Lanchester MkI: Britain's First Emergency SMG

[@ZGryphon]

"This has been upgraded with a Sten part" is not something I would ever have expected to hear anyone say about anything.

[@fien111]

About the only fitting thing I could think of is a spanner

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

I suppose in a pinch it would be a somewhat handy replacement for a length of pipe. Perhaps as a bludgeon of some sort.

[@Sneaky-Snek]

hell you dont even wanna upgrade a sten with another sten part.

[@Paxmax]

It does create a state of temporary confusion; much like "Microsoft Works"

[@joeydubbs763]

😄

[@alphapennsylvania9439]

"Sir it's not British enough!" "add a bayonet!"

[@HunterShows]

.*insert mustache joke*

[@eugenesymontreff4822]

*japanese

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

"Find another idea to steal!"

[@Theoriginalsparkythemagicpiano]

Fenrir Unshackled Yeah, just like you ‘invented’ your YT name. What’s that old saying? Something about a pot and a kettle...

[@isaiahkoufos3573]

Sparky The Magic Piano Liberals destroyed compilation

[@pd4165]

My dad served on a WWII minesweeper and fired one of these regularly - if they forced a contact mine to the surface they got all the Lanchesters out (probably no more than three, it's a minesweeper) and lined up to hose it down with SMG fire until it blew. He said they fired with the bayonet attached, because it tamed the runaway barrel rise.

[@FlakeTillman]

[stealth is optional for this mission]

[@countryboy44555]

FlakeTillman so anyways I just started blastin’

[@Lowlandlord]

Stealth is easier when everyone is dead.

[@alvaricoke41]

They are easier to stab when you have some lead to slow them down.

[@kabob0077]

They can't report your presence _if everybody is dead._

[@YedolfWesler]

@@gythftfujvf6hk539 medal gear solid

[@MrHws5mp]

Give the Royal Navy a nice big chunk of brass like that, and the one thing you _know_ they'll do is polish it, and since most of these gun spent their lives in shipboard gun lockers being inspected more often than fired, they got polished _a lot_. There were some examples that were so shiny they were practically blinding....

[@P99AT]

Is polishing brass a stereotype of the Royal Navy?

[@paulmanson253]

P99AT "If it moves,salute it. If it doesn't, paint it " Busywork polishing brass and blancoing with whiting(chalk) have a very long tradition aboard Royal Navy ships. Large crews full of active fit young men need to be kept busy. All shipshape and Bristol fashion is a phrase from the days of sail.

[@Grimmwoldds]

@@P99AT Polishing brass is an underway everyday activity in most navies, as is chipping/grinding/painting and wiping down everydamnthing. Keep in mind, you can't go anywhere, you're stuck on the ship. So do you want to break down and detail guns, or paint a bulkhead?

[@fien111]

@@Grimmwoldds This puts a lot of TNG Star Trek into a new light Why is the ship with 250 gigaton-yield torpedoes filled with five hundred botanists and doctors? The fuck else is anyone gonna do on the 4 week trip to Riza for Riker to pick up a new STD?

[@benoorehek8475]

Tactical blinding of an enemy Perfect

[@oglack6137]

ian is the luckiest little boy on the planet "hey this relatively uncommon machine gun is based off this other relatively uncommon machine gun, let me just pull out this other one that I have on hand to show you the similarities"

[@jonp.6131]

I'm glad he shares it with us

[@fuckthepopulation8109]

"Luckiest Little boy" that's a strange way to say that, especially since he's a grown man. The fuck you smokin bud?

[@axelNodvon2047]

@@fuckthepopulation8109 It wasnt meant to be offensive

[@juxie9229]

He actually lives less than 20 miles from me too. I so badly want to run into him at the range and persuade him to let me shoot some cool shit

[@hesnotbad9045]

My favorite gag

[@mr.pavone9719]

The bayonet increased the effective range of the Lanchester by 18".

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Not Lancaster

[@jacoblucas4259]

The guys who made Thompsons back in WW2 must have been absolutely *killing* it.

[@JosephHarner]

High per-unit cost doesn't necessarily mean high profit margins. Indeed, it can mean fewer purchases, leading to smaller profits even if the per-unit profit is the same. The Thompson SMG didn't just cost a lot to *buy* it cost a lot to *make*.

[@RandomGuy9]

Joseph Harner But they still sold many and if it wasn't profitable they wouldn't have done it.

