*** Welcome to piglix ***

Sten

Sten, Submachine gun
Pistolet maszynowy STEN, Muzeum Orła Białego.jpg
Sten Mk. II (trigger mechanism cover is missing)
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1941–1960s
Used by See Users
Wars World War II
Warsaw Uprising
Second Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Indonesian National Revolution
Malayan Emergency
Korean War
Mau Mau Uprising
Suez Crisis
1948 Arab-Israeli War
Sino-Indian War
First Indochina War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Indo-Pakistan Wars
IRA Border Campaign
The Troubles
Punjab insurgency
Production history
Designer Major Reginald V. Shepherd
Harold J. Turpin
Designed 1940
Manufacturer Royal Small Arms Factory
Enfield
BSA
ROF Fazakerley
ROF Maltby
ROF Theale
Berkshire
Lines Brothers Ltd
Long Branch Canada (plus numerous sub-contractors making individual parts).
Various Underground Resistance Group Factories.
Produced 1941– (version dependent)
Number built 3.7–4.6 million (all variants, depending on source)
Variants

Mk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VI

Unit Cost $10 or £2.3 in 1942
Specifications
Weight 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)
Length 760 mm (30 in)
Barrel length 196 mm (7.7 in)

Cartridge 9×19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback-operated, Open bolt
Rate of fire version dependent; ~500-600 round/min
Muzzle velocity

365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)

305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) (suppressed models)
Effective firing range 100 m
Feed system 32-round detachable box magazine
Sights fixed peep rear, post front

Mk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VI

365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)

The STEN (or Sten gun) was a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm and used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They were notable for having a simple design and very low production cost making them effective insurgency weapons for resistance groups.

STEN is an acronym, from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for Enfield. Over four million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s.

The Sten emerged while Britain was engaged in the Battle of Britain, facing invasion by Germany. The army was forced to replace weapons lost during the evacuation from Dunkirk while expanding at the same time. Prior to 1941 (and even later) the British were purchasing all the Thompson submachine guns they could from the United States, but these did not meet demand. The American entry into the war at the end of 1941 placed an even bigger demand on the facilities making Thompsons. In order to rapidly equip a sufficient fighting force to counter the Axis threat, the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, was commissioned to produce an alternative.

The credited designers were Major R. V. Shepherd, OBE, Inspector of Armaments in the Ministry of Supply Design Department at The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, (later Assistant Chief Superintendent at the Armaments Design Department) and Mr. Harold John Turpin, Senior Draughtsman of the Design Department of the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield. Shepherd had been recalled to service after having retired and spending some time at BSA.


...
Wikipedia

...