The Sten - It's a Toob, Innit?

[@BrandonHerrera]

Thanks for watching guys! Let me know what other guns you’d like to see me break down on the channel! TOOB T-shirt: www.bunkerbranding.com/products/t-o-o-b-t-shirt Thanks to SDI for sponsoring! Again, it’s SDI.edu for more info!

[@Adzzz147]

I need me a toob shirt 🔦

[@braesomething8892]

fantastic toob

[@monsterm1tch15]

I fucking love this channel bro

[@JaimeGarcia-td7pl]

Check Instagram dm

[@Meowystery]

Do the Bren MG

[@jamiecarter9357]

When I was in high school, my shop teacher, who was the local gunsmith built a registered sten. We did it at school in the industrial arts building. Milled out the receiver tube with a paper wrap around template and welded her up with TIG and parkerized it right there in school. He took a few of us out to the local gravel pit afterwards to try it out. Needless to say, times have changed. I am a high school shop teacher now, and I always tell my students that story just to show how much ground we've lost in 30+ years.

[@zachgonyea1885]

It truly is a shame how far we've fallen

[@ScottWaa]

Thanks for being teacher that is down to earth. Hopefully your students will remember you the same way.

[@willh2739]

well, you can still build and register destructive devices. To build a real grenade launcher would be pretty fun. Times have still changed, but making an m79 or m203 is legal (ammo is nonextistent)

[@marvindebot3264]

Well, he obviously inspired you so his job is done.

[@oogboog7049]

I’m lucky my schools still got our rifle team with rifles still kept in the building of course they don’t a low any ammo and there in a new safe but some is left still not the days of being able to have a truck gun in HS

[@spitkwad2746]

The Sten was designed with foxholes and trenches in mind. The magazine well being to the side aided in prone shooting and reloading. Helping keep lower profile to the ground but still have useful ammo capacity.

[@Dhips.]

I wonder why they didn't bother adding it on top like the Bren. They said fuck all to the sights anyway.

[@Eathus]

Yeah it's wierd to think about today but a major concern of brass back in that era was overly long magazines would interfere with lying prone and shooting, part of why they were rather unimpressed by the stg44

[@cyber789]

@@Dhips. Owen gun: 👀

[@AJadedLizard]

Came here to say this, and was also going to add the "correct" way to hold the Sten is with the support hand on the smooth piece directly forward of the trigger, below the barrel (the part that looks like a handguard). Holding by the mag can induce jams, as Brandon demonstrated.

[@sheeplord4976]

@@Dhips. big weight above the gun makes it wobble sideways more. The sten was made to fire from a bipod.

[@Iwasthemilkman]

It's actual nickname was 'the Woolworths gun' because it cost just over £2 to make

[@imperialbricks1977]

Woolworth's? I was banished from there. I don't remember if it was just the one branch or all of 'em.

[@camerannicephore5262]

@@imperialbricks1977 isn't that the gun that hurts more to shoot than to be shot with

[@marcusg8419]

@@imperialbricks1977 "And stay out of the Woolworth!"

[@GallifreyanGunner]

The Woolworth's Gun was the nickname for the Liberator pistol. The Sten was known as the Plumber's Nightmare.

[@heasent]

2 quid!? Bloody right deal there.

[@jamesd1800]

Unfortunately you missed one of the major bonuses of the Sten. The magazine slots in horizontally allowing the soldier to shoot lying prone. This him to get lower to the ground unlike the Germans who had vertical magazines pointing downward and they were more comfortable kneeling which of course provides the enemy with a larger target. See, the Brit designers weren't mad after all!

[@Dav624]

I get the idea and what ur trying to say but honestly that's not really accurate to even point out as a major bonus because the sten smg due to its simplicity and mass production was highly in accurate and it was made purely for close range combat to spray and pray bullets towards ur enemy while charging at them running towards them the sten smg had also was known for its poor reliability and it jammed quite often so yeah the horizontal magazine didn't really help this gun get any better also in the grass proning u would never notice a soldier with stem smg just as well as u wouldn't notice a soldier with a standard vertical magazine smg it didn't give much of an advantage to proning you can argue the vertical mag sub machine guns were better for proning because u could use the magazine as a bipod for ur gun and control the recoil much easier than u would with a sten so yeah that's an argument not even worth mentioning its definitely not a major bonus for the sten

[@DestricaUKGaming]

@@Dav624 punctuation exists.

[@Dav624]

@@DestricaUKGaming I couldn't care less

[@MorAodhan]

​@@Dav624well then, most won't be bothered to finish your painstaking essay.

[@Dav624]

@@MorAodhan I couldn't care less

[@matthewn4896]

Also worth noting, is that the development of the Sten took around 6 weeks, from conception to adoption, which is really quite incredible.

[@corditesniffer8020]

Something to be said for the simplicity of a TOOB 😂

[@EsotericDrifter]

That long? I would have thought it would be half that time.

[@Kiiw3y]

@@EsotericDrifter If you look at how long other weapon projects take this is quite impressive. Even consdiring wartime pressure this is still out of the ordinary.

[@LordVader1094]

@@EsotericDrifter You wouldn't be saying that if you knew anything about the usual process of weapon conception and adoption.

[@AndyDrake-FOOKYT]

@@Kiiw3y but it's just a toob, innit?

[@thestrangeguy6084]

Proving once again that many great British Inventions could either be built in a shed, were made in a shed (arctic warfare) or could be built better in a shed (L85A1)

[@cardiffpicker1]

Arctic warfare wasn't built in a shed, green meanie was.

[@stephenfrancis303]

What about all the hood british racing 🏎 and supercars built in a shed

[@23GreyFox]

Wasn't it just a simplified copy of the MP28?

[@andrewallen9993]

Or decoded in a shed

[@pyro1047]

@@23GreyFox The Lanchester was the British copy of the MP28 and was designed to be cheaper and easier to build, while using less resources and man hours. However this was still too expensive and manpower consuming for post Dunkirk Britan to mass produce, and eventually they got all the way down to a spicy pipe with nubs. Kinda like how the USSR went from the PPD-40 > Cheaper Easier to make PPSH-41 > Cheapest Easiest PPS-43. Or the Americans from the M1928 > Cheaper easier to make M1 & M1A1 > Even cheaper easier M2 > Cheapest and easiest M3. I'd much rather have an M3 Grease Gun or PPS-43 (Is it still considered a Papasha, or just the PPSH-41? I know paPAsha is how PPSH is said in Russian, but also means Daddy), or even an Owen gun. The STENs a great gun and surprisingly reliable, like when they accidentally found out the recoil springs were weak and prone to breaking in half, but that it didn't matter as the gun still ran fine. But its greatest feature is it costs nothing and can be made from nothing, ergonomics wasn't an afterthought as it was never considered in the first place.

[@therabbithole-sn5yb]

Actually the reason for the side magazine when operational was very tactical, since it has the long stick mag they wanted it to be Easily fired from the prone position as well as the rested position (like on sandbags atop a foxhole) without the soldier needing to stick half his body out as a target. It worked well for it's purpose...

[@mrBASTARD0]

Exactly! In the video I have the information from about the STEN, the trenches were mentioned as an explanation for the horizontal magazine.

[@EnSayne987]

Bolt action rifles were developed for this exact reason even though lever action technology already existed

[@dlmblodgett]

And we just thought they were stupid. I guess we were stupid?

[@TheFirstVonGunther]

You could also look at the BREN gun. Brits were all about this "prone fire" thing. Whatever it was.

[@macnitt4039]

Rounds coming at you, there's a real need to get small

[@nickpage7333]

Because, as the Germans found out, it is difficult to fire prone with a downward mag. As this was a mainly commando/para weapon this was particularly important.

[@bobo0202]

Yep, that was obvious to me too. Same reason the Bren gun was designed the way it was

[@Michael-uc2pn]

Obviously the mag on the sten and MP40 are a bit too long to be practical for this, but a lot of guns with downward facing magazines (like ARs) are perfect for using the magazine as an improvised monopod when firing prone. I've heard lots of complaints about how that will get the magazine dirty or cause jams, but the army's current stance is that it's authorized and improves accuracy for unsupported firing. If either design had used a double stack magazine they probably could have gotten away with a downward facing mag and it might have been been a useful feature.

[@AncientCreature-i2o]

​@Michael-uc2pn No way. The tolerances for build were much too large and it would have caused significant and predictable feed failure and malfunction. Youre thinking in terms of firearms produced in a highly controlled and quality ensured environment, which these machines were not.