[@murderousintent7838]

Auto Ordinance was the company that made Thompson guns and yeah they were making an unbelievable amount of money to the point where they were also making stuff so they could continue making that money such as a Thompson in .30 Carbine for the M1 Carbine program and a T2 Thompson(which was meh) for the program for the Thompson replacement they didn't get either of those though and I bet they got SUPER pissed when the U.S. adopted the M3 Grease Gun and replaced the Thompson with it and then in the Korean and Vietnam wars where the SMG role was delegated to the M2 Carbine and Grease Gun

[@sumvs5992]

Ayyy!

[@marcraygun6290]

They had scrooge mcduck style swimming poole filled with gold coins

[@Puymouret]

Thanks for that, I joined the Navy in the early 60s and we were still using the Lanchester. Your video brought back a lot of memories. Reg

[@ThatGuyWhoLeaksStuff]

£50 back in 1942 was about $3000! The Thompson was a damn pricey gun.

[@mysss29]

One has to remember that £50 was still _redeemable for _*_fifty pounds_*_ of sterling silver_ at the time.* Pretty crazy expensive. *afaik

[@chikenchasa]

And the pound was *once* a damn good currency

[@chubbycatfish4573]

I'm pretty sure that's the same reason why the "grease gun" was invented.

[@shawngilliland243]

@JD - Yes, the Grease Gun and, especially once the US entered the war as a combatant nation, the Thompson M1 - considerably less expensive to produce than the pre-war model.

[@donjones4719]

@@shawngilliland243 Yes, I think every nation that purchased the Thompson wanted a cheaper alternative. Liked the Thompson, but *needed* a cheaper and more rapidly produced weapon.

[@Vincent-S]

I'd imagine that the realistic answer to the "how many?" question would have been simply "all of them and more Thompsons" until the Sten rolled around.

[@section2970]

Looks like a full auto bayonet with a wooden stick attached

[@rogerjohnson8707]

I have an Uzi with a bayonet.

[@benwilson6145]

@@nickaschenbecker9882 Especially in the Royal Navy

[@jamessuhr9667]

As a New Zealand Frigate Sailor in the 1960s,we used these weapons.Liked them.

[@who_cares848]

I always end up getting sucked into this guys vids at 2am when I should be sleeping because they're actually really interesting.

[@Palmtop_User]

Same

[@cptreech]

Back in the '90's I bought a bag of sten magazines which included a single, 50 round, Lanchester mag (Which appeared to be stainless steel as it never rusted like the horrible sten mags) It was far more reliable than the sten mags in a sten or my reproduction MP3008. Even loaded out to the full 50 rounds it never let me down and was easier to strip and clean than any of the sten mags (which dated from late war to way after)

[@patriot-renegade]

The only people more bayonet happy then the British were the Japanese. I'm trying to imagine a 120lb, 5'6 IJN infantryman charging with his Type 99 machine gun held over his head, bayonet gleaming in the sun, but I just can't see it.

[@Skyhawk1998]

They'd probably have a Naginata stuck to the barrel just for added effect.

[@jakublulek3261]

Funny thing is that Japanese army was very innovative in Russian-Japanese war and WWI, and they grasped modern warfare much quicker than European powers. Russian army was very bayonet-happy when Japanese used machine guns and concentrated rifle fire and entrenchments against them. Also, in WWI, Japanese army was very modern and more innovative than others. But it was industrial power that betrayed them. I mean, it wasn't a bad doctrine to have elite army with slightly older weapons that overcome technological disadvantage with sheer skill and determination (British army did the same thing) but military junta in 1930s and 1940s just took it too far.

[@jakemitchell6578]

@Jakub Lulek Yep. The Russians underestimated them at their own peril. As far as WWI goes, it’s also amazing how much more innovative in technology and tactics the Germans were compared to the Allies throughout nearly the entire war

[@neyoid]

@@jakemitchell6578 German war technology is either "it's too complex and it breaks all the time" or "really early or first to make this tech but too late for it to make a noticeable effect on the war"

[@neyoid]

"too complex" example being heavy tanks during WWII and "too late" being the MP18 and the STG44

[@mikemoore4033]

Fritz: "Hey Tommy, you have violated our mp28 patent! " Tommy: " What are you going to do, declare war?" Fritz: "!"

