Sten gun

Silhouette (Visual Identification)

Sten gun
Category Submachine Guns
Operating system Blowback-operated, fired from open bolt
Cartridge
Length 895 mm
Feeding Box magazine

Prior to 1941 UK was keen to produce a own submachine gun as an alternative Rate of fire 550 450 550 600 rounds per minute to the US-Thompson submachine gun. Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield designed the STEN gun. In the beginning, unreliable but extremely cheap and easy to produce. After further development, the guns of 1942 and beyond were, in general, highly effective weapons. In Germany, the STEN models “Potsdam” and “Neumünster” were manufactured during WW II. In late 1944, the Mauser works in Germany secretly started manufacturing copies of British Mk II Sten, apparently for diversion and sabotage purposes. These weapons were intended to duplicate the British original as closely as possible, right down to the markings. Also, during WW II some resistance groups in German-occupied countries (DNK, FRA, NOR, POL) produced significant numbers of Stens.

Global distribution map

Weapon prevalence origin Country of origin licensed Licensed production unauthorized Production without a license
X
Scale dependend aggregation of production sites

The Sten gun is found in 55 countries

This map is a reflection of data on global distribution and production provided primarily by the BwVC. It is not exhaustive. If you would like to add to or amend the data, please click here.


Global distribution list

The data on global distribution and production is provided primarily by the BwVC, but also from national and regional focal points on SALW control; data published by think tanks, international organizations and experts; and/or data provided by individual researchers on SALW. It is not exhaustive. If you would like to add to or amend the data, please click here.

Origin Country of origin
Production Licensed production
Non-Licensed Production Production without a licence
G Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by Governmental agencies.
N Non-Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by non-Governmental armed groups.
U Unspecified: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is found in the country, but do not specify whether it is held by Governmental agencies or non-Governmental armed groups.

It is entirely possible to have a combination of tags beside each country. For example, if country X is tagged with a G and a U, it means that at least one source of data identifies Governmental agencies as holders of weapon type Y, and at least one other source confirms the presence of the weapon in country X without specifying who holds it.

Albania (ALB)
G
Argentina (ARG)
O
G
Australia (AUS)
O
G
Bangladesh (BGD)
G
Belgium (BEL)
G
Botswana (BWA)
U
Canada (CAN)
O
G
China (CHN)
G
Cuba (CUB)
G
Cyprus (CYP)
G
U
G
N
Denmark (DNK)
O
N
Egypt (EGY)
U
Finland (FIN)
G
France (FRA)
G
N
Germany (DEU)
G
Ghana (GHA)
U
Greece (GRC)
G
Guyana (GUY)
U
India (IND)
G
Indonesia (IDN)
G
Iraq (IRQ)
U
Israel (ISR)
G
Italy (ITA)
G
N
Japan (JPN)
G
Jordan (JOR)
G
Kenya (KEN)
G
Laos (LAO)
G
N
Luxembourg (LUX)
G
Malaysia (MYS)
G
Malta (MLT)
G
Namibia (NAM)
U
Nepal (NPL)
G
Netherlands (NLD)
G
New Zealand (NZL)
G
Nigeria (NGA)
G
Norway (NOR)
N
Pakistan (PAK)
G
Poland (POL)
O
G
N
Portugal (PRT)
U
Sierra Leone (SLE)
U
South Africa (ZAF)
G
South Sudan (SSD)
U
Sudan (SDN)
U
Tanzania (TZA)
U
Thailand (THA)
U
Tonga (TON)
U
Turkey (TUR)
G
Uganda (UGA)
U
O
G
G
Vietnam (VNM)
N
Zambia (ZMB)
U
Zimbabwe (ZWE)
U

Visual Identification (Silhouette)