Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I: Sten Becomes Sterling
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 фев 2024
- All the best firearms history channels streaming to all major devices:
weaponsandwar.tv
The Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I is the predecessor to the Sterling SMG. It was developed by George William Patchett, who was an employee of the Sterling company. At the beginning of the war, Sterling was making Lanchester SMGs, and Patchett began in 1942 working on a new design that was intended to be simpler, cheaper, and lighter than the Lanchester. He used the receiver tube dimensions from the Sten and the magazine well and barrel shroud form the Lanchester. His first prototypes were ready in 1943, but it wasn't until early 1944 that the British government actually issued a requirement for a new submachine gun to replace the Stens in service.
The initial Patchett guns worked very well in early 1944 testing, which continued into 1945. It ultimately came out the winner of the trials, but they didn't conclude until World War Two was over - and nothing was adopted because of the much-reduced need for small arms. Patchett continued to work on the gun, and by the 1953 he was able to win adoption of it in the later Sterling form - which is a story for a separate video.
The Patchett was not used in any significant quantity in World War Two. At most, a few of them may have been taken on the parachute drops on Arnhem - there are specifically three trials guns which appear referenced in British documents before Arnhem, but are never mentioned afterwards (numbers 67, 70, and 72). Were they taken into the field? We really don't know.
Many thanks to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels for access to this very rare piece! Check them out here:
www.klm-mra.be/en/
utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/
/ forgottenweapons
www.floatplane.com/channel/For...
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.forgottenweapons.com
![mgk - I Think I’m OKAY (with YUNGBLUD) (Sad Version) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7AC1uqQLIg4/mqdefault.jpg)
So, how would this thing fare against, say... Teddy bears with sharp sticks? Asking for a friend
How many bears? 🤣
Quite well actually, at least until Bigfoot steals a tank, then things start going downhill.
@@fredbloggs5902 more important, how many beers
The rifle fairs quite well.....the troopers training and armor however......😮
It should have been Wookies
I took one to Gulf War 1 and my US colleagues were continually borrowing it to try it out at the range. They were remarkably complementary about it, considering it was on its last hurrah as a UK weapon. Of course, being the Star Wars generation the US guys & girls were immediately drawn to it.
Yep, I joined the QOH in 1988 as a driver/mechanic. They were getting a bit long in the tooth by then!
royal navy had them for basic training in 89
It was 1994 before our TA Field Ambulance unit gave them up. Ian missed out one thing - after folding the stock and taking out the magazine, you put it into a black sack to keep it clean until endex!
I took one too. It was perfect for the role. Despite being converted to the rifle 5.56 we chose the SMG. (I broke a LSW while on the conversion course, just saying. So had more confidence in the tried and tested. I've never seen a SMG break.)
@@gusgone4527 I’ve had the pistol grip come off an SA80 in my hand. The SMG felt reassuringly solid - even if it did jab your kidneys whatever way it was carried 😂
The irony here being that if the Imperial Stormtroopers had stocks, they would have been significantly more accurate.
With those gloves on, maybe they just couldn't unfold them
They do have the stocks. They just hardly ever unfold them. There’s some media I’ve seen where a squad calls for fix stocks
@@thefuzzysheep3859really?! Do you have a source, would love to see that.
tbf Vader wanted them alive (at least the twins), so they sorta "purposefully missed".
I got my Sterling from an Ewok on Endor in trade for a candy bar. He said he took it from a dead storm trooper. I have no reason not to believe him.
I believe you mean “E-11” Blaster rifle
Glory to the Empire!
The very best. 👌🏻😎
For the Empire!
If you're going to try to correct somebody, at least get it right, that's the E-13R, a modified E-12, given to dark troopers, and special units.
@@austinslaughter319 then why were Stormtroopers carrying them, then, huh? 🧐
Whenever I hear the words "depress the button" I imagine someone saying "You're not a very good button, are you?"
I was in the Canadian army in the 1980's. The SMG (Sterling) was standard issue until we adopted the C8 (M16 A2 Carbine) to replace it. It was super compact, reliable and easy to maintain. The range was not there but it was issued mostly to vehicle crew and drivers.