[@30ught6]

The welds look pretty good to me considering those were done with stick electrodes on fairly thin material. This is pretty neat little gun. Keep finding these gems to share with us.

[@moebossman]

Looked it up, 220 USD in 1939 is about 3,800 USD today. I had no idea how wickedly expensive Thompsons were back then. That's like two AR-15s today!

[@shawnr771]

CultofHam Thats more like 5 AR 15's. I have seen Olympic arms ARs for as low as 700 recently.

[@archetypalculinarian]

Two midrange ARs. $3800 could buy 7 of the mass production rifles.

[@section2970]

CultofHam or about 9 AK-47's for no reason

[@ringowunderlich2241]

What is the price for a Kriss Vector?

[@brian-8674]

I wouldnt spend 1900 on a ar 15, maybe an m4 (full auto) thatd be fun. I built an ar 15 for 600. So literally 6 plus 200 dollars remaining.

[@MorningGI0ry]

Meh what the hell, put a bayonet on it

[@amaethon2117]

TheEtonianGamer British military philosophy. 6 pounder gun? Fuck it, stick a bayonet on it. You never know when you need to charge the enemy with a howitzer

[@sgt.eclair]

Amaethon Lancaster? Just stick 15 foot long lance bayonets all over it.

[@Verdha603]

That suddenly seems to explain why the Japanese tended to copy a lot of British designs and military tech-because bayonets.

[@MorningGI0ry]

THEY DON'T LIKE IT UP EM

[@darthandrew19905]

Battlefield 1's MP-18 having a bayonet on it isn't so inaccurate now lol.

[@petere7197]

For the era, a naval SMG with a bayonet makes a lot of sense, in fact much more sense than having no bayonet at all. The intention being (in the event of a naval battle) to hold a few hundred PoWs.

[@leehotspur9679]

RN Boarding parties Bayonets fixed on for piercing Bales and sacks Etc Whilste searching for ilegals and contraband

[@astridvallati4762]

And holding off the unruly natives "Gunboat Diplomacy" Doc AV

[@calcutt4]

The navies did like their bladed weapons, which does kind of make sense in the cramped interior of a ship, the RAN had cutlass racks on their WW2 corvettes

[@sqike001ton]

I didn't know the brits had a more emergency smg than the emergency smg the sten

[@paullittle835]

@@SvenTviking also the Finns were a bit busy by then 🙁

[@Razar244]

Well, the Sten is more of an emergency SMG to be fair, since this one was much more expensive.

[@stlettuce]

Well, you gotta have an emergency option, for an emergency option, of an emergency option.

[@MPdude237]

Here, they just needed to get an Smg. Like everyone else, they made a more economical SMG later on.

[@gerald1495]

@@kaistzar2831 sounds like a metro weapon

[@jameskellard5075]

They were used in Malaya, Borneo and in the Korean War. The most of the RN cruisers, including HMS Belfast, which patrolled the North Korean coast landed raiding parties of (Sea Duties & Band Service) Royal Marines and Seamen and the Lanchester was extensively used.

[@iangrimshaw1]

Brits do love a bayonet. I still remember in training when first told to. 'fix bayonets!' it sends a tingle down the spine. Probably sends a tingle down somewhere else if you're on the receiving (very pointy) end.

[@oceanhome2023]

Adding the semi auto is no easy task and the increased complexity is amazing ! No wonder so many were made full auto which make it so easy to make especially using an open breach !

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Breech....

[@astragreen]

Well then most everyone says the STEN gun was nothing more than a (pipe with a big spring a nail as a firing pin) not so the sten gun was a fine engineered piece of engineering, with a left / right push button semi/auto firing, they just didn’t spend to much detail on the exterior, most soldiers preferred it rather than the very heavy Thompson gun, not surprising after a 10 mile march under enemy fire, then the Americans caught up and designed something similar nicknamed the ‘grease gun’ Another ‘pipe an spring gun’!.

[@pstrap1311]

The welds looked perfectly adequate to me. Good fusion, no cold lap. The poor guy was probably welding a couple hundred per hour.

[@unclestuka8543]

Could have been a Female welder, it was wartime.

[@KaDaJxClonE]

I love the time period when smgs had a sword hanging off the end.

[@nateo200]

Lol at the Brits "We can't look grimy like those Americans and their Tommy Guns" "OH SH-- WE NEED AN EMERGENCY SMG FOR OUR EMERGENCY SMG!!!".

