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The STEN (or Sten gun) is a British chambered in 9×19mm which was used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and during the . The Sten paired a simple design with a low production cost, facilitating mass production to meet the demand for submachine guns.World's Elite Forces : Their Weapons, Equipment, Tactics, Operations. Lang, Walter N.

As well as equipping regular units, the Sten was distributed to resistance groups within occupied Europe. Its simple design made it an effective insurgency weapon for resistance groups.

The Sten is a , blowback-operated weapon with a side-mounted magazine. Sten is an acronym, derived from the names of the weapon's chief designers: Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold J. Turpin, and "En" for the Enfield factory. "The STEN Carbine, A Description" Model Engineer Volume 88 Issue 2195 P.509 Around four million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s, making it the second most produced of the Second World War, after the Soviet PPSh-41. The Sten served as the basis for the Sterling submachine gun, which replaced the Sten in British service from the 1950s.

History
The Sten emerged while Britain was engaged in the Battle of Britain, facing invasion by . The army was forced to replace weapons lost during the evacuation from Dunkirk while expanding their arsenal at the same time. After the start of the war and to 1941 (and even later), the British purchased all the Thompson submachine guns they could from the United States, but these did not meet demand, and Thompsons were expensive, the M1928 costing $200 in 1939 (and still $70 in 1942), whereas a Sten would turn out to cost only $11. American entry into the war at the end of 1941 placed an even bigger demand on the facilities making Thompsons. In order to rapidly equip a sufficient fighting force to counter the Axis threat, the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, was commissioned to produce an alternative.

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

The Sten shared design features, such as its side-mounted magazine configuration, with the Lanchester submachine gun being produced at the same time for the and Royal Air Force, which was a copy of the German MP28. In terms of manufacture, the Lanchester was entirely different, being made of high-quality materials with pre-war fit and finish, in stark contrast to the Sten's austere execution. The Lanchester and Sten magazines were even interchangeable (though the Lanchester's magazine was longer with a 50-round capacity, compared to the Sten's 32.)

The Sten used simple components and minor welding, which required minimal machining and manufacturing. Much of the production could be performed by small workshops, with the firearms assembled at the Enfield site. Over the period of manufacture, the Sten design was further simplified: the most basic model, the Mark III, could be produced from five man-hours of work. Some of the cheapest versions were made from only 47 different parts (out of 47 components, only the barrel and bolt were machined). The Mark I was a more finely finished weapon with a wooden foregrip and handle; later versions were generally more spartan, although the final version, the Mark V, which was produced after the threat of invasion had died down, was produced to a higher standard.

The Sten underwent various design improvements over the course of the war. For example, the Mark 4 cocking handle and corresponding hole drilled in the receiver were created to lock the bolt in the closed position to reduce the likelihood of unintentional discharges inherent in the design. Most changes to the production process were more subtle, designed to give greater ease of manufacture and increased reliability, and the potentially great differences in build quality contributed to the Sten's reputation as being an unreliable weapon. Historian John Warwicker claimed "Exaggerated reports about the unreliability of were usually related to the quality of manufacture. Don Handscombe and his comrades in the Thundersley Patrol of the rated them more reliable than the Thompson SMG." Sten guns of late 1942 and beyond were highly effective weapons, though complaints of accidental discharge continued throughout the war.

The Sten was replaced by the Sterling submachine gun from 1953 and was gradually withdrawn from British service in the 1960s. Other Commonwealth nations followed suit, either by creating their own replacements or adopting foreign designs.

Design
The Sten is a blowback-operated firing from an with a fixed firing pin on the face of the bolt. This means the bolt remains to the rear when the weapon is cocked and on pulling the trigger the bolt moves forward from spring pressure, stripping the round from the magazine, chambering it and firing the weapon all in the same movement. There is no breech locking mechanism; the rearward movement of the bolt caused by the recoil impulse is arrested only by the mainspring and the bolt's inertia.

