Hickok45 having way too much fun with a Sten gun
- Thread starter cantom
- Start date
The Army qualification with the Sterling was the same as with the Sten, if memory serves. You started at 100m from a sand bag rest in semi-auto, advancing to 75-50-25-15 m. It wasn't until you got to 7m when you switched to FA to expend all remaining ammo in short bursts - if you were smart. Some just wanted to have fun and used FA from too far away, wasting ammo.
That was Signal Corps. I'm sure the Infantry had a better attitude towards proficiency. I don't remember the high possible score, but it was possible to do very well with it, if the shooter was up to it.
As a Cadet, we used to hear the old saw about a STEN being cocked, then chucked through a window to have it go full auto during house-to-house fighting, Yeah, right ......
Being able to legally fire a machine gun at your own range behind your home - Wow! - that's what real freedom is all about.
I gave up my Canadian full autos and my 12-2 PAL endorsement when we weren't even allowed to shoot once a year at a DoD range any more.
I gave up my Canadian full autos and my 12-2 PAL endorsement when we weren't even allowed to shoot once a year at a DoD range any more.
Must be wonderful to live in a democracy.
None of us lives in a perfect world and the best of an always imperfect democracy doesn't necessarily mean that you should be able to own and shoot a FA weapon in your own back yard. There are a lot of attractive and unattractive things about living in the US versus Canada. I've lived in both countries. While I find the US a great place to visit, on balance I find that Canada is still the better choice of the two. And yes, I'll never forgive the fact that duly qualified and licensed Canadian gunowners can no longer enjoy owning, shooting and selling both CA and FA pieces.
I always enjoyed shooting the SMG and used to like shooting it with the butt on your belt buckle. That kept it centered on the body and you corrected for elevation by firing short bursts and adjusting the "fall of shot" onto the target (kind of like taking a pi$$ I suppose). I was taught this technique 50 years ago by a huge NCO at the Armored Corps School. He was so big that I always wondered how he was able to get through the crew commander's hatch on a Centurion tank. It was pretty funny to see this big guy shift from target to target by keeping the butt in the pit of his huge gut and then jumping and turning before his feet hit the ground. It wasn't the recommended shooting stance in the book, but it did work.
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Why not? How does that differ from me banging away with my semi-auto, non-restricted Mini-14 on my property or my restricted AR 15 on the local range? That's the 'good gun - bad gun' argument in a different wrapper.
Name the crime stat with regard to the criminal misuse of FA firearms in the US or Canada .....
Registering, Restricting, banning, classifying, grandfathering are simply steps in the process of civil disarmament. Don't agree? I'm more than a little interested in your argument to the contrary. How much evidence do you want?
I don't have any arguments to the contrary. You are preaching to the choir on this anyway. I tried them all on the government back in the 1992-1995 timeframe when all of this was being foisted upon us and where has that gotten us? I'd suggest taking up your arguments with your local MP and the Prime Minister's Office, and the best of luck to you.
I have no problem with any duly licensed CA or FA owner (self included) shooting on any range of his choice. I do support licensing, but not registration. Guns don't commit crimes, but people do. BTW ownership of FA firearms in the US does require a special license, so it isn't really a shooter's paradise there after all.
FWIW - I've been at this since Ron Basford was PET's Minister of Injustice. Complacency and "my gun is OK, not yours" got us where we are today.
Licencing is the real problem here. Owning something with the permission of the gov't (something you may owned long before it became law) means that the moment Big Brother says you can't have it, your licence is yanked and you are an instant criminal if you have a gun thereafter. Same for registration.
Does that sound acceptable to you?
The Americans with FA licences are likely a grandfathered community due to the heavy fee, their guns transferable to other current owners. If they aren't already grandfathered, it wouldn't take more than a stroke of the bureaucratic pen to make it so and the BATF goes on a round up of guns and people.
Have you ever read "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross? He spends a lot of time talking about FA in civilian hands and why he deems it important. Governments don't like it when citizens can shoot back with similar firepower. Poorly armed or under armed people are easier to subjugate and keep subjugated.
Make up your mind - you're either supportive of citizens with FA or not. Their being no statistics on the misuse of FA, they are just another gun, but expensive to feed. That alone makes them somewhat of a specialty item for most.
My mind has been made up on this for a long time. I do not support citizens having uncontrolled access to full auto firearms. I do, however, support citizens being able to own and shoot full auto firearms subject to licensing which certifies both their competence in the use of firearms and the fact that they have no criminal history or evidence of mental incapacity.
I'd suggest that the main reason that there is so little evidence of criminal misuse of FA firearms, or CA firearms for that matter, is simply because of the fact that there has long been controlled access to them. I support licensing as a means of protecting my own access to continued ownership and use of firearms by screening out those in society who should not have access to firearms. Licensing is no universal guarantee as there still are duly licensed individuals who do use firearms for criminal purposes, but it certainly does close the gate on any number of people with a criminal record or history of mental incompetence or those who would otherwise use firearms on impulse.