[@williamzk9083]

@@Michael-uc2pn German manuals at the time did exactly that advising it be used as a support or to dig a small hole. In practice it was an edge case. Firing from prone was possible. There had been a 10 round magazine developed for the volssturngewher but it was never issued. The magazine length is less than the bipod length of the MG42. It wasn't that large.

[@Toto_Meister_01]

I'm really into WW2 stuff (I'm English), and with the evacuation of dunkirk we actually came back with a lot of our infantry weapons as they could easily be carried, what we did loose a lot of though was our heavy equipment and vehicles and stuff. I learned that we made the Sten is because we needed a cheap and numerous sub machine gun for the influx of new soldiers, and we moved away from the Thompson because it was expensive and complicated to make, but the sten was a lot cheaper and easier to mass produce that’s also why the Americans moved from the Thompson to the Grease gun

[@kez0o9]

We hadent produced the sten till after Dunkirk, it was really made to find a cheaper alternative than buying Thomson's which were already in short supply for about @$200 each in gold and with the added risk of them ending up on the floor of the Atlantic via German U boats. It did what it was supposed to do when needed, the mark 5 with the wood stock and foregrip which came along in 44 was more pleasant to shoot and had better sights. It was to be replaced by the "patchet" or what went on to become the "stirling but had to wait to the 50s before being introduced.

[@willyvereb]

Yeah, turns out not many nations prioritized SMGs until WW2. It had the debut in WW1 but many considered the ugly duckling of weapons which only made logistics a pain. Also their rep as "gangster weapon" did more harm than good for a bunch. Contrast this with semi-auto rifles which everyone tried but nobody really aside from the US got to properly work. Sure, some could have been functional but aside from the SVT models for the Soviet none really got issued in numbers but the Garand. Which sucks when said semi-auto rifles were used as the counter point to acquire more SMGs.... ooops!

[@carnifexzer0]

The US had a failed SMG between the M1A1 Thompson and the M3 grease gun called the M2 Hyde, it was also a lot cheaper than the Thompson. Prototypes were incredibly accurate and reliable even in harsh conditions and in full auto, but after production started, quality went out the window and these attributes that made it an appealing replacement meant that orders were cancelled after the M3 Grease Gun was adopted instead!

[@Toto_Meister_01]

@@willyvereb the Germans got the Gwerh or something, and why do you say the M1 Garand sucked? Also, America also had the M1A1 carbine and then later variants

[@tovarisch3490]

Gold, juno and sword

[@reginaldscot165]

Well about the sideways mag, when I saw it I actually thought “what a jolly good idea” (I’m British) because it means you can fire the weapon while laying on the ground and get lower than you would with say other bottom fed sub guns. And when the enemy have MG42s you tend to do a lot of laying on the ground…

[@inesharroyuy341]

although it would seem - just turn the weapon 90 degrees and shoot if you really want to shoot. but I think if you are lying on the ground with Stan or Thompson, and MG-42 bullets douse you - your business is very bad anyway, and it doesn’t matter if your weapon magazine is looking down or sideways.

[@comanderfrost]

The question is though, how often would soldiers have the need to fire an SMG from a prone position that you would feel the need to the SMG that way?.

[@dankim7488]

The Germans actually made tgeir own version of the Sten called the MP 3008. This design was exactly what Brandon was desiring: magazine facing down. That was the only major difference. Most everything else was exactly the same as the Sten. They designed and built these late in the war when Germanys defeat was close. They too needed a cheap easy to make SMG and they saw how the Sten excelled at this. It was even cheaper and easier to make than their own cheap/mass produceable smg the MP40. They say about 10,000 were made before the war ended. I havent read anything about any being used in combat. I imagine some might have with rag tag Volkssturm units during the last days of the war.

[@kjpierson1152]

This was what I was always told as well by a couple different people when I asked. I have no idea if it was true, but it seemed like the most logical explanation, esp considering the experiences from trenches and the like.

[@ryanwood6754]

@@comanderfrost it was pretty much british standard procedure at the time especially after trench warfare where you were laying down in a ditch most of the time. Tho ww2 was less trenches

[@winstonsmith6708]

The mag comes out the side for the same reason as the Bren mag comes out of the top. The British army at the time had an obsession with being able to fire and reload effectively from a prone position.

[@sa-amirel-hayeed699]

Their battle doctrine was "if ya get shelled, ya git prone" so they wanted them to get as flat as possible

[@danielwells7083]

Would you support Brandon making a remake of the Morita Rifle from Starship Troopers?

[@stevem9410]

The sten was prone to jamming if the magazine was held while firing. The gun body should be held instead.

[@crumpetcommandos779]

Brens top loaded mag allowed an assistant to aid with the reload as well

[@tsorevitch2409]

Nope - reasons for top or side magazine placement is reliability. Magazine spring doesn't have to overcome gravity when feeding the rounds.

[@fungusmcbungus7943]

The disassembly reminds me of when I got bored in school and started taking my pen apart just to put it back together.

[@tomwinterfishing9065]

I did that in England and got in trouble.

[@sarbbarn6407]

Brandon, as an American with a father very interested in history so I was named Sten (no joke), I have been waiting FAR too long for this video. Big thanks! EDIT: Brandon I need the shirt

[@roo99710]

do you have any siblings? if you dont mind me asking?

[@Adzzz147]

Toob?

[@madrenwillims4391]

Well first of all... you should tell him he has a terrible taste in firearms, but an absolutely goated taste on baby name

[@sarbbarn6407]

@@roo99710 yes I have 2 younger sisters if that means anything. Both basic names tho :(

[@roserado8228]

I think he has a sister…called Bren..da.

[@WardenOfTerra]

The reason for the STEN's magazine being to the side is so that it was far more efficient when defending positions due to the gun being able to be flat on sandbags etc., as it was designed for trench warfare.

[@EPICLIGIT]

I’m conjunction with low quality springs struggling to feed rounds upwards it was a product of circumstance

[@Substance2020]

Nah, they just copied the german mp40 and needed it to look different to avoid a patent war...

[@EPICLIGIT]

@@Substance2020 the explain the grease gun? Patents didn’t mean shit in those days

[@Substance2020]

@@EPICLIGIT "the explain the grease gun"..the guy says. Ok... America imported the MP40 when designing the gun. Does that do it for you? Low quality springs? LOL.....that's made my day. Good one. Oh and the patent reference was a joke.

[@tidefanyankee2428]

@@Substance2020 The MP 40 had nothing to do with the Grease Gun. The Thompson did though. The M3 Grease Gun was a much, MUCH cheaper version of the Thompson. Lower rate of fire, which allowed it to stay on target better. It fired from an open bolt and "slam fired" like the sten, but it fired the .45 acp.

[@MrSadisty]

The Polish underground army designed a SMG based on STEN that actually had a "normal" magazine well. Check out Błyskawica, they built like 500 of them all homemade during occupation. Pretty neat

[@ambivalentonion2620]

germans did a similar smg with a normal magazine, i know there's a company in Germany who makes semi auto replicas of it for the European Market

[@bootsontheground4913]

@@ambivalentonion2620 the MP3008

[@Sammael66685]

And then there is the Owen, australian domestic weapon rival of the Sten with a curious magazine well allocation. ...upwards.

[@BHuang92]

@@Sammael66685 it was different from the STEN (not derived) and in some ways, way better then the STEN

[@John.McMillan]

Note that they did this becuase the STEN's they were dropped were.. Well, shit. They were prone to jamming, as well as other failures. So partisan groups improved them or used captures weapons as much as possible. Realistically the STEN was honestly mind of shit.

[@nd15music73]

The British didn't end up at Dunkirk by running away, they stayed organised and fought a very difficult fighting retreat for a long time and didn't have their lines broken once, in fact they broke all German bridgeheads and made good counter-attacks against German units trying to break British lines. The British Expeditionary Force was highly competent but far too small to do anything except keep falling back as the forces on their flanks were collapsing thus leaving British supply lines exposed, so the British just kept falling back and back, fighting all the way.

[@crumpetcommandos779]

he was joking

[@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog]

Exactly, Ignorance at its finest. Britain were fighting Germany alone for over a year. Britain won the battle of Britain and defeated hitler, they had no chance of invasion. Then the yanks cropped up

[@crumpetcommandos779]

@@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog he was joking 😄 I'm sure he knows his ww2 history

[@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog]

@@crumpetcommandos779 He knows everything about nothing.

