MP40 or Vigneron magazines in a Lanchester

[tankhunter]

Hello Vincent, Do I assume from the way you have worded your post on this Topic.
That the 'Stenlings' are Semi-Auto Only?.......

The 'Normal' Sterling or Sten is Selective Fire. & as I understand it, adaptors are available in the US to fit Sten Mag Housings. That will allow the use of Sterling Magazines to be used freely. Without any modifications to the Guns?

What you describe, seems an awful lot of work, (& Expense!) just to simply use a much more reliable magazine system. And if you have a removable adaptor, you do not alter the original build & indeed. The value of the Weapon.

We over here in GB have never seen a 'Stenling' SMG. would it be at all possible to show us some photos of an example at all?

[Peter Laidler]

Same thoughts here too Tankie!

Another problem interchanging the magazines is that the angle of presentation of the rounds in each gun is 8 degrees.
The STEN does this by the magazine being fixed in at 90 degrees but the feed lips (the problem......) presents the rounds at 8 degrees. Whereas the clever Mr Patchett in his
STERLING does this by presenting/fixing the MAGAZINE in at 8 degrees. That way the rounds are held in place by the magazine lips at 90 degrees, square-on to the magazine. This way, while they are square to the mag lips, the 8 degree angle of the mag housing makes the mechanics of it all simpler AND more reliable.

But I say, if you want a reliable Sten gun, just get 10 good magazines that work reliably in your gun and be done with the unnecessary complications. K.I.S.S.

[mrclark303]

Mike, I have to say I am both surprised and disappointed that you don't know about the rare Stenling (its not often you get caught out mate), the product of a classified SASC cross breeding program and issued along with the equally rare Dublin Police marked Lee Enfields...

[browningautorifle]

Dublin Police marked Lee Enfields.

Pretty funny...

[Vincent]

Hello Vincent, Do I assume from the way you have worded your post on this Topic.
That the 'Stenlings' are Semi-Auto Only?.......

No, Stenlings are select fire. It’s what we call a “tube gun.” That’s a machinegun build on a registered tube receiver.

The 'Normal' Sterling or Sten is Selective Fire. & as I understand it, adaptors are available in the US to fit Sten Mag Housings. That will allow the use of Sterling Magazines to be used freely. Without any modifications to the Guns?

I have never seen an adaptor like that. I have seen magazine housings that allow Sterling magazines to be used on a Sten. I think the breech block was modified to work with it.

What you describe, seems an awful lot of work, (& Expense!) just to simply use a much more reliable magazine system. And if you have a removable adaptor, you do not alter the original build & indeed. The value of the Weapon.

The conversion is a lot of work and it’s not cheap. But a Stenling sells for a lot more than a Sten.

We over here in GB have never seen a 'Stenling' SMG. would it be at all possible to show us some photos of an example at all?

Sure. They look just like a Sterling Mk4 except for the cocking slot.

[Lee Enfield]

Will MP40 or Vigneron magazines work in a Lanchester?

The reason I ask is here Lanchester C and R transferable machine gun : Machine Guns at GunBroker.com

I can’t tell if they MP40 or Vigneron magazines.

Attachment 73448

Sten/Lanchester left, MP38/40 right

[browningautorifle]

So, they'd be loose as a goose's butt...

[Vincent]

Yes, it looks like the MP38/40 magazine would be loose. The MP38/40 magazine doesn’t the indentation at the back that the Sten magazine has. Other than that, they look pretty close.

I guess the indentation keeps ‘crunchies’ from putting the Sten follower/platform in backwards und das macht nichts fur die Deutschen.

[browningautorifle]

I guess the indentation keeps ‘crunchies’ from putting the Sten follower/platform in backward

That's about right, also in the low light conditions...it would slope the wrong way then. The Germans wouldn't do that, it wouldn't be proper...so it's not allowed.

[Vincent]

I am guessing the German mag has some kind of similar arrangement to keep the follower from being put in backwards or do their guns have feed lips and not require an angled follower?