Original Item: Only One Available. Think of The Bridge on the River Qwai. William Holden holding his MkII Sten and looking very grim. And how many other war movies do we remember where we remember the Mk2 Sten but not the actors? Probably quite a few.
Not only was the Sten ubiquitous in movies and among Allied troops, but the German Army, of all people, eventually made numerous copies of it. Earlier, Otto Skorzeny, the famous head of Germany’s equivalent of Britain’s Commandos, tried hard to get permission to use the silenced version of the Sten for his troops, but his request was rejected on grounds of national—read that as National Socialist—arrogance.
This non-firing BATF approved Sten Mk II is made up of all original parts on a solid receiver and duplicates the feel and appearance of the original Sten Mk II Machine Carbine. The trigger still pulls and the selector moves, though the bolt handle does not move, per BATF regulations. It is finished in the stove black used on most British small arms of the Second World War. The condition is very good, and it is clearly marked with a STEN MK II on the top of the magazine well. The underside is marked E&Co, indicating that the magazine well, or possibly the entire gun, was made by Elkington & Co in Birmingham, a subcontractor during the war. There is also the guns serial number, S0236979 and a Broad Arrow. The “T” buttstock is marked with 5432.
The Mk II was the most widely distributed of the various Sten models, and was featured in numerous motion pictures, including the marquee poster for the great The Bridge On The River Kwai. This sample has the popular T butt stock, and also has the original cocking handle with the protective flange but without the safety projection.
This piece includes an original magazine where permitted. Elsewhere a deactivated magazine will be sent.
The Mk II Sten is an icon of the Second World War and should be part of any WW2 collection or display.