[@fredwupkensoppel8949]

They had this idea of chivalry, which bit them in the ass back in WW1 when they didn't want to adopt machine guns because no one else shared it. I mean, it's not bad to fight with honour, but when you're getting blasted apart with not much to answer with, you might need to re-evaluate your standards.

[@turnip5359]

@@fredwupkensoppel8949 that attitude is still prevalent to this day

[@genghiskhan6809]

@@turnip5359 I fear for Britain should another war erupt. Chivalry is how you lose wars, get your ass kicked, and ruin the lives and livelihoods of the soldiers whom you as a commander or leader are responsible for bringing home alive.

[@Name-ps9fx]

That's actually a pretty good looking weapon there! Incidentally, I've seen a video of a StEN mk ii semi-auto rifle that also used the SMLE stock. Definitely fell in love with that style!

[@Graham-ce2yk]

This is actually the second time that the British had to copy a German design to meet a gap in weapons technology. In WWI the British found themselves in need of trench mortars in quantity (For obvious reasons) so someone went to the patent office in London and dug up an unused Krupp patent which was reverse engineered to become the British 2-inch medium mortar commonly known as the "Toffee-Apple mortar" due to the weapons distinctive projectile.

[@trooperdgb9722]

So? There are few original ideas out there... Everyone copied the French introduction of smokeless powder... Everyone copied the British Dreadnought Battleships....The US copied the Merlin engine... "Had to copy"?... I think you mean "saved time and development costs to copy"...

[@Nomozacc]

@@trooperdgb9722 I don't think hes saying it as a negative mate

[@ricardodavidson3813]

Very good video, thank you. I'm very glad Ian made that comment about the stock. There are some ignorant people around that believe these were recycled SMLE stocks, you can see this in the Wikipedia article, which is total bs. Obviously they had a tried and approved profile and as the shape was routed (milling done on wood) on automatic machines, so it was relatively simple to replicate the pattern on another machine with the extra length and shaping. The British did not develop an SMG of their own not only out of short-sightedness (there was plenty of that), but because they did not have an indigenous automatic pistol cartridge, except for the .455 Webley Auto which was not in general use. The natural stimulus to go to the next step was absent. The French did it in 7.62 mm Longue, the Spaniards in 9 mm Largo, the Swiss in 7.65 mm Luger, the US in .45 ACP, etc. all applications of their standard cartridge. There was an experiment in Australia to get an smg to work with .38/200 which was a total failure but led to the Owen gun, also nasty but very serviceable.

[@donjones4719]

Excellent point about the lack of a stimulus involving the cartridge. We all know how reluctant the military is to add another cartridge to their logistical organization. The SMG ammo should match the pistol ammo. Worked for the US and Germany, etc. But in Depression-era Britain their wasn't a pressing enough need to develop a new weapon type. Probably just as well. Something like a Reising firing a semi-rimmed cartridge (.455 Webley Auto) probably would have resulted. Why am I responding 6 years later? Damned if I know.

[@ricardodavidson3813]

@@donjones4719 I think it was actually a lack of doctrine for a new weapon, the British army between the wars was somewhat unimaginative. When WW1 ended, some effort was made to end the tank force. The traditional arms, infantry, cavalry and artillery did not want a newcomer at the budgetary trough. An SMG that could be shown to be much cheaper to produce than a rifle could have found a place, but there was no shortage of rifles. It may interest you to know that in Australia they tried desperately to get an SMG to work with the .38 Enfield revolver ammunition, having the Japanese so close helped. It was a waste of time, it never worked.

[@astridvallati4762]

Like most British SA, the Lanchester had it's own purpose made Webbing. The Magazine carrier was a very elongated Pattern 37 Basic Pouch for wearing on the standard P37 Belt. Strangely, they were Khaki webbing, not Blue-Gray as was common in the Navy ( and RAF); probably for Royal Marines on Shipboard. They were sold off as Surplus in the 1980s here in Australia...The RAN had a replacement RN Cruiser late in the war to replace the HMAS PERTH lost in the Battle of Java 1942. Being an RN ship, it came equipped with Lanchesters for its Srms Lockers and On-board Marines. DocAV

[@mattorama]

Those welds on the trigger group are pretty good. Those welds on the rear sight.... yeah those are horrifying.

[@draconian6692]

I think brass makes a gun look steampunk af. Good looks

[@gavinhudson5251]

I have to admit, seeing that hunk of brass, the furniture and finish, that would make great display piece.

