sten gun

[tankhunter]

I don’t know about India. They don’t strike me as being overly concerned about safety. The mod also looks like a trap for mud and dirt. I can’t see the Indians doing something like that…. but the French!

DONT Mention anything FRENCH!!!!!!! Peter would be able to tell you the exact date of the introduction. For the through the receiver side, cocking handle Mod. It is all in His book on the Sten!.......

It MIGHT well be the case, the Cocking handle mod that pushed through. MAY have been done at a later stage of this guns life perhaps? & the overly complicated 'Band Safety', was removed. & the hole in the receiver drilled & the new pattern handle fitted. I have seen a few done like this myself.
The two 'Top Hat' mounts would be left in place I guess. As heat would damage the blued finish & leave some unsightly mess on the receiver externally. As there mounts were Brazed on, rather than welded.

Oh yes, as a parallel point of interest. I have (As my others on here) Seen MANY Stens, that have had NO cocking handle modifications done whatsoever! I would presume these went to overseas Aid. To Foreign Armies, as in UK Service. This mod would have been implemented to our own in Service guns. As part of the Workshops Work Programe's. If however, the guns were going to be withdrawn due to the Implimentation of the then new L2A1 Sterling SMG. Then obviously this work was unnessacary & would incur unwarranted manpower hours at Workshop Level. The Stens would be returned to Ordanance Depots to be 'Cast' from Service.

Just my own thoughts on this. It WOULD be interesting to know though, where this modification actually originated from?