While the British Army arrived in England relatively intact, they lost most of their weapons in France.
The solution to this existential crisis was the Sten gun.
The Sten was ultimately produced in six different Marks encompassing seven different major variants.
Simple to build, the Sten gun could arm British troops at a fraction of the cost of a Thompson SMG.
The gun weighed a bit more than 7 lbs.
Sights were fixed and steel, both front and rear.
Five million copies were made at nine different production facilities.
An estimated 5,000,000 Sten guns were produced before the end of World War II.
Sten SMG Details
The different Marks of the Sten gun were generally driven by their relative austerity.
All of the buttstocks were readily removeable.
The simplest Sten machine gun stock was a ghastly tubular steel affair that was both uncomfortable and ungainly.
The Sten T-stock was crude, unrefined and extremely effective.
The improved version consisted of a loop of pressed steel welded into a stock shape.
Mk IIS and Mk VIS Sten submachine guns incorporated sound suppressors.
These guns were intended for use by clandestine operatives and were breathtakingly advanced for their era.
The pressed steel loop stock used on some Stens is markedly more comfortable thanthe T-sort.
All Sten Marks were selective fire via a simple pushbutton on the fire control housing.
The guns sole safety consisted of a slot cut into the receiver to secure the bolt to the rear.
The gun was plagued by accidental discharges throughout its lengthy service as a result.
The Sten Mk II broke down readily into four major subassemblies. This rendered the gun compact and concealable.
On the other Marks the operator could screw off the shroud and easily remove the barrel.
The Mk II Sten breaks down easily into four major components.
An experienced operator could have a disassembled Sten in operation in under thirty seconds.
The magwell on most Sten Marks rotates to the vertical position for storage or transport.
How Does She Run?
The Sten has been widely denigrated for its lack of mechanical couth, but this is really unfair.
The Sten itself is actually a superb combat tool.
The Mk IIS sound suppressed Sten was lightyears ahead of its wartime competition.
The Stens magazine, however, is simply garbage.
This extra constriction makes the magazine more susceptible to fouling in dirty environments.
Most Sten stoppages can be traced to its rancid magazine.
The side-mounted magazine is an acquired taste, but this geometry allows easy operation from the prone.
It also means that the gun does not have to fight gravity to feed its ammunition stack.
The Sten is a naturally pointable firearm.
In the hands of a determined and disciplined operator the Sten was undeniably effective.
Final Thoughts on the Sten Submachine Gun
The Sten was a stopgap.