[@AWPtical800]

the size of that magazine isn't really done justice until you're propping the gun up on it at the end. My god that thing is huge.

[@NATESUCKSATGAMING]

what an awesome looking gun. the front of the barrel looks super cool. i always like seeing magazines sticking out in odd places

[@ge0arc244]

If small caliber war weapons all kept to the same theme and looks as these, I bet they wouldn't be nearly as popular as they are now.

[@peterhopkins4748]

Aah... the vagaries and mysteries of British procurement. The RAF order a useful weapon albeit a copy of a foreign gun. The Royal Navy like it too, but they want it with the addition of lots of brass that they can polish. Meanwhile, the army want something far more expensive that they can't afford and then they decide to buy a much cheaper nastier toy called the Sten instead.

[@peterhopkins4748]

Thanks HappyandAtheist, I said that the Sten was cheaper and nastier . I did not say that it was not an effective and useful weapon. Many people owe their lives to that gun. My Dad learned to use a Sten during his RAF career. He used to jokingly tell me that he was sure he could hear the bullets rattle as they went down the barrel of the Sten. Being trained as an air gunner with Browning and Vickers guns there might've been a grain of truth in what he said due to the relatively simple design and low manufacturing tolerances of the Sten.

[@j.yossarian6852]

According to Martin J Dougherty in Small Arms, the brass magazine fitting was to reduce corrosion.

[@peterhopkins4748]

+J.Yossarian I was well aware of that I was just joking about the navy needing brass to polish.

[@alganhar1]

@Peter Hopkins To be fair, the Sten was continuously refined during the war. I think its one of the few firearms that actually became better quality as the war progressed rather than worse! Later marks were far superior to the very early marks. Wouldnt go off if you accidentally banged it against something for example!

[@JAG312]

I like polishing the brass magazine housing and butt plate on my Lanchester.

[@Joe3pops]

The British warships Canada adopted just after WW2 included the full small arms locker. Hence the Lancaster was in RCN service until about 1963.

[@seanthompson8071]

My favorite feature is the 600 yard sight. British ... ever the optimists!! >:^D

[@DevDog67]

Sean Thompson there's an 800m one on the c96 machine pistol I think.

[@bobbyhood101]

Sean Thompson wasn't just the brits a lot of smgs Had sights out to a thousand meters Hungary ,and Italy!

[@trooperdgb9722]

@@DevDog67 That was my first thought too..all those stocked pistols with tangent sights set for outrageously optimistic distances... at least with the Lanchester you could let 50 rounds go! Have a "beaten zone" out there! Lol

[@drakadog7405]

It's for the bayonet.

[@readman010]

"sir, why do our sights go to 600 yards?" "Well my dear fellow, we probably won't hit them that far away, but we will shit them right up, oughta be worth a chuckle or two, a bottle of sherry for the first man to hit gerry in the head at that range"

[@barbarybar]

The Royal Navy loved the brass casting. Would have been polished until it gleamed.

[@leehotspur9679]

False the part was bronze much stronger Never polished

[@MisteriosGloriosos922]

*Thank you for posting all of your videos. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!*

[@ElUniversoconMomoOficial]

I don't like the Bayonet on that thing, it's just too tiny for me.

[@torinjones3221]

El Universo con Momo that's the point. The bayonet is on it to increase your reach if your having to fight someone with a rifle bayonet.

[@ajeje1996]

It's ok, man. I also got a small penis.

[@shawngilliland243]

@El Universo con Momo - LMDO!

[@nolanshockley7674]

Need a chainsaw bayonet do you?

[@charlesinglin]

If I recall, in the 1960's TV series, "The Rat Patrol", the premise of which was that four Americans in a couple jeeps won the war in the Western Desert, one or more of the characters carried a Lanchester. No explanation of why, but most of the juvenile audience (like me) just watched to see Jeeps flying over sand dunes.

[@michaelmorgan9973]

Charles Inglin 3 Americans and 1 Brit. The guy with beret was actually a British attache.

[@troy9477]

I watched both seasons of it awhile back. At first they had Star SMG's (Z45 i think?) because they filmed in Spain, so logistics were easier, no import problems, etc. After they switched filming to US, it was all Thompsons (grease guns would not be correct, since it was 1942-43). I don't remember seeing a Lanchester, but i could have missed it.

