Original Item: Only One Available. Think of The Bridge on the River Qwai. William Holden holding his MkII Sten and looking very grim. And how many other war movies do we remember where we remember the MkII Sten but not the actors? Probably quite a few.

Not only was the Sten ubiquitous in movies and among Allied troops, but the German Army, of all people, eventually made numerous copies of it. Earlier, Otto Skorzeny, the famous head of Germany’s equivalent of Britain’s Commandos, tried hard to get permission to use the silenced version of the Sten for his troops, but his request was rejected on grounds of national—read that as National Socialist—arrogance.

This non-firing inert Sten MKII Display Submachinegun is built from all original parts on an original BATF compliant non-firing display receiver, making this a 100% legal display Sub-Machine gun. This receiver was created by using portions of the original torch cut receiver, including the barrel bushing, combined with some new made steel portions. It has properly had a 25% section of the total length completely replaced entirely with solid steel bar stock. Meaning a 1/4 length section of the display receiver is solid steel, making this totally legal to own without a license of any kind.

The display gun accurately duplicates the feel and appearance of the original Sten Mk II Machine Carbine. The trigger still pulls and the selector switch still moves, though the bolt handle does not move, per BATF regulations. The magazine catch is fully functional as well. A dummy bolt has been installed inside the receiver, and welded in the forward position. The barrel still shows rifling inside, but the barrel jacket can no longer be removed, so we do not know if the chamber is intact. This piece includes an original magazine, where permitted. Elsewhere a deactivated magazine will be sent.

The Sten is finished in the stove black used on most British small arms of the Second World War. The condition is very good, and this example looks to have seen post-war service in Israel, who stamped their arsenal markings on the bottom of the magazine well in Hebrew over serial number 67236. Most of the original markings on the magazine well were removed, including those on the top, so we cannot see which contractor made it. we checked and were not able to remove the "T" butt stock, which may be held in place by dried paint.

The Mk II was the most widely distributed of the various Sten models, and was featured in numerous motion pictures, including the marquee poster for the great movie The Bridge On The River Kwai. This sample has the popular T butt stock, much more durable than the earlier "loop" butt stock, which was prone to bending and breaking.

With its original WWII components, T pattern stock, retained magazine, permanently inert receiver construction, movable trigger and selector, Israeli arsenal markings, and serial number 67236, this is a strong example of a Sten Mk II with an additional layer of postwar service history. The replaced receiver section, welded dummy bolt, immobile bolt handle, removed original contractor markings, non-removable barrel jacket, and stuck butt stock are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a British WWII small arms, Sten, Israeli military, Allied weapons, or advanced inert firearms collection.