Cerwyn
Cerwyn (Site Admin)
Number of posts : 11090
Age : 65
Location / Country : North Wales
Registration date : 2008-07-20
 | Subject: MGCUK STEN MkII Basic Clean & Lubrication Guide  Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:36 pm | |
| Basic Clean & Lubrication Guide... STEN MkII... (MGCUK's Custom Built Steel version) ***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***
Field Stripping has already been covered in a previous Step by Step Guide so this guide begins with your Sten gun already stripped into it’s component parts.
Cartridge cleaning, preparation and loading are also covered at length in their own Section.
Inspection of parts for damage will be dealt with in a separate Guide.
Just like the real steel version, to keep your STEN Gun in good working order you must clean it thoroughly at the end of each session.
Smoke and residue created by the caps igniting leaves corrosive residue throughout the gun so it must be removed to prevent damage.
A rarity in these days of ABS and Zinc Alloys, this gun is manufactured in Steel throughout so keeping it clean and oiled will prevent rusting
The STEN was, by design, a very basic and simple gun to use, take apart and clean and look after.
The model gun is, likewise, very simple to maintain and doesn't take a lot of explaining!
This is written as a Beginners' Guide and hopefully covers enough to allow a newcomer to the STEN to look after it.
1. Detonator Pin and Chamber.
The metal Detonator Chamber houses its integral Pin. The pin is not removable but is, nevertheless still easy enough to clean.
The chamber features 2 drilled holes in its base that allow smoke to vent through the barrel.
 
After firing, it will be covered in black sooty deposits and will possibly have wet residue due to the Lithium or Silicone based grease used inside the cartridges, and also some build up of gun oil.
Wipe the Chamber as clean as possible with a rag, use Cotton Buds (Q-Tips) and / or mascara brushes to remove the bulk of the dirt from inside the chamber and around the pin.
Clean out both vent holes in the base of the chamber.
The Ultrasonic Cleaner is ideal for removing the remaining residue so place the Chamber into it with your fired cartridges
Ref: Beginner’s Guide to… Cleaning Cartridges The Chamber needs thorough cleaning to prevent deposits building and clogging it up. A dirty chamber can lead to difficulties extracting and ejecting fired cartridges and subsequent misfires and jams.
A light spray with Gun oil will protect both Pin and Chamber.
2. Magazine.
If left uncleaned after firing, the magazine will be coated in rusty brown deposits from the smoke created by the caps.
Wipe the top of the magazine thoroughly with a damp rag using a little detergent. Stubborn deposits will come off with a stiff brush (toothbrushes work great, but make sure you use your wife’s not your own).
Wipe the inside of the magazine’s feed lips and spring loaded carrier.
Spray the top of the magazine with a little Gun Oil allowing some to run down into the mag’ body.
Periodically, strip the magazine itself.
To do so, push this button in the magazine's base and slide the bottom plate off.
Withdraw the Spring, followed by the cartridge carrier.
Wipe everything clean, re oil and re-assemble.
3. The Barrel
The Barrel and it's short shroud is fixed to the receiver by three socket head screws.
Personally, I don't remove this every time I clean my STEN because the screws are set deep inside the shroud and are awkward to get to with the Allen Key supplied with the gun as it is too short.
A longer T-handled Allen key or similar would make this job much quicker.
The Barrel and Shroud pulls away from the receiver once the screws are removed.
Note two vent holes in the bottom of the receiver, and one in the bottom of the barrel.
Wipe both ends thoroughly with a rag or paper towel, ensure the vent holes are clean and open.
4. Receiver Tube.
This is basically a simple tube so I tend to use a generous spray of Gun Oil and a rag for this. Wipe the inside of the receiver along its entire length to remove all traces of old oil, soot, dirt and smoke residue.
Wipe the magazine-well thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt.
Push the rag into the Detonator Chamber housing removing all traces of dirt and old oil
Wipe the Ejector clean, then lightly spray the inside of the entire length with Gun Oil
Check the trigger mechanism for smooth operation and give everything a thorough wipe down.
5. Bolt and Extractor
The Bolt is machined from steel and is a work of art!
I generally wipe everything down with a rag, then liberally spray with Gun Oil. Let it soak in awhile then wipe all traces off lifting the dirt away with it.
 
The Extractor can be lifted gently against spring pressure and wiped clean.
Wipe all traces of old oil, soot and dirt from all the Bolt’s surfaces. Pay particular attention to the Bolt Face and extractor slot and the groove that slides over the Ejector
Once clean, give the whole assembly a spray of fresh Gun Oil.
The Bolt is probably the most important component in any model gun.
We’ll discuss inspection in a separate Guide and concentrate on cleaning here…
6. Recoil Spring and End Cap
All that's needed is a gentle wipe down of the Spring being careful to pull the coils. Old oil and reside from iring will creep through the gun onto the spring so wipe it clean to minimise risk of corrosion.
N.B. Avoid storing your STEN with the Recoil Spring fitted in the receiver.
Even though the gun should Never be stored in the Cocked position, there is enough tension put on the spring with the bolt fully forwards to cause the spring to deform and becom coil bound.
Compare the overall lengths of these two springs...
The shorter spring was the result of my mistake in storing the gun assembled.
The gun developed misfeed and jamming problems which were later found to be caused by the recoil spring being to weak to strip rounds from the magazine.
A new spring cured the problems and restored the STEN to it's reliable firing performance.
Your STEN Gun is now ready for Re-assembly...
See the next chapter...
Ref:http://www.mp40modelguns.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=1450Claymore's Superb Review "Steel Sten"
Ref:http://www.mp40modelguns.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=2457 Basic Strip Down
Ref:http://www.mp40modelguns.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=2293 Cleaning & Prep Cartridges
Ref: Loading MGC CartridgesCerwyn
Last edited by Cerwyn on Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:07 pm; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : images updated to Servimg) | |
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Cerwyn
Cerwyn (Site Admin)
Number of posts : 11090
Age : 65
Location / Country : North Wales
Registration date : 2008-07-20
| | Subject: Re: MGCUK STEN MkII Basic Clean & Lubrication Guide Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:08 pm | |
| Another topic being updated - photos re-posted
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Cerwyn
Hobby collector of Replica model guns and Militaria.
also member of Living History Reenactment Groups.
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