The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun. It was tested with the British Army in 1944-1945 as a replacement for the Sten but it did not start to replace it until 1953. It remained in use until 1994, when it was phased out as the L85A1 assault rifle was phased in.
Type:
Submachine gun
Place of origin:
United Kingdom
In service:
1944-present
Used by:
See Users
Wars:
World War II, Suez Crisis, Aden Emergency, Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, Portuguese Colonial War, Vietnam War, Laotian Civil War, Nigerian Civil War, The Troubles, Falklands War, Lebanese Civil War, Nepalese Civil War, Gulf War (final batch)
Designer:
George William Patchett
Designed:
1944
Manufacturer:
Sterling Armaments Company
Produced:
1953-1988
Number built:
400,000+
Variants:
See Variants
Weight:
2.7 kg (5.95 lb)
Feed system:
34-round box magazine
Sights:
Iron sights