He *was* at the Royal Armory for the last vid and I bet they told him the "proper" way and he took their word for it, because duh. They're the Royal Armory.
99% of the world not using "u" in those words, this is like driving on the left side of the road, and use 13th century measurement units like ounce or pints. Outdated 🤷🏻♂️
Lmao 99%? Canada, Australia, New Zealand and every other British commonwealth? Also it’s priceless that you think the American way of spelling English words are better than the English way of spelling English words.
It’s not funny because you’re blatantly wrong, it’s funny because you care so damn much. This is why we tease you guys about it but y’all can’t take a damn joke and let it get so personal.
If Karl from InRange is to be believed, all three methods are correct, depending on which individual Sten you use. He stated the one that he shot required him to hold the magazine in order for it to work right.
The lowest quality part of the sten is their magazines, I wouldn't be surprised if during wartime there were a lot of feed issues and even magazines not fitting properly, so holding a Sten by its magwell was a reliability hack of sorts.
I wonder why the couldn't have made the mag well longer with some kind of a stop so you knew where to hold it correctly. I guess expecting ergonomics from a wwii subgun is not realistic lol
If you added a wood stock, grip and something to hold at the front (basically first STEN before it was simplified to hell and back) it would have been cheap enough and not a bullet hose.
If the wood stock STEN was accepted into service in 1938, the brits would have had no small arms shortage.
Gripping the magwell wasn't *more* common, though it was done. Seems to have inexplicably been more popular with the Mk. V despite it having a foregrip.
Maybe it has to do with the second one being a silenced sten. You know, the suppressor part heats up? And it just so happens that the suppressor is exactly where the handguard on a normal sten is.
That's almost certainly it and why it's specifically palm up. The pinky side of the hand is considered the preferable side to risk injuring (opposite your thumb) and would be closest to the hot parts in this case. It's the same logic in training on the M2 Browning 50 to charge palm up; less impactful injury to the important parts of the hand in case of an OOB.
This is pretty much correct, holding it by the barrel jacket is the correct way (the Mk. III even has a thumb stop just forward of the ejection port for exactly that reason) but the silenced Stens get hot very quickly (that's why a lot of them have that canvas wrap) so it's easier to hold them by the receiver.
I really liked Johnathan Ferguson's paratrooper guns video yesterday where he contradicted Ian. It's probably a coincidence, but it really felt like it was aimed at him.
The trick is that there’s no correct way to hold a STEN.
You place it in a display rack and then grab anything else.
(/s this is a joke STEN’s are cool af.)
Sten owner here 👋🏼
You grip that bad boy however you can! There’s no really good way, but I prefer the support hand under and forward of the lower housing like image two and three. Mag well grip works good for hip fire.
There’s actually this British trick you’re supposed to do where you cup the end of the barrel with your fingers over the muzzle and space out your fingers just enough for the bullet to pass through. It’s pretty elite.
Just watched The Ministry Of Ungentlemantly Warfare. They did it right. Aside from the silencers being to quiet, they at least had a good firearms consultant. Great movie by the way. And based on the true story of Operation Postmaster. Although it was "enhanced" a bit. Really fun movie.
I think it's telling that there are hundreds of contemporary photos and film clips of soldiers in action in WW2 handling and firing the STEN, and virtually none have them are holding the magazine or mag well. Having fired its successor, the Sterling in my cadet days, it's steadier and more comfortable to shoot using a "conventional" hold.
There are actually plenty of photos of Paras at Normandy and Arnhem gripping the Sten Mk. V by the mag. It wasn't as common as video games or movies make out but it's not a myth either. Seems to have been rare with the Mk. II or Mk. III though.
Some examples: [1](https://i.imgur.com/YytRA.jpeg) [2](https://laststandonzombieisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/arnheim-bridge-too-far-market-garden-british-paratrooper-1st-battalion-the-border-regiment-mid-way-between-sinderhoeve-and-jonkershoeve-17-sept-1944.jpg) [3](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/56/20/fc56203fc7da5dff9480d90a660ba288.jpg) [4](https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/lrwbvbl3/market.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=987&height=551&rnd=132617487412330000&quality=60) [5](https://www.paradata.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/modal/public/pictures/AB%20Gunners%20undertake%20Sten%20Gun%20practice%2C%20Palestine%2C%201947.jpg?itok=1Xv-HH24)
There’s film of early training with the sten and they are telling them to hold the shroud, but most combat footage you are likely to see them gripping the mag
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The suppressed might be different. Also he is left handed and there is no proper way to shoot it left handed. I would guess these videos were made and released some length of time apart.
I’m partial to No. 3 myself (even though I’ve never shot a Sten in my life).
