https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ig20sten-1.jpg
Don’t you love girls with small hands? They make Sten guns look huge! ;)
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https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ig20sten-1.jpg
Don’t you love girls with small hands? They make Sten guns look huge! ;)
It's a pity that someone didn't think to show her how to fit the stock properly to the Sten before taking the picture. Because it looks like she has the lower hook inserted into the rear of the trigger guard housing but the upper part of the stock plate is outside of the recess in the end of the receiver.
She's just having trouble getting it into the hole.
Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
I have the same problem, though not related to Stens!.........:D
No, she's doing it exactly right F-10. Start to hook the hook part under the trigger mech housing box, then use that to rotate/lever down the ring part onto the return spring cap, press down and slide butt assembly up into the overhand and it'll click into place. Done it a zillion times. Different if you have the button type butt of course!
What is the story about the photo? I'm assuming it was taken at Long Branch, those being Canadian made Stens. What are the things racked up to the left of the bench?
Looks like rifle woodwork for...smallbore rifles.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiriaq
I found it when I was searching for something else. Here’s another one I haven’t seen before.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiriaq
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0a20sten-1.jpg
There’s what looks like a hand tap on the bench. Is she fitting the dust cover?
Here are some pictures of breech block production.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...en20shop-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ck20sten-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ain_1943-1.jpg
So, that woodwork in the background is what, Cooey trainers? 85s?
That's a well fed lady wielding that rawhide mallet. That'd certainly get the tightest cover fitted! Photos 2,3 and 4; breech blocks.
Photo 3 looks like she is cutting a flat that ends in a radius, where the next operator would presumably use the gang miller to cut the feed horns, ejector slot and magazine clearance. That was done in one hit. Note the partially finished BBks on the table. Probably to illustrate what she's doing.
Photo 4. Is she cutting the front radial bearing surface? I interviewed a really nice fellow who contacted me. He was an apprentice and as such had his call-up deferred. As he was skilled, he was responsible for accurately setting the breech block making machines. Got called up eventually.
Better not let F-10 see those photos with all those unguarded belts and cutters. And where's the walkway safety lines that should be painted on the floor in photo 2? Makes you wonder how we ever waged an all-out war doesn't it....... And won it!
Kind of looks like it to me, but there appears to be a top handguard?Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0a20sten-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...CooeyM82-1.jpg
At least they look organised in that workshop, not like a video of the gang related issues they have in the Phillipines at the moment. They showed some really nice weapons being churned out of a backstreet outfit from automatic pistols to heavy machine guns in a programme called VICE on Netflix, right from the cutting the shape out of old steel from ships, to a polished handgun all in a few days.
The older guy in the video said he and his father and his father before him had been making guns for generations on the islands.
It is interesting to see pictures of workshops in the past and the absence of any safety guards on belts and machine parts etc that would certainly be required by law today. Personally I'm not a great fan of cutter guards and tend not to use them that often because they are inclined to obstruct vision of the work in progress and get in the way. I do, however, always wear eye protection when using machine tools.
Swift Training rifles? Note the rifle in hand, note the front band and the black square in front of the band...Quote:
Originally Posted by Sentryduty
That looks like a perfect fit, bolt handle is in the right spot, profile is good. Probably nailed it with that one.
I'm surprised the Nazis didn't try to destroy the factory. No swift rifles would have crippled the effort... Neat to have a pic of them in factory, specially on the same line as Stens.
I have seen it suggested that Swift training rifles were used mainly for training the British Home Guard in weapon drills/use etc but I would question the accuracy of this suggestion. Does anyone know how widely the Swift training rifles were used for weapon training amongst the new recruits to the British and Commonwealth armed forces, please?
I had never much read about the swift trainers until just now, a very clever concept, it would be neat to have one but I imagine they are uncommon and expensive.
Swift training rifles are for holding/aiming/firing practice. Not arms drill. Simple Google search shows... SWIFT TRAINING RIFLE Swift training rifle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
They are a bit uncommon and usually when encountered they may be incomplete.
You do see them from time to time over here in the U.K., mainly in museums, which is where I last saw an example a couple of months ago.
The LB made version of the Swift is rarely seen.
And there's a full rack of them...
Vincent, I had assumed that your pictures of Sten production were all taken in the U.K., in one of the small sub contractors workshops. Are you able to confirm this, please, and that it was not of Canadian Sten production?
I don't know where they were all taken. I stumbled on them when I was searching for something. There was no text attached to them. I was about half way through the 700 page picture thread when my hard drive died. Now I can't find the website. This is day 2 with a new drive and Windows 10. It is taking some getting used to. There were pictures and films from all over the world on that site.
The first 2 photos in this thread are of Long Branch Mk2s not UK made. The butt is a little different in construction to the UK butts and in the second photo the TMH tabs are spot welded in 3 places rather than gas or ark welded.
