How to take the stock off a British Sterling Mk4/L2A3 ???

SinkTube Jedi

Well-Known Member

• Jun 30, 2007

• #1

Picked up one of those cut up Mk4/L2A3 years ago and had it welded back, but it sucks and is not smooth. I want to round out the grind marks, but can;t seem to figure out how to remove the folding stock from the butt. any clues?

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2007

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cheech9898

Sr Member

• Jun 30, 2007

• #2

SinkTube Jedi said:

Picked up one of those cut up Mk4/L2A3 years ago and had it welded back, but it sucks and is not smooth. I want to round out the grind marks, but can;t seem to figure out how to remove the folding stock from the butt. any clues?

Click to expand...

I don't know if the design varried between the British Sterling L2A3 and the New Zealand ones, but both the deactivated kits I had gotten from IMA (imported many from New Zealand) a few years back were the same. The stock was held on by pressure/pressed on caps, I unfortunately found that they were pressed on after reading in an old ww2 arms book that the were formed like a rivet... stud coming out of the main tube cross piece, the stock slipped on over the studs, & then the studs mushroomed like a rivet would be. So I ruined 1 of the press caps on the 1st kit after I took a grinder to it based on this book info, so they may be attached either way.

Here's a very basic drawing of the assembly:

Just get 2 narrow bladed screw drivers the same size, and try driving the cap off by using them as wedges between the shoulder on the main tube and the arm of the stock, that way you won't accidentally bend/distort the head of the press cap if yours are that way

HTH

 

mgoob

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jun 30, 2007

• #3

There are 2 straight pins that hold the bolts in place. They run paralell to the body of the SMG. You can see them by swinging the shoulder stock half-way, and looking either from the front or rear of the SMG.

I'd suggest you try tapping the pins out. In the book The Guns Of Dagenham the author (a master armourer) says it was a difficult task to remove them, and even moreso trying to re-align the bolts w/ the holes in the Folding Stock Pivot Point.

The diagram showing the Butt Assembly is on page 131 of the book.
If you can wait until Monday, I will scan that diagram showing you how its put together. (don't own scanner: scanner is at work).

I own a British dewatt but haven't had the need to try this. All Mk 4's were made the same way.

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2007

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cheech9898

Sr Member

• Jun 30, 2007

• #4

I found the piece from the 1st part set and snagged a pic of it for you. I'm surprised I still had it.... I've been throwing a lot of old stuff out lately.

Left side shows where I was able to pop the retaining press cap off and right shows my grinding it off

 

SinkTube Jedi

Well-Known Member

• Jun 30, 2007

• #5

Great, thanks for the assist, Cheech and Mgoob! appreciate it!

cheech9898 said:

I found the piece from the 1st part set and snagged a pic of it for you. I'm surprised I still had it.... I've been throwing a lot of old stuff out lately.

Left side shows where I was able to pop the retaining press cap off and right shows my grinding it off

Click to expand...

 

wtac

Well-Known Member

• Jul 1, 2007

• #6

There is an easier way to remove the stocks than grinding them off , using a butane torch heat the part that the stock is mounted on and after a while it will drop off as they were simply silver soldered on to the tube, this will leave the mountings intact and enable the whole unit to be re-soldered back on. The same applies to most parts of the sterlings parts such as the trigger gropp and the semi circular hand guards near the ejector port and the muzzle.
​

 

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cheech9898

Sr Member

• Jul 1, 2007

• #7

Just a side note, I noticed IMA dropped the price on their Sterling parts kits if anyone was on the fence about picking up another parts set before they dry up.

 

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TK0460

New Member

• Jul 1, 2007

• #8

cheech9898 said:

Just a side note, I noticed IMA dropped the price on their Sterling parts kits if anyone was on the fence about picking up another parts set before they dry up.

Click to expand...

Sheeesh...they are really chopping the crap out of them lately. I bought several kits a couple years ago that were in alot better shape. Darn....

 

dcarty

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jul 1, 2007

• #9

Yeah, I bought one of the IMA kits due to the price drop to replace the much nicer one I sent to a certain archery fanatic 3 years ago and haven't seen since.

I look forward to some more sterling discussions since I'm planning my build-up this summer.

Dave C

 

Gigatron

Sr Member

• Jul 2, 2007

• #10

cheech9898 said:

Just a side note, I noticed IMA dropped the price on their Sterling parts kits if anyone was on the fence about picking up another parts set before they dry up.

Click to expand...

Jeez, I paid about $200 for mine from them about 4 years ago - and I got whole lot more gun. The entire front barrel vent was left intact and most of the rear was in one piece. What the hell are you supposed to do with that pile scrap they're selling now?

-Fred

 

DARKSIDE72

Sr Member

• Jul 2, 2007

• #11

Gigatron said:

Jeez, I paid about $200 for mine from them about 4 years ago - and I got whole lot more gun. The entire front barrel vent was left intact and most of the rear was in one piece. What the hell are you supposed to do with that pile scrap they're selling now?

-Fred

Click to expand...

A new receiver would have to be made. The existing hardware needs removed and brazed back on to the new steel receiver. I would always re-use the original barrel "jacket", but that wouldn't be possible for obvious reasons with these kits.

 

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cheech9898

Sr Member

• Jul 2, 2007

• #12

Yea these are hacked up pretty bad. Even with the one that I semi pieced back together just get get some molds as a tube with handle on it was hacked almost as bad a few years ago. I got the front of the barrel tube with it but even with it the front nose was sawed off.

I ordered another kit since the price dropped and there isn't going to be any more of the kits coming in. I've always been hesitant to even attempt to rebuild a kit fully as a deactivated/non-gun since the laws are so vague. Even the old thread that popped up here gave no concrete answers and there's nothing definitive about 'deactivation' on the ATF site & other web searches turn up only Canadian & UK laws. I think I'm just going to have to get creative to make sure there's no way it could ever be worth while for someone to try and undo.

 

mgoob

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jul 2, 2007

• #13

 

SinkTube Jedi

Well-Known Member

• Jul 3, 2007

• #14

WOW, This is awesome!! takes care of everything!!! Major, Big Thanks :love

 

SinkTube Jedi

Well-Known Member

• Jul 4, 2007

• #15

FYI, problem resolved, knocked the pins came out, somewhat easily. Big thanks to you Mgoob!