Lanchester Mk1 SMG

[Vincent]

Very few Lanchesters here (USA) in usable condition, Peter.


I am guessing this is from a Mk1? Aside from the markings, there's no screw hole for the barrel screw.



I don't have the $$$$$ for a registered STEN receiver, so it will be resurrected as a semi-auto only SBR.

[Brit plumber]

My Mk1 was made 2000 guns after yours yet my gun has the screw of the Mk1*.

Mk1


Side


Mk1*


Side

[Vincent]

Interesting. Maybe the barrel screw was changed before Mk1* ?

Your BOSS is the first I've seen. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Brit plumber]

I noticed the screw hole in the front of my mk1* has an extra section of brass around the screw whereas my Mk1 dosnt have it. I wonder if my Mk1 had the screw fited as part of the Mk1* conversion? If you would like any photos of any part, let me know.

ATB Chris.

[Vincent]

Your Mk1 still has the tangent rear sight. I thought those were changed to the flip sight with the Mk1* conversion?

I have the Mk1* flip sight.

Does the trigger mechanism housing on your Mk1 have a round hole facing forward, (where the ‘A – R’ selector was on the Mk1) ?

Thanks for the offer to post photos. I would like to see the end of the receiver with the cap removed. I am wondering if there is an ‘L’ slot or is it just partly threaded.

This is what I have so far.

[Peter Laidler]

The barrel locating screw..., yes...... The ORIGINAL barrels were retained in position by a screw in the 12 o'clock position on the large diameter threaded muzzle flange. The head of the screw seated into a recess in the body casing and prevented the barrel from rotating against the rotational forces imparted by the bullet as it went swiftly up the barrel. Only, it didn't prevent it and just chaffed the screw head and body casing so the anti rotation screw on the magazine housing slotted into the rear barrel flange - which did dtop it rotating. Simple isn't it?

This change didn't have any particular change point but commenced after stocks of the original type barrels were exhausted

[Brit plumber]

Hi Vincent, Here some photos of the end. Its a interupted thread and a bayonet type fitting.





And here is one of the end of the trigger mech housing. Is that the small hole you refered to for the Selector? I've no idea how it was assembled as I've never seen a non moded Mk1.



And here is a Arabic marking. I think its Egyption Police as its the same mark as on one of my Enfield Revolvers and I was told that was Egyption Police by a member on another forum.

[Peter Laidler]

What is that big screw head sticking out of the left side of the trigger mech housing BP? Is it the screwed axis pin for the safety latch? The latch is illustrated in the book and the Navy BR's and its purpose is pretty well self evident. I looked high and low for info on it but couldn't find anything. It was defiately not a Sterling thing so must have been a Navy mod, something akin to the Sten breech block modification. But being of some importance, you'd have thought that it'd have been done to all the guns. But clearly only a few of them

We had a Lanchester that was used at Shrivenham for many, many years, that was cut away/sectioned in and around the magazine housing and top of the casing. It was fireable from a modified Enfield rest and was used with a high speed camera to prompt and discuss the principles of SMG operating systems.

There were three that seem to spring to mind that caused all matter of disagreements. The simple blow-back effect, the inertia firing/spent case projection where the spent case acts as a throw-away piston (so is it piston operated?) and the API/advanced primer ignition which we all agreed (after much heated discussion.............) was just a coincidental by product of a fixed firing pin. Nothing more or less! Colonel XXXXXX told us that the Lanchester was chosen because it was cheap and readily available and had variations of all the unlocked breech principles including a floating firing pin of great mass.............. And on and on it went.

We also had another Lanchester breech block with the firing pin allen grub screwed forward and it gave a slightly faster rate of fire. Not noticeable but certainly registered on the bang-o-meter we used. Happy days. I could only find the modified breech block last time I went in!

Forgive me, I've gone off at a tangent again. It's age!

[Vincent]

Hi Brit Plumber,

Thanks for posting those great photos. They are a lot of help to me.

The small hole is for the trigger bar. The hole I was thinking about would be just forward and above the trigger guard when looking at it from the same angle. I don’t see it in the photo.

It’s interesting that you have that big screw. I think it was for the tripping lever on the Mk1.

I don’t see a hole in the receiver tube where the end of the tripping lever would have gone through to make contact with the breech block.

Thanks again for the photos.

[peregrinvs]

My Mk1 was made 2000 guns after yours yet my gun has the screw of the Mk1*.

Perhaps you have an 'intermediate' between a Mk1 and a Mk1*? I've had a look at the pictures of an unmodified Mk1 in 'The Guns of Dagenham' and I think you have a standard Mk1* trigger mechanism rather than a modified Mk1.

Mark