#sterling l2a3

[nocternalrandomness]

British Sterling L2A3 SMG

[historicalfirearms]

STEN vs Sterling - Magazines

In the mid 1940s, engineer George Patchett set out to design a submachine gun and magazine that would improve on the STEN gun's shortcomings. Below are diagrams showing the make up of the two guns’ magazines.

First we have the 32 round, double stack, single feed STEN magazine. The STEN’s magazine was derived directly from that of the Lanchester Machine Carbine, which was itself a clone of the MP28, II′s magazine designed by Hugo Schmeisser. While the magazine was effective, with a tight control on the rounds fed into the action, it was difficult to load and prone to jamming in adverse conditions.

STEN Magazine

While George Patchett’s experimental machine carbine had initially been designed to feed from the same MP28/Lanchester/STEN magazines by 1945 he had decided that in order to improve reliability a new magazine was needed.

Sterling Magazine (L1A2)

Patchett’s magazine evolved over several years but its basic features included a a unique follower made up of a pair of rollers, a circular spring, a curved body - to improve the feeding of 9x19mm cartridges and it was of course double stack, double feed - which enabled it to be loaded easier. It held 34 rounds, on paper at least, and was robustly made from sheet steel with reinforcing ribs. 

The design seen above is the British Army’s L1A2 magazine - which was a slight simplification of the magazine’s produced by the Sterling Armament Company. The L1A2 magazine used two pieces of sheet metal, rather than four, however, it retained Patchett’s roller follower which. The rollers, in theory at least, could provide a stable feed and prevent jams by rolling dirt and grit out of the day.

Sterling Magazine (Patchett’s Sterling-produced original design)

Note the subtly different shape of the magazine, with the wall of the magazine making up the insertion guide and an extended lip at the sides to help prevent drop damage.

Check out my video and article on the Sterling magazine here.

[historicalfirearms]

My Book on the Sterling is Out!

Really pleased to say that my first ever book is out today (29th November). I’ve written an instalment of Osprey’s Weapon series all about the British Sterling submachine gun! I’ve mentioned it a few times on here but I wrote it in the course of about a year and it is so exciting to finally see it out in the world! 

I tried to pack it with as much new research as I could spending a lot of time in archives and also listening to the Imperial War Museum’s brilliant audio interview collection to find out what the people who used it actually thought about the Sterling. 

The book covers every aspect of the Sterling’s history from its design and development through to the decade of gruelling testing it was put thought. The main chapter of the book digs deep into the experiences of the men who used the gun. It includes anecdotes about its performance in the field and I also used field reports, medal citations and interviews I personally conducted with veterans to try and bring the history to life. 

Osprey books are known for their illustrations and this brilliant illustration is from my book showing Sterlings in action with both sides during the Argentine invasion of the Falklands and the attack on government house. 

The book also discusses the Sterling’s influence around the world not just as a military weapon (over 1 million were made) but also its impact on popular culture as it found new fame on screen appearing in Bond films and most famously as the Imperial Stormtrooper’s E-11 blaster. I break down some of the parts that were added to the guns to give them the iconic Star Wars look. 

Writing it was a great experience, a lot of people were instrumental in helping me put it together. I am very excited to see it released, when I started Historical Firearms way back in 2013, I never thought that five years later I’d be writing books! Thanks everyone for reading the blog and I hope that if you come across my book on the Sterling you enjoy it. 

More about the book here, if you’d like a copy it should be available online and in shops worldwide and if you can’t find it let me know and I will do my best to get you a copy!

- Matt

[historicalfirearms]

In Action: L2A3 in Malaya

In the photographs above we can see a section from the Commonwealth Field Ambulance, part of the Royal Army Medical Corps tending to a casualty in Malaya during the Indonesian Confrontation, in August 1964. 

While Lance Corporal A.J.R. Lea and Private J. Davies tend to the casualty,  Private M. Moore stands guard with his Sterling L2A3, providing security for the others in his team. The team are part of the Commonwealth Field Ambulance, a mobile medical unit that acted as the first tier of battlefield medical treatment.

The Sterling Submachine Gun had been officially adopted a decade earlier in 1954, it saw extensive service in the jungles of Malaya and Borneo. The Sterling was the standard personal weapon issued to any man whose primary job wasn’t firing a rifle or GPMG. Officers, some NCOs, radio operators, mortar teams, dog handlers, drivers, vehicle crews and as we see here medics all carried the L2A3. It remained in service right up into the early 1990s. 

Sources:

Images: 1 2 3

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!

[historicalfirearms]

L2A3 Live Fire & Slow Motion

Hey guys, here's The Armourer's Bench’s very first live fire and slow motion video! I had the chance to fire a British L2A3 Sterling submachine gun and Vic captured some great footage!

It was a real pleasure getting to fire a Sterling, it’s probably my favourite 9mm submachine gun that I’ve had the opportunity to fire. Simple, elegant design, a Cold War classic. You can also check out the accompanying blog I wrote to go along with the video here. 

