Can anyone identify this STEN magazine housing?

[NavyEngineer]

Hello,

I am a new member who just discovered your forum. After being stationed for many years in locations where I couldn't own a STEN (California, England, Rhode Island, etc.), I am finally stationed in a state that allows NFA firearms. I've purchased a STEN MK II (one of the US-built tube guns), and am waiting for the transfer to be approved. I bought a STEN MK II parts kit from a member on another forum to have some spare parts available, and have been trying to identify the makers of the parts using Captain Laidler's book. The magazine housing has me stumped. It appears to read "STFN MK II S, B340553" on one side, and "E&C2 (but might also be E&CB - it's lightly stamped) B340553" on the other side. Could this be the magazine housing to one of the silenced MK II STENs, or does the "S" signify something else? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

NavyEngineer

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Peter Laidler]

You've struck oil there! It is indeed a Mk2S magazine housing. But that having been said, they are identical to the normal Mk2 housings anyway and the guns were conversions from new so the letter S was stamped on afterwards, just like yours. I have only seen about 30 or so and they all differed slightly, no doubt as a result of being hand stamped afterwards. The mag housing was made by Elkington and Co (the E&CO) and it's a BSA made gun originally

Shame you couldn't have a dummy silencer made for it. If you want to scale one up, the dimensions are in that little book you mention by, er..... what's his name now...........?

Nice find, even just for its evocative value

[Brit plumber]

If that came from a Mk2S then shame on the individual who cut it up like a run of the mill STEN!!

[smellie]

Shame on anybody who chops up our history!

If they don't want the things, they can bring them to me.

Nice to see one being rescued, anyway.

We used to be able to do that here, but not since this became a Free Country. With the hoplophobes and clinical paranoiacs running things, law-abiding people are punished because the authorities know they won't shoot back; the violent criminals are left alone because somebody important might get hurt if they were to be rounded up. Besides, the government gives you a lawyer if you're a violent criminal; the law-abiding victims of the legal system have no such 'out'.

Really makes you wonder why you wasted time serving your country, if the result is being treated thus.

"Friend, I wish you lots of fun
On the rifle range with your Sten Gun!"
.

[NavyEngineer]

Thank you very much for the information - I am a student of history, and strongly agree with the sentiments about chopping up history! Captain Laidler - I have learned a lot from reading your book - thanks for taking the time to put together such a thorough, well-researched work. The magazine housing will take a place of honor amongst my small collection of WWII era artifacts. I don't know what happened to the rest of the gun, because the remaining items in the parts kit I received are all standard MKII parts (barrel, breech block, etc.) as far as I can tell. I am fortunate to be stationed in my home state of Maine, which allows private ownership of firearms not prohibited by US federal law, so transferable fully automatic weapons can be purchased, and silencers can be bought or even made by individuals (with advance approval from the federal government). So I may eventually be able to make a dummy or even functional silencer for my STEN. I am very much looking forward to receiving the STEN and taking it out to the range.