[@crumpetcommandos779]

@@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog right.. it's very clearly meant to be satirical though so if you want an accurate and serious video on the Sten Gun watch "The STEN Gun - In The Movies" by Johnny Johnson :3

[@Sherrodja]

The reason for the side feed mag, was so the commando could lay completely prone to the ground. A bottom feed 30 round mag requires you to be elevated to accommodate the bottom feed mag. The Sten probably saved many lives due to the side feed.

[@gonzowarburn7045]

Wanted to check the comments to see if anyone else said it before I made posted a repeat.

[@mikehunt3746]

Or just shoot like you in the hood!

[@quilby591]

The really reason for side feed mag is that old military officers where prepering for war that alredy been so ww1 when fights wher in trenches and sten was build beacuse of cost the first mp britiah gets was tompson sup machingun that they buy from us but the cost was to big for them so they need to find better solution for that one of first prototype was copied ww1 german mp18 and why they start buillding machine guns now but not earlier is beacuse of elegancy for them mp is gun for criminals and degenerates thats why they still use revolvers so they need to use italian 9mm ammo they get from beafore war for sten @jeffsherrod2137

[@cardellkenith]

@@quilby591 punctuation, please, i beg you

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

The Aussies went for a top loading design for the same reason. An added bonus was that gravity assisted feeding and having the ejection port on the underside meant that you weren't spraying whoever was next to you with hot brass.

[@rambolambo93]

There's something beautifully rebellious about cheap, stamped sheet metal, open bolt SMGs. The Sten and the Luty are my absolute favorites.

[@theKashConnoisseur]

Imagine the wonderful firearms that could have come out of Great Britain if they hadn't cut the balls off of their firearms industry...

[@legalam]

Yeah towards the end of the war the guns needed to become a lot cheaper and simpler to make. Like the PPS43, the M2 Grease Gun, The Owen Gun.

[@MachineNun]

@@theKashConnoisseur The L85a1 comes to mind.

[@yournotgully]

@@theKashConnoisseur we still got some legendary guns like the AWM

[@BigBossIvan]

@@theKashConnoisseur now they have assault butter knives and acid face washes.

[@michaelchristensen5421]

It was made with the sideways magazine so you can shoot from a lower position while behind cover. Where the MP-40 had to shoot from about 6" higher which created a slightly larger target.

[@shadowsnake5133]

Especially when trenches and snipers were the way if war, those 6" mattered.

[@colindonoghue6120]

@@shadowsnake5133 Yeah 6" inches is a lot 😉Also dont have to deal with that pesky gravity that you would have if it was vertical. Could technically get away with weaker spring since it doesnt have to counteract gravity

[@alvarojm750]

@@colindonoghue6120 And a weaker spring is cheaper to produce and also easier to load a mag with one. Its stupid smart really.

[@evanf1443]

I figured it was (at least in part) to help with reliability some since it didn’t have to fight against gravity to load and eject

[@AlexSDU]

Can it be shoot while the magazine well facing downward? Or rotate 180° to the right side for left-handed user?

[@matthew4107]

as a brit (the guys that did all the heavy lifting in ww2 :D) i can inform you that a long magazine isnt ideal when it comes to laying prone. and that is why the magazine sticks out the side. the Bren is another good example.

[@margitthefellomen172]

It sucks how gun reviewers can no longer show footage of inserting a magazine into a gun

[@HoundVII]

I've started to notice that too, why ?

[@HelloChief117]

@@HoundVII Because KZbin is being run by mentally challenged snowflakes.

[@thelostpsychosis]

@@HoundVII cause KZbins a bunch ot ass hats

[@General-kt4bf]

@@HoundVII probably the same reason why he wasn't allowed to show the suppressor being attached to the skorpion

[@DarkVampireL]

Is that what it is? I was just wondering why he put the KZbin logo over it. Thought it had something to do with the angle that it exposed into the gun.

[@steel8231]

It's a wonderful description of the WW2 stens when you shoot 3 rounds and it immediately jams, but they were also know for unpredictably deciding to mag dump too. The designers told the British gov they could "have is fast, cheap, or good; pick 2". So they took the first 2.

[@Peter_Turbo4]

The Bren was the one that Chose the “Fast & Good” option

[@Destroyer_V0]

@@Peter_Turbo4 Helped the bren was based on a chech design... so was the sten actually. had a precursor in what was a copy, of the mp18. Also known for it's side feeding magezine.

[@toldyouso5588]

The Sten doing Shakespeare- Tube be or not tube be, that is the question...

[@snowflakemelter1172]

Stop making shut up.

[@danielwells7083]

Would you support Brandon making a remake of the Morita Rifle from Starship Troopers?

[@InsufficientSleep]

My grandfather was issued a Sten in his army days right after WW2. I still have all the different weapon training manuals. The most interesting book is the Soldier field hand book. One chapter is about CQB. "If you hear people know that you can shoot through walls, floors and roofs". Not exactly up to today's ROE 😆

[@tetraxis3011]

XD they literally told their soldiers: go nuts.

[@dynagoat7374]

Technically true which as we all know, is the best kind of true

[@richieb7692]

It's the same advice for dropping a couple of grenades down a chimney of a wood burning stove. Turns the whole thing into a glorious cloud of shrapnel, ideal for clearing the room, and hopefully setting fire to it at the same time

[@bobmarley2140]

@@tetraxis3011 We literally gave our soldiers meth, the Germans were especially fond of it

[@victorwaddell6530]

@@bobmarley2140 I think it was the Air Force that gave their pilots speedballs during Desert Storm .

[@jackx4311]

PS - holding the Sten with your left hand gripping the magazine is a sure-fire way of distorting the lips on the mag, and causing a jam. *Read the bloody instruction book.*

[@kevinprzy4539]

I don't think it came with an instruction book.

[@brendanmatelan2129]

4:25, your malfunction probably happened because of holding the gun by the magazine/magazine housing. It's extremely common for that to happen. The correct way to hold the Sten or side loading weapon is by the front handguard or the lower part of the receiver.

[@geraldbradner5801]

Yep

[@Zack_Wester]

yep the mag didn´t really like been hold when fired. not sure if modern mag for stens/MP40s are any better (material and production quality).

[@robertwarner5963]

You just quoted the British STEN Manual at Arms, which taught grabbing the barrel shroud from underneath and resting the magazine well on the left wrist. OTOH Grabbing the magazine is a bad habit that will eventually cause feeding problems. Holding the magazine well also risks accidentally pushing the magazine release, another bad habit.

[@CountingStars333]

Oi m8 you av a loisence for that machine gun eh

[@swright5690]

This

[@jonathanwilde5337]

Was chatting with a bloke in Portsmouth once who sold deactivated antique firearms. He told me about how stens that were given to the French resistance had suppressors that were just cemented onto the barrel. The idea was they'd be disposable so after a raid the resistance fighters would ditch the guns so they wouldn't be caught in possession. Therefore it doesn't need to be detachable

[@snowflakemelter1172]

BS

[@taggymcshaggy6383]

Stens were given to french and yugoslav resistance groups. The idea was they would use the sten to kill or disable a german soldier and then take his weapon​@@snowflakemelter1172

[@HerrHeckler]

Your face is bs

[@Kevc00]

Most vets from the war said to never hold a sten by the magazine. It's probably the most natural way to hold it but they found out the hard way that it induced stoppages since they were quite crude and weren't exactly precision made the mags often moved slightly in the mag well if you were pulling them. The manuals state to hold it to the guard below the barrel.

[@markgrehan3726]

I guess it makes sense to see people firing the Sten whilst holding the magazines as it seems the natural place to do so but yeah you are meant to hold it where you said as the magazines weren't the best and caused a lot of the reliability issues. I'm always a little surprised when in videos they ask the "Where to hold it" question as most pictures of WW2 soldiers using it in action are holding it by the front.

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

Meanwhile people who own them attest many dont work unless you do put a specific amount of back or forward pressure on the magazine due to poor consistency in mag well angles etc...

[@elvinator1047]

Back in the day I had a 9mm Sterling SMG and FN Fal as a personal weapon, Golden rule for all Army weapons was don't hold the Mag on the SMG and don't rest the Mag on anything with the SLR

[@dusfitz]

@@cycadaacolyte6349 came to say the same. In a perfect world you aren't supposed to, but in this reality, sometimes you have to.

