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Description
The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost, making them effective insurgency weapons for resistance groups, and they continue to see usage to this day by irregular military forces. The STEN served as the basis for the Sterling submachine gun, which replaced the STEN in British service until the 1990s, when it, and all other submachine guns, were replaced by the SA80.

The STEN is a select fire, blowback-operated weapon and loads its magazine on the left, rather than the bottom, as is the usual configuration. STEN is an acronym, from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for the Enfield factory.[9][a] Over four million STENs in various versions were made in the 1940s, making it the second most produced submachine gun of the Second World War, after the Soviet PPSh-41.

Type Submachine gun
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1941–1960s (United Kingdom)
1941–present (Other countries)
Used by See Users
Wars World War II
Second Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Indonesian National Revolution[1]
First Indochina War
Indo-Pakistan Wars
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Malayan Emergency
Korean War
Mau Mau Uprising[2]
Algerian War[3]
Suez Crisis
Sino-Indian War
Vietnam War
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation[4]
Laotian Civil War
Biafran War[5]
Bangladesh Liberation War[6]
Lebanese Civil War
Angolan Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
IRA Border Campaign
The Troubles
Punjab insurgency
Maluku sectarian conflict[7]
Iraq War[8]
Syrian Civil War
Production history
Designer Major Reginald V. Shepherd
Harold J. Turpin
Designed 1940
Manufacturer Royal Small Arms Factory
Enfield
BSA
ROF Fazakerley
ROF Maltby
ROF Theale
Berkshire
Lines Brothers Ltd
Long Branch Arsenal Canada (plus numerous sub-contractors making individual parts)
Various underground resistance group factories
Unit cost $11
Produced 1941– (version dependent)
No. built 3.7–4.6 million (all variants, depending on source)
Variants Mk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VI Unit Cost $10 or £2.3 in 1942 (equivalent to $154 or £106 in 2018)
Specifications
Mass 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)
Length 762 mm (30.0 in)
Barrel length 196 mm (7.7 in)
Cartridge 9×19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire version dependent; ~500–600 round/min
Muzzle velocity 365 m/s (1,198 ft/s) 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) (suppressed models)
Effective firing range 100 m
Feed system 32-round detachable box magazine
Sights fixed peep rear, post front

Description
The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost, making them effective insurgency weapons for resistance groups, and they continue to see usage to this day by irregular military forces. The STEN served as the basis for the Sterling submachine gun, which replaced the STEN in British service until the 1990s, when it, and all other submachine guns, were replaced by the SA80.

The STEN is a select fire, blowback-operated weapon and loads its magazine on the left, rather than the bottom, as is the usual configuration. STEN is an acronym, from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for the Enfield factory.[9][a] Over four million STENs in various versions were made in the 1940s, making it the second most produced submachine gun of the Second World War, after the Soviet PPSh-41.

Type Submachine gun
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1941–1960s (United Kingdom)
1941–present (Other countries)
Used by See Users
Wars World War II
Second Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Indonesian National Revolution[1]
First Indochina War
Indo-Pakistan Wars
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Malayan Emergency
Korean War
Mau Mau Uprising[2]
Algerian War[3]
Suez Crisis
Sino-Indian War
Vietnam War
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation[4]
Laotian Civil War
Biafran War[5]
Bangladesh Liberation War[6]
Lebanese Civil War
Angolan Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
IRA Border Campaign
The Troubles
Punjab insurgency
Maluku sectarian conflict[7]
Iraq War[8]
Syrian Civil War
Production history
Designer Major Reginald V. Shepherd
Harold J. Turpin
Designed 1940
Manufacturer Royal Small Arms Factory
Enfield
BSA
ROF Fazakerley
ROF Maltby
ROF Theale
Berkshire
Lines Brothers Ltd
Long Branch Arsenal Canada (plus numerous sub-contractors making individual parts)
Various underground resistance group factories
Unit cost $11
Produced 1941– (version dependent)
No. built 3.7–4.6 million (all variants, depending on source)
Variants Mk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VI Unit Cost $10 or £2.3 in 1942 (equivalent to $154 or £106 in 2018)
Specifications
Mass 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)
Length 762 mm (30.0 in)
Barrel length 196 mm (7.7 in)
Cartridge 9×19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire version dependent; ~500–600 round/min
Muzzle velocity 365 m/s (1,198 ft/s) 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) (suppressed models)
Effective firing range 100 m
Feed system 32-round detachable box magazine
Sights fixed peep rear, post front