The SMG was more widely distributed. When I arrived in an infantry battalion, they were carried by platoon signallers, GPMG gunners, much of Recce Platoon etc. The C8 was originally intended for armoured crews only. I worked for a bit in the weapons company at the Infantry School when they were sorting out final handling drills and writing the pams etc for the new family of small arms in 1984. I had a specific discussion with one of the WOs there about the C8. He said, "it's only for tank crews. No doubt some infantry Maj will desperately try to get his hands on one in order to boost his cool factor... but... they're designed for the Armoured Corps". I was in Germany when we received the new rifles in 1988 - not a C8 to be found anywhere. In fact, I never saw a C8 in an infantryman's hands until Afghanistan cranked up.
@@lib556 It's not obvious until you take off the handguards but the barrels on the C8's are pretty thin. It's not an issue as a back up weapon for armored or recce and it does make it much lighter but those things can overheat severely in a sustained firefight. The savings in weight and size aren't justified for dismounts.
@@silverjohn6037 That was the thought at the time. Proper infantry get a proper rifle. Z*pperheads' primary weapon is their tank so... Similar concept as was the M1 Carbine. Not a battle rifle but much better to give someone than say a pistol. However, as history will show, the M1 Carbine became very popular, despite its limitations, with many in the infantry. It was Audie Murphy's preferred personal weapon.
I'm no gunsmith expert - just a user, not a builder. However, there has been much discussion in US circles about the necessity (or lack thereof) for heavier and longer barrels. It would appear that the best balance between velocity and length-saving is between 15 and 16 inches. Many argue that the 'pencil' barrel is all that is needed. Again, I'm no expert.
@@lib556 Lt Murphy was also fond of .50 cal Brownings but only when they were on burning tank destroyers for some reason;).
@@silverjohn6037 Use whatcha got... 😁
Oh wow haven't seen any of those since i was stuck for a night on Endor
Patchett originally worked for both FN and Jawa as a motorcycle racer and engineer. Guns were originally a sideline.
Jawa. E-11 blaster. Coincidence? I don´t think so.😁
@@Taistelukalkkuna beat me to it lol
Copied a lot of Villiers engine over to the Jawa one, bit lIke his sub machine guns.
As far as I’m aware there is only one photograph from W.W.II that shows a Patchett being carried, this is of what is claimed to be a Free French unit of the SAS in late ‘44 or early ‘45 somewhere around the Belgian border.
Think I’ve seen that. Can confirm.
_Qui ose gange_
saw it too recently.
I've seen pictures of it being carried in training and/or for testing.
There's one beside the bloke on the ground too.
This gun is featured in the Australian TV series ‘Mr. Inbetween’ (2018-2021).
(Recommended).
I was just thinking the same thing
ruclips.net/video/Z6y4NhKwXFY/видео.htmlsi=6G8swOO8nomVU2me
ruclips.net/video/WSTi-YgRO8U/видео.htmlsi=8Oweq5krzMUoGrfe
Best show EVER.
That was an awesome show. I was just thinking this was that gun
Always appreciate your videos. In an era of copy-paste youtube drivel it's nice to see someone so dedicated to quality research they're making videos with the help of actual museums. Just goes to show how much effort Ian puts into getting it all right and sticking to his vision of documenting interesting firearms without the fluff. Great stuff as always, Ian.
Of the dozens of SMGs I've fired. My favorite is the Sterling. Thanks for the history Ian.
Why?
I can attest to that. Got to try out a Sterling myself six months ago and it was the most accurate, most controllable subgun I fired. Handled like a well-oiled typewriter.
@@nomad_boreal thank you for the response
@@user-oi1fd6fx2j Controllability and ergonomics. Just a great compact SMG
@@chlebowg thank you@
Carried Stirlings for years in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, eventually replaced by the MP5 about 1990. Both were excellent.
Whenever I see a Sterling, can't help thinking of "The Spy Who Loved Me", when Bond frees the imprisoned sub crews, and despite the nearest armoury to the US Navy prisoners holding M16s exclusively, the British and Russian crews find only racks of Sterlings.
