Sterling Mk4 "Mystery Housing"

[Vincent]

I came across some pictures of an interesting Mk4 magazine housing, part Enfield and part Sterling. Here’s the page. You have to scroll down a bit to get to it… Markings and Spares sterlingl2a3.com

Would this housing be from one of the Enfield guns that were sent to the Sterling company to have the tube straightened?

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]

I would suspect the magazine housing has been over welded and re-engraved for someones own nefarious means. The cut of the letters looks different to what I'm used to. But see below.....

The crackle finish on some of the Faz components isn't a real mystery because Sterling negotiated with the UK MoD Disposals authority (as was) to be a buyer of what is called 'classified scrap'. No explanation needed there - in relation to Sterling SMG's, magazines and bayonets. There were many hoops to climb through including the ludicrous situation of having to be come registered 'scrap merchants' at Dagenham - where the scrap was salvaged and Donnington, from where they purchased the scrap!!!!!!!

Sterling had a group of out-workers who would come in on an as-required basis and under supervision would strip down and cannibalise the chopped-up/scrapped SMG's of their parts. These parts included all of the body casing parts but not the actual casing or the rear end bayonet fitting part which they were forbidden to re-use. So you could find a, say, 1984 Sterling Mk4 with a F marked foresight protector, backsight bed, butt trunnion and butt parts. But all the parts were inspected before re-use of course.

This is a possible explanation for a re-used mag housing. Especially a commercial magazine housing from a commercial gun that had been captured/seized etc etc.

Hope this helps. Feel free to pass this info on to the other source

[Vincent]

Thank you, Peter. I knew you would be able to explain it.

I had considered the over welding and re-engraving might have been the work of the government. Recycled “scrap” is much better explanation.

[Peter Laidler]

I mentioned the return spring cap retaining ring at the back of the casing. They were not permitted to re-use this part as it was the 'proofed' part of the casing. How on earth the powers that be arrived at this conclusion was and is simply beyond me looking at things from a simple engineering point of view.

Maybe it was simply because the ring part was the place where the proof mark was stamped. It was of no consequence though because it was pretty well impossible to remove the ring undamaged as it was with, say, the mag housing or foresight protectors.

You could tell them that when the number on Fazakerley guns became illegible, usually because it was etched too shallow, followed by fair wear and tear, we were permitted to bar through the old number and then engrave a new allocated registered number to a similar size to the old number along the top of the magazine housing, longitudinally along it, near to where the housing is brazed to the casing. These numbers followed the usual format but were coded differently thus: SA 76 A- 1234. New code of SA, year figures, a number prefix followed by a sequential allocated missing replacement number that was recorded '....somewhere'. We did a big batch of re-numbering which were totally rebuilt to new just prior to them being withdrawn. Then they scrapped them!

[browningautorifle]

Then they scrapped them!

Typical.

[Vincent]

………. Maybe it was simply because the ring part was the place where the proof mark was stamped. It was of no consequence though because it was pretty well impossible to remove the ring undamaged as it was with, say, the mag housing or foresight protectors.

I know exactly what you’re saying, Peter. I destroyed a few rings trying to get them off. Melting the braze alone will not get the ring to come loose. The majority of the ones I have seen (Mk4) are spot welded in addition to the brazing. They also have a locating pin that’s in line with the latch pin.

I have to put them in the lathe and cut away as much of the tubes as possible from the inside with a boring bar. Then use a sanding wheel in the Rotozip to get the rest. It’s a very time consuming and fiddly job. And after it has been welded/brazed to the new tube it sometimes has to be fitted, filed or sanded, to get the cap on and there go those proof marks!

Making a nice new ring doesn’t take a lot of time. It’s easy to get good clean strong welds with the new steel. And you have plenty of excess material, so you can get the cap to fit nice and tightly every time.

The pin and spot welds were added at some point in the evolution of the gun. The few Mk3 rings I have seen don’t have the pin or spot welds. I got one to come off with no trouble, but the Mk4 rings were put on to stay.