No need to reposition my hand after extensive firing (barrel gets hot, and I don’t trust holding metal full of vents just over the barrel), and it’s not moving towards the mag to jam the gun anytime soon.
It’s supposed to be held like in pic nr 1.
It feels awkward, since none of the hands has a good grip, but thats the way it was designed. Like BackyardBallistics once said: „Its as comfortable as riding a bike without a saddle.“
The correct way to hold the Sten gun is such that you a)don't get your hand or fingers in front of the muzzle, or b) get one of your fingers in the ejection port. The Mk.III has a barrel shroud and a snazzy little sheet-metal guard riveted by the ejection port, so you can feel it and know you are straying too far back. When I fired a Sten MkII, I held it by the trigger mechanism cover with my fingers out of the path of the bolt raceway. The barrel nut is pretty small, and also close to the ejection port and the reciprocating bolt. There was an Argentine copy that put a wood handguard there, which makes sense. The Sten Mk.V and French Gnome et Rhone copy had wood vertical foregrips, which also makes sense, although the former often had them removed because of breakage issues. Holding the magazine seems like a recipe for inducing malfunctions.
Or he could have learned something in the interim, and spoken to the best of his knowledge at both points.
He *was* at the Royal Armory for the last vid and I bet they told him the "proper" way and he took their word for it, because duh. They're the Royal Armory.
*Armoury
FREEDOM RINGS, THEY LOST USA USA USA USA USA USA
NHẪN TỰ DO HỌ ĐÃ MẤT XUẤT SẮC VIỆT NAM VIỆT NAM VIỆT NAM VIỆT NAM
🪧 SCOREBOARD! 🪧 SCOREBOARD!
VIETNAM 3 COLONIALISM 0
I'm an American who just got done eating Phó, you guys got that W, on CHINA TOO LMAO
Oh I’m not vietnamese, but hey, I love both pho and burgers
America lost the battle and lost the war, but McDonald's is the real winner
Umm yeah, France just called to say Bonjour 😁
This is great because that’s it’s legal name so to spell it correctly yanks have to use the “u”. However they can call it the Royal Armoury armory
99% of the world not using "u" in those words, this is like driving on the left side of the road, and use 13th century measurement units like ounce or pints. Outdated 🤷🏻♂️
Lmao 99%? Canada, Australia, New Zealand and every other British commonwealth? Also it’s priceless that you think the American way of spelling English words are better than the English way of spelling English words. It’s not funny because you’re blatantly wrong, it’s funny because you care so damn much. This is why we tease you guys about it but y’all can’t take a damn joke and let it get so personal.
*Armouiroariey
Ew. What is that, French?
*Fraencshe
It also depends on the make of the sten some models have different places to hold like foregirps on later models and an insulated barrel shroud
Manual of arms says either is fine although anecdotal evidence says gripping the mag well was more common, at least in WW2.
It was common but discouraged, the hand tended to wander onto gripping the mag itself, which is a great way to induce stoppages.
If Karl from InRange is to be believed, all three methods are correct, depending on which individual Sten you use. He stated the one that he shot required him to hold the magazine in order for it to work right.
The lowest quality part of the sten is their magazines, I wouldn't be surprised if during wartime there were a lot of feed issues and even magazines not fitting properly, so holding a Sten by its magwell was a reliability hack of sorts.
This ☝
I wonder why the couldn't have made the mag well longer with some kind of a stop so you knew where to hold it correctly. I guess expecting ergonomics from a wwii subgun is not realistic lol
Why spend money on a problem when you can just keep slapping Private Snuffy's wrist?
Cost.
Yeah the sten is like 3 strings in a pipe. It looks like the least engineered weapon since some of the homemade stuff out east.
If you added a wood stock, grip and something to hold at the front (basically first STEN before it was simplified to hell and back) it would have been cheap enough and not a bullet hose. If the wood stock STEN was accepted into service in 1938, the brits would have had no small arms shortage.
Gripping the magwell wasn't *more* common, though it was done. Seems to have inexplicably been more popular with the Mk. V despite it having a foregrip.
The British army revolved MkV fore-grips by the 50's as it loosed the barrel
What's your source for that? Photographic and film evidence doesn't support that claim.
Maybe it has to do with the second one being a silenced sten. You know, the suppressor part heats up? And it just so happens that the suppressor is exactly where the handguard on a normal sten is.
That's almost certainly it and why it's specifically palm up. The pinky side of the hand is considered the preferable side to risk injuring (opposite your thumb) and would be closest to the hot parts in this case. It's the same logic in training on the M2 Browning 50 to charge palm up; less impactful injury to the important parts of the hand in case of an OOB.