Best of the Roger Moore Bond films, IMO. 👍
Sterling was standard issue sub machine gun of the Canadian Forces during most of the Cold War. Was issued one during my time as an aircraft tech in Germany. Only carried them during Tac exercises, no ammunition. Much handier than a battle rifle when climbing around on fighter jets. Fun to shoot at the range for annual qualification though. ;)
Hi, when I first started soldiering In 1956, I trained on the Patchett SMG and was very grateful as the Sten at that time had a bad reputation for firing when dropped on the ground. The early SLR’s also came out at the same time but they were the automatics with the bipods. In the sixties when. I joined the Paras it was an easy swap to the Sterlings and the Brit SLR’s. With the bayonet lug attached we started to learn SMG Arms Drill and the changeover from the Enfield rifle to the FN was that much easier because of the earlier introduction in Africa. Many years later coming home I did a spot check on our Auckland armoury and was amazed to see a dozen old Stens and watched an armourer getting first aid as he cut himself on the charge handle cut out that got so sharp over the many years of usage! Those old SMG’s just kept on going and the SLR’s sure came in useful in Nam. Cheers mate. Harera
In the excellent Australian TV series Mr Inbetween, the protagonist is gifted a Sterling by one of his fellow criminals. Oddly enough, though he recognizes it as a Sterling, he is told that it's a Patchett, which is better. It's definitely a Sterling, with the curved magazines.
Mr. Inbetween was a great show.
I remembered that episode and always thought he was wrong.
I miss that show. Loved the little conversations they had inbetween the story and action. Almost like the random conversations in BFBC2.
I remember his face lighting up when he found out the 2 passengers in his taxi were plotting to kill him,
One of the best shows ever, so underrated
Ray Shoesmith approves
I came looking for this reference.
A fine arm for the Anhk-Morpork Night Watch.
Dammit. No R in the name. I should not be trying wit on this many painkillers.😂
Actually Vimes has pretty strong feelings regarding Gonnes...
I'm waiting for him to review the "Klatchian fire engine"
Sadly guns are cursed objects in that universe. Now a small dragon in the hands of Sam Vimes... that is another matter;).
@@silverjohn6037Or anything designed by Bloody Stupid Johnson to do something completely innocuous.
Saw the thumbnail, came to check the comments before watching the video, wasn't disappointed.
Always good to see a little history on the Sterling, being an infantry signaler in the British army in the 80’s this was my personal weapon. Great little gun, mine would fire a 3 round burst when set on semi auto if you just squeezed the trigger right.
I was told many times to get it fixed by the armourer, but never did as I liked the “feature” !!
Matt Moss's Sterling book is great for the history on these. Also books by James Edmonton ( owner of Sterling) The Sterling Years.
Imagine if top racing legend Stirling Moss had written a book about the MAT-49. Bookshops would stock Matt Moss' Sterling book and Stirling Moss' MAT book. I'll get my coat.
A few were trialled during Op Market by the Air Landing Bde. "The Guns of Dagenham", Peter Laidler quotes Tommy Fitch, an Arnhem survivor and former curator of the Airborne Forces Museum, told him that six were used at Arnhem; Laidler 's own research through the records revealed that four guns were sent to the Airborne Forces Development Centre and only one can now be accounted for. It would appear that three guns (067, 070, and 072) could have been the guns that went, and never returned. The fourth gun (062) is now in the Pattern Room collection. However, there is also some hint that the four in question were actually back at Patchett's at the time of MARKET GARDEN, getting modified.
There does seem to be a "geometric progression" issue with the Patchett legend - somewhere along the line the numbers of trialling Patchetts in the Arnhem timeframe seems to have risen from 4 to 100!
it would make sense if trialling a gun to use it somewhere if there were problems, the users could go back to regular guns or the number of guns was relatively low so wouldn't affect outcome. A drop far ahead of regular supply lines wouldn't be my first choice of test area
It was anticipated to be a success but unfortunately we all know the outcome. Cheers Yanks! 😞@@gleggett3817
Loved using the C1 SMG in my reserve days in CAF...using SOB count to walk rounds up a target is just FUN!
The stock mechanism is beautifully designed.
The stock was taken from the commando version of the Desil silenced carbine.
Thanks again, Ian, for a great video on one of my personal favourites (historically speaking). Never fired a Patchett - but the Sterling was a beautifully balanced little weapon. Ergonomic perfection for the infantryman.
I love the obvious cuts when Ian can't get them back together again.... "there you go, fits just fine" 😂
I carried a Sterling very briefly when I joined the Canadian Army in the mid-1980s. Fantastic little firearm. It's great to see the intermediate step in its evolution. I also got a chance to visit the Brussels museum several times during a posting there 2000-2002. It's a great experience, I highly recommend it.
I really enjoy your museum tours. Thanks for this video.