[@nobodynone]

I have shot a couple of hundred rounds through one several years back and the owner he warned me that I could get a stoppaged if I grab it by the magazine so I kept my hand more on the magwell and it functioned flawless until i got a runaway because of dirt and subsonic ammo. But It was a fun and very controllable gun to shoot.

[@michaelkeigan9500]

Hi Brandon, love all your videos. I just finished watching this and you pointed out that the mag points out to the side. The shroud can twist further over to allow the weapon to lie flat for shipping. Why didn't the Brits just leave it in that configuration, like the M3? My guess would be to allow the shooter to not have to expose so much of their head when using the Sten while lying on the ground. With that 30 round mag sticking out the bottom, the shooter would have hold their head higher off the ground; thus, exposing the old cranium to more danger. With the mag on the side, the shooter could literally kiss the dirt while shooting this weapon. A lot less exposure. Again, I am an old gun nut, been that way since I was a little boy with my dad teaching me all he knew about them. He did a lot of gunsmithing back when he was young. Back in the 70's and 80's, I was over in the FRG in the US Army. I qualified as a Sniper with the M1 Garand. Also got to play with the M3 a lot. Now, I have a much nicer arsenal with way better optics to shoot today. Keep up the good work.

[@mcen5230]

We had one in Rhodesia in the 70's. The only thing that was ever shot by us was a very large cobra which my Mother shot with 2 bursts rather than the intended single shot.

[@VerdeMorte]

They used MAT-49s too, right? Nifty little pistol holster. (Always thought it was a shame a .30C never came to fruition...)

[@johnnyjohn-johnson7738]

What were Rhodesia's gun laws like?

[@misutatomasu]

@@johnnyjohn-johnson7738 I'd assume it differed before and after their independence from the UK.

[@stitchjones7134]

Given the farm raids its lucky it never needed to be used in anger

[@deathbyautopsy8660]

Nice video and it didn’t offend my Britishness too much. The magazine was not placed on the bottom alla MP40 as it allowed the the Sten operator to fire from prone thus showing less of their organs to Gerry. They teach this stuff in schools here in Blighty.

[@chunkymonkey55555]

I wonder maybe if you have to think like a Brit to work that out lol "why it's so you can balance your cup of tea on it idiot!"

[@sphericalempirical9359]

Excellent. For those only accustomed to second rate English, the gentlemen above is referring to a lying down position whilst targeting the enemy. It proved really useful as a walk and fire too as you have more control on the recoil.

[@chunkymonkey55555]

@@sphericalempirical9359 Missionary position Sir,

[@Reniconix]

It also aided in reliability, removing gravity from the equation of feeding rounds. Not intentional design, but they weren't going to complain about it.

[@coledibiase5971]

@@sphericalempirical9359 Second rate English? My seat friend, American English is an upgrade.

[@zacharybaum5300]

It has become my life goal to make the single-shot bullpup sten from cursed gun images a reality

[@ifyouseethisnameyourvidisdumb]

do it

[@richardbudgell7507]

The cobray terminator... it's a real gun, and it's shockingly awful in princabl3 and in design.

[@richardbudgell7507]

@Professional Milker oh I know as much, fired one before, my friend told me to brace for unreal recoil and my heart sunk when he pulled the barrel forward, I realized the whole frigging barrel would have to come back while trying to keep on target, missed by a mile and screwed up my shoulder, this the same guy who had me fire a Smith and Wesson .500 magnum, what had a higher than standard powder charge ... my entire back hurt that day

[@GoosFrabaaa]

Remember to wear ears and eyes..... and gloves. Stay safe my dude.

[@Flustershy]

Remember to make it California compliant with a 5 round mag.

[@Dibby98]

Remember for every 8 soldiers that escaped dunkirk 2 fought in the rear guard action to allow the escape. The Highland division famously held the germans back at St. Valery until they were out of ammunition. They wouldn't see home for 5 more years, and when they did, they were treated as cowards despite their unquestionable courage.

[@mosley59]

My late grandfather was a WW2 engineer. After the war, he worked in the NZ railways workshops. Apparently he and a number of the other workers there knew how to make these and a number were built sneakily on quiet days. My cousin and I had some incredible replicas to play with as kids until replicas were banned and our parents decided it might be a good idea if we didn’t get shot for having what appeared to be a fairly concerning weapon…

[@frankfisher99]

These were being built in the toolmakers shop at the Rover Longbridge plant in Birmingham as late as the 1970s as "foreigners".

[@Carnage7209]

Lol wise grandparents. Toy guns started looking way too real (theyre not all bright orange nerf guns) and I nag my nephew not to play with that shit for the same reason

[@danditto6145]

Government gone nuts shooting children; child sub-machine gunners are not a problem anywhere.

[@DerekLangdon-w9e]

Bullshit!!

[@ThatOneGuy-ts9dz]

It actually amazes me between how similar taking apart a Sten and taking apart a ballpoint pen are lol

[@normalasian9260]

Finally, all those years of dismantling and reassembling my pen in school is gonna pay off

[@neilreynolds3858]

I think the pen is more complex.

[@jamesbutler9771]

Fun fact you can use the spring in a pen as a substitute for the spring in a Walter ppk

[@kingsoloman42]

@@jamesbutler9771 wow. Shots fired. Lol

[@Flesh_Wizard]

ballpoint sten

[@Ol_Durty_Badger]

Currently in my final 8 months at SDI thanks to you and Garand Thumb. I was just using the good old Sten as an example of a low cost but highly effective firearm in a paper I’m writing. Would like to manufacture a modernized Sten as well as a few other cool old guns like the Aussie Owen gun.(it’s got a really cool story) Really any older guns you don’t see too often are what I want to manufacturer for the market.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

You must enjoy bankruptcy.

[@jimbeam3280]

For a modernised Sten, look up the Sterling SMG.

[@Ol_Durty_Badger]

@@jimbeam3280 absolutely! the Sterlings are great guns. I don’t know why, but I like the simple little sub guns from that era. Even the knock off ones built by other countries like the Volksturm. The same goes for the Luty and all the crazy ones built by the IRA

[@jamesp7351]

How is your enrollment there btw? I was considering it during lockdown but i've been burned by higher education institutions before.

[@Ol_Durty_Badger]

@@jamesp7351 as a Veteran it was super easy. Filled out some paperwork, they have Veteran Liaisons That know the process in and out so it’s pretty painless. Non veterans I’d imagine would be just as easy, but I’m not 100%

[@Dwarpheous]

The sten gun magazine was side mounted so you could get lower to the ground when shooting. You didn't have the height of the magazine getting in the way when shooting from a concealed position

[@jasoncurry1685]

Hi Brandon, being a limey myself my Grandad once told me that the advised way to fire the stench was to hold around the barrel. By holding the magazine the gun could jam. Early examples would often injure the person firing them when there little finger would slip into the firing mechanism, later stens would have a guard so this wouldn't happen. 👍

[@bobroberts6155]

Agree, my Dad learnt to shoot the sten as a lad in the home guard (Private Pike anyone). The flimsy build quality of the magazine could cause jams if used as a handle. He went on to become an air gunner in Lancaster bombers so knew his way around a machine gun.

[@TheArgieH]

Pictures of early Stens show a padded hand hold around the barrel. It contained asbestos fibre. Dangerous! (Joke).

[@takeawaycheesypeas3915]

Everyone who's ever read anything about the sten, knows not to fire it holding onto the magazine. This guy is a blithering idiot.

[@3farrela]

My father told me the same.

[@jodibosh7518]

The stench

[@brownwarrior6867]

I served as a Sapper in Northern Ireland in the early to mid 90’s . We managed to find some crude replicas of the SMG in an IRA hide. Our CO subsequently asked our resident Blacksmith how long it would take him to replicate the crude replicas found in The Hyde. He managed to produce 6 in a day in our Workshop. These weren’t so crude and definitely did the job as proven on the pipe ranges that week. The weapons were then claimed by the CO and some Officers as part of their own private collections.

[@sapper82]

Good morning Mr. Stevens, it's a windy., notchy night!

[@astragreen]

Rubbish

[@brownwarrior6867]

@@sapper82 Oolum-da cried Matabele

[@sapper82]

@@brownwarrior6867 Oolum Da, Away we go!👍

[@tiagobelo4965]

I've gotta give it to you, the Irish, be they Northern or Southern, are really something else

[@MrBrysie]

Dad was used a Sten in WW2. He was a UK Desert Rat and was at El Alamein and Monte Cassino. You're not supposed to hold the magazine when firing as it caused a malfunction. Also it was common to not load the mag to capacity, usually maybe 2 less bullets which was thought to enable to gun to fire all of them!

