MKII Sten Questions

[Ravenhook]

Whoa...a 72 round stenski...

[Mick]

No it's a stuomi not a stenski, a stenski is completely different, this is a stenski....

[Mick]

Finished pic...

[Ravenhook]

Thats very nice indeed.
As for the cutaway at the end of my stens barrel, I have since discovered that its a MK1 barrel and the cutaway is for the fitting of a flash elimiator, the barrels part number is BE9065...weird or what.
I was sent to this rather helpfull pdf...
http://www.prexis.com/sten/STEN%20PA...IFFERENCES.pdf

[phoenix]

Hi,
as I replied before, the barrel in your gun is most probably from a Mk3, not a Mk1.I have examined quite a few of these guns, many are ex Finish army and all were Mk3 barrels.
Here are the relevant pages from the excellent Collector Grade book on the Sten Gun by Peter Laidler, an ex army armourer and Techical assitant at the Small Arms Collection at Warminster.

[Mick]

It would seem to be a moot point whether the barrel was from a MkI or a MkIII as the barrels are the same.

[phoenix]

I beg to differ but the Mk1 and the Mk3 barrel are not the same.Mk1 barrels wre not used, as the gun and all associated parts were declared obsolete in 1947.
Peter Laidler for his book , undertook extensive investigation into this point.

[Mick]

I have asked Peter Laider for detailed photographs and measurements of a MkI and MkI* and he told me he would send them to me, but they have not been forthcoming despite his promises.
Just because a person writes a book and is proclaimed as THE expert does not mean that he is. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion the Peter Laider is full of it. Anyone can write a book.

Here is an original parts list picture with dimensions of a MkI barrel, the dimensions are the same as a MkIII. I have compared them.

The MkI, the MkI*, MKIII, were all fitted with the same barrels despite whatever number they were designated, not to mention more than a good few MkII's.

Note that the flash supressor assembly is not part of the barrel.

[Ravenhook]

Oh no, I didn't mean this to become heated...my barrel is indeed 0.55" in diameter which Laidlaws book says is the definitive proof of a MKIII barrel, but the I/D of the flash eliminator is also 0.55", a can of worms gentlemen...I can say however that this example of mine wasn't exported and is of the home grown variety....I have seen some Dutch and Finnish examples and they both had a small crown stamped on them, usualy well hidden but it was present.
I am not bothered if my MKII has a MKIII barrel, it shows how much service that it has had and if anything debunks the "what a load of rubbish the sten gun was" that went around for a few years compared to the MP40...until that was they did an open test between the two.
I cannot remove the barrel to check what if any numbers are stamped on it because of the deactivation regulations in the UK and thanks to the input from everyone here I can say that its not a fake because it may have a MKIII barrel and that this was a common proceedure....my old spec example fully field strips and dry fires which the new or current specification ones do not, it feels right in the hand and is in lovely condition.
On the flip side, the Blank firing one that I have feels totaly different, its actualy heavier and strangely colder to the touch far longer than the real one...odd.
Thank you for your help everyone and please, dont fall out over this, without both of your assistance I wouldn't have understood the engineering of this barrel type.
Thank You.

[Tommy Ilza]

Hello from Poland!

in our local museum there is a sten mk II with similiar barrel ( mk 3 type). It was sourced from military magazines in early 90`s.




It has serial numer FN 63519 - so it was made in Royal Ordnance Factory Fazakerley. It looks like war made stens but this barrel... I wonder this sten is 100% war made piece or post war modification?