[@charlesinglin]

I'm probably mistaken. I checked the Internet Movie Firearms Database and they don't show the Lanchester as being used. There were MP28/II's used in the series. That's probably what I thought was a Lanchester. Been a long time since I watch the series.

[@johnking6252]

Yeah 1 brit & I thought he carried a bren or sten or something with a side mount magazine?

[@MrReymoclif714]

Rat Patrol was like Kung%Fu!!! Dark Shadows mid afternoon break up to watch the 😊#TellaLieVision !

[@thelocodude01]

Two days after watching the video I saw one in the flesh at The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum here in the UK along with a Sten, a Bren a Lewis gun and lots of other cool stuff ( including a Lancaster bomber taxying)

[@ncage2621]

This is a great channel, informative and very enjoyable, thank you. 👍👍👍👊🇬🇧🇬🇧.

[@amandamyers5169]

Great video. Very interesting SMG. I love this channel. Very educating an entertaining.

[@Huwberts_Emporium]

My dad's just added one to his collection, we went and picked it up yesterday along with 2 Bren guns and a Webley. I had no idea these ever existed.

[@theuncalledfor]

I love the way the bayonet is clearly designed to work as a combat knife even without the gun.

[@imperialbill6925]

I like that too . Crazy how it looks identical to a Japanese type 30 bayonet

[@legionitalia309]

CF 52 = Civilforsvaret 52 Dutch civil defense, probably bodged together from various parts and sold to or assembled by the Dutch after the war. The number CF 39 also appears so probably not a date, but a check of Dutch records would provide the answer. Cool gun, great video. I support Ian on patreon, you should too!

[@gregorysteffensen3279]

Fired one of these once and the recoil from that massive piston-like bolt is hilarious - I nearly put a round into the range's ceiling!

[@old_guard2431]

The welds themselves are fine, good penetration etc. They just did not bother to grind them down to make them look pretty.

[@redneckzen]

Thanks for this. I have a de-milled Lanchester Mk 1* obtained from a yard sale for, no kidding, five bucks. Little old lady just wanted to get rid of it. It's in not bad shape considering it was probably used as a toy and kept in somebody's closet for who knows how many decades. The bolt is welded and sealed, there's no recoil spring and the barrel is plugged with a piece of wood (?) painted a faint pink. On the other hand, it's got a fully functional magazine, which is pretty cool. One reason I keep it -- aside from the fact that it's the only gun I'd use as a "wall hanger" -- is it has Arab markings carved into the stock and pressed into the brass magazine housing, which spark the imagination. I was in the Gulf War and saw a lot of Bedouins in the desert near the Iraqi border with old Enfields and their chests crossed with bandoliers of ammo, which kinda blew my mind. I can't say I saw any Lanchesters, but I can easily imagine mine being used in some war or kerfuffle in an African or Middle Eastern desert somewhere. I've read a few books on T.E. Lawrence, and while the Lanchester is out of time for his adventures, it sparks the imagination and feeds a bit of nostalgia. Anywho, thanks for the history lesson!

[@mikeemmons1079]

"its good... but... I dont know, can you make it more stabby?"

[@MrPh30]

Boss is the same maker of the fine shotguns and rifles also that today have a huge quality and similar pricing.

[@somebody3143]

“The Lanchester Extractor tended to break.” Just wonderful... especially when in the Theater of War!

[@31415geon]

Well, I guess it isn't as big of a deal considering it's blow-back action, which is not entirely dependent on the extractor for extraction.

[@leehotspur9679]

Never heard of this happening in, I was an armourer in RN

[@Equiluxe1]

Supposedly Winston Churchill carried a lanchester with in a brief case all through the war. In the late 80's I made a new striker for a lanchester that was missing it, at the time I ran a small engineering company and the guy who owned the gun was renovating it I gather that it was a very early model if not a prototype not sure what happened to the gun afterwards I know it was going abroad somewhere as it would not be legal here.

[@NeilDouma]

Neat, I was hoping this would pop up. I've got a deactivated Mk1* in considerably less enviable condition and minus the magazine. It had actually been deactivated twice, first time being after the war. They accomplished this by severing the firing pin in two while the gun was fully assembled, using a plasma torch or something. The guy I got the thing from managed to turn a replacement firing pin and restore it to functionality, even with a nearly bisected bolt. Unfortunately that sort of thing isn't legal over here so when it came into my possession I had to get my lgs to put it down properly. Did manage to find a 1907 bayonet for it though.

