There was a Canadian version of the MkII produced at the Long Branch Arsenal in Long Branch, Ontario near Toronto this variant was nearly identical to the British-made version apart from having a “skeleton” style rather than strut type stock. As it was advised that the weapon be held not by the magazine, many Mk IIs were issued with an insulating lace-on leather sleeve guard to protect the shooters hand as the barrel and sleeve heated from rapid firing. The removable barrel extended about three inches past the barrel sleeve. It had a rougher finish than the earlier model, no flash eliminator and no folding handle at the grip. The latter remained the most common variant, with more than two million units produced. Today it is in the collection of the British Army's Infantry and Small Arms School Corps in Warminister, Wiltshire.Įven with the simplified Mk I, Enfield went a bit further with the Mk II. It should be noted too that the very first Mk I was produced by hand by Turpin. About 100,000 of these were made before the weapon was redesigned as a simplified Mk I, which removed the wooden furniture and flash hider as a way to expedite production. It featured a folding handle, conical flash hider, fine finish and wooden foregrip, while the barrel sleeve extended to the end of the flash hider. These men are armed with Mk V versions of the famous Sten Gun (Photo: Imperial War Museum/Public Domain) In fact, the original design or Mk I version that Shepherd and Turpin produced was quite different from what most gun enthusiasts would now envision when thinking of the STEN.Ī famous photo of British Paratroopers fighting in Oosterbeek near Arnhem in the Netherlands in late September 1944. For this reason later versions of the Sten Guns, notably the Mark V version, featured a forward hand grip.įew modern firearms, at least those that were truly mass produced, had gone through as many changes and updates as the Sten Gun. The designers intended the STEN be held more like a rifle with the off-hand forward of the extractor. In a side-loading weapon this could be a serious problem as dirt and other foreign matter could cause feed malfunctions.Īdditionally, while many photos – and of course movies – show soldiers holding the magazine, this could actually wear the magazine catch, and also cause a failure to feed. Unfortunately this presented a number of problems as the 9mm cartridges needed to be in a staggered arrangement. The magazine was a direct copy of the German MP-38 – with the idea that MP-38/40 magazines could be used in a pinch.
“The only real advantage is being able to take a lower prone firing position.” The German MP18/28 and later the Model 1935 Erma also utilized side-mounted magazines. The weapon has become iconic too for its side-mounted magazine, which wasn't actually revolutionary – far from it. Any small machine shop with no gunsmithing experience could make a STEN.”
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It gave the British Army the full auto weapons it so lacked.Simplicity of design and stamped construction were its main assets. “While crude and simply made, it certainly did the job it was intended for.
Says British collector and WWII reenactor Adrian Stevenson,
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