[historicalfirearms]

The Sterling L2A3 In Action: How Lance Corporal Amarjit Pun Won The Military Medal

On the 29th August 1964, during the Indonesian Confrontation, a company strength patrol from the 2nd Gurkha Rifles was returning to base when they were ambushed by Indonesian infantry. Lance Corporal Amarjit Pun of number 10 Platoon, C Company won the Military Medal for his actions in the ensuing firefight. 

The citation for Lance Corporal Amarjit’s medal describes the action and his bravery: 

‘Lance Corporal Amarjit Pun was second in Command of the point section of Number 10 Platoon, C Company, which was ambushed on the border South of Kumpang Langir by the enemy on 29th August 1964. The enemy waited until Lance Corporal Amarjit's section had started entering the killing ground before opening fire at point-blank range. The point section commander was seriously wounded, another non-commissioned officer killed, a rifleman wounded and the light machine gun team knocked out, with the Number 2 killed and the Number 1 wounded.

Lance Corporal Amarjit at once took command of the section and rushed for the fallen Bren gun in order to pick it up and turn it upon the enemy. No sooner did he seize the gun than it was struck by enemy fire and put out of action. Lance Corporal Amarjit then turned his own weapon [an L2A3 Sterling submachine gun] on the enemy. Regardless of cover and his own safety, he stood up at the edge of the track in the centre of the enemy's killing ground, fully exposed to rapid fire from ten yards range. From this position, yelling encouragement to the men in his section this brave non-commissioned officer poured magazine after magazine from his machine gun into the enemy ambush position until the Indonesians' fire dwindled and they commenced to pull out in retreat. During this time three enemy bullets hit different parts of Lance Corporal Amarjit's equipment. 

His audacity and courage in the face of heavy odds and his complete disregard for his own safety was well in keeping with tradition. His behaviour, beyond doubt, adversely affected the enemy's plans, causing him to pull out prematurely from his ambush site and thus saving Number 10 Platoon from suffering further heavy casualties.’

Amarjit’s bravery and the close range firepower of his Sterling were enough to briefly achieve fire superiority and allow other sections to move up and break up the Indonesian ambush. 

Sources:

Images: 1 2

London Gazette, 18th June 1965, Supplement: 43689, Page: 5969 (source)

If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon!

[weaponology-blog]

The Sterling

Developed from a 1940 design by George William Patchett and initially built by Sterling Engineering Company of Dagenham-Essex, England, the L-2 SMG was adopted by Britain and all Commonwealth nations in 1953. Subsequent manufacturers include the Royal Ordnance Factory of Fazakerley, Landcastershire, England, and Canadian Arsenals, Ltd. The Sterling's bolt is made from multiple forgings that are precision machined, and features self-cleaning ribs that cut fouling from the inside of the receiver during bolt reciprocation and drive it from the weapon via small holes in the receiver. Stampings are used for the folding stock and magazine. Stock panels are of reinforced, shockproof plastic, and the receiver itself is made from seamless tubing. Many of the Sterling's close fittings are machined to exacting tolerances. The result is an SMG that performs brilliantly under a wide variety of conditions and possesses a long service life but is somewhat expensive and time-consuming to produce. Thus , it is clearly a peacetime weapon design regardless of how well it performs. A favorite close-combat weapon of the famed Special Air Service (SAS), the Sterling has been continuously refined to its present version , the L-2A3. The L-2A3 differs from its L-2A1 and L-2A2 predecessors in that its: 1. Buttplate locking design guarantees alignment at all times when the stock is extended. 2. Folding stock has been redesigned and is now made as a complete stamping, with a brace that extends for its entire length. 3. Rear sight release lever has been omitted. 4. Pistol grip screw is no longer interchangeable with the barrel-retaining screws, resulting in loss. 5. Front sight blade is now adjustable and retained by an Allen screw. 6. Chamber has been modified to 9mm NATO specifications. 7. Triggerguard is now removable for cold weather use with gloves. The Sterling is one of the most prolific SMGs of the post-WWII world. It is a highly refined second-generation design and can be found in the armories of more than 40 nations. It is light, compact, well designed and built to be accurate, robust and functionally reliable, particularly in cold climates. Its buttstock is rigid when extended and positively locks into place when folded for storage or airborne use. It has excellent, well-protected sights, a safety/selector lever that is easily operated by the firing thumb and an angled bolt handle to allow easy operation with either hand. If anything, the Sterling is too well engineered for its SMG mission and is excessively expensive and time-consuming to produce. However, these points in no way diminish the fact that, from an operator standpoint, it is one of the world's finest SMGs. Any comparison of the STEN and Sterling must take into consideration not only the technical characteristics of their respective designs, but also the political and economic climates of the time period during which they were developed. From a purely technical perspective, the Sterling is without question far superior to the STEN. On the other hand, considering its immense wartime success and subsequent influence on SMG design, it would be an error to dismiss the STEN as being a piece of junk just because of its bizarre appearance. There is an old dictum to the effect that function follows form, and history shows the STEN to be as efficient as any other SMG that achieved service adoption. On that basis, it is my feeling that, while it may not be up to the standard set by the Sterling, it is, in fact, a satisfactory submachine gun and worth betting your life on if necessary.

[archus7]

i just realized.. I have enough money to buy a Sterling L2A3 / Mk.4 SMG.