[@eisenkrieg553]

Neil Douma Oi m8, you ave a permit for that bayo?

[@marvelousdex9678]

EisenKreig Oi m8, you ave a permit to ask about permits?

[@eisenkrieg553]

Marvelous Dex M8, I'm Californian. If I don't have to, I will.

[@jonross377]

@@eisenkrieg553 The rest of the US doesn't require a permit for something so simple as a bayonet.

[@Radio4ManLeics]

Another quality vid! Great job!

[@johnryder1713]

Thanks Ian, been looking forward to this

[@ConstantineJoseph]

In my opinion the Thompson is the best SMG of the WW2 period. 45 ACP meant higher stopping power and that’s the major plus. Second in tied position the MP40 and the PPSH, both were outstanding in their own way. Close behind was the Sten which is a simple yet highly effective SMG.

[@StonesSticksBones]

Beretta M38A

[@Za7a7aZ]

I really love and appreciate the research you do so you can tell us the history and place in time of these guns.

[@wernesgruder1]

Royal Navy was still using these in the Borneo Confrontation of 1965.

[@ChorltonBrook]

What surprised me most about this was the 1907 Lee Enfield (Wilkinson) bayonette - I Googled it and it's now about £200 to buy here online. Jeez I remember them in the junk shops here (UK) in the early 80s for less than £20, which seemed steep then.They were ten a penny, I imagine so many were kept by fathers after the war & seemed meaningless (sadly a lot like those fathers & grandads). Thanks for the education, historic arms really seem a good financial & interesting investment. Even if not firearms. Many cellars here had gas masks lying around then, granted with half perished rubber. I've still got a first aid Civil Defence booklet that was kept inside them & could've used the bag for school books back but would've looked a twat for not having a BAOC or Pan Am bag - those halcyon days, way before adidas, puma or killing each other for trainers .

[@yuribartieniev8364]

Steyr MP 34 and Lanchester are Rolls Royce and Bentley from the sub-machine guns.

[@saxon215]

Could you do a series on manufacturing changes such as from machined to stamped recievers and the use of plastics and polymers over wood and other materials

[@skaboodlydoodle]

at first I was like "Wait...that's an MP28..."

[@thomastoups3451]

A bayonet - though perhaps a shorter one - on an SMG might not be as ridiculous as it first seems, depending on the type of combat expected. In WWII hand-to-hand fighting between the Germans and Soviets, the combatants frequently used sharpened entrenching tools as impact weapons, as their rifles were too long to be effective for this in the trenches. At the time of the Lanchester's development, the Brits were expecting to have to fight invading Germans on their beaches. In this context, a sharpened blade on the end of a short SMG makes more sense.

[@minuteman4199]

I used Sterling SMGs as an armoured vehicle crewman in Canada in the 80s, we were issued bayonets with them, same type as used with our FN rifles.

[@maxcoleman11037]

Interesting gun, my friend Winston Churchill explained it to me, and this explanation was very accurate to this one, great video, mate

[@SkyWriter25]

The extra holes at the end of the barrel makes it look like a mini-minigun.

[@jerrshobe6765]

thanks for making this video

[@NickRatnieks]

I think these were last used by the Royal Navy on submarines. Over in Gosport- which is where HMS Dolphin- the submarine base was until 1999 one of my friends used to go to do cadet training back in late 1969. He said there was a compound containing these guns- they had their brass magazine wells removed and the wooden stock too. They were being flame cut for scrap and they were probably from decommissioned submarines.

[@davidcolter]

I never thought I would hear it said that a Sten part was an upgrade :)

[@Cannibal713]

God, things were looking bad for the Brits if they needed a cheaper SMG (the Sten) than this one. Interesting video, thanks.

[@222caribou]

i bet the ones made by Boss were high quality!

[@hawks1ish]

It may not be a mark 1 transitional. It could be slapped together from different parts considering it also has a sten bolt do the serials match?

[@TheRogueWolf]

When time is of the essence, copy what works first and then embellish from there.

[@JohnWick-wh5ru]

Since I'm no longer Babayaga these videos soothe me to sleep every night 😴

[@keithhea1143]

Another great video.

[@Waterlooplein1]

As welds go, those are very good, unground welds. Let's not be critical of the production welder that did these welds by hand.