The German MP40, Russian PPSh-41, and US M3 submachine gun, among others, use the same operating mechanisms and design philosophy of the Sten, namely their low cost and ease of manufacture. Though the MP40 was also built largely for this purpose, went on record saying that he preferred the Sten because it required less raw material to produce and performed better under adverse combat conditions. The effect of putting lightweight automatic weaponry into the hands of soldiers greatly increased the short-range firepower of the infantry, especially when the main infantry weapon was a bolt-action rifle capable of only around 15 rounds per minute. The open-bolt firing mechanism, short barrel and use of pistol ammunition severely restricted accuracy and , with an effective range of only around , compared to for the Lee–Enfield rifle.

Stoppages could occur for poor maintenance, while others were particular to the Sten. Carbon build-up on the face of the breech or debris in the bolt raceway could cause a failure to fire, while a dirty chamber could cause a failure to feed. Heavy carbon build-up could prevent the firing pin from detonating the primer. Firing the Sten by grasping the magazine with the supporting hand, contrary to instruction, tended to wear the magazine catch, altering the angle of feed and causing a failure to feed; the correct method of holding the weapon was as with a rifle, the left hand cradling the fore piece.

The Sten's magazine, like the Lanchesters, derived from the MP28, originally to use its magazines, which incorporated the faults of the MP28 magazine.Thompson p13 The magazine has two columns of 9 mm cartridges in a staggered arrangement, merging at the top to form a column. While other contemporary staggered magazines, such as the Thompson, feed from the left and right side alternately (known as "double column, double feed"), the Sten magazine requires the cartridges gradually to merge at the top of the magazine to form a column ("double column, single feed"). Dirt or foreign matter in this taper area can cause feed malfunctions. The walls of the magazine lip have to endure the full stresses of the rounds being pushed in by the spring. This, along with rough handling, can result in deformation of the magazine lips (which requires a precise 8° feed angle to operate), resulting in misfeeding and a failure to fire. If a Sten failed to feed due to jammed cartridges in the magazine, standard practice to clear it was to remove the magazine from the gun, tap the base of the magazine against the knee, re-insert the magazine, then re-cock the weapon and fire again as normal. To facilitate easier loading when attempting to push the cartridges down to insert the next one, a magazine filler tool was developed and formed part of the weapon's kit. The slot on the side of the body where the cocking knob runs was also a target of criticism, as the long opening can allow foreign objects to enter. On the other hand, a beneficial side-effect of the Sten's minimalist design is that it will fire without any lubrication.

The selector is a push button type that actuates a sear disconnector to enable firing in semi-automatic. When firing in this mode, the bolt moves rearward tripping on the sear disconnector downwards requiring the user to release the trigger to fire the weapon again. When firing in full automatic, the selector slightly pivots and moves the sear disconnector sideways enabling the trigger to hold the sear in the firing position without interference of the bolt movement. The open bolt design combined with cheap manufacture and rudimentary safety devices also means the weapon is prone to accidental discharges, which proved hazardous. A simple safety can be engaged while the bolt is in the rearwards (cocked) position. However, if a loaded Sten with the bolt in the cocked position is dropped, or the butt is knocked against the ground, the bolt can move far enough forward to pick up a round (but not far enough to be engaged by the trigger mechanism) and the spring pressure can be enough to chamber and fire the round. The Mk. IV's cocking handle is designed to prevent this by enabling the bolt to be locked in its forward position, immobilising it. Wear and manufacturing tolerances can render these safety devices ineffective. Though the Sten was somewhat prone to malfunction, in the hands of a well-trained soldier, who knew how to avoid the Sten's failings, they were less of a liability as otherwise may be suggested. According to Leroy Thompson, "Troops usually made the conscious choice to keep the Sten with a magazine in place, based on the assumption that they might need it quickly. It might, then, be argued that more troops were saved by having their Sten ready when an enemy was suddenly encountered than were injured by accident. The Sten was more dangerous to its users than most infantry weapons, but all weapons are dangerous".

Variants
Sten guns were produced in several basic marks, of which nearly half of the total produced consisted of the Mark II variant. Approximately 4.5 million Stens were produced during the Second World War.

Mark I
The first ever Mk I Sten gun (number 'T-40/1' indicating its originator Harold Turpin, the year 1940 and the serial number "1") was handmade by Turpin at the Radio works at , Middlesex during December 1940/January 1941 in 36 days. This weapon is held by the historical weapons collection of the 's Infantry and Small Arms School Corps in Warminster, Wiltshire.