[@khaaaaaaaaaannn]

The underloading was more likely to aid in seating the magazine when the bolt is closed

[@jdm_kxng2377]

@@khaaaaaaaaaannn the sten gun mad spring is made of butter and it helped sprin retension to underload

[@khaaaaaaaaaannn]

@@jdm_kxng2377 ah that makes sense, I was assuming it was a similar issue to the AR15

[@johnfarscape]

My grandad was also a Desert Rat, although he spent more time in prisoner of war camps than anything else, he was originally an engineer so was mostly responsible for keeping all the vehicles running, it sounds like the sten was the original drive by shooting weapon of choice, that and as many Lewis guns as they could mount to the vehicles, I also heard that you never hold it by the mag or magwell, I have seen pictures of thd heat shroud with extra materials wrapped around it so it would make sence that would be the place it was best to hold it.

[@DarthWall275]

Is 27. Looks 40. Acts 14. This dude's something else lol.

[@terryturner5360]

My grandfather left Australia for Britain in 1937 and used one of these. He always said that would "malfunction" about every 40 to 50 rounds and was useless after 50 yards for accuracy. He still liked it close up. I was an Australian Air Cadet in the mid eighteys and got use one on an airbase at one point. Heaps of fun lol

[@seanryan2149]

Nothin beats the good ol’ Aussie Owen mate, it’s what my grandad used in WWI

[@danielwells7083]

Would you support Brandon making a remake of the Morita Rifle from Starship Troopers?

[@VerdeMorte]

Did he ever use the Owen?

[@caleballen6588]

From Wikipedia: "The Owen gun, known officially as the Owen machine carbine, was an Australian submachine gun designed by Evelyn Owen in 1938." Am I missing something here?

[@seanryan2149]

@@caleballen6588 oh shit fr? Grandpa must’ve used something different then, my bad mate

[@wc9842]

My grandfather got his hands on one of these after the war and absolutely HATED it. There were burrs on the bolt that caused it to jam all the time. He finally took it apart and filed everything down. Ran like a dream after that and became his new favorite.

[@Xmara01]

In Soviet Russia, you start filing before assembly. By the manual.

[@Wolfarior]

Hey, jamming was a feature, not a problem, Reinhard Heydrich was a big fan of that one.

[@seanquigley3605]

Obviously the Ministry of Defense knew squadies would have plenty of extra time to finish off the production process...🙄.....🧐Wot,Wot.

[@Xmara01]

@@seanquigley3605 as a proud son of workers state you master an art of filing long before you master a skill of writing

[@snowflakemelter1172]

You made that up though.

[@therogueredsoul791]

You probably won't see this, but you've been a big inspiration in my decision to actually do something with my life and become a gunsmith. I've been done with high school for almost a year now and I haven't done anything but play video games and sit around the house. I've been interested in guns for as long as I can remember (maybe a little too interested lol) and seeing as how guns are starting to become a more and more expensive hobby I've decided I can kill two birds with one stone and become a gunsmith so I can screw around with guns and get payed to do it. Thank you for not only entertaining me these past 3 years I've been subscribed to you but also introducing me to something I can spend the rest of my life enjoying.

[@cortsilver2564]

Kick ass bro. Where are you based out of

[@forestfire1333]

I actual intend to do same as well, the SDI ads have been getting to me.

[@chuckf3102]

Good plan, video game (not good) working with your hands is the bomb 🧨

[@therogueredsoul791]

@@forestfire1333 Same.

[@r0nb0h0ju]

@@forestfire1333 there are a few cheaper options.

[@grahampalmer9337]

H. J. Turpin, one of the credited designs of the StEn worked at Philco Radios in Perivale Middlesex (now Greater London) in the mid 30's - across the road from where I was born. The factory still stands, but is now sub divided, & is behind the slightly earlier built Art Deco Hoover building - that is now luxury flats.

[@ES90344]

7:45 Per the 1942 manual, the only approved grip was "left hand on the barrel locking nut with the wrist under the magazine...". This manual doesn't mention it, but it's often cited that holding by the mag will induce stoppages.

[@NHinPA]

The side feeding SMG’s were engineered that way as it allowed a soldier to go fully prone with a 30 round magazine, something the MP-40 did not

[@AtheAetheling]

Exactly.

[@Zack_Wester]

and it might also help a bit whit the MP-40 stick mag having a few realibility problem. like how soldier was inscruted to not fully load it but load it 2-3 rounds short because of something whit the spring mag just breaking or something. and I think the brits decided to go side mounted because I rather not deal whit a mag whoes spring is not fully up to task or the mag is not fully up to task.

[@mattday8208]

The Sten was used widly by resistance groups across occupied Europe,. An inadvertent advantage of the side-feeding magazine was that the gun could be carried flat under a coat.

[@robertwarner5963]

STEN was a simplified version of the British Lanchester SMG which was in turn a copy of the original German MP18.

[@robertwarner5963]

A STEN copy was built with a vertical magazine well. That was the German MP 3008, built towards the end of the Second World War as Germany industry collapsed due to combined RAF Bomber Command and USAAF 8th Air Force bombardments.

[@alanslade2319]

I know a little bit about stin gun a friend's dad had one from the second world war. Obviously was decommissioned in Britain, but we could hear him firing blank's through it. Brilliant British gun. Thanks for sharing that with us, it's brought back a lot of memories. Alan 💯👍

[@wetzel041]

The side mounted Sten magazine permitted firing from a low prone position. It also assisted feeding since the magazine spring did not have to push the bullets up against gravity.

[@mcmillan1963]

Back in the early 80's there was a gunsmith in Noblesville, Indiana that manufactured reproduction Stens. His name was Jim Ethrington, and his shop was in an old farmhouse in the country. There was a revine behind the barn that had an old car and other targets for R&D and testing purposes. I had the privilege of test firing some of them before delivery. His weld quality and gray parkerizing was second to none. I'm not sure how many he produced. I would be curious where Brandon's originated. Thanks Brandon for bringing back those special days of my youth.

[@mally1236]

My grandfather was a paratrooper in market garden and spoke highly of the Sten, most of the time!!

[@stevebolt7132]

My Grandfather was a Royal Engineer...he hated it 😄

[@wealthybone2990]

@@stevebolt7132 Really? Felt like I would've loved it but depends weren't there different version of the Sten? Idk which was the best though.

[@skywardsoul1178]

@@wealthybone2990 My grandfather (a tanker) lost some friends / colleagues to misfires. They were prone to just magdumping if bumped (sometimes didn't even require that to run away). Since they were mass produced at various qualities, sometimes the safety features / fire selector wouldn't work right. Could be that, the patchy reliability or inaccuracy. Ergonomics weren't great either with the stock especially. Apparently it wasn't made clear that you should lock the bolt back in that notch as an added safety precaution.

[@JGT-yd2wx]

market garden? TF2 reference?

[@skywardsoul1178]

@@JGT-yd2wx It was a huge airborne operation behind enemy lines during the WW2 campaign in Europe. Major balls-up that resulted in an absolute shooting gallery for the poor paratroopers. It was poorly managed and resulted in a lot of losses and a failed objective. They tried to capture bridges and hold them for the armour to advance. You may have heard of the film "A bridge too far".

[@alansutton9388]

This person should go forth and multiply big time

[@angrybajur]

10:19 The Sten was designed with a side-mounting, horizontally-aligned magazine so that the gun could rest on something, such as cover, and still be aimed and fired without the magazine potentially getting in the way.

[@Cheesusrice69222]

Mostly so you can keep a lower profile while prone. Not craning you head up to use the sights

[@echo9911]

The mp-3008 was the german equivalent with bottom mounted mag

[@eddierudolph8702]

Very interesting, I didn't know that.

[@CS-zn6pp]

@@eddierudolph8702 neither did Brendan...

[@RobCalhounPGH]

@@CS-zn6pp I'm pretty sure "Brendan" Fraser knew that.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

Regarding the left hand position while firing, the 'manual-correct' way is to hold the shroud. The manufacturing standards were such that the magazine is almost in 'hotdog down a hallway' situation, and gripping the mag well/mag could very easily move it far enough to cause feed failures.