[@SuperMarshall2009]

I think the barrels are close enough to be interchangeable between the Lanchester and MP-28 as well. Oddly in regards to the bayonet, the Brits kept the Bayonet capability on the Sterling for and I have seen training photos of soldiers in training doing bayonet practice in the late 60s.

[@johnfisk811]

Had a bayonet o my L2A3 in the 70's. Handy for guarding prisoners and, of course, you never run out of bayonet part way through the fight.

[@madcowrebel4216]

Those welds on the trigger group looked pretty nice to me.

[@mattisvov]

I just love fluted barrel shrouds. Not for any rational reason, they are just so PWETTY!!! And this has a bayonet. I Love it.

[@backwoodsjunkie08]

I love watching your video's! You have the most soothing voice, you should consider a career in radio. Thanks for all the awesome videos!

[@ooloncaluphid]

You know, if only it were legal for the average merchant ship to have a couple of those on board, we would most likely never have heard of Somali Pirates.

[@av0-cad03]

Daniel Olbris Id have to say, a cheap, effective gun that works when slightly worn would be ideal. Due to sea salt in the air corroding any metal it touches (practically)

[@Briselance]

Daniel Olbris Well, as "fun" as it sounds, it wouldn't have helped Somalia through her dire straits. :-P

[@JL-dance]

Briseur De Lance attacking innocent merchant ships didn’t help either since all the money went to the rich war lords and not to the poor fishermen who were forced to be pirates.

[@Pilotmario]

Not likely. Merchant sailors basically have no weapons training. Usually armed guards are hired by the company if they need protection, although I do know of an Israeli firm that issues Uzi submachine guns and trains it’s sailors on how to use them.

[@TheDarktone101]

That's why they hire merc's..

[@FullTekAuto]

That perforated barrel shroud, wood stock and ridiculous bayonet made me oddly pitch a tent. Almost came too early to be fair, quickly clicked on Ian's STG 44 video and successfully, comfortably came to a peaceful satisfaction and fell gently asleep

[@simonyip5978]

When I was in my late teens, deactivated Lanchester SMG were sold for between £50-100. I'm not sure of the exact cost, but they were cheap enough for me to seriously consider buying one, (I'd just left school and I don't think that I'd have been prepared to pay very much for something that was basically an ornament weapon that couldn't be fired).

[@dreamingflurry2729]

"...in service to this day..." - And why not? It's not like today's SMGs are so much better! Seriously, this thing might be heavier, but that makes it controlable as you say - but otherwise the only things this thing can not do are mount optics and lights easily (no rails, picatiny or other!)

[@bitchfacedmgee7433]

i actually love this channel, its really interesting, informing, and he has the perfect voice to make me sleepy, i have no idea why

[@troy9477]

12 lbs? Yikes. I was expecting it to be about 7. Tubular receivers are heavy i guess, as are the bolts. The Thompson weighs about the same, grease gun is 8 lbs, and i think the Sten is close to that. Looks like a good design. That long mag has got to get in the way though, esp in tight quarters. I'm a little surprised they didn't use a standard length mag aboard ship. Great video as always. Thank you

[@johntriplett4470]

In the looks department, this is encroaching on 1897 Trenchgun badassery.

[@Davidautofull]

looks like a good weld to me. neatly piled rings and no bubbles.

[@studyinsteel5186]

Got to love bayonets that are longer than the entire barrel and action of the gun itself.

[@watchthe1369]

welded instead of screwed, it looks like there was a screw shortage and they zapped some welds on it to keep production going.

[@metsoneredsoxtwo]

I had one back in the early 1990's, it's a well made and shooting 9mm SMG's, I love the 50rd Mag, which is where the Sten Mag came from,. :-)

[@EitriBrokkr]

any idea what welding process was used on sheet metal guns back then? I believe tig wasnt invented untill 1941, with mig welding also in the 40's. that looks way to nice for oxy-fuel welding. that only leaves stick welding, and if thats the case thats super impressive

[@sergeantbigmac]

I think you answered your own question, and yes it is impressive for stick welding.

[@Deadtileyedie]

I know looks don't matter but I do dig they looks of this for some reason ...the little differences

[@balham456]

Brass looks great on a weapon.

[@robrowe2298]

Interesting that for the Sterling in Royal Navy service there a short 15 round mag. Experience being that long mags were a hindrance on boarding operations.