*British, WW2, Sten Mk II 9mm Sub-Machine Gun, Old-Spec Deactivated, With Magazine*
Simple, rugged and correct in the details: a blow-back Sten Mk II with fixed magazine housing, two-hole butt-plate stock, protected front sight and classic barrel nut/perforated jacket. In old-spec, the bolt cocks and dry-fires properly and the 32-round magazine locks and drops cleanly. Calibre 9×19mm, barrel approx. 8″, overall approx. 30″. Serial number 1480. Desirable wartime markings include the “STEN MK II” legend on the mag housing, Broad Arrow to the stock, and “S68” Lines Brothers contractor stamp to the brace. The pressed-dimple trigger cover—generally seen from late-1942 onward—completes the authentic look collectors want; a textbook, ready-to-display example of Britain’s definitive WWII SMG.
Markings:
-Sten MK II - very faintly discernible on magazine housing
-1480 serial number impressed to the underside of the barrel
-Broad Arrow (War Department) stamp to the stock foot/brace
-S68 stamped on the stock brace (obverse) - wartime manufacturers code for Lines Brothers Ltd (Tri-ang), Merton, London, who produced Sten components (stocks, trigger housings, mag fillers, etc.)
-148.D stamped on the trigger-guard
-End-cap/stock boss with assembly numbers (appears “3139”)
-Additional small inspection and view marks consistent with British wartime manufacture.
Historical Note:
Conceived in 1941 as a brutally simple blow-back SMG, the Sten Mk II was engineered for production by scores of dispersed contractors using basic tube, press and weld work. This “dispersal” system kept costs low and meant parts from many makers were interchangeable and routinely mixed in service. Rushed into mass manufacture from 1941, the Sten became Britain’s quintessential wartime SMG—cheap, robust and easy to keep running. It armed the British Army, Home Guard and Commonwealth forces and saw extensive use with SOE and resistance groups thanks to its portability and straightforward maintenance.
The Mk II was the most produced Sten variant: a 9×19mm, blow-back arm with the distinctive side-mounted 32-round magazine, tubular receiver and quickly removable barrel—well suited to close-quarters fighting and rapid field servicing. The name “STEN” combines the initials of designers Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold J. Turpin with “EN” for Enfield (RSAF). Built in vast numbers by RSAF Enfield and subcontractors, the Mk II served in every WWII theatre and continued in post-war service, including the Korean War.
Within that dispersal network, Lines Brothers Ltd (Tri-ang), Merton, London repurposed its toy-factory presses and welding shops to turn out large quantities of Sten components (and later whole Mk III guns). Their contractor code S68—as stamped on this gun’s stock brace—identifies Lines Brothers manufacture of that part; mixed-maker assemblies like this are entirely typical of wartime Stens.
*Condition*
Presenting well with honest service wear to the parkerised/painted finish, handling marks to the receiver and furniture, and light age-speckling commensurate with storage and use. The deactivation is neat and correct to the certificate: barrel plugged, chamber cut and pegged, bolt face cut away; the trigger/bolt cock and dry-fire smoothly (non-firing). Magazine shows typical finish wear. No cracks to the stock tube; welds solid. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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