[@happyhalfwit8862]

Someone has prob already said it, but the side mag was there so that the 30(28) rd mag could easily be fired from a defensive position and not have the firer have to raise his head up while firing prone or from a slit trench. The overhand grip while looking cool will cause stoppages if the mag is also held at same time !

[@Peter_Turbo4]

Stoppages only exist for firearms produced after 1960

[@stephenlawrence554]

@@Peter_Turbo4 looks like Jozef Gabčík didn't get that memo

[@tbthedozer]

I was thinking about shooting it it out of a trench too.. the lower the profile the better unless you want to catch an 8mm in the forehead, right!?

[@Peter_Turbo4]

@@stephenlawrence554 IF YOU BUILD A FIREARM, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DESIGN THE DAMN THING TO SURVIVE IN THE TRENCHES OF VERDUN. NOT THE ACCOUNTING OFFICES OF PARIS.

[@stephenlawrence554]

@@Peter_Turbo4 are you… feeling okay?

[@StoccTube]

My Great Uncle was taken off the beach at Dunkirk, I was very young when I knew him as he wasn’t a young soldier during the war, the main thing I remember is an overwhelming sense of him being calm and content. His story back then of hopping off the train when he recognised where it was (a few miles from his home) is almost identical to the script of the movie Dunkirk - spookily similar TBH. The things they went through.

[@fearsomemumbler9946]

When I was a kid my old Uncle Jim (my dads uncle) told me stories about his time in Italy during WW2. He did mention that he used a Sten gun when fighting near Salerno, he said it was useless firing at anything further than 20 yards away but excellent at doing "close up dirty work". He would have turned 100 this year but sadly he passed away in the early 2000s.

[@christopherquinn5899]

I am surprised to hear that a Sten was used near Salerno, which was the area attached by the US 5th Army. I thought the British soldiers' SMG amongst those in the US 5th Army was the Thompson due the availability of the US supplies. Do you recall his regiment/division?

[@fearsomemumbler9946]

​@@christopherquinn5899 He had a cap badge in a picture frame with some medals. I can remember as a kid the badge had a tiger on it and it said Hampshire so I assume he was in the Hampshire regiment or division (I'm not sure of the terminology). He did see a picture of him with a Sten, but I haven't a clue where he was with that, maybe he misremembered where he had it??

[@alganhar1]

@@christopherquinn5899 Sorry, but no. By the time of Salerno the Thompson was MOST DEFINATELY NOT the standard British SMG. In fact the Sten was developed to REPLACE the Thompson because the Thompson was so fucking expensive. The Thompson was only used as a standard SMG at the beginning of the war when the British did not have their own home built SMG. By the time the Americans actually joined the war the Thompson had been phased out as the standard SMG.

[@christopherquinn5899]

@@fearsomemumbler9946 My grandfather was with the Coldstream Guards at Salerno. It was always difficult to get information out of him, and the only weapon he mentioned to me was the Bren Gun he was using when he was awarded the MM. His obvious reluctance to talk about it to a boy discouraged further questioning.

[@zbj4240]

Your Uncle Jim was a badass, RIP.

[@davidrobertson1744]

From what I've read and seen the mag goes out to the side so that troops can fire from the prone without the issue of a mag sticking out and getting in the way. It was a concept brought forward from the trench warfare of the first world war to allow troops to be flatter to the ground and harder to get hit.

[@richardjohnson4238]

My Sten story is similar to Jamie Carter's below, except that we never made a Sten. Instead, one of my teachers, a WWII Marine would bring in his war trophies from time to time. Japanese rifles, pistols, swords, battle flags, and so on. The thing that always stood out to me, mostly because it was so out of place, was a Sten gun. I never asked how he came to have it, was it registered, did it work etc. Someone else could ask him, but I sure wasn't going to. (He also called a magazine a "clip" but I wasn't going to tell him he was wrong. That old man had fought his was across the Pacific in some of the biggest battles of the war. If he wanted to call it a "clip" he had earned the right.)

[@craigthescott5074]

Many WW2 Vetts called a magazine a clip due to the clip fed mechanism for the m1 Garand.

[@mikeycraig8970]

The British fought the Japanese too. It wasn't just an American theatre. He could've got the sten that way.

[@trevorfuller1078]

@@mikeycraig8970: Or else perhaps it could have come from the Australians or NZ Armed Forces who also fought in the Pacific, Papua-New Guinea & the Dutch East Indies, who earlier also had used the ‘STEN Gun’ over that time during WW2?!! However, subsequently, the Aussies mainly preferred to use & operate their own locally designed & produced, from the Lysaght Works in Newcastle, NSW, the ‘Owen 9 x 19 caliber, Submachine Gun,’ in most of their infantry units, especially after redeploying the bulk of their combat infantry forces to Papua-New Guinea & the Dutch East Indies (Now known as Indonesia) during & after 1943!

[@ethanwashington60]

The British were fighting the Japanese too in the Pacific, Burma, Malaya, Thailand, etc. It wasnt just the 'Mericans (despite what you all seem to think). Despite our country having 1/8th the population of yours, the British fought for longer and in every Theatre. From Africa, Europe, Asia and on the seas of the Atlantic from 1940 as well. The Brits, Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians were there from the start, meanwhile the US has the largest Nazi-supporting population outside of actual Nazi Germany (Google "4th Reich")

[@savagesnayle301]

around 70% of Japanese men and materiel was directed to the mainland against China and The Indian Army under Brit Administration. ANZACS use the Sten and yanks were stationed in both Aussie and NZ. @@mikeycraig8970

[@Mart5000.]

Im from England and my grandfather fought in ww2 he said that there were a lot of defective stens about and once you found a good one you needed to keep hold of it but he said it was the best gun he had ever used in battle . He was a real hero to me and one of the most humble respectful people i have ever met .

[@2old4gamez]

As an armoured vehicle crewman in the Royal Artillery in the late 80's\Early 90's my PDW was the Sterling SMG, the big brother to the Sten. An equally simple piece of kit never let me down when firing. Kinda miss the old thing. Testament to the Stens success that its basic design saw us well into the 90's.

[@Nooziterp1]

The Sterling was a good weapon. They only got rid of it because they wanted to replace it and the SLR with an assault rifle. And we all know what that led to don't we?

[@tiagobelo4965]

As long as it launches a bit of metal fast and accurately enough to go inside the guy you don't want alive reliably, it's a good gun

[@Nooziterp1]

@@tiagobelo4965 Exactly. As with the Sten, it didn't matter a jot what it looked like as long as it was cheap and easy to produce and did the job.

[@dan27032]

you mean little brother

[@frosty3693]

Yes the Sterling was a Sten with all it's problems fixed.

[@jelicoe]

10:12 The brits liked defensive resistance. Lay down as close to the ground as possible, especially in a fighting hole, and aim at the enemy, fire and reload all while lying down. This is evidenced in the Sidways magazine of the Sten, The upward magazine of the Bren, the top-down stripper clip of the SMLE, and their soup bowl helmets.

[@LootboxOfTruth]

Us bri'ish lads like becoming the floor, yes i am british so i can make dat joke without offending other british ppl

[@holdencross5904]

Come on BRANDON you’ve got to get a Lee Enfield No.4 from WW2. Your collection will never be complete without it and a Lewis Machine Gun. Maybe even a proper Bren. Or a Sterling. Please? I would love a Lee Enfield breakdown. Because it’s an iconic rifle that was important in the Mad Minute and the British went through two world wars and more with it! It’s a beautiful rifle! Also the tiny peep sight is common in order to maintain accuracy of the shooter. The keeper of arms and artillery at the National Firearms museum Jonathan Ferguson mentioned this in his vanguard videos. #AKGnotificationsquad

[@memyselfandi432]

Fun fact, the Smelly is the 2nd oldest rifle still in official use by government armed forces. The longest serving rifle is the Mosin Nagant, introduced only four years earlier in 1891.

[@BatCaveOz]

"Also the tiny peep sight is common in order to maintain accuracy of the shooter" This is exactly why it is such a poor design choice for an open-bolt submachine gun. Sight acquisition time is slow, and the movement of the heavy bolt and recoil make target reacquiring slow and bad... a bigger aperture in the rear sight would be an improvement (as would a simple "notch" style rear sight, as used in pretty much every other open-bolt submachine gun)

[@restojon1]

Brens are enormous fun, I've thrown loads of lead out of those

[@zillsburyy1]

with all the money he gets from white claw, he should own a lot MORE guns!

