[inspcalahan]

I've got a brass bolt MKIII Sten kit that I've decided to have built finally. Who does these builds?? Anyone have experience with anyone or is a legal builder?

Also - is it worth going through the hassle with the tax stamp/etc for a full auto build? how much is a full auto kit build running these days?
or just have it done semi-auto??

any advice or info is greatly appreciated!
either post here or email..thanks

 

[B.A.R. gunner]

you cannot manufacture ANY new machine guns after may of 1986

google the mcclure volkmer firearm owners protection act

 

[inspcalahan]

I should have known that....ok...on to part two...

could I do it as a semi SBR?

 

[stearmandriver]

If a semi-auto kit that YOU do the work is what you want, try this guy out of Tampa,Fla.
www.semiautosten.com
I built one of his kits and my semi sten works great.

Like the previous post stated, you cannot make your sten kit legally FA. Unless you prefer the company of Bubba at Club Fed.

Yes you can build and apply for an SBR semi stamp. $200 plus all the hoops you have to jump through.

 

[inspcalahan]

that's what I'm looking for - thanks! I'm just trying to figure out what to do with my sten kit..other than look at it....

 

[ScottD]

DO NOT waste your time on that kit!

4 years ago I bought a semi kit from that outfit in Florida. Bought it right from thier scary, dirty little storefront. I dont know if they have made improvements since then, but here are the problems mine has:

1) Every other round fails to eject. Every third round fails to feed.
2) The 'hammer' was drilled off center and has cracked.
3) The firing pin and return springs were all messed up and had to be replaced 3 or 4 times until it even began to work. (Work as stated in item 1....)
4) The bbl extension throws the balance of the whole weapon off AND makes it look stupis as hell.

I would not reccomend building a semi Sten unless you build it from scratch and have access to a full machine shop and have more time than money. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[MJB68]

Stearmandriver...how did you get yours working so well? I had mine built by ORF several years ago when he was doing custom work. I went the SBR route, so I've got a good chunk of change invested in it. Unfortunately, the springs take quite a beating and only last about 30 rounds. Supposedly there is going to be a new hammer, but I've been writing Vic at semiautostens.com since December, and the answer is continually "we're still working on it." If you've got any advice on how to turn this paperweight into a reliable shooter, I'd sure appreciate it.

 

[XDIVER1]

If you want to build a full auto pick up a copy of shotgun news or Small
Arms Review and look for a registered tube. In 1986 a lot of tube were
papered and you still find them occasionally.
Good Luck
FA is a lot of fun!!!

XDIVER1

 

[BZRKR21]

I have the semiauto.com kit after getting the kit and reading the problems with it I only got so far with it and now its been sitting. The main thing I don't like about it is the sliding striker design and springs. If you are very handy and have access to some machine tools a design that looks much better was in the June 5, 2006 Shotgun News edtion. It uses a AR-15 trigger, sear and hammer fire control. I haven't ordered the plans yet so I can't comment on how hard it is to build and how it functions but it looks to be a much better design. The price is $9.95 including shipping for the plans the address is Stone Axe Engineering, PO Box 125, Dept SGN, Scott Ohio 45886.

 

[inspcalahan]

I think based on all the wonderful praises of that semi kit - I'll pass...thanks for saving me the trouble! I'll look for a registered tube or maybe the whole thing one day and just use the parts...makes more sense..

 

[Abwehr]

Sten

I got one of the Sten Semi-Auto kits when they first hit the market! I got the gun completed and the test fire went so-so. I had intermittent stoppages from failure to eject or chamber and not fully cocking the hammer. I feel the basic design is not bad, but the springs are not correct. They need to be a little larger in diameter and not as "stiff". It takes a gorrila to cock the thing. I have not tinkered with it for a while, but one of these days when I am bored, I will get it out again and give a go at it again.

Unless you REALLY like to tinker, don't get it, and buy one of the PPsh carbines from Allied Armament. You will be a lot happier!

 

[stearmandriver]

The springs are what I changed on mine. Also the slot for the cocking handle is really critical. It's still not that reliable, but neither was the original FA. It was a cheap, mass produced, $5 gun. Hell, the english can't even build a reliable car.
And sure , it looks dorky with the barrel extension, but I wasn't willing to spend $200 for the SBR stamp on this thing.
But the long and the short of it is that I have a STEN that fires (some of the time) in my WWII collection.

 

[TOM R]

well mine is complete and sits in the closet, my only problem is the springs, I used an converted uzi barrel and had the original rear trunion turned down to fit the tube because they give you 2 front trunions with the kit and i could not get the ammo to feed with the one they supply, I have tried several sring setups thet guys say work and still nogo oh I also had to have a new cocking handle made since I found the original was jambing in the slot(too loose in their bolt)

 

[MJB68]

Any recommendation on where to get better springs?

 

[machine2k]

Couple of modified 1911 mainsprings worked for me.

 

[GWR1]

Well, one can BUY new Wolf springs cheaply, that's the least of the problem. I've heard more complications with a s/a STEN build than I care to think of -- one should just go with a legal f/a, wheather a "tube gun," ($800 and up) or an original, ($3,000 to $8000.) My original f/a fires without fault of the gun (mags are $3 to $8, and are the only "problem," the lips.) PLEASE forget building a s/a STEN and get a real one! My f/a STEN rebuild, tube gun (pre-may '86) cost less than $100, farming out the brazing, but not counting the tax stamp. I don't think a s/a STEN would be a SBR though -- but, I'm not an attorney or lawer either, so YMMV.

 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

With a buttstock it will be a SBR. Where can you get a tube gun for $800? The last registered bare Sten tubes I saw were $2500-3000.

 

[Madfarmer]

I made my semiautosten.com conversion work by drilling the recoil guiderod hole in the bolt larger to retain a smaller recoil spring so it can colapse in side the bolt instead of being crushed by the recoil. I had to use a smaller guide pin for the smaller spring. I then made a nylon recoil buffer to stop the bolt from recoiling back too far. It stops the bolt shortly after ejection. This set up works well and your springs don't get beat to death. I hope this will help you guys with the crushed spring problem. Les

 

[Bill S]

......... It's still not that reliable, but neither was the original FA. It was a cheap, mass produced, $5 gun.

My FA Sten has always been completely reliable. It's basically too simple to be anything BUT reliable. Magazines are sometimes less than reliable, but with a little work even they're OK. And they're cheap enough that if you get a magazine that doesn't function dependably - toss it and replace it.

 

[MJB68]

Well, I bought a 20# 1911 spring. Seems to have fixed the spring compression issue. Now I'm getting having stovepipe issues and failure to feed. Dry cycling the mags they work fine. I'm thinking the extractor is not grabbing the round going in, and thus not hooking over the shell casing for extraction. This thing is a paperweight. If you're thinking of buying an SAS3... DON'T!!!