The Sten is a British designed submachine gun manufactured in a number of variants (know as Mark s or simply Mk s) during the Second World War. The official designation was "Carbine, Machine, Sten" which is due to the British term for what we would now call submachine guns being "Machine Carbine" at the start of the war. It was notable for its very simple design and consequently low production costs which made it an ideal weapon for supplying resistance groups. In total approximately 4.5 million Stens were produced, over 2 million of which were the Mark II, which is the iconic Sten gun.
Using the same magazines as the MP40 , the Sten is subject to similar errors; the common habit in fiction of using the magazine as a sidegrip would in real life result in damage to the feed lips of the magazine, and the videogame habit of fully loading the magazine would result in spring failures; like the MP40, soldiers experienced in using the Sten would typically load magazines with 30 or 28 rounds rather than 32. The 50 round Lanchester Mk. I magazine is compatible with the Sten.
Specifications Weight: 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)
Length: 760 mm (29.9 in)
Barrel length: 196 mm (7.7 in)
Cartridge: 9x19mm Parabellum
Action: Blowback-operated, Open bolt
Rate of fire: Version dependent; ~500 round/min
Muzzle velocity: 365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)
Effective range: 300 m
Feed system: 32-rd detachable box magazine
Sights: fixed peep rear, post front The Sten submachine gun has appeared in the following films and video games used by the following actors:
Sten Mk I* Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk I* - 9x19mm Film Television Anime
Title
Character
Note
Date
Akira Resistance fighter
1987
Sten Mk II Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk II - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk II (Canadian) - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk II with wooden stock - 9x19mm Film
Title
Actor
Character
Note
Date
Little Partisan (Malý partyzán) Josef Šlosar Jenda Hanuš
1950
Czechoslovak soldiers and partisans
Attention! Bandits! (Achtung! Banditi!) Giuliano Montaldo Lorenzo
1951
Franco Bologna "Cat"
Italian partisans, fascist policemen
Paratrooper Alan Ladd Steve MacKendrick
1953
Paratrooper Leo Genn Major John Snow
1953
Paratrooper Harry Andrews Regimental Sergeant Major
1953
Paratrooper British paratroopers
1953
The Bridge on the River Kwai Jack Hawkins Major Warden
Canadian model
1957
William Holden Commander Shears
Geoffrey Horne Lt. Joyce
Kanal Polish insurgents
1957
Ashes and Diamonds Adam Pawlikowski Andrzej
1958
The Black Battalion (Cerný prapor) Zdenek Kryzánek Ketham
1958
French foreign legionaries, VPN soldiers
Carve Her Name With Pride Virginia McKenna Violette Szabo
Fitted with Mk V front sight
1958
Never So Few Frank Sinatra Capt. Tom Reynolds
1959
Richard Johnson Capt. Danny De Mortimer
Philip Ahn Nautaung
Burmese soldiers
Yesterday's Enemy Japanese soldiers
1959
Breathless Police officer
1960
The Guns of Navarone Anthony Quinn Andrea Stavros
Prop weapon using natural gas to create muzzle flash. Appears to be built on a Mk II with the barrel sawn off nearly to the shroud.
1961
James Darren Spyros Pappadimos
Bob Simmons German Officer
Konga British soldiers
1961
The Longest Day Richard Todd British Airborne Major John Howard
1962
Behold a Pale Horse Gregory Peck Manuel Artiguez
1964
Fantômas Louis de Funès Fantômas
1964
Henri Attal The bodyguard of Fantômas
French Gendarmers
Panic in Bangkok (Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117) Kerwin Mathews Hubert Bonisseur alias OSS 117
1964
Hitman, laboratories guard
The Assassination (Atentát) Radoslav Brzobohatý 1st Lt. Král
Canadian model
1964
Rudolf Jelínek Sgt. Strnad
Ladislav Mrkvicka Sgt. Vyskocil
Jirí Kodet Sgt. Tousek
008: Operation Exterminate Alberto Lupo Frank Smith, agent 606
Continuity mistake
1965
Thugs
Battle of the Bulge American soldier
1965
OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117) Nazis, Indians
1965
Fantômas se déchaîne Jean Marais Fandor
1965
The Last Adventure The Henchman
Canadian model
1967
Fantômas se déchaîne Jean Marais Fandor
1965
Cast a Giant Shadow Senta Berger Magda
1966
Cast a Giant Shadow Yul Brynner Asher
1966
Cast a Giant Shadow Stathis Giallelis Ram Oren
1966
Cast a Giant Shadow Frank Sinatra Vince
1966
How I Won the War Michael Crawford Lt. Earnest Goodbody
1967
The Cobra Henchmen
1967
You Only Live Twice Spectre Guards
w/ Mk V front sight
1967
I, Justice (Já, spravedlnost) Men disguised as U.S. soldiers
1968
Play Dirty British soldiers
Canadian model
1969
Mr. Freedom Freedom agent
1969
Machine Gun McCain John Cassavetes Hank McCain
1969
