Sterling Mk4 L2A3

[Vincent]

The police carbine is an open bolt gun. So it would be banned from importation under normal circumstances.

The whole point of the closed bolt system developed for the Mk6 and Mk7C was to comply with US laws and gain access to the vast civilian market in the States.

[mrclark303]

Must have my wires crossed, I thought the police carbine fired from a closed bolt??

[Brian Dick]

No, it's not considered surplus military so not on the Curio and Relic list. Bush 41 banned import of most semi-auto SMG lookalikes in 1988 after a shooting in a Stockton, California MacDonalds using a semi-auto Uzi carbine. Knee jerk politics at it's best to appease the ignorant. It's getting to be a long time ago.

Speaking of the SA80: when I was a kid working in a gun and pawn shop in Ormond Beach, Florida in the mid 1980's, RSAF Enfield sent out questionnaires asking if there was a commercial/civilian interest in a semi-auto only model which I remember to this day filling out with a most enthusiastic "Yes please!". It wasn't long afterwards Bush 41 signed the import ban so it never happened. I'd just acquired a new in the box Sterling Mk.6, (that I still have but far from new now!), and I was going to be the first to lay my hands on the little bull pup in America if I'd had my way but it wasn't meant to be.

[Lee Enfield]

Does that mean a Sterling 'police carbine' could be imported Brian? Or is that too close for comfort!

Open bolt police carbines can come to Canada, closed bolt are prohibited...

[Brian Dick]

The closed bolt Mk.6 was specifically designed for importation to the USA. The Mk.8 was also imported as an SBR.

[Vincent]

Open bolt police carbines can come to Canada, closed bolt are prohibited...

Interesting! Any idea what the rationale is for that?

Here the BATFE think open bolt guns can be more easily converted to machineguns.

[Lee Enfield]

Interesting! Any idea what the rationale is for that?

Here the BATFE think open bolt guns can be more easily converted to machineguns.

They were not in production, therefore not in the gun digest to be circled for banning, unlike all of the closed bolt sterlings.

[peregrinvs]

Some more pictures showing how it's been deactivated. It's not as tactile as my pre-1995 spec Lanchester, but not totally mechanically dead.

Attachment 74678Attachment 74679Attachment 74681Attachment 74676Attachment 74677Attachment 74680

I was back at the War & Peace Show yesterday and was pleased to find a 1959 dated sling in a rummage pile for £3. It's the same 'jungle green' colour as my 1964 dated magazine pouch which is illustrated on the Karkeeweb website:

Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1958

Most of the surplus slings in the UK are 1980's dated and more of an olive green colour.

Which are things of great interest to us sad webbing fans...

[Vincent]

It’s interesting to see how it was deactivated. Is the breech block welded to the barrel?

Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Brian Dick]

I was lucky to find some khaki web slings at the Knob Creek show a few years ago. The first I'd ever seen. Marked "SMG Sling Mk.1 MECO 1956". I have the usual British green web and a Canadian C1 SMG green web with steel fittings.