This is my new Sten. There are many other like it, but this one is now mine...

[Peter Laidler]

What we've got in these latter pages is 3+ days of the Shrivenham advanced design syllabus. What would be really interesting is to get all these comments written up and presented to the class. Some wouldn't stand close scrutiny as-read of course, with a bit of fuzzy logic thrown in but when discussed in the class/student group they'd make VERY good food for thought. Great discussion material. But from what I've learned, these groups (and maybe even the courses.....) don't run now. More's the pity I say

[browningautorifle]

I wondered if you would surface this time Peter, the last time you spent so much verbal effort I feared you wouldn't bother. I didn't mean to get so involved...Vincent and I should meet in a middle ground and discuss this over a BBQ...Nevada comes to mind...providing it's a full auto state.

[Vincent]

Vincent and I should meet in a middle ground and discuss this over a BBQ...Nevada comes to mind...providing it's a full auto state.

Oh, NV absolutely is a full-auto state. There are machine gun rentals in Las Vegas and Reno.

PM me and we work it out.

[Peter Laidler]

Nevada.........., suits me fine too. Tell Brian at BDL when and we'll meet up! It's only 2 inches away from SC according to my atlas!

[Brit plumber]

Make it December as I'm there with work.

---------- Post added at 09:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 AM ----------

And I'll show you some serious weaponry!

[browningautorifle]

Nevada.........., suits me fine too.

Make it December as I'm there with work.

Would that ever be neat...milsurps convention...

[Vincent]

If you have access to a 'standard' sterling SMG of any of the variants in Select fire. Instead of putting a magazine in the housing & firing ONE round.
Insert a live cartridge in the chamber, & squeeze off that ONE round. Locate the empty case & look at it!!!!

I just happen to have a Mk4 Sterling…… so with full safety precautions taken, I tried this.



The one on the left was inserted into the chamber and the one on the right was magazine fed.

It’s hard to see in the picture. The one on the left is slightly more budged than the mag fed round.

The circumference of mag fed round bulged .004” and the inserted case .006”. So, half that and you get the amount the case wall bulged, .002” and .003”.

Both cases are the same height and .001” shorter than unfired cases.

Notice how the inserted case doesn’t have the clear shiny ring at the base. Any thoughts on that?

[browningautorifle]

My thoughts, without starting a fight...because I've DONE it as well many times... It works just fine. There was no perceptible difference in recoil, shot placement or cartridge appearance. The book was specific not to EVER do it, but it didn't blow anything up or destroy anything.

Notice how the inserted case doesn’t have the clear shiny ring at the base. Any thoughts on that?

Complete cartridge obturation of the chambered cartridge.

[Vincent]

The book was specific not to EVER do it,

People put a lot of rubbish in the book. Then they get upset if you don’t follow their ridiculous rules. We had a “WARNING”, don’t do this!! In the next revision, they removed the warning and made it the procedure that had to be followed. So, I asked why they made the change and was told “nobody was following the book.” Then they got upset with me for reminding them of the old saying, “Nonsense breeds noncompliance.”

Complete cartridge obturation of the chambered cartridge.

Oh. Thanks.

Why does the mag fed case have the more shiny ring?

[browningautorifle]

Why does the mag fed case have the more shiny ring?

Bit of guesswork there, suspect the round just settling in the chamber is not being hammered as hard as the round fully seated.

People put a lot of rubbish in the book.

In our case, the Small Arms cell of our Infantry School writes the pubs about weapons handling. I was posted there at the time we were improving the interim pubs on the current family of weapons and I listened to some of the deep thinkers and their reasoning. Simple things like doing a complete unload of the C6(MAG) before changing the barrel...the weapon was designed to change in mid stride. Weapon fires, stop, change barrels and weapon goes on. Just a safety catch in between...nope! We have to go through bells and whistles to change barrels...

The books were written by men that had or have very little complete understanding of firearms...like having slave labor writing a book. You get what you get and spend ages trying to change it.

There's way more to that story but it will have to wait until we're sitting across a BBQ from each other to tell...