[@holdencross5904]

@@BatCaveOz literally only quoting Fergus the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery. I never said it was a good idea but that’s why it was there.

[@dfromengland1396]

Great video. It’s successor (the Patchet SMG) was my personal weapon at times in the 1980/90s.

[@GodOfWar221]

Out of all the "Guntubers" out there, I truly enjoy your channel the most. Not only, do you demo the firearms in an amusing fashion. After all, who doesn't enjoy a good ol' White Claw massacre. But, you also do a deep dive into what makes it click so to speak. And as someone whom truly enjoys that type of thing, I look forward to each new video. Keep the great content coming Brandon!

[@SheepdogSmokey]

I got to fire one of those in Grapevine (Texas Gun Experience) and I have to say, as a history geek, getting to hold and fire a true Sten was just amazing. That said, I've had 9mm pistols most of my life (around to fire when going with Dad and since I turned 21) and I was SHOCKED at the recoil 9mm can produce when you fire 20 of them in under 3 seconds.

[@gratefulguy4130]

It's the design

[@MadMagyar13]

That place is awesome, I shot an MP7 there once

[@SheepdogSmokey]

@@MadMagyar13 I've done Full Auto Friday twice now, Sten, M15, HK36 (i think that's the number) 249Saw and they were great.

[@twinpotracer]

It also had a side loading magazine purposely so majority of the compact weapon could be laid flat on sand bags and dug outs when firing. If the mag was vertical, because of its length, it was thought to be hindered. Cheerio

[@dakotarucks4917]

I had a question, can a Mauser c96 stock fit the slide on the sten?

[@frosty3693]

And probably one of the reasons why the BREN mag was on top so you could stay low while firing.

[@theimmortal4718]

Yep. Better for staying low in the prone

[@yt.602]

@@frosty3693 As you say, but mostly the BREN mag is on top as it's a crew served gun, the assistant can rapidly swap a top magazine while the gun is deployed using the rather decent bipod. While it could be fired while standing that was not how it's intended to be used. Watch some videos of the contemporary BAR and you'll see the major advantage of a top fed gun, plus gravity helps not hinders feed. The immortal R Lee Emery made a comparative video.

[@markymrk7450]

I believe the idea for the mag on the side was it made it easier to lie down and fire from the prone position.

[@explosivesun8608]

Fun fact, there's actually a gun called the MP 3008 that was made by Germany as a last-ditch way to armed soldiers during the last stages of the war, and it was essentially just a stun gun with the magazine facing downwards instead.

[@dankim7488]

It was apparently even cheaper and easier to build than the MP40 which was itself a cheap and mass produceable design.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@dankim7488 yeah, well, the MP40 was a typically German over-engineered and over-built weapon. MUCH more expensive.

[@neilporter2971]

having served with the British army medics in the 90's we used the grandson of the sten the Stirling SMG, famous for being the weapon of choice of the star wars storm troupers.

[@howardmaryon]

I knew an ex Royal Marine Commando who used one of these in WWII and after, and he said he liked it a lot. Feed issues were down to the lips on the magazine, and once you found a good magazine you tried to hang on to it. He said that there was an insulated canvas handguard that went over the barrel tied up with football boot laces, that worked well, but stank a lot when overheated. He hated the pointless peep sight and sawed his off.

[@rogerwargo7723]

There is another safety. If you pull the bolt back about a 1/4 inch with it closed you can push the charging handle into the bolt cause there is a hole in the tube. This locks the bolt from going forward if the weapon is dropped with a round in the trunion.

[@elliott7531]

I read a memoir from a British Tank Commander who said a lot of them swapped their Stens for MP40s as the horizontal mag got in the way when they were engaging infantry out of their hatches. I believe they designed it like that so you could lay on your stomach and still use it whilst having a lower profile.

[@zer0theultimate]

Ok all seriousness. The montage when does the thumbs up, he held that hip recoil at near 0% with one hand...that was smooth.

[@Acherea]

I just love this Sten II, absolute definition of Fallout 4 pipegun. Basic, cheap, almost DIY, does what it's supposed to. 100% approved haha

[@rickytickybobbywobbin7430]

Just wait until you see a Sten mk3

[@geographyinaction7814]

One of the key points in training for both the Sten and the Sterling, was that you NEVER hold the magazine while firing; holding the magazine could cause misalignment and a jam. Some Stens were fitted with a leather wrap to protect the shooter, yet most didn't, and the magazine was rested on the forearm while holding the barrel.

[@Jayalen]

you can grip on the magazine mount. but not on the magazine itself

[@gratefulguy4130]

Let's be honest. The British government didn't really care what happened to their boys if they were sending them out there with this in their hands. People always make fun of the Germans like, "Haha they actually cared about their people enough to try to give them the best thing they possibly could! What losers!" as if that were some kind of own.. The only other people who even came close were the U.S. and that's because our government wouldn't have been able to get away with treating our boys like that back then.

[@peterburry2531]

@@gratefulguy4130 A case of needs must... if you Americans 'care more about your boys' then how do you explain the Grease Gun?

[@gratefulguy4130]

@@peterburry2531 It's pretty self explanatory. The grease gun may be simple to manufacture, but it's also reliable and rugged.

[@danniecull2531]

@@gratefulguy4130it’s was good enough for the SAS to use and the SBS the most fearsome unit to be messed with who dares wins proud to be British 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@s13silly]

I believe the reason the mag was sideways (even though you can "store" it upright) is so a soldier could lay down and fire whilst using those impressive sights.

[@timwilliams2343]

I was trained to hold the shroud around the barrel, our trainers were concerned about muzzle climb during firing exercises as apparently there were a lot of accidents in training.

[@paulmuggleton9969]

The reason the mag feeds from the side and not the bottom is that it enables you to have a lower profile when firing from the ground.

[@AdamMGrubb1979]

Atleast theres a few of you in here that know this fact.

[@iMacho1300]

Or it could be that the original magazine was poorly made. I read that it was notorious for malfunction because of how fragile it was as well as having a weak spring to feed it's rounds into the gun

[@revan7383]

I think the magwell angle was to let soldiers lie down with the weapon easier. That was common for the Brits, which was another reason they liked the Bren

[@norpino7704]

I just love the aesthetic of old world dirt cheap/ last ditch guns and would definitely buy a bunch if they made them again

[@xmeda]

You can build this with basic workshop :D

[@loadofstuff10]

Basic ww2 history told by an American. It was all about us. The end.

[@maxwelledison03]

I mean...yea. You're welcome.

[@garethjames1300]

​@@maxwelledison03shame you won no wars since? Go on say something witty and full of ego!

[@maxwelledison03]

@@garethjames1300 There's nothing witty about war. When you get older, you'll learn that.

[@maxwelledison03]

@@garethjames1300 Also, I'll add, taking into consideration the difference between a foreign military engagement and a war, we've successfully won several "wars" since 1945. Some that come to mind being conflicts during the Cold War, the Border War, Kosovo, the Gulf War, Grenada, Libya, Africa and Iraq. Unfortunately for those who actually participate, there's quite alot of conflict to go around. I hope you've learned something today.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Yep, Late again.

[@mcatalano813]

The consistent thing I enjoy about your channel versus others is that you breakdown the gun and actually show how it works and give a brief history of the weapon. Cant wait for the next one!

[@iowa_lot_to_travel9471]

Take it you dont watch Sootch00 or Hickok45

[@mkiisupra1982]

You ever watch Forgotten Weapons with Ian McCollum?

[@iowa_lot_to_travel9471]

@@mkiisupra1982 forgot that one. 😃😄 But thought about after watching the CZ 2000 video a moment ago

[@mcatalano813]

@@mkiisupra1982 I was primarily thinking more of Garand Thumb, Kentucky Ballistics, and Demolition Ranch. I dont have a problem with any of them but I feel like they rarely do what I said above. Love Forgotten Weapons though, but i dont find them super entertaining in their delivery, might just be a me thing

[@mcatalano813]

@@iowa_lot_to_travel9471 didn't know any of those channels, I'll have to check them out 👍🏻

[@sapper82]

A couple of points. It's a British weapon, so it does NOT have a "charging handle", it has a "COCKING HANDLE". And NEVER cock the weapon before fitting the magazine as you did at the end of the video. It only takes a weak seer spring for that to cause a negligent discharge.