How I Unleashed World War II Lech Ordon Sgt. Hopkins
1970
English soldiers and Polish partisans
No Way Out Mafia hitmen
1973
Sokolovo Jozef Gabčík
1974
The Terrorists Commandos
1974
Almost Human Tomás Milián Giulio Sacchi
Canadian model
1974
Almost Human Gino Santercole Vittorio
Canadian model
1974
Almost Human Ray Lovelock Carmine
Canadian model
1974
Sholay 1975
The Old Gun (Le vieux fusil) French Maquis
1975
Cop Story (Flic Story) Renato Salvatori Mario le Rital
Canadian model
1975
Deathcheaters Henchmen
1976
The Big Racket Rudy's henchmen
Standard and Canadian models
1976
The Eagle Has Landed Michael Caine Oberst Kurt Steiner
Canadian model
1976
Siegfried Rauch Sergeant Major Brandt
Sven-Bertil Taube Hauptmann Von Neustadt
German Paratroopers
Soldier of Orange Jeroen Krabbé Guus LeJeune
Canadian model
1977
Rutger Hauer Erik Lanshof
Resistance fighters
Sorcerer Guerrilla
1977
The Gang (Le Gang) Alain Delon Robert
1977
The Gang (Le Gang) Roland Bertin Raymond
1977
The Gang (Le Gang) Adalberto Maria Merli Manu
1977
The Gang (Le Gang) Xavier Depraz Jo
1977
The Inglorious Bastards French Resistance fighters
1978
Escape to Athena Greek Resistance fighters
Canadian model
1979
Telly Savalas Zeno
Claudia Cardinale Eleana
Hanover Street Resistance fighters
1979
The Passage Resistance fighters
1979
The Hijacking of Savoy (Pokhishchenie Savoi) 1979
Pirates of the XXth Century (Piraty XX veka) Indian Police
Canadian model
1979
Pirates
Soviet crewman
Gandhi Gurkha
1982
Copper Angel (Medny angel) Nikolai Yeryomenko, Jr. Sebastian Valdes
Canadian Model
1984
Les Morfalous Jean-Paul Belmondo Sgt. Pierre Augagneur
Canadian model
1984
French Legionaires
Top Secret! 1984
Spies Like Us Mujahideen
1985
Plenty Maquisard
1985
Maximum Overdrive Pat Miller Joe
Canadian model
1986
The Sicilian Derrick Branche Terranova
1987
Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself The Boys
1989
Return from the River Kwai Denholm Elliott Colonel Grayson
With wooden stock
1989
Outbreak British mercenary
Canadian model
1995
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Henchmen
1999
Equilibrium Resistance fighters
2002
The Pianist Resistance fighters
Canadian model
2002
Reign of Fire Refugees
2002
El Alamein - The Line of Fire British soldiers
2002
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Nautilus Crew
Ornately decorated and chrome plated
2003
Black Book Resistance fighters
Canadian model
2006
Pan's Labyrinth Spanish Maquis
2006
Assembly (Ji jie hao) Quan Ren Political Officer
Canadian model
2007
Balls of Fury Henchmen
2007
Blood Brothers gangster
2007
Blood Brothers Chen Chang Mark
2007
Smokin' Aces Chris Pine Darwin Tremor
Canadian model
2007
Female agents Julien Boisselier Pierre Desfontaines
Canadian model
2008
Sophie Marceau Louise Desfontaines
Vincent Rottiers Eddy
French maquisards
Miracle at St. Anna Pierfrancesco Favino Peppi 'The Great Butterfly' Grotta
2008
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Brendan Fraser Rick O'Connell
2008
Max Manus: Man of War Aksel Hennie Max Manus
w/ and w/o stock
2008
Max Manus: Man of War Nicolai Cleve Broch Gregers Gram
2008
Max Manus: Man of War Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen
Roy Nilsen
2008
The Army of Crime Xavier Hosten Cristea
2009
Elephant White in weapons cache, rare version with magazine well on bottom instead of left side of receiver
2010
Captain America: The First Avenger J. J. Feild James Montgomery Falsworth
2011
Bruno Ricci Jacques Dernier
The Flowers of War Chinese soldiers
modified to resemble Haenel-Schmeisser MP28/II
2011
Beyond the Border 2011
Cold Steel (Bian di lang yan) Tony Leung Ka Fai Zhang Menzi
mocked as Bergmann MP18
2011
Victor Chen A Gui
Japanese soliders
The Bullet Vanishes Boss Ding's mobs
2012
Television Anime Video Games Sten Mk IIS Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk IIS - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk IIS (Canadian) - 9x19mm Film Video Games Sten Mk III Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk III - 9x19mm Film Television Video Games
Title
Appears as
Mods
Note
Date
Silent Storm Regular and fictional silenced variants
2003
Sten Mk IV Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk IVA - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk IVB - 9x19mm Video Games
Title
Appears as
Mods
Note
Date
Silent Storm Mk IVA model
2003
Sten Mk V Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sten Mk V - 9x19mm Film Television Video Games Austen Mk I/II Error creating thumbnail: File missing Austen Mk I - 9x19mm Parabellum Film
Unknown Variants Film Television Video Games
Title
Appears as
Mods
Note
Date
The Movies 2005
Metro 2033 "Bastard" Carbine
Fictional scratch-built compact assault rifle
2010
See Also 
