Sterling Mk4/L2A3 trigger en bloc

[Vincent]

Am I understanding the markings correctly, “S57” indicates the en bloc was made by Sterling in 1957 and the axis pins, “F57” were made in the same year at Fazakerley?

This is the first one I’ve come across with an “S—“ marking. All the others I’ve seen didn’t have it. I wonder how the pins found their way into the en bloc.

Information

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[Woodsy]

It looks to me like the housing is Sterling and the innards are all Fazackerly. Sterling sears are bright finished. The sear in the picture appears to be investment cast.

[Peter Laidler]

Vince............ I've said it a zillion times before and I'll say it a zillion times before the end of January. When we Armourers from across the world rebuilt Sterling guns as complete units or a sub assemblies of trigger mechs, butts, breech blocks or bodies, we used parts that had cone from the phosphating plant and in-inspection bay. It didn't matter to us one jot. NZ guns, Malayan Army guns or anywhere there were pooled Ordnance stocks had mixed stores stocks.

[Vincent]

Thanks, Peter. I thought it might be rebuilt. I wasn’t sure about the phosphated pins because I was under the impression they were replaced by Armourers with stainless steel pins.

How did you Armourers mend badly bent trigger guards? I have a few that are really badly bent.

[tankhunter]

Thanks, Peter. I thought it might be rebuilt. I wasn’t sure about the phosphated pins because I was under the impression they were replaced by Armourers with stainless steel pins.

How did you Armourers mend badly bent trigger guards? I have a few that are really badly bent.

If Badly bent, you drifted out the front retaining pin, & unhooked the rear & removed the guard. Re profiled it over a wooded screwdriver handle, or some other softish medium. Then bent it by HAND till it fitted the trig mech housing correctly. You ALWAYS bent it a LITTLE bit more outwards, than was needed. So when you fitted it back in, you had to push back SLIGHTLY on the guard. For the front end to go in it's respective slot in the trig mech housing. This kept the guard under a slight tension, As you reinserted the front cross pin. & prevented it from 'Rattling' about, loosely. VERY Simple job!..............

And Peter will confirm, they did bend VERY easily, when knocked against a firm surface on exercise/manoeuvres/whatever!....

[Peter Laidler]

We were always repairing trigger guards. The only time we replaced with new was when there was too much wobble left and right caused by a knackered or worn out front and - usually the stepped part at the rear of the retaining pin hole at the front

[Vincent]

Re profiled it over a wooded screwdriver handle, or some other softish medium.

That’s very helpful. I would not have thought of using something softish. Thank you.

I will try fixing the wobbly ones with a little weld to build the worn away areas back.

I also have some bent butts. Do you have an Armourers technique for straightening them?

Sterling parts are getting harder to find here and we are scraping the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. Some of the parts I received are fire damaged, still full of ash and all the springs are collapsed.

[Peter Laidler]

The butt main frame was always difficult to straighten properly. In fact I don't ever recall attempting to fix a buckled one because, so I'm told, they were double ended - in that the frame had to operate and lock properly at the folded and opened position and if you dollied it straight, it might be STRAIGHT but if, in doing so, extended the length of one leg over the other (heat and hammering) it'd upset the alignment geometry. Nope......, never straightened the main frame as I recall. For a long time there were no complete butt assemblies so it was always a case of demanding parts to repair or build up the one that was damaged

[Brian Dick]

A lot of these repairs are in the EMERs I have available. I thought you got a set from me Vince? I can't remember though.

[Vincent]

Brian, I did get a set of EMERs from you. They have been very useful and I am very happy with them. My reason for asking these questions is to see if the people with experience, the Armourers or anyone else, have any methods or techniques they have used that might differ from the book and be more practical. The EMERs really are a great resource. People with a lifetime of experience often have additional information that’s not in any book.