The E-11 blaster 😮
Bloke's breathing quickens...
His comparison is online.
Shows which magazine can go where.
@@myparceltape1169 I saw the YT short.
Pachett did not work in Brno, he worked in Prague at the Janeček/Jawa motorcycle factory, which came under Zbrojovka Brno only in 1945, they adapted and manufactured Schwazlose machine guns and a special type of grenade vz 21, which unlocked itself by rotating when thrown. He either threw prototypes of anti-Ank rifles over the wall of the British Embassy in 1939, or drove them to France in 1940 by car covered in bed.
@@LaCokaNostra_ What no?
@@DOMINIK99013you are missing the point, he worked in Brno the place, not specifically the armament company
@@jediknight1294 He didn't work LOL, Janeček/JAWA had nothing to do with Brno until 1945, he worked in Prague in the 1930s, he also took a number of photos and videos there, the best private shots of the arrival of the occupiers and Hitler at Prague Castle are also from him.
@@DOMINIK99013 my point was Ian didn't state anything other than he works in the city of Brno.
If he was naming the arms manufacturer he'd have used their name not simply the city as he's done in the past.
Also fun fact, Brno had a couple of companies working on small engine Mopeds I the 30s that later became influential in the Jawa labeled PS built products like the Manet and the Babette
@@jediknight1294 The fact that he lived in Prague is mentioned in both the Czech article on the wiki and articles elsewhere. The fact that Ian says something doesn't mean anything, he himself admitted in one of his QA videos that a mistake could be found in all his videos, this is doubly true in the Czech ones.
I wish I was traipsing around Europe visiting museums like Ian.
Put an optic on it and it would be an E-11
“Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.”
The optic on the E-11 did wonders.
@@dspserpico I'm sure the scope they used actually being on backwards didn't help.
I'm sure the Bovington Tank Museum has one. I saw it back in the 80s during my RAC training. We on the other hand had the Sterling SMG. And I still have a bayonet.
Finally I've been waiting for this since forever.
Love the Sterling & nice to see the prototype in detail. Grew up in the Cold War & it was always reassuring to see very professional chaps cradling one of these. It & the Lanchester are my favourite "old school" SMG's.
fascinating to see the evolution from the Sten to the Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I
This gun featured in ozzie TV show "Mr inbetween", where it's referred to specifically as a Patchett. Cue howls of rage from people saying it was in fact a Sterling... Well now you know. A proper machine gun, that is. I love the sound it makes!
I'm halfway through this series at the moment, I had never heard of the Patchett before then. Awesome show hey
Rays Birthday present. 🤣🤣🤣
The idea of "we have a ton of STENs, we don't need a new SMG". Eurgh.
As Ian stated, it was the end of the war in Europe. The UK was pretty broke and had a Labour government in power who were more interested in available funds going to social projects like the NHS, than replacing an SMG which was something the UK had loads of the previous incarnation already, (which were bought and paid for and were "good enough"), with the 'latest, greatest, thing' that would need money to buy.
A note out of context: At start of Video a man was noted, who was a motorcycle inerested person. Due to , Administration Reform ' in german state Baden-Württemberg, the Gemeinde ( Village) Fachsenfeld became a district of the town Aalen. ( May be the town has its name because in time of Roman Empire a cavallryunit ,Ala' was there.) . Inside the village there is a small , Schloß ', in this case ,Palace'. The last noble owner , a Freiherr von König - Fachsenfeld died in 1994, being not married and no children. This last nobleman of his family was a rather excentric , rural nobleman '.. In his younger Years he wanted to become a famous motorcycle race driver, but after an accident He switched to a theorethic. How to drive faster with a vehicle which has a weak engine? So in the cellar of his small palace he did aerodynamical experiments and wrote a book. In 1933 to 1945 He didn't support Hitler and refused to work for aircraft companies. After WW ll, he was involed in supporting Refugees from areas , Germany lost, and he supported local school and Kindergarten, when Money and Support was necessary. When He died , all His employees got Money for annother year. This man was really a noble man.
Thank you again for another great video.
I do miss the days of your longer more detailed videos.
Thanks for another well presented and interesting vid. Jim Bell (Australia)
When converted to laser ammo this gun has been proven very innacurate. Maybe a gun issue or operator malfunction.
No one ever blames the helmets.....
Raise your hand if you knew about the Patchett before this video came out XD
Another great video, thanks.
