Semi-Sten: CFC AND RCMP approved and Home at Last

Claven2 said:
The BD-3008 DOES fire from the open bolt. Not sure if it is the same as a Sten though???
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Probably isn't from a mechanical standpoint, but assuming that there aren't any patent issues involved it's certainly something that could be reverse-engineered and then applied to various designs after the external cosmetics are adjusted accordingly, while safely staying within the "variant" range of the BD-3008. Sten, Grease gun, etc.
 
Cant be the same bolt as the 3008 feeds from the bottom and ejects from the side. The sten feeds from the left and ejects to the right. That means the extractor and ejector slot, at a minimum, would be 90 degrees out. Not to mention that the cocking slot would also be indexed onto another plane.

Also, I sure don't have $2300 + tax + shipping into this project. At this point I suspect my total investment is closer to the $500 range and a couple evenings or so in the shop.

The Sterling Police Carbines (and I have one of those too :cool: ) is also an open bolt commercial version of a tube gun. The reason why it is only restricted is because it got missed in the mid 90s round of prohibition. They will run in the mid $3000 price range (when you can find one) but is a cadillac compared to the lowly sten. I am not so certain that there would be a big market for $2300 stens. If they were to be kept under the $1000 mark, there would be some sales. But there will always be the know-it-all-do-nuthings who think it should be priced in the $150 range.
 
Well, I have no idea how any of this is done (well, no,. i do. but cant see myself doing it)

let's just say, if someone offers them prebuilt, I'll buy em.
until then, beautiful job!
 
If there is a group build, count me in! A Sten for a 3 figure sum would be pretty attractive. Especially if I "built it myself" (wartime expedient welding).
Stencollector deserves a medal, great work.
 
Stencollector deserves a medal, great work.
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Medals really are over-rated. I have 3 or 4 now.....they are so important to me I can't even recall how many I have without digging under the dirty clothes to the bottom of the closet to look at them.
I was actually presented another one on a parade(SSM-Germany) in error, and decided to try and give it back. While it only took 5 minutes to give it away, it took almost 3 years to get it off my docs.

Anyway, enough rambling. Now that I have a certificate, it will be off to the range to see if I can get this thing to work.
 
Now the funny bit. The sten was my first go fast gun. I got the parts kit out of CANADA!
An exhaust pipe section from Midas Muffler was the source of the reciever tube.:D
 
Congratulations, I know it's been a bit of a nightmare for you trying to get this done. For the rest of us that's another useable FRT number, thank you!
 
NavyShooter said:
Well Done Sten.

Would a mill make the receiver slots any easier to make, or is the dremel adequate?

NS
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There is no need for anything as high tech as a milling machine. A drill press is nice, but even those holes could be done by a hand drill.
A dremel is actually a bit light since the tube is about twice the thickness as the normal sten tube. A princess auto air powered die grinder, with a $1 cutting disc, will cut the majority of the larger slots. The dremel is needed for the little cutouts on the end of the receiver, where the end cap locks in to it. There is a bit of small filing also involved to get the cuts real pretty.
If making a mkII or mkV conversion, you have to turn the end of the tube internally for the trunnion to fit in. The trunnion can be turned slightly as well.
There is some light welding involved, such as the trunnion to the tube, and the trigger housing to the tube. If you are making a mk3 model, you have to weld the magwell to the tube as well. Also, if it is a mk2 or 5, you will have to weld in the ejector, and cut a corresponding slot into the breech.

By what I have read in the US, the springs were a problem on these kits. They tended to collapse onto themselves, as so many of todays cheap springs will do. I have salvaged an old Bren firing pin spring for the firing pin, and will likely use GPMG spring for the return springs. You can't beat mil-spec quality.
Apparently the company has since improved it's springs.

Further down the road I would like to modify it over to using a larger, origional type return spring, with a second half to the breechblock to act as the hammer. But for now, I will be happy if I can empty a 5 round mag with this setup. It feeds dummy rounds OK, so hopefully live rounds will work out also.
 
kevinh said:
Congrats on all the progress!
I am excited. Now, where can I get a non-restricted length 9mm barrel? (cheaply)
:p
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What you need is a 1-1/4" barrel blank in either 9mm, or as a bit sloppier alternative, a .357 barrel blank.

There was a guy on ebay selling 9mm barrel blanks for soemthing super cheap like $20. I got one a few years back and it still sits on the "to do" pile.

With the import headeaches these days, you might be just as well off ordering one of the Montana 9mm barrel blanks from one of the dealers in Canada that sells them. I think I saw them at one of the BC dealers.

A dummy silencer could be made to about 14" length, leaving just a couple inches sticking out the end.
 
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