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STEN Gun Mk1*
Does any one on the forum own a STEN Mk1* or have a photo of the front muzzle end? I am making a Mk1* Barrel Bushing for my Mk1 but I can't find a photo of the front of the gun. The only part I cant figure out is if there is a 35/64" hole all the way through (On the Mk1 barrel bushing, the flash hider cone fits inside this hole reducing the diameter to approx 3/8") or if its just the section that abutts the barrel. Also need to know if the section that the cone is welded to is machined off as part of the Mk1* manufacturing process or just left as is.
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So many q's, so little time............ We have a couple of them. Why don't you come over and take one apart. It LOOKS as though the BUSHING, barrel, front is the same on the Mk1* except that the worthless spoon billed muzzle depressor has been left off or cut off and made good
Next question.........
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Well Peter, I'll take you up on that offer. I'll be down with KG in the new year, i'll get lots of photos and I'll bring my measuring sticks. Can I also bring my 29 dated Enfield No.2 revolver, it needs a missing part.
On a side note, from a user point of view, which Mark of STEN do you personally find the best, obviously I've not had the pleasure of firing any marks but from a firing position and aesthetic point of view, I'd rank the Mk5 and then the Mk1 above the Mk2 and 3. I find the T stock too short and the loop stock too narrow in the shoulder.
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The Mk.5 is the Rolls Royce of Stens in my humble opinion. Peter??
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Being an ex paratrooper then I've got to let my heart rule my head and say that I agree with Brian. A Mk5 is as good as it gets. But with any of them, regardless of what you've got, you can only kill someone so dead
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2 Attachment(s)
I realize this is an older thread, but I thought perhaps a photo of my weekend gun show find would be of use to future sten enthusiasts. Not sure if it is real or a repro, because it is awful clean for a 70 year old artifact.
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It could well be original, the welding is tidier than on my own and the wording is in a different Type to mine too but all the copies I've seen are machined from solid whereas the originals are welded from sheet and have a weld down the inside of the cone. Does it have a weld seem down the inside top of the cone?
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...013/12/7-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...013/12/4-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...013/12/3-2.jpg
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It does have a seam along the inside beneath the word "TOP". Other markings include a 16 beneath the word TOP, and a tiny 9 below the sling swivel. The P in "TOP" is double struck, not unlike the T on yours. No sign of a broadarrow....should it have that mark?
I didn't know there were repros of the mk1 cone.....must not have been a high selling item I should think. Mk1 stens are a pretty rare bird, at least in this country.
The fellow I got it from at the show had no idea what it was for. Another vender told him it was a funnel for a loading press. I decided to risk the $15....even if it is a repro it is still something one does not find often.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...89d1db62-1.jpg
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If its got the weld then I'd say it's original and for $15 its a steal! I forgot to mention I've not seen a repro with the word TOP on it either. There are quite a few repro STEN Mk1s in the UK and I looked at quite a few being sold as original before I found my original gun. I'm just glad I took the time to research them before the right one came along. I think Peter mentions in his book that trying to return a Mk1* to Mk1 proved difficult due to the cone flash eliminator being a rolled cone and I guess that is why the repro's are machined from solid (And show all the cutter marks too).
Are you not tempted to build a replica Mk1? A Mk2 kit would provide about 80% of the parts and the rest is easy to fabricate/machine (Except the butt bracket as its a cast item).
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I am considering mocking up a mk1 from a mk2 kit. I may bug you for a few measurements if I do. Time and weather are both against me these days......I have not been out to the shop in a while. We have been getting highs of -20 so it takes a while for the wood furnace to get the shop to a workable temp.