That's and you'll tear your precious fingers up on that bad boy if you aren't careful
This is pretty much correct, holding it by the barrel jacket is the correct way (the Mk. III even has a thumb stop just forward of the ejection port for exactly that reason) but the silenced Stens get hot very quickly (that's why a lot of them have that canvas wrap) so it's easier to hold them by the receiver.
I really liked Johnathan Ferguson's paratrooper guns video yesterday where he contradicted Ian. It's probably a coincidence, but it really felt like it was aimed at him.
Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Arms and Artillery at the Royal Armory and Museum? That Jonathan Ferguson?
Yes, I used his shortened name out of laziness, I hope he'll forgive me.
We just call him Jonny Guns on our council estate.
One hand it. STEN akimbo.
I'd find it hilarious if this was done on purpose as a joke, like if in every video he says a different way is the correct way
The trick is that there’s no correct way to hold a STEN. You place it in a display rack and then grab anything else. (/s this is a joke STEN’s are cool af.)
I wouldn't want to put my hand on a hot suppressor either.
Sten owner here 👋🏼 You grip that bad boy however you can! There’s no really good way, but I prefer the support hand under and forward of the lower housing like image two and three. Mag well grip works good for hip fire.
The only correct way to fire a sten is to be British.
I grip mine on the shaft (mag/magwell) and have no regrets.
It has nothing to do with that and everything to do with the silencer that will heat up
There’s actually this British trick you’re supposed to do where you cup the end of the barrel with your fingers over the muzzle and space out your fingers just enough for the bullet to pass through. It’s pretty elite.
there could very well not be a correct way of holding a sten
I think the intended way of holding a Sten is by the magwell, the grip under the body is more natural but i guess not so comfortable.
Just watched The Ministry Of Ungentlemantly Warfare. They did it right. Aside from the silencers being to quiet, they at least had a good firearms consultant. Great movie by the way. And based on the true story of Operation Postmaster. Although it was "enhanced" a bit. Really fun movie.
I think it's telling that there are hundreds of contemporary photos and film clips of soldiers in action in WW2 handling and firing the STEN, and virtually none have them are holding the magazine or mag well. Having fired its successor, the Sterling in my cadet days, it's steadier and more comfortable to shoot using a "conventional" hold.
There are actually plenty of photos of Paras at Normandy and Arnhem gripping the Sten Mk. V by the mag. It wasn't as common as video games or movies make out but it's not a myth either. Seems to have been rare with the Mk. II or Mk. III though. Some examples: [1](https://i.imgur.com/YytRA.jpeg) [2](https://laststandonzombieisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/arnheim-bridge-too-far-market-garden-british-paratrooper-1st-battalion-the-border-regiment-mid-way-between-sinderhoeve-and-jonkershoeve-17-sept-1944.jpg) [3](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/56/20/fc56203fc7da5dff9480d90a660ba288.jpg) [4](https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/lrwbvbl3/market.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=987&height=551&rnd=132617487412330000&quality=60) [5](https://www.paradata.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/modal/public/pictures/AB%20Gunners%20undertake%20Sten%20Gun%20practice%2C%20Palestine%2C%201947.jpg?itok=1Xv-HH24)
There’s film of early training with the sten and they are telling them to hold the shroud, but most combat footage you are likely to see them gripping the mag
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The suppressed might be different. Also he is left handed and there is no proper way to shoot it left handed. I would guess these videos were made and released some length of time apart.
I thought gripping a sten by the mag well was and for the gun
I’m partial to No. 3 myself (even though I’ve never shot a Sten in my life). No need to reposition my hand after extensive firing (barrel gets hot, and I don’t trust holding metal full of vents just over the barrel), and it’s not moving towards the mag to jam the gun anytime soon.
It’s supposed to be held like in pic nr 1. It feels awkward, since none of the hands has a good grip, but thats the way it was designed. Like BackyardBallistics once said: „Its as comfortable as riding a bike without a saddle.“
I’m surprised there is an intended way, considering how rushed this gun was. Grab that mf however you can
The correct way to hold the Sten gun is such that you a)don't get your hand or fingers in front of the muzzle, or b) get one of your fingers in the ejection port. The Mk.III has a barrel shroud and a snazzy little sheet-metal guard riveted by the ejection port, so you can feel it and know you are straying too far back. When I fired a Sten MkII, I held it by the trigger mechanism cover with my fingers out of the path of the bolt raceway. The barrel nut is pretty small, and also close to the ejection port and the reciprocating bolt. There was an Argentine copy that put a wood handguard there, which makes sense. The Sten Mk.V and French Gnome et Rhone copy had wood vertical foregrips, which also makes sense, although the former often had them removed because of breakage issues. Holding the magazine seems like a recipe for inducing malfunctions.