Shot a Sterling today. Awesome!!

[eazyrider]

I'm a lover of all subguns. I've shot quite a few of them, MP5, Tommy Gun, Grease Gun and many others. I have to say that the Sterling is right up there. Fantastic weapon, the side loaded mags may look funky but they make sense trust me. Great place to put your hand and they are extremely well made. They have these rollers in them, I seriously don't see why that idea hasn't caught on, anyway they rock!

It's a very controllable full auto, very light recoil and the stock just works. For a folding stock, it is solid. I was really excited today when I left the range. Just a great weapon. So for my ultimate test, would I replace the MP5 with one? I tell you, some more range time and I just might, it's that good. Truly great gun!

 

[Gordon]

the side feed allows you to get closer to the ground, allways a good idea in war I fired a Sterling Patchet and yes it is pretty nice, that big bolt shakes thing up slamming around but the low rate of fire it gives is very controllable .

 

[horsemen61]

Very cool I'd love to shoot one

 

[eazyrider]

I have shot an MP 40, a Thompson and a Sten. Never shot the Russian PPSH, heck never even seen one but out of those the Sterling is tops for the WW2 era. The Sten isn't bad at all, the MP 40 is too big for what it is but it shoots great. The Thompson...well call me unpatriotic but I would use it as a boat anchor maybe. (it's heavy enough to be a good one)

I agree with Gordon, although I didn't go prone it would be an easy weapon to hit the deck with. I really don't see why side mags haven't been more popular. Reloading was slightly easier, they provide a great place to grasp it and the it's not really in your way if you are a right handed shooter since it doesn't extend passed your body.

 

[justin22885]

about the only thing that makes sense to me on the stirling is the ability to go prone, i love side mag rifles, the FG42 is my favorite rifle of all time but for what the sterling is, a close range fully automatic SMG, i think they should have just stuck the mag in the grip (since the mag is as far back as the grip) and have a more compact weapon.. but overall id consider it the pinnacle of blowback, non-telescoping bolt submachine guns

 

[bannockburn]

eazyrider

I have the semi-auto version of the Sterling and indeed it is a "blast" to shoot! Great ergonomics with the side magazine design though the folding stock is a bit of work getting it into place. Magazines are very well made and extremely reliable and fairly easy to load with their dual rollers. I have even used Sten magazines in it but definitely need a magazine loader for them (I found one that was made for the Austen that works perfectly).

 

[kBob]

Most folks up a procurement level likely thought the roller magazine followers added cost to s sytem that did not need more cost. DUal feed by itself likely took care of the "problems of the Sten/MP40/ M3 style double to single feed magazines.

You really should not be hanging on to the magazine. The brits I worked with made a big deal of not grabbing the magazine. It may look cool but can introduce stresses that can cause malfunctions. The prefferated tube forward of the action is for holding like a rifle stock. I found I actually got more control with my support hand out there as well and more accurate bursts.

IIRC some if the semi models may lack the handguard features of some of the military models, on the right side of the guns tube is a lip or shelf to prevent one's hand from sliding over the ejection port at the middle of the tube or the muzzle at the front end. I believe they also lack a bayonet lug. Got to have a bayonet on a short SMG with a spindelly stock doncha know.

The gun is a cool one......I mean 47, jillion Imperial Storm Troopers can't be all issued the wrong waffen, eh?

-kBob

 

[Grunt]

We had both a standard and suppressed Sterling SMG at the Special Operations school at Hurlburt Field. They were a blast to shoot and I enjoyed them so much that I got a Wiselite carbine as well. The magazines are a work of art with rollers for a follower that it is a dream to load. Pretty much the exact opposite of the Sten we had although, our Sten was one of the suppressed versions that we called the full auto BB gun it was so quiet! Matter of fact, I think the suppressed Sten was even quieter than the MP-5SD we had on hand too.

 

[Kaeto]

I like the Owen smg.

 

[Tommygunn]

I have shot an MP 40, a Thompson and a Sten. Never shot the Russian PPSH, heck never even seen one but out of those the Sterling is tops for the WW2 era. The Sten isn't bad at all, the MP 40 is too big for what it is but it shoots great. The Thompson...well call me unpatriotic but I would use it as a boat anchor maybe. (it's heavy enough to be a good one) I agree with Gordon, although I didn't go prone it would be an easy weapon to hit the deck with. I really don't see why side mags haven't been more popular. Reloading was slightly easier, they provide a great place to grasp it and the it's not really in your way if you are a right handed shooter since it doesn't extend passed your body.

Haha. As a kid I once asked my father, who was a Korean War vet (U.S. Navy, U.D.T. Team#3) if he'd ever used a Thompson and what he thought about it. He said he'd only done it at a range in San Diego en route to Korea and he quiped he thought they would make great anchors for those rubber zodiacs they used to use at night....
I will say .... some fifty+- years later ....Thompsons may be iconic guns but they are rather clunky ....

 

[Panzerschwein]

These are what the original stormtroopers used in Star Wars. Cool guns!

 

[eazyrider]

eazyrider

I have the semi-auto version of the Sterling and indeed it is a "blast" to shoot! Great ergonomics with the side magazine design though the folding stock is a bit of work getting it into place. Magazines are very well made and extremely reliable and fairly easy to load with their dual rollers. I have even used Sten magazines in it but definitely need a magazine loader for them (I found one that was made for the Austen that works perfectly).

Who made your Sterling? Have you ever shot a real one (open bolt full auto) and could you compare the two?

 

[eazyrider]

Haha. As a kid I once asked my father, who was a Korean War vet (U.S. Navy, U.D.T. Team#3) if he'd ever used a Thompson and what he thought about it. He said he'd only done it at a range in San Diego en route to Korea and he quiped he thought they would make great anchors for those rubber zodiacs they used to use at night....
I will say .... some fifty+- years later ....Thompsons may be iconic guns but they are rather clunky ....

No offense to your name, lol but I just don't get them I guess. I have shot many and never liked them at all. It would be the last thing I would carry in war.

 

[eazyrider]

I like the Owen smg.

Seen pictures of them but that is as far as my knowledge goes. What do you like about them?