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Afternoon all,
Though I would post some pics of my L2A3, shes ex NZ as many appear to be on the UK market.
Old spec deactivated in 1989 by Charnwood Ordnance, they used to do a very sympathetic deactivation as a company, this one is no different an has been done with great care.
I bought her a few years ago in a rather sorry cosmetic condition and resorted her for my collection.
WOW!!!! That looks awesome! :thup::thup::clap::clap:
Cheers Vincent, always had a soft spot for the trusty old SMG and glad I got her when I did.
If I remember correctly, Ordnance made available the steel sling loop from the rear of the return spring cap. They were a two part item, ready shaped to fit with a male and female end that joined together externally. Then the the other ends slipped in the opening of the return spring cap. The M&F parts were brazed together, made good and sent through the phosphate plant. We also used these replacement sling loops on the Navy Lanchesters that came through the workshop
Lots of other casing bits that weren't usually available as spare parts were available to us including finger guards and foresight protectors. Great little guns - the Rolls Royce of SMG's.
As a matter of interest......... Now you know that I'm going to go off at a tangent..... Before he perfected the sharp chiselled helical ribs on the breech block, George Patchett inserted captive ball bearings in places radially around the front and rear of the (believed to be ex Lanchester) breech blocks he was experimenting with. This was initially to reduce the friction of the reciprocating breech block. It was moderately successful in that it did indeed reduce the reciprocating friction but GENERATED friction in the recesses that housed the rotating(?) balls. What finally ended this small trial was that the reciprocating balls wore grooves along the inside walls of the casing where they ran. To be honest, and sorry to say it George, you'd thought he'd have foreseen that!
Thanks Peter. I always learn something when you go off at a tangent.
I came across one of those replacement sling loops when I was converting an endcap to a spigot type for the plastic butt. I wasn’t sure if the loop was a repair or a change in manufacturing. Now I know it was a repair.
By the way, I think I might have come across a contender for the Mk4 Sterling that has fired the most rounds. It’s a gun range rental. On average about 2,500 rounds are put through it every week and about twice that much on holiday weekends. This has been going on for over ten years now. It has had the barrel replaced and the return springs. Other than that, it hasn’t had any other repairs. The gunsmith told me he thought it is a remarkably reliable SMG. To make his point he showed me three worn out MP5 receivers.
They really are beautify and very strongly made SMG's, its a natural evolution of the Sten layout, I should imagine anyone handing in their issued Sten mk5 for a Sterling back in the 50's/60's, must have felt immediately at home with it.
Just glad I have an example in the collection, even if its deactivated.
The L2's ancestry is from the Lanchester. I think both the Lanchester and a slightly lesser extent the L2 were gentlemanly guns to shoot. Strange that you say you've learned things from my wandering off at a tangent antics Vince......... A few people have suggested otherwise. That's why I now pre-empt these going off at a tangents with 'As a matter of interest...........' But you can't please all the people all the time. Was it Bob Dylan who said that?
I always thought the Rolls Royce of SMG,s was the Lanchester ? brings back a few memories all the talk of the Lanchester and Sterlings...... a few of many of my old Deact collection (all old spec), think the icing on the cake was the Vickers in the corner of the living room..... still I got a good deal when I sold them, if the Lanchester had of had a Walnut stock then I think it would still be with me today ;)
Still the money went on good things........ Enfield's that went bang so not a bad trade.
Time to slip into something comfortable and go in to the workshop and hold the Sten I think.
Time to slip into something comfortable and go in to the workshop and hold the Sten I think.[/QUOTE]
You Filthy Beast Geoff !!!....:move eek:
Plus one for your off tangent lessons Peter, always something to learn, I always assumed the breechblock ribs were developed for the same reason as the L1A1 sand cuts. It didn't occur to me it was a friction reducing measure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Keep em coming!
---------- Post added at 08:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------
You Filthy Beast Geoff !!!....:move eek:[/QUOTE]Quote:
Originally Posted by tankhunter
I can see it now Geoff, a nice bottle of wine, lights turned down low, Barry White on the stereo raw linseed massage oil and not forgetting the Suncorite cocktails!
Thanks for that mental image, you barsteward! [emoji1]
Please don't conjure up any images of me with wine and listening to Barry White..........:lol:
More like Dark neat rum with beer chasers and listening to Blaster Bates and if I do something with the lighting it will be a lot brighter:D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Thank you for that useful information, Peter.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ng20loop-1.jpg
Now it only takes a few seconds to melt the braze and they pop right off. And I have a spare if I ever need one.
That's it Vince! My memory isn't so bad after all. Never saw one before my spell in Base Workshop and never saw one afterwards. Something for the collectors to know should they ever need to make one.
I recall when generally rough ex Egyptian (?) Navy old spec fully-working dewat Lanchesters were being sold off by the trade in the UK for £60. The really rough ones were less! Mind you, the Aust, NZ and Royal navy had some rough old things on their small Far East coastal ships too. All ours went out with No4 butt plates and butt sling loops and were blackened in the usual way. My friend who was a ships Officer in Singapore during the mid 60's lead boarding parties in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore and in the Southern South China Sea with mixed SEATO navy crews armed with them. He said that they looked archaic even then!