The book that you are quoting is a work of fiction with allegorical references to the real world, but it does not represent the real world that we live in. If you are suggesting that citizens should be able to arm themselves to the same extent as government, then that is a whole other realm of discussion. If you are suggesting that anyone and everyone should be able to own and use a full auto weapon, subject only to their personal budget and tastes, then I suggest that you are living in an imaginary world which is detached from the one that the rest of us live in. If that is your view I have no wish to discuss this further.
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Some of my responses are sandwiched within your post. The rest below.
- Sure, expose your self, then cut and run. You NEED to read "Unintended Consequences", but you won't as your mind is made up. John Ross was banned from bringing books into this country on a tour by his side of the border. It's next to impossible to find a copy and expensive when you do. It is on the net as a pdf for downloading. Get informed before you knock the book and it's message.
There was a time you could own FA in this country and it didn't result in chaos, murder and mayhem in the streets. Same for the AR 15 and other rifles.
I'm very glad you have no wish to discuss this further. You have done us a favour and your posts will be regarded appropriately. There is a position for you in the ranks of the NDP or Liberal parties.
- Sure, expose your self, then cut and run. You NEED to read "Unintended Consequences", but you won't as your mind is made up. John Ross was banned from bringing books into this country on a tour by his side of the border. It's next to impossible to find a copy and expensive when you do. It is on the net as a pdf for downloading. Get informed before you knock the book and it's message.
There was a time you could own FA in this country and it didn't result in chaos, murder and mayhem in the streets. Same for the AR 15 and other rifles.
I'm very glad you have no wish to discuss this further. You have done us a favour and your posts will be regarded appropriately. There is a position for you in the ranks of the NDP or Liberal parties.
- Location
- Just north of Toronto
That is the only FA i have ever shot, bad ass.
As a soldier or civilian?
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
I'd give my eye teeth to shoot a Bren, MG-34 or 42.
That being said people need to discipline their kids or we aren't going to be allowed to take a leak without the gov't holding our hand.
That being said people need to discipline their kids or we aren't going to be allowed to take a leak without the gov't holding our hand.
- Location
- Just north of Toronto
As a civilian, down in the states, got three 30 round mags and that was my only FA experience of my life.
I saw a kit to build one up here and was looking at it for nostalgic reasons but dont have the tools to put it together.
I used the Sten in the militia and the Sterling in the regular army. It was so bloody long ago, I don.t rememger if the Sten was better or worse. I was never a big fan of smgs. I liked an FN where I could reach a bit further.
I did shoot the Bren in the militia and I will say, I liked it better than the FM C2. The C2 was lighter but I felt it was too light.
The C1 on auto was fricken awesome. And yes, as an armourer we did make them full auto for various tests.
I did shoot the Bren in the militia and I will say, I liked it better than the FM C2. The C2 was lighter but I felt it was too light.
The C1 on auto was fricken awesome. And yes, as an armourer we did make them full auto for various tests.
People with an urge to do some full auto shooting ought to consider signing on with their local reserve armoured or infantry unit. This will give you an opportunity to shoot all of the standard C6, C7,and C9 weapons on full auto. You will also have the possibility of firing the 25mm and the C6 and C9 off the LAV 3. I'm not sure if the .50 cal HMG is still on issue to the reserves, but it is one of all time favourites. Nothing beats hearing the Leopard cough of the big .50 cal. and adjusting the trace onto the target waaaay downrange.
Reserve service is a good thing as you get to do a bit for your country, get paid in return and get to shoot a lot of ammo for free. What could be a better deal? You will also get to learn other useful life skills including how to manage your time better, how to make your bed properly, and how to exercise a bit more self-discipline, to say nothing of improving your personal grooming.
I don't know what age limits/restrictions there are on enrolments there are these days, but there have been changes under human rights legislation which allow people to join at a later age and serve until age 60. After you pass the physical and human reliability/security screenings you are good to go. It isn't all about fun at the range, but that does help.
Reserve service is a good thing as you get to do a bit for your country, get paid in return and get to shoot a lot of ammo for free. What could be a better deal? You will also get to learn other useful life skills including how to manage your time better, how to make your bed properly, and how to exercise a bit more self-discipline, to say nothing of improving your personal grooming.
I don't know what age limits/restrictions there are on enrolments there are these days, but there have been changes under human rights legislation which allow people to join at a later age and serve until age 60. After you pass the physical and human reliability/security screenings you are good to go. It isn't all about fun at the range, but that does help.
You were born in the wrong era, one of a class of Canadians denied access to a great range of firearms. The trade off? Canadian society is a safer, gentler place where a 'lone wolf' gunman has to use a Winchester 30-30 to murder a sentry at our national war memorial and shoot up the Centre Block of Parliament.
Besides - guys like purple don't think citizens ought to be allowed access to FA's, despite the fact that you live in an ostensibly free, democratic society - where only the army and police should have access to FA's.
There, don't you feel better now?
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my brother in laws father talked of carrying one overseas during house clearing operations . they would throw this gun in a window and it would fire until the mag was empty . i do not know if they rigged it up or whether it fired on its own when it hit the floor but he said it was effective . he was not a man to exaggerate .