[@donkeydonkey8681]

I feel like Benny Hill woudl say your mother likes my cocking handle, even after I negligently discharged her.

[@jimboc669]

The guy's father had a negligent discharge the night he was conceived.

[@random_user4044]

What I gathered from this is that the sten would be the best apocalypse weapon

[@archenema6792]

Home fabricators are drooling.😉

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

The magazines are the weak point, just run a Sterling if you really want something decent in that form factor...

[@enolastraight4829]

@@cycadaacolyte6349 to be fair, blueprints for STEN are really easy to find on the internet while Sterling blueprints are hard to come by.

[@comradesam3382]

@@enolastraight4829 also sten is way easier to make, srsly, a tube, some metal and tools and boom

[@rhekman]

The Luty has entered the chat

[@eyesopen1850]

My father, a veteran of WWII used to say that holding the magazine while firing was a good way of getting the weapon to jam. During my own service we were told much the same about the Sten's successor, the Sterling. My unit came across home-made versions of the Sten in Northern Ireland - no single-shot capability, just pull the trigger and empty the magazine.

[@blazingbl2gamingop794]

It's not the gun we wanted, but it was the one we needed.

[@bryanfernandez3460]

I remember reading somewhere that the British had the side magazine so that the troops can be able to lie down as flat as possible and still fire

[@andrewheale4738]

Yes, prone position making yourself a small target.

[@stephenoliver1379]

@@andrewheale4738 And you could fire from behind a kerbstone or curbstone which made you difficult to hit

[@schmedly014]

There was a reason for the side mounted magazine , it allowed the gun to be used from the prone firing position . Having the mag well rotate was to prevent " CRUD " from getting in the gun while it was not in use , it might have helped but the slot in the side will let " CRUD " get in ! On the up side with the clearance used in the manufacture it most likely had little effect on the gun . schmedly , Head Down , Eyes Open And ( First Point of Contact ) In The Grass

[@btemplr4]

I love the way you handle and clear that malfunction, “oop malfunction” does the clearing, pops off remaining round, back to business!

[@Nediac800]

This truly is one of the submachine guns of all time

[@NBFaded2497]

Yes, it was gun. Of all the guns I have ever seen this was one of them.

[@Raining_Brass]

It certainly is.

[@vlakyhorvytrains8061]

Great video Brendon. I've some interesting STEN related fact for you. Jam/misfire of this gun literally made history. In 1942, this gun was suppossed to kill SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich in Prague. It was perfect opportunity, 10 feet on stationary target but for reason to this day unknown, gun did not fire. Thankfully there was another assassin nearby with impact-activated bomb who quickly eliminated the target. It was huge victory for Czechoslovakia, Heydrich was third highest ranking nazi (after Hitler and Himmler) and was highest ranking nazi official ever been assassinated. If you want to see it, check the 1964 "Atentat". It's in Czech but It's about 95% what really happend so I highly recommend watching it.

[@iowa_lot_to_travel9471]

Didn't Heidrich give chase to the guys who tried to kill him? And he died a week later?

[@jakee.4030]

ah when the difference in education in czechoslovakka is clearly different than us

[@riculfriculfson7243]

During National Service my dad's friend was in the Coldstream Guards and was certified marksman on the Stirling and STEN. He stated that to qualify you shot the gun towards the ground and then rapidly walked the shots up onto the target 😁

[@davidbell5528]

or used it on a sling where you pushed the gun down into the sling and against the recoil, tho this is from knowledge of sterling procedures, dunno if sten slings allowed it

[@Ben-uw8wx]

To be clear to anyone who reads this marksman isn't a role in this sense but its achieving a close to highest possible shooting score on ranges.

[@martinhutton358]

Really interesting review of the type of gun my grandfather once told me he had used in Burma. He was a squadron leader in the RAF, based at an airstrip in the northern part of the peninsula. The Imperial Japanese Army was meant to be nowhere near, but one day suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the strip from where he was. The whole airstrip was overrun very quickly. He said it dissolved into a chaotic running fight into the jungle. He managed to escape with 16 of his men. They got to Rangoon several days later, but by that time, he had only 4 of his men still with him. He got them and himself onto the very last ship out of Rangoon, and I remember him describing how the five of them could hear the fighting on the outskirts of the town as they steamed away from the port. He rarely rarely ever spoke about his experiences, but I remember him describing using the Sten gun all the way through his group's retreat to Rangoon. I know the gun had a reputation for jamming, but my grandfather said he found it easy to keep it working, even in tough jungle conditions. Later in the war, British commando units were equipped with silenced stens. One needed to be within a fairly short distance to hear them, and apparently the loudest noise being made was from the pin hitting the back of the cartridges. A rare few commando Stens were also equipped with IR night sights.

[@DavidH92]

My Dad owns a lot of ww2 guns, a sten being one of them. Years ago when I was in high school, we had his sten out at the range along with a few other items. He kept having issues with it jamming up, might have been the ammo he was using, but at one point he took the magazine out and was going to shoot the round that was still in the chamber. I remember seeing the round through the gun and noticed it was not quite properly seated in the chamber and for whatever dumb reason, I thought to myself, I'm going to stand next to him and watch as he shoots it and see what happens. Next thing I know I'm staring up at that sky wondering why my face felt like it just took a baseball bat to the face and then I felt my face and was like...man that's a lot of blood. After about 10 to 15 minutes, I get it to stop bleeding, My Dad...Great guy, love him, didn't think it was necessary to take me to the hospital, granted after we got it to stop bleeding and I could finally feel my chin, other than this weird bump on my chin, it felt...not broken or anything, so we kept shooting guns. Cut to about a year after this happened, one night I'm watching TV and noticed a piece of brass coming out of my chin, ended up going to the ER where they pulled a little bit bigger than a quarter inch size piece of brass out of my chin. It's weird to think, if it had been any lower it would have gone right into my neck.

[@projektkobra2247]

I squeezed a fragment of glass out of my elbow 5 years after Id fallen into a window...That was surreal.

[@chongxina8288]

“Pack some dirt on it”

[@davidbuck5864]

The STEN, like many SMGs firing from an open bolt, uses 'advanced primer ignition', which is why you should never insert a round and then let the bolt go forward.

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

@@chongxina8288no

[@Lee-70ish]

The 12 bob ( 12 shillings to make ) gun was to serve a purpose. It worked at the time and the later Sterling was superb

[@christiankirkenes5922]

Kudos to the hard working video editor, must take forever to add in those steel target impact sounds.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Nah, you just stick a BUNCH of extra plates in the ground, out of frame. 😁

[@petehall889]

I note that a number of folks mention not holding the magazine while firing, which can cause jams. The mag was placed on the side, so that the gun could be fired while maintaining a low profile while lying prone. A mag underneath wouldn't allow that. I believe the correct way to hold the Sten is by placing the forearm under the mag and holding the vented barrel shroud with the hand. I always do this with my Mk11 Sten. The SMG looks like a plumber's nightmare, bit it worked and was cheap to produce. Britain imported as many Thompsons as possible early in the war, but by the end of '41, the Japanese decided that the US needed Thompsons more than the British. The Sten was not the sort of gun to drop with the safety not engaged. It could fire an entire mag by itself. A mate of mine witnessed this in a bar in the Far East, luckily with no-one being hit. A year after Pearl Harbour, the US came up with the M3 Grease Gun, which was a simpler and cheaper alternative to the Thompson, but still using the .45ACP round. I would always choose my 1928 Savage Thompson over the Sten, just because it's beautifully engineered (it's such fun taking out the H-block and putting it back again 😂), but it's a darned heavy thing to carry compared with the Sten, and even more so with a full drum!

[@jimbothegymbro7086]

man the Sten is a classic, I'd bet money it inspired the Luty too, also fun fact there's lots of Stens in the middle east either local reproductions or genuine WW2 surplus that warlords bought

[@sestorm2159]

Well it inspired the Swedish K. They only look different but everything else is the same

[@cardiffpicker1]

Probably a fuckload easier to make than a luty

[@comradesam3382]

@@cardiffpicker1 not really, Luty and sten are both basicly a tube, a bolt, spring and trigger held together by a bit of metal, the biggest difference is that STENs are rifled, wheile Lutys arent

[@billtetley1596]

“Minor complications but we got there … like Berlin!” Thank you Brandon for yet ANOTHER iconic Herrera Hilarity line.

[@Skorpychan]

The US army never actually got to Berlin. The Soviets were allowed to take it instead.