The Mark I has a conical and fine finish. The bolt on the Mark I rotates downwards to hold it open for safety, similar to that of a bolt-action rifle (the bolt on Mark II+ variants rotates upwards). The handguard, vertical forward grip and some of the stock are made of wood. The stock consists of a small tube, similar to the Mark II Canadian. The barrel shroud has vent holes. The magazine insert is fixed to the receiver with screws (unlike the later found on Mark II+ variants that can be rotated 90 degrees for stowage). A design choice that is only present on the Mark I is that the vertical forward grip can be rotated forward to make it easier to stow. 100,000 Mark I Stens were made before production was moved to the Mark II. Mark I Stens in German possession were designated MP 748(e), the 'e' standing for englisch.

Mark I*
The Mark I* (pronounced "Mark-One-Star") variant was designed to simplify production of the Mark I; the handguard, vertical forward grip, vent holes, wooden furniture and conical flash hider were removed with this variant.
(1988). 9780949749093, Greenhill Books.
It was the first variant to come with a tube stock.

Mark II
The Mark II is the most common mainstream variant, with two million units produced. The flash eliminator and the folding handle (the grip) of the Mk I are omitted. A removable barrel is provided which projects beyond the barrel sleeve. It uses a tube stock. Also, a special catch allows the magazine to be slid partly out of the magazine housing and the housing rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise (from the operator's perspective), together covering the ejection opening and allowing the weapon and magazine both to lie flat on its side.

The barrel sleeve is shorter and rather than having small holes on the top, it has three sets of three holes equally spaced on the shroud. To allow a soldier to hold a Sten by the hot barrel sleeve with the supporting hand, an insulating lace-on leather sleeve guard was sometimes issued. Sten Mk IIs in German possession were designated MP 749(e). Some Mk IIs had wooden stocks. The Spz-kr assault rifle, a rudimentary German design made in the closing stages of the war, uses the receiver and components from the Sten Mk II, and the MP 3008 was made as a cheap copy.

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Mark II (Canadian)
During World War II, a variation of the Sten gun was produced at the Long Branch Arsenal plant in Long Branch, Ontario (now Lakeview, an area of , Peel Region). This is very similar to the regular Mark II, with a different stock ('skeleton' type instead of strut type). It was first used in combat in the in 1942.

The Mark II was made in China as a copy known as the M38. The Chinese M38s were made in an automatic-only configuration, unlike the standard Mark II. The M38 was made in 9×19mm and 7.62×25mm Tokarev variants.

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Mark III
After the Mark II, this was the most produced variant of the Sten, manufactured in Canada alongside the United Kingdom, with Lines Bros Ltd being the largest producer. The Mark III is made of 48 parts, compared to the Mark II's 69, but the Mark II remained more commonplace for logistical reasons – parts between the two are not interchangeable. Though slightly lighter, the magazine well is fixed in place, and the barrel cannot be removed, meaning if it was damaged the weapon had to be scrapped. Combined with the fact the Mark III was more prone to failure than the Mark II, production of the weapon ceased in September 1943. Unlike the Mark II, the receiver, ejection port, and barrel shroud are unified, leading to them being extended further up the barrel. Captured Sten Mk IIIs in German possession were designated MP 750(e). A total of 876,886 Mark IIIs were produced.

Mark V
The Mark V adds a bayonet mount, and a wooden pistol grip and stock. There is a No. 4 Lee–Enfield front sight and the weapon is of better quality manufacture and finish than the Mk II and Mk III.

Another variant of the Mk V has a swivel stock and rear sight mirror intended for firing around corners in urban warfare, similar to the developed by the Germans for the StG 44.

Suppressed models
Mk II(S) and Mk VI models incorporate an integral and have a lower muzzle velocity than the others due to a ported barrel intended to reduce velocity to below the speed of sound – – without needing special ammunition. The suppressor heats up rapidly when the weapon is fired, and a canvas cover was laced around the suppressor for protection for the firer's supporting hand.Wolfgang Michel. Britische Schalldämpferwaffen 1939–1945: Entwicklung, Technik, Wirkung.

Mk II(S)
Designed in 1943, the Mk II(S) ("Special-Purpose") is an integrally suppressed version of the Mk II. Captured examples of the Sten Mk II(S) in German service were designated MP 751(e).
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