So I'm puttering around the Numrich, because they have hats and I like me some surplus hats/helmets, looking for stuff to round out the order and get that sweet, sweet free shipping. I come across STEN parts kits. Obviously they've been cut up, and are missing the barrels and whatnot.

Now, the thing is I'm not very mechanically inclined myself, but I like having stuff, and I know people who are mechanically inclined who can help me. So lets say I buy one of these kits, I'll need a barrel, and a new receiver, and what else? I don't need the Puppy Poppers kicking in my door, and saving me Waco-style, so it would of course be a semi-auto rifle build. Right now I'm really just more curious about the process, than actually making it happen any time soon.

I’d be interested in replies specifically dealing with our state laws, especially with I639 coming down the pike. Would you need to have it built in-state? If you had to have a smith build it up out of state and transferred to you here, would you have to pay the 10% usage fee tax, and if so, how would that value get figured out? Lots of extra questions there, my man.

Did they have any cool hats?

I thought about this about a million years ago when surplus parts kits flowed like water.

You can get easy-to-do receivers here.

I do believe you need to weld the thing, not to mention cut metal, so may not be a job you can do yourself.

Will they even ship those here to WA? I know I've tried ordering various parts kits and run into the "we don't ship to your state cause it's extra super illegal"... Something to do with RCW 9.41.220 where they declared parts from full auto to be EEEEEEVIL.

But now that 1639 is here, ALL the chirruns are extra safe, and the glorious unicorns prance freely upon the golden streets, strewing rainbows and skittles as they go. Excuse me, comrades as I go to turn in my half a FAL kit and that AR upper receiver for destruction, and report for my re-education.

Bill R

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I’d be interested in replies specifically dealing with our state laws, especially with I639 coming down the pike. Would you need to have it built in-state? If you had to have a smith build it up out of state and transferred to you here, would you have to pay the 10% usage fee tax, and if so, how would that value get figured out? Lots of extra questions there, my man.

Did they have any cool hats?

Pretty sure my dad has all the required tools, and skills, to help me cobble something together. It'll be some fine father/son bonding time. Daddy, help me build a British submachine gun! So I don't think I'll need to mess with sending anything off to anyone anywhere and running afoul of 1639 that way. Of course, who knows with the incoming legislature, but that's part of why I want the parts here, in my possession, before anything else happens.

As for hats, looking at them French Foreign Legion kepis, and a German police saucer hat, them's my favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by stylophiles:
Will they even ship those here to WA? I know I've tried ordering various parts kits and run into the "we don't ship to your state cause it's extra super illegal"... Something to do with RCW 9.41.220 where they declared parts from full auto to be EEEEEEVIL.

But now that 1639 is here, ALL the chirruns are extra safe, and the glorious unicorns prance freely upon the golden streets, strewing rainbows and skittles as they go. Excuse me, comrades as I go to turn in my half a FAL kit and that AR upper receiver for destruction, and report for my re-education.

Bill R

They don't list Washington on their site as one of the places they wont ship the kits, but who knows.

Now, if you want, I can, uh, take that FAL kit to the proper authorities for you, save you a trip... Yeah, that's the ticket...

Well, then I would say go for it. And yeah, absolutely better to have the kit now than later. I'm trying to get my ducks in a row on some things as well.

And yeah, the German hat is a classic style. Didja snag one?

How does John Q. Public, on his garage work bench, convert an open bolt fixed firing pin gun to one that fires from a closed bolt? That would seem to take more than just a visit from Dr. Dremel?

Hmmmmm... very worthy point. I totally forgot about the open bolt aspect. This complicates matters, to be sure. Since we can’t have full auto fun in this state anyways, it kinda makes it even more complicated. I guess you could build it up as a de-ac, but that’s an expensive toy that doesn’t go bang.

From what I've gathered, making it closed bolt isn't much of an issue. Something they figured out a long time ago when the tax ninjas decided "open bolt" means "ZOMG MASHIN GUNZZZZ!!!1!11!oneoneoneeleven"

I know they're sold semi auto STEN's, so someone must have figured out a way, but it can't be a simple kitchen table task.

Shotgun News used to have write-ups on these types of conversions.

You may want to google for the semi-auto parts that are too difficult to fabricate on your own.

http://www.semiautosten.com/

I sent a text to the number I had for you, man. Not sure if it's still current or not.

Bought a kit, (and the German police hat, French kepi, and a Swedish helmet), so we'll see what's what. If anything, I'll just have it for a rainy day. Or do I?

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
How does John Q. Public, on his garage work bench, convert an open bolt fixed firing pin gun to one that fires from a closed bolt? That would seem to take more than just a visit from Dr. Dremel?

Not all that hard. There are forums like this that have instructions, blueprints, links to companies that have semi-auto specific parts of the ability to do the work, etc.. Along with, as long as you build it the correct ATF way, the paperwork to show it is on the up and up.

I built a really nice semi-auto M1919A6 back in the early 2000’s when parts kits were plentiful and cheap. Have to remember these started off life as an open bolt full auto. Did it myself except the welding of some sections, which my dad helped me with. Now the ATF says the rivits alone are fine (damn)and ship off the bolt and barrel extension to a guy that had the drill press and strong enough carbide bits to cut the semi-auto grooves.

Built a semi auto FAL as well. I have a real nice Polish PPSh parts kit that I have been hanging onto for some reason. Bolt gets converted to operate from closed and you basically make the trigger group into a striker fire utilizing an AR15 firing pin to hit the primer.

Around five years ago a company named Wise Lite Arms was selling Sterlings with a mix of old and new parts. 16 inch barrel and the bolt modification to fire from closed position. The compliant bolt had major parts cut out of the original bolt.

It's pretty standard on these builds to use a reduced inner diameter tube and an exclusion bar so that the converted bolts can't be swapped for full auto ones.
There are some full tutorials at the Weapons Guild site.
I still have kits sitting around that I'll likely never get around to.

seems I remember some guy in Nevada had a clandestne sten shop. His were full auto. ATF took him down hard.

quote:

Originally posted by LtJL:
seems I remember some guy in Nevada had a clandestne sten shop. His were full auto. ATF took him down hard.

Reckon it wasn't all that clandestine if the Puppy Patrol got him.

Not too worried about any of that though, as my interest is a semi-auto rifle. Unless of course Kremlin Joe lets fly with the nukes, then having a machine gun might be useful.

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy

Not too worried about any of that though, as my interest is a semi-auto rifle.

No, comrade. You are curiously lacking in proper understanding of the dialectic...

Do you wish a firearm? Is the caliber above .177? Can it fire more than one such projectile per minute?

Then you sir, You are an eeeeeevvvvillll aussaultie thingie owner who is clearly just a right wing nazi whack job who hates puppies.

Prolly racist and all, too.

Shame! Shame!

Oi, mate, you got a plumbin' loicence for all them poips?



It came a few weeks ago, I just kept forgetting to take a picture of it in all it's rusty, cut up, glory. What will I do with it? Probably nothing, it'll just sit in the bag until I die. But I have it, and I'm sure that upsets some hoplophobe, somewhere.