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Thinking about a STEN build

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  • knormal

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    Jan 30, 2017
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    New Braunfels, TX
    I ran across articles on the 80% gun kits and just found out about the STEN guns as a candidate. I found sources for kits and parts and wondered if anyone here had done one, and how they liked it (build-wise and firing wise).

    (If this is mis-categorized, my apologies.)
     

    Agentgruer

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    Jul 10, 2019
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    Celina
    I’m starting to work on a STEN mk5 kit myself, so I’ll let you know how it goes. So far, removing the old receiver was a PITA as the STEN was definitely meant to be a cheap replaceable gun. You definitely want a good Dremel (don’t use a battery powered one) and a good quantity of cutting discs and a grinding wheel for the dremel. I just received my new receiver from Indianapolis Ordnance, so I’ll be starting on that in the coming weekends.

    I will warn that the STEN isn’t a cheap build as you probably be spending over $500 bucks to convert it to semi-auto ($80 receiver, $190 barrel, $35 front trunnion, $280 semi auto bolt, $200 tax stamp for sbr) and you’ll need to know how to do some welding. Definitely not trying to sway you against it, but want to set expectations.

    (Apologies in advance if replying to a two month old post is frowned upon. I didn’t see anything in the rules against it)
     

    LOCKHART

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    Apr 29, 2014
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    Shotgun News used to sell "kits" from deactivated full auto Sten
    s. Further back in the magazine, you could find tubes that had a decal on them that showed where to cut out the tube for the bolt handle, opening to weld in the magazine holder taken off the kit. And of course you had to cut the front & rear trunnions out of the tube to weld into the new tube. Doing all this of course would be manufacturing a Class 3 weapon and would entail a stiff Federal prison sentence! My cousin, who lives in Seawillow, Texas found one of these completed guns in a ditch near his mothers house. He told me it looked brand new. I'm thinking the fellow who completed it got cold feet about it, and through it into the ditch. My cousin, being a Dudley Doright type, took it to the Caldwell County sheriff and turned it in. I never got to see it.
     

    LOCKHART

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    I'm sure that's what most folks did, after buying the kit & tube. Funny tho, no mention in either advertisement about ANY parts included for converting to semi-auto.
     

    V-Tach

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    I built an MK II from a kit....it is a Post Dealer Sample, so I didn't have to machine the bolt (or buy one that had been) and used a standard size tube. Take your time and do your research it wasn't that difficult. Fun gun.....the thought of it being a primary weapon for a soldier isn't a comforting thought..........
     

    Agentgruer

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    Jul 10, 2019
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    Ya, I would go with https://indianapolisordnance.com/sten_mk3.html as they’ve pretty much taken care of the atf requirements for you (smaller inner diameter, closed-semi bolt design, and easy directions). I’m using them for my build and got my parts kit from apexguns. I’m currently on a work trip, but I’ll post my progress pics so far when I get home. I’m done with cutting out the receiver and now on to the welding (need to setup my welding station first so might be a couple weekends before I make progress).

    My build definitely has a “cottage” firearm feel to it. Really wish I had a milling machine as it would look cleaner but a dremel and file works decently.
     
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    baboon

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    Out here by the lake!
    I built an MK II from a kit....it is a Post Dealer Sample, so I didn't have to machine the bolt (or buy one that had been) and used a standard size tube. Take your time and do your research it wasn't that difficult. Fun gun.....the thought of it being a primary weapon for a soldier isn't a comforting thought..........
    Weren't they commonly reffered to as the stench gun?
     

    Agentgruer

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    Jul 10, 2019
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    Celina
    Here's my pictures of my current progress on my plumber's abortion, aka stench gun, aka the STEN: https://imgur.com/a/GcAe6ab
    I threw in the bolt to make sure that it would ride through the tube, and lo and behold, it rides without issues.

    The receiver originally had a stencil pasted on it, which you use as a guide on where to make cuts. I started with my drill press to make the holes on the corners of each section and used a dremel to cut out the metal between each drilled hole. I left some material around the borders of each section of the stencil and went back with a file to flush my cuts up with the stencil's border. I think this led to some of the gnarly look of my cuts as I had a lot of filing to do and went a little too far on certain sections (i.e. I filed into one of my curved which makes it look uneven). I do wish I had a milling machine as that would had created a cleaner receiver.

    I still need to go back and weld in the barrel nut and ejector before I can weld it to the lower receiver, but that probably won't be done for another month (too hot to work in my garage and still need to set up a welding station). Once all the welding is done, I am probably going to finish the receiver with hot bluing even though that isn't historically correct (I like the look of hot bluing).

    So far, my opinion on building a STEN is that is it a straight forward build, but if you don't have a mill, it will be a labor intensive build as you are going to be doing a lot of filing. Not enthused about my handiwork as every cut has imperfections, but it's my first time building a firearm like this with hand tools. (Also, my day job is a software developer. This is my hobby, so I am definitely not an expert and obviously have areas to improve in) I have a MkII and a MkIII to build, so I'll be looking for a milling machine in the future when I decide to build those.

    Tools used so far:
    Drill Press: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742TSVKN
    Dremel 7300: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TU0XFU
    Hand Files: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074J5RJFW

    Parts:
    Part Kit: https://www.apexgunparts.com/parts-...-set-w-wood-stock-grip-9mm-luger-british.html (got it on sale on the 4th of July, so prices might go down again)
    Semi-auto parts: https://indianapolisordnance.com/sten_mk5.html
     

    V-Tach

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    Looks fine.......when you get a finish on it the little imperfections aren't noticeable....

    Welding the ejector was a challenge for me on the MK II............
     

    V-Tach

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    One thing you need to look for on a possible kit is that it still has the tabs intact on the trigger housing....not impossible to weld the receiver tube without them a heck of a lot easier with.............
     
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