Civil War Sten?

[Texgunner]

I was cleaning out some old gun magazines from the 80s last weekend and came across an article on subguns. One of the first discussed was the Sten, and the author made the comment that the gun was so simply designed and constructed, that it would have been possible to produce them using Civil War-era technology. That got me thinking; I pulled mine out of the safe and looked it over closely. I guess he was right. Amazing observation, if only ammo design could've kept pace...Wow, Civil War Stens...imagine the possiblities, lol.
Gary

[hooahhooah]

yeah, dont you wish you could have given that technology to the south

[Infantry Marine]

Civil War era cartridge black powder fouling would have quickly fouled and jammed the thing, not to mention feeding problems with lead bullets.

I suppose they could have made smokless powder, jacketed bullets and antibiotics back then too if someone had figured it out.

We had a STEN that you had to hold the mag forward while you shot it (difficult to do) in order to keep it running. I took the magwell apart and fixed it ..............................with a claw hammer!

[m-14]

Originally posted by Infantry Marine
Civil War era cartridge black powder fouling would have quickly fouled and jammed the thing, not to mention feeding problems with lead bullets.

Yes.

A 12 gauge pump shotgun would give comparable firepower without needing jacketed bullets and being much less prone to powder fouling.

12 gauge buckshot shells would launch many more projectiles per difficult to make primer and could use much lower quality brass than a 9mm which operates at a MUCH higher chamber pressure.

The real hangup in that time period wasn't the firearm, it was the ammo.

[Texgunner]

Originally posted by Texgunner
Amazing observation, if only ammo design could've kept pace...

Indeed, this would be the problem to surmount.
Gary.

[SmokeEater2]

There was a novel published in the early '80s(I think) named a "Rebel in time" based on this.
Storyline: The Goverment has managed to create a one-way time machine,A southern born Col. with access to it takes plans for the sten,ammo etc. back to the early days of the Civil war to begin arming CSA cavalry with subguns.
Not a bad book for the day.

[gman552]

Don't forget Harry Turtledove's The Guns of the South where mysterious men supply AK-47s to the Army of Northern Virginia.

When the Confederacy tries to replicate the rifles, they run into problems with black powder fouling and unjacketed bullets leading the bores.

[Survey Punk]

Imagine the carnage if some of the immediate postwar advances in firearms technology had come about during the war. Just after the war there was briefly fielded a .58 breechloader,similar to the Trapdoor Springfield, made by converting muskets. Simple design with much more firepower.
War would have been shorter, but the end would have been more horrendous than it was.

JB

[English Mike]

The first tale about having guns back in history that I remember comes from Mark Twain, with "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."

[Horseman]

I think he made black powder for the gun he made.

I never heard of the book about the Rebs with AKs. Don't read much fiction.

[brownknees]

The "rebel in Time" was , I think written by Harry Harrison (Stainless Steel Rat Author)
The hero tries to get the Harpers Ferry armoury to make Stens from stolen plans. Unfortunately JohnBrown & Co. show up & mess up the plans.
If i remember correctly they make modifications to the BBL to allow for more powder fouling. It's fiction of course, like the 2" S&W .38 with a minute silencer that gives 4' muzzle flash, but no sound, & then blows up a gasoline tanker, a city block & a bus full of nuns!

[mike45]

The Rebel in Time is a good book, I have a copy - they made the hero who had to foil the plot a black man and in the book after foiling the plan he goes onto lead the first black regiment. Not a bad story.

[Jon Frum]

What if Sparticus had a Piper Cub?

[DABTL]

The ability to form sheet metal did not exist in the Civil War.

Look at the original AK. Machined receiver because the Soviets could not bend sheet metal as could the Germans.

The bullet technology to produce Spencer cartridges was highly technical at the time.

A more intersesting inquiry is the Confederate shells designed to bust ironclad ships fighting ability.

Now, that gets really interesting with the designs to defeat sloping armour and all that.

Another technical tour de force is the square barreled cannon attempt to cut the cost of artillery using Whitworth style ammo.

They did a lot, but sheet metal bending was beyond them.

[*Templar*]

[gman552]

I don't think the socket bayonet's going to work well on the AK

Gotta ask, though - what town does this guy live in, that won't have the SWAT team descending on him?

[zack taylor]

Bra-vo, Templar!

[*Templar*]

That's my buddy Steve, who does living history with the 15th VA. Infantry.

The pics are outside the shop I work at, in Mechanicsville, VA.

Not a big deal around here.

[gman552]

Definitely the full stock

Ahem...

How about Spartacus and his Piper Cub - he'd need a .45 too, to strafe the legions as he flew over them.

[DABTL]

Originally posted by *Templar*

Modern shoes. Farby.

[*Templar*]

Yeah, he'd just come from an event where they got rained on and he'd changed his watter logged brogans out for some modern foot wear.

[Horseman]

Is that an original '42?

[*Templar*]

Originally posted by Horseman
Is that an original '42?

Nope, Italian repro, but a really nice one.

[brownknees]

Then why do we have a DamnYankee running the white house still?
My wife just asked me how the hell I know they have a still in the white house!
'Cause George is from Texas, that's why!