Designed in the mid-40s so British soldiers in Dr. Who episodes would have something iconic to shoot, the STEN (Sten gun) may be one of the most recognizable guns on the planet. “Garand Thumb” recently did a video about it. Scroll down and take a watch.
Sten Mk2
This particularly Sten gun was built from a parts kit by Foster Huntington (who sounds like an 18th-century British explorer) and suppressed with a silencer built by the same guy. History buffs and those with a militaria fetish or unnatural/sexual MILSURP fixation (looking at you, Bucky) will get a kick out of this. Note that this particularly STEN is a form 1 short-barrel weapon but is not select-fire (more’s the pity). These STEN mags were apparently purchased for this video., but we’re not sure where. We’ll ask him.
Here’s the video.
Check it out. Leave us a message about your favorite STEN gun movie appearance in the comments below.
Garand Thumb with a modernized version of the Sten gun.
Our favorite is prob’ly Farewell to the King, though to be accurate that was a Sten Mk III.
A Sten Mk III in the 1989 WWII film Farewell to the King, starring Nick Nolte.
So is that thing practical? No. Tactical? Well, arguably, though less so than many other weapons. Do we want one? For fuck’s sake, don’t be a dumbass. Of course we want one…which is why we may have either Bad Moon Armory (our favorite Kentucky gun store) or Brothers In Arms (our favorite gun store in Tulsa) build us one. Assuming we don’t just put it together ourselves.
Anyway. Since that earnest young Garand Thumb feller put in some hard work on his video, we’ll give you some links you can use to support him (these are affiliate links).
• Glock ALS Holster from this video https://amzn.to/2Q8wqLI
• ALS Holster QLS system https://amzn.to/2PhH6m3
A suppressed STEN gun with modern optics. Yes, please.
• ALS mid-ride https://amzn.to/2Ssn0XX
• Crye JPC https://amzn.to/2CFjKp6
• Patagonia Sweater from video https://amzn.to/2QANxVM
Read more on the STEN gun, or, if you’re more of a select fire big gun guy, check out our article about the Colt Monitor.
⚠️ Some hyperlinks in this article may contain affiliate links. If you use them to make a purchase, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s just one way to Back the Bang. #backthebang
Why do you hate Sig red dots, please?
There is a special tool that is available for loading STEN/MP 40 mags. (They are actually identical. The Brits were planning ahead so that partisans would be able to use captured German mags during WW II.) Very easy to load them with the tool that snaps onto the top rear of the mag where its lever can be used to press loaded stack of rounds down so that the next can be loaded.
https://www.brpguns.com/sten-mk4-magazine-loader-spoon-type/
I prefer the MK V. It has real Enfield rifle sights (not a welded on peep site with a metal blade on the front of the receiver) and a keyed barrel that always locks in the same way, allowing the front sight blade with wings assembly to be mounted on the barrel. The longer sight picture and better sights make the Mk V a tack driver to about 25 yards once you get used to the heavy bolt moving forward, stripping a round from the mag, chambering it and firing. It also requires some discipline as it is just too much fun to go on Rock and Roll, which trades the single shot “tack driver” accuracy for 6″ groups of up to 32 rounds at 25 yards.
It also incorporates a bolt handle that when the bolt is forward can be pressed to prevent accidental cocking. ( I don’t think that would work with the bolt used in the newer semi versions as the bolt handle sticks through the center of the bolt body, behind the fixed firing pin of the original design.)
It is the first version to offer a pistol grip as standard. The pistol grip makes pointing much easier as well as giving the option (when a “flat key” is used instead of the stock’s locking key to lock the recoil spring and its cup into the receiver) to carry the STEN as a stockless sub machine gun like an MP 40 with the mag sticking out of the side instead of the bottom.
The Mk V also uses a heavy wooden stock with steel hardware, which makes it very comfortable for cheek welds and much more steady on rock and roll, or single shots.
http://www.zib-militaria.de/epages/61431412.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61431412/Products/20170 is a good example, but the one I’ve fired didn’t have the fore grip.
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