Sten MkII - where does it come from?

[Kampfhamster]

Buddy of mine just got himself a real nice Sten MkII.
For some reason the trigger housing doesn't have a finish.

Where and when was this gun made anyway? He doesn't have any information about it other then it was supposedly used by the Israelis at some point.

P.S: this gun is located in Switzerland and was purchased with a valid collectors permit.

 

[sunray]

The broad arrow is a Brit acceptance mark. That stock is from a Mk III. STEN's were only made between 1941 and 1945. J.L & Co was likely one of thousands of machine shops etc that made them. There's nothing on-line about them though.
I suspect Stenguncollector will be along with better info.

 

[Skippy]

The LB mark on the shroud means it was made at Long Branch in Toronto.

 

[Juster]

Is that one of those MkIII barrels promoted to MkII?
members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/StenGuns.html

 

[tiriaq]

Sten production was organized using many parts suppliers whose product was funnelled into major assembly plants. Generally speaking, the parts for a single UK Sten were not manufactured entirely in one factory. The trigger mechanism cover is not Long Branch. It is Lines Brothers; the Long Branch mark had the L and B superimposed, the Lines Brothers did not. It does not look as if it is original to the gun. There are variant Mk. II barrels whose muzzle is contoured like a Mk. III barrel. The barrel breech is different of course. Perhaps the thought was that a barrel could be finished for either a III or a II. Don't know how it could be said that the stock is from a Mk. III carbine. J.L&CoLtd. would be the contractor who made the magazine housing, not the gun. The proof marks are much later than the gun, of course.
The single best source for information about Stens is Peter Laidler's The Sten Machine Carbine.

 

[John Sukey]

The really odd bit is the BNP, Birmingham Nitro Proof which would only be there if the gun was sold out of service.

 

[Kampfhamster]

Thanks a lot for the hints. I'll forward it to the owner of the gun.

The proof marks are much later than the gun, of course.

Around what time might they have been added?

 

[tiriaq]

The way they are engraved, rather than stamped, and with the pressure noted as 3380 BAR, I would think that the marks are quite recent. Perhaps your friend could contact the Birmingham Proof House.

 

[stencollector]

Re the stepped end on the barrel, it could be either a mkIII barrel or a mkV barrel. Either type were substituted onto mk2s during production. You almost need a micrometer to tell the difference.

I agree with Tiriaq re the buttstock. If there are any major differences in the early T stock from a mk3 stock, you sure can't tell them in these photos. The early mk2 stens used T stocks, and by 43 they had gone to loop stocks in production. A T stock would fit onto a early or late mk2 without any modification, but a loopstock would not fit onto an early mkII unless the recess in the back of the trigger housing was milled out (this was the approved method) or else the outer edges of the loopstock were ground a bit narrower and edges rounded off where it went in to the backof the triger housing(unapproved method, but commonly done; after all, how many 1st line shops had a milling machine)

The trigger housing cover is of the late type, which had both the holes to secure it by screws to the trigger housing, and the dimples for the later method of fastening.

 

[Claven2]

To me, the housing cover looks parkerized - not in the white?

 

[tiriaq]

Cover could have been blasted and parked. Belgian gray enamel is almost that colour, but I don't think it has been painted. I'd be inclined to either darken it, or replace it with one that matches the rest of the gun. In the event that it is original to the gun, something has been done to it.