Highest known Sterling L34A1 - Mk5 ?

[Peter Laidler]

Talking of the Singapore Police. We used to be the Base Workshop facility for them and the Inspector that we dealt with was a Mr Soliano. He was always pretty good to us, taking one or two of us into Singapore when we were dowwn from 'up-country' for various reasons, the main one being WORP's - or War Office Repair Programmes. The first L34's I ever saw were the New Zealand Army ones that were landed there and soon afterwards, th local SPF police ones. These were commercial ones with hand grips and if I remember correctly, small rubber disposable buffers in the return spring cap.

The NZ Army ones were '.....up North.....' without wooden grips

Ironically, seeing 'Mr Sterling' next week!

Information

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[Lee Enfield]

notice the marking overwritten below the Mk5 designation

[Peter Laidler]

Ah, yes..... Well spotted. The L designation, such as L2A3 or L34 was often - but NOT always - stamped after the commercial Mk type designation to indicate the gun was in fact identical to the UK Military L2 or L34 gun and as a result, the spare parts, and what you were getting/buying were one and the same. It also informed UK Armourers where ordnance resources were pooled, such as Malaya etc, that a 'foreign' gun that came through was a big standard L2 - or L34.

The miscellaneous instructions EMER did mention that in operational theatres where Ordnance stocks came from pooled resources, Armourers and quartermasters should be aware that gun serial numbers would not always conform to the accepted standard. We did see quite a few RNZN, New Zealand Navy, marked commercial L2A3's from the Naval dockyards at Sembawang

[Lee Enfield]

1283 demilled in USA on Gunbroker.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1011695123


there are 2 muzzle supports and 6 tie rods, indicating that perhaps, 2 guns were destroyed.
odd that the diffuser wrap and diffuser tube show signs of being destroyed/damaged.

really interesting photos showing the spacers between the baffles. and the 2 brass end baffles.

[Peter Laidler]

Looks to me, looking on as an amateur, that this is a made-up gun. Made up from an Mk4 casing. Can't say for sure but the blurry indistinct image of the magazine housing says a lot

[browningautorifle]

the blurry indistinct image of the magazine housing

Says Mk 5 L34A1

[Peter Laidler]

Yep, I can see that Jim, but it ain't engraved or roll pressed in as I am used to seeing one or two of them. And what is lurking elsewhere....., that we can't read?

[Promo]

S4212


Edit: not mine. UK dealer pic.

[Lee Enfield]

S4212


Edit: not mine. UK dealer pic.

Thank you for the photo - that is a large step from S4167 (the previous high number noted).
Attachment 123526

Here are the two currently highest known serial numbered commercial Sterling Mk5's serial # 1597 & # S 4212. The (Guns of Dagenham) book estimates 3500 commercially manufactured, but these serial numbers confirm that estimate as being quite low.

1597 + (S) 4212 = 5809 (by adding the two highest serial numbers);

However PL below states that he believed that Mk5 serial numbers may have restarted at S 1001, if this is the case, the known extant serial numbers would indicate that there were at least 4,809 commercial Mk5's manufactured.

In GoD, PL & DH show (in the early 1970's) 50 unit conversion batches of Mk5 SMGs, if that remained true for all production, possible totals would be 4,850 (based on restarting at S 1001).
now we just have to watch for serial numbers "no letter pre-fix" above 1597 and "S" prefix serial numbers below S 1001 and above S 4212.

and the highest known UKicon L34A1 (from the Royal Armouries)
US67A423 (again the stated 50 unit batches - so a minimum of 450 units).
Collections Online | Royal Armouries

Implying a minimum production total of 5,300 L34A1 & Mk5 units.

[Promo]

I'd want to point out that the inscription additionally carries a "SINGLE SHOT" marking atop the designation that you do not find on the next lower number known. The original description to the pictured sample btw reads as:

Fires from closed bolt, folding stock, semi-auto, raised sight blocks