Magwell/magazine Fit

[kck8385]

How much front/back movement should there be when the mag is in the magwell.

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin

[froster]

I think everyone will find that the mags are a fairly loose fit but hardly ever enough to cause any problems. It seems the condition of the feed lips is more important and if you want and are handy you can make a tool tapered on three sides and flat on the other to restore flattened stops on the sides of the bodies. It is similar to a chisel and you just tap it into the stop with a hammer if the stop is flat. The stops keep the mag from going in too far. You may also try to temper the followers or case harden them to keep them from getting gouged by the bolt feed rails.

Another thing to do is remove your mag catch and make sure it is smooth so it doesn't scratch the soft sides of the mag.

You should consider trying Sterling mags to see if they will work in a Sten and save a lot of loading hassle.

Does this help?

[axenige]

There is a lot of play in the housing, every Sten I've owned over the years has this problem. I think this was down to the tolerances on the manufacturing of parts. I've always found that Lines Brothers magazine seem to best the best, as they are well constructed and finished with machined faces on the feed lips. I've dealt a lot in the past with re-enactors and most people I know that have feed stoppages problems are those who hold the magazine during firing, just like in WWII movies.