individuals. What it does mean however is that fully automatic weapons are limited to a very few so they’re quite cheap compared with say, a bolt action rifle that many people can own with a licence.