We had a couple of spare SWIFT trainers at work plus one incomplete but easily repairable/restorable with a few simply made parts. One marked to 4th Battalion DEVON Army Cadet Force and dated 1951 or so and the other marked RAF Shawbury(?) as I recall.
I put one on EBay and it sold for £80 and the next one........ they withdrew as it was a firearm in spite of my flowery description of said trainer. I don't think that they are expensive here in the UK. Incidentally, they were made on the Botley Road in Oxford by a local firm that only ceased trading a few years ago. The metalwork was supplied to them by another local company close by in Jericho (now closed). Wood was all local too, from Hinksey!
Just found the original EBay blurb. If this should be elsewhere, moderators please feel free to move it.
NOTE: READ THIS FIRST. If you are going to grass me up to Ebay please note that this item is described as a ‘rifle’ but it is nothing of the sort. Please read the description before you get your knickers in a twist. This ‘rifle’ has never been a firearm, was not made as a firearm nor could it ever be deemed to be a firearm, contains no parts whatsoever that originate from a firearm and is totally outside all the rules covering firearms.
Offered for auction is a 1940 Swift training rifle. These were manufactured by a little woodworking company in Oxford that has only recently ceased trading. Their records show that approx 1,850 of these were manufactured before production ceased. The intricate woodwork cost more to manufacture than the woodwork for a real rifle! They were manufactured primarily from seasoned Birch and Poplar wood and fabricated pressed steel in order to train the Home Guard, Militia, Cadets and in some rare cases, RAF recruits in the use of the Lee Enfield, the Pattern 14 and 17 rifles. The Swift ‘rifle’ was the same approximate weight and configuration as the real rifle and used to teach recruits how to hold, aim, steady and shoot a rifle without the use of ammo or a 25 or 100 yard rifle range.
This ‘rifle’ is extremely rare as it is an ex RAF version and marked with the RAF stores number of 9B/1588 in the ‘B’ series. Those that know better tell me that the B series Swifts were based on the P-14/M17 configuration. The serial number is 3259. The RAF acceptance marking is present, stamped into the underside of the wrist of the butt. Don’t ask me why the serial number is 3259 when they only made 1850 or so because I don’t know. I’m telling you what they told me! But it’s thought that the RAF contract started at 3,000. An authority on Lee Enfields has told me that these rifles deserve a rightful and worthy place among any worthwhile collection of Lee Enfields
It is difficult to describe something that’s 65 years old as mint because everyone thinks that you’re spinning them a load of old bull-sh … er, bullshine but this piece is truly MINT. There are no chips or dings or bits missing. The black sheet metal work is superb and even the screw heads are untouched. The pointers are like new - indicating that it’s never been stripped or misused in the past. It hasn’t been tarted up with a quick lick of varnish or quick blow job with a can of paint. It’s exactly as it left the factory 65 years ago. I can safely say that this ‘rifle’ is in mint condition. In fact it’s SO mint that I haven’t even blown the dust off where it’s been laying in the attic since the 50’s. Please don’t offend me by asking if it is original. Be aware that it weighs the same as a real rifle so postage will be commensurate with that weight
Back to thread 11 and health and safety stupidity. An ambulance passed me in slow moving traffic yesterday and there's a sign next to the door which says, in red print 'WARNING - FINGER TRAP HAZARD'. Makes you sit and wonder doesn't it........... It's a bloody door for heavens sake!
I did see a Swift trainer for sale within the last year or so at a militaria fair and although I didn't pay that much attention to it, from memory, I think that it was on offer for around the £300 mark. It had the box/case with it but I think that there was something broken or missing on it.
We had one in Gagetown NB for a time many years back. Unfortunately the rest there didn't share my sentiment about the need to collect this sort of thing for the Small Arms School there and I'm certain it will have gone. It had the needle removed, broken off as a safety measure I suspect. Most wouldn't know what it was for. The rest was complete I think.
I'm sure that there is a special thread somewhere for Swifts but until then........ The interesting thing about the RAF stores marked one we had was that it showed that it was an official acquisition by them and issued out. Presumable because in 1940, the RAF came at the bottom of the pile regarding the issue of weapons. And without weapons, you can't do weapon training! So at least they could semi-train in the skills using the Swift.
As for the Army and Militia/Territorials. As I understand it, '....from the clever man wot told me abou' these fings.....', the Swifts were not acquired by the Arms as such but funds were allocated to the County Reserve Associations to purchase these and othjer things such as the P-H 'Bren adaptors for No 1 rifles' as training aids to replace the weapons that had been withdrawn during the 'defence of the realm period.
Maybe one of the clever moderators could collate all this Swift info and put it into a new thread of sorts. The LB Swift photos are real gems. Well......, gems if you like Swifts of course!
Was it marked "A.M." possibly followed by a number, Peter? Most if not all RAF kit use to be marked "A.M." meaning Air Ministry.