Sterling Submachine Gun - Variants

Variants

• British Army
  • Unassigned: Patchett Machine Carbine Mark 1 (trials commenced in 1944)
  • Unassigned: Patchett Machine Carbine Mark 1 & Folding Bayonet (same as above but with folding bayonet, never accepted)
  • L2A1: (Patchett Machine Carbine Mark 2) Adopted in 1953.
  • L2A2: (Sterling Mark 3) Adopted in 1955.
  • L2A3: (Sterling Mark 4) Adopted in 1956. Last regular version in service with the British Army.
  • L34A1: Suppressed version (Sterling-Patchett Mark 5). Held in reserve by the British Army.
• Sterling Mark 6 "Police": a semi-automatic-only closed-bolt version for police forces and private sales. A US export version had a longer barrel (16 inches) to comply with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) regulations. Beginning in 2009, Century Arms International (CAI) began marketing a similar semi-auto only carbine manufactured by Wiselite Arms. These too have a 16" barrel. They are assembled using a mix of newly-made US parts, and parts from demilitarized Sterling Mark 4 parts kits. This is often marketed as the "Sterling Sporter".
• Sterling Mark 7 "Para-pistol": Special machine pistol variant issued to commando and plainclothes intelligence units. It had a shortened 4" / 108mm barrel, fixed vertical foregrip, and weighed 4.84 lb (2.20 kg). If used with a short 10- or 15-round magazine, it could be stowed in a special holster. It also could be used as a Close Quarters Battle weapon with the addition of an optional solid stock.
• Canadian Army
  • C1 Submachine Gun: Adopted in 1958, replacing the STEN gun in general service. It is different from the British L2 in that it made extensive use of stamped metal rather the more expensive castings used by British production SMGs. It also had a removable trigger guard (for use with gloves in Arctic operations) as a standard option and used a new 30-round magazine.
• Indian Army
  • SAF Carbine 1A: Indian made Sterling L2A1.
  • SAF Carbine 2A1: Sterling Mark V silenced carbine.