Random comment here…I have been watching the tv show Spade on AMC. Takes place in southern France and is a sequel to the classic movie the Maltese Falcon. Long story short, many interesting firearms show up in each episode. MAS-36, MAT 49, M1C garand sniper, Walther p38 just to name a few. Seems like the show hired a firearms enthusiast and it might peak your interest.
The Sterling ‘Small Metal Gun’ was my personal weapon, by the end, the sears of unit SMGs were worn and double taps were a feature. The Indian 9mm was not up to standard and then the army ran out of 9mm ammo but our transfer to SA80 was delayed because of the ripple effect of the magazine latch issue.
The EM2 was meant to cover sub-machine gun and rifle but when that fell through the L2 Smudge gun was adopted. But that was before my time.
I had one run away on me on the range.was Indian ammo that caused.
Thanks Ian! I always appreciate the fact that I can learn something new and really interesting from your channel!
My dad was issued a Sterling while serving as an officer in the Canadian Airborne in the late 70s. He would bring it home before going on exercise for cleaning, etc. I seem to recall it having that odd "truck-bed" finish that Ian mentions, like a heavy crinkled paint, although I could be remembering this incorrectly. Can anyone else confirm this? I loved the look of the thing. My father didn't seem to think his was very good (I think it was getting pretty worn out) but he did say something like it "beat jumping out of a plane with an FN", referring to the cumbersome FN C1 FAL that the riflemen carried on jumps, along with skis or snowshoes in the winter!
My father's weapon of choice was a Sterling when he served in REME in the 50's and 60's. He found it particularly helpful that could fit it under vehicle seats and was reasonably light.
The grinder and the paint-makes me the welder I ain't.
Ditto
AVE fan?
@@Ijusthopeitsquick SV Seeker.
My grandfather William Joy worked for Sterling as a toolmaker during ww2 and worked on SMG. I have always assumed it was on the Patchett.
I had this up on my secondary monitor and glanced over at 10:50 to see what looked exactly like Ian hitting a live cartridge with a hammer.
Thank You, never seen before!!
Awesome vid! Thanks!
Beautiful gun
The 100 trial guns went to the 2nd, Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, in the summer of 1944, for testing. This glider battalion then went on to fight at Arnhem in September, 1944, and it is speculated, but not proven, that some Patchetts went with them.
So funny how many Star Wars blasters are based on real guns and they are more known. 😂
Either this channel or the Royal Armouries channel had a vid about the company that supplied the props- Star Wars blasters are the guns they had available!
Interesting video, thanks, always nice to find a video so I can have coffee with Ian.
Ref the Patchett in Arnhem, I realize this is not proof of anything, but in the Osprey book about the Parachute Regt, there's a colour plate showing a soldier (glider pilot?) with a Patchett with a description about it being a trial gun. Usually the Osprey books are very good on details and often the colour plates are based on actual photographs...
Cool , Ray's gun ...)) Thank you , Ian , for your hard work
Sterling firing pin is machined into the bolt.
I cant lot look at this fun and not think "its the E-11!", since the infamus storm trooper blaster is basically one of this with a ton of random stuff on top
That was so interesting. I am not a gun owner but I take an interest in guns and their history and development. It seems to me that the Patchett guns are excellent, in their simplicity and thoughtful design.
There's a couple South African SMG's Ian has covered that have a similar elegance.
Nice weapon.
Thanks for the lesson.
I do love the Sterling, myself, so it's cool to see a developmental model like this!
There's a photo of a British Paratrooper with one, in a group apparently at Arnhem.
a great very interesting video and firearm Mr GJ.have a good one.
Love hearing stories about designers like Patchett who got knocked down and didn't quit, eventually hitting upon success. A true testament to the power of persistence.
Very interesting SMG & history. I love the design of the folding stock and the bolt.
That folding stock can bite the unwary when folding and opening out. I had to familiarise with many older weapons and current ones as part of a training program and nearly got bitten by it. Nice weapon to fire although the models i fired were L2A3 and L34A1 standard Sterling and silenced version not the Patchett.
Nah… I know an E-11 when I see one.
Looks like a stormtrooper blaster
I have a Century arms Sterling semi auto type ll manufactured by Masterpiece Arms and does not have crinkle paint on it have a few patchett mags with sterling mags also - Absolutely a fun gun to shoot, even with the 16 inch shrouded barrel.
