I wish you'd do a short vid of you shooting that Mat 49, it would likely be the first most had seen as they're a bit scarce...[COLOR="black"]
I recorded this of a friend shooting my gun. It's the MAS-38. Pre-war design chambered in 7.65 Longue. Pretty much 100% milled gun, very much the opposite of the Sten. Bolt approaches the chamber at an angle. Weird but cool gun. Only downer is you have to reload for it.
The MAT-49 came after the war and to my understanding was only chambered in 9mm, and was mostly a stamped gun.
It's the MAS-38. Pre-war design chambered in 7.65 Longue.
Gracias...still not common and I've not fired one. I only knew offhand the wood butt was different, we had one floating around here a while back...Mat 49... Not often seen. Load for it? Sure, I'll cast for it too, then we can warm it up right...
If you went to SVN, there were zillions of those MAS's. I'd say that every arms cache yielded a couple. It always amazed me where they got all the assorted ammo from. The VC quartermasters must have been pulling their hair out
I'm a big fan of the Uzi, its probably the pistol grip that reminds me of the Walther P38 for some reason...... but still i don't think you can beat a Sten........ or a Lanchester or Sterling.
but still i don't think you can beat a Sten........ or a Lanchester or Sterling.
The Lanchester and Sten are good but held back by the magazine. The Sterling is superb and its magazine is unmatched to this day. The Thompson is also a very impressive classic SMG. When you walk into a room with a Thompson, you own it.
The Sig MPX is a modern modular design. It has a lot of nice features. I am still not 100% comfortable with it, but it makes me see how dated the MP5 has become. The bolt hold open and flared magazine housing are a big help when you’re looking through a soda straw and down to using basic motor skills. It hasn’t become famous yet and the cost is very reasonable.
Yeah Sten mag quality is all over and they're a pain to load. I've got a few Austen mag loaders which are great and make it pretty easy. I bought a ton of mags and have set aside the ones that don't work hoping to fix them one day per this thread but probably will end up selling them on.
To me the Sten stands out for a few reasons. It's extremely reliable with known good mags. It's very easy to break down and the barrel can be quickly removed and replaced with an integral suppressor. At least one SOG unit used it in Vietnam for those two purposes as a quiet weapon they'd stick in a pack in case it was needed. But the ergonomics and sights are terrible. I have a 7.62x25 barrel and mags for mine and had a setback round-kaboom pop my front sight off. I got it fixed but it's not zeroed for windage dead-on so I'll eventually have to have it removed, re-welded and re-painted. Fixed sights can be a pain. However the event was a testament to the toughness of the gun that the extremely high pressure event I had didn't mess the gun up. It's a tank.
Comparing it to the UZI, the UZI's magazines, sights, and cleaning routine are superior. The top opens right up. But that top cover is also a source of failure as they can become too tight or too loose and cause problems. It's a relatively common problem after extractor issues (typically the bolt hole can become very dirty and cause extractor issues). The Sten just doesn't have these problems as a single tube. I've never experienced or even heard of extractor issues with the Sten. It's been more reliable than the UZI over a decade for me.
An interesting perspective on the whole episode of the Sten
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
Originally Posted by 
PM