Donald Sinden can be seen carrying one in 1955's Simba, co-starring Virginia McKenna (who played real-life SOE operative Violette Szabo in Carve Her Name With Pride) and Dirk Bogarde (who played real life SOE operative Major Patrick Leigh Fermor in Ill Met by Moonlight).
Any museum that display a weapon that Ian have made a video on should put a qr-code link at the display information.
I recall reading a memoir of a british soldier who foight the Mau Mau in Kenya; and they were desperately trying to cut down on weight to get to their extraction point: "we were ordered to smash our Patchetts with rocks; or to jam the barrels between crevices and tree forks and bend them.."
Kenya was the first place i heard about the Patchett, i was reading Manhunt in Kenya.
One of the main inspirations of the Star wars weapons
9:10 I expect rifling in the barrel, not on the bolt.
I worked with an old feller who was in the Paras at Arnham / Operation Market Garden. He told me the sten was such a cheap weapon you could hit the stock on the ground to cock it. Those were the items that were used to clear houses as they would just be thrown in to a house via a windown with a grenade, as the Sten bounced around the grenade would finish off anyone still alive in the room. He was captured, spent a while as a POW finally escaped and made it back to American? lines before being sent back to UK to collect pay. & demob.
Mr inbetween loved it
When I was a kid crackle paint was on everything metal!
I had a ‘72 MG BGT, it was on the dash
What a cool design! Had no clue this gun even existed
The Sterling was called the "L1A2" in NZ. My first use of a submachine gun in 1973 was one of these. Used at 25, 50, and 100 metres, both single and auto, from both the shoulder and the hip, it was an easy gun to use and control. Best results were firing from the shoulder in 3 to 5 round bursts. Stayed on target at all ranges. Very easy to field strip and clean. Light and easily carried or slung. Navy used them for boarding parties. After I left Navy, they reluctantly traded them for HK MP5s.😊😊😊
The Galactic Empire called. They want their blaster back.
The Empire strikes back !
Nice Blas tech E11 prototype
Thank you for providing us with the earlier prototype of the E-11 blaster rifle Ian. I'm sure that the British soldiers used it far better than stormtroopers especially in woods that crawl with carnivorous teddy bears. (Stormtroopers were far more effective in Rogue One and Andor and you Ian are the perfect representative of the Blastech Industries earth branch).
with all of the places Ian ends up at, he's beginning to sound like Tom Scott introducing places
Patchett... The standard issue SMG of the DiscWorld army...
Vimes has something to say about that I think.
Sponsored by the State military budget, 9mm surplus and your local plumbing store
In AMCW GRC Gonne Response Carts
I carried the Canadian version of the Sterling in the army. Fun gun to shoot.
Hey, Ian, do a "What would Stange do?" build :)
Imagine that tall order of a gun, with modern manufacturing, materials and technology!
That's the Stormtrooper Blaster! 😅
I saw a Sterling in service in Iraq 20 years ago. Some government official's "security detail" guy had one. He had packed the heat shield with mud, possibly to ensure it "stayed cool when firing" or something. I was...skeptical of this modification's potential efficacy.
more effective as a club???
Just as requested, Star Wars weapons up front. Thanks!
Star Wars was so popular, the British Army made a gun based off the blaster
Thought it was the other way around
@@davidwilson4161wooooooosh
@davidwilson4161 Nope
@@letsplay2bros679star wars came out in the late 70ʻs hard to say the brits were inspired by a movie 25 years before it came out
He said in the vid they used the sterlings in star wars as their stand in guns
Used to ride my bike to the Brussels army museum
A grinder and paint make you the welder you ain't.
I have fired most of the British Army small arms that were around in the 50s/60s, the SMLE, the SLR, the Bren gun, but I cannot remember if I ever managed to fire the Sterling. I think I may have ! I have also handled the EM-2, which Ian did a lovely video on some time back. I do remember that the EM-2 was passed to the warrant officers of the Brigade of Guards to work out the rifle drill, and they were rather non-plussed at being handed a gun that bore no resemblance to a normal rifle. I suspect there were no rifle drills for the Sterling either ! Interestingly, the SA-80 is carried at the slope just like the old SMLW I carried when in our school cadets.
You and The Chieftain in Belgium recently? Lovely country. Interesting history, great chips, awesome beer🇧🇪😋🍟🍻😋🇧🇪