BUILDING THE L2A3
Q: What made you decide to produce the Mark4/L2A3 series of submachine guns?
A: My first experience with the Sterling Mk4 involved shooting at local submachine gun events. The gun was found immediately easy to shoot and control. It combines a perfect rate of fire, with natural balance and an ergonomic feel. From a historical perspective, the L2A3 military weapon is even more interesting. Very few survive today and none were imported in the USA. Since all Mk4's here in the States are non original tube guns, I thought the L2A3 and its accessories would give buyers an alternative total package to choose from.
Q: Was it as simple as buying components, registered receivers and plans?
A: No, not exactly. A limited number of registered Mk 4 receivers were available from DLO and parts kits were fairly common so that was part was simple. When it came time to organize the building process, it became apparent original plans did not exist. According to The Guns of Dagenham, all production tooling fixtures and blueprint plans of Sterling Armament Company were destroyed by British Aerospace upon their acquisition of the Company in 1989. A couple of domestic plans were reviewed but one did not agree with the other so neither could be considered reliable.
Q: How did you solve this problem?
A: I was fortunate enough to strike up a friendship with David Howroyd. Mr. Howroyd served an Indentured apprenticeship at the Plessey Company, Ilford, England as a Toolmaker and Draftsman before joining the Sterling Group of Companies in 1944. By 1955 he was appointed Superintendent in charge of Gun Shops and eventually became Works Director for entire Company production during James Edmiston's ownership. He remained at this position until retirement in 1988. A few years later, he joined efforts with Peter Laidler, a long serving British Army Warrant Officer and Armourer to write a Sterling researcher's dream book, The Guns of Dagenham.
The Guns of Dagenham is an insiders' look at Sterling Armament Co. from WWII to its' anticlimactic ending in 1989. It traces the development of George Patchett's gun design from its' early beginnings through the Mk4/L2A3 era with many photographs and exclusive stories of design improvements, production techniques and model variations. It is commonly known as The Sterling Bible among enthusiasts worldwide.
Using a factory made gun, along with a digital readout system, the specific details of dimensions to manufacture the L2A3 were obtained. Using the new plans, we worked closely together on many assembly aspects required for manufacture of the unit. The results were so successful, Mr. Howroyd personally authored, designed and signed a special serial numbered Certificate to accompany each gun produced in our shop. Basically, a statement verifying the reproduction accuracy of our work. Certificates are approved by Mr. Howroyd for both L2A3 and Mk4 models.
Q: Are there significant differences between your L2A3s' and what is currently available in the marketplace?
A: Primarily, our guns are military L2A3s'- similar to the Mark 4 but not quite the same as the crackle coated version. The magazine housings are marked differently along with a few other Ministry of Defence requirements such as a checkered magazine release button and a welded plate buttstock reinforcement. When fully extended, buttstock lockups are tight and will not twist under rugged use.
A great deal of attention was given to the shape of the ejection port. Over 25 original ports were measured for comparison. Using averaged dimensions along with the correct 3 radii a CNC program was developed to duplicate the originals. A similar process was used for the magazine opening. The entire receiver casing is cut using a CNC milling machine.
The finish is also unique to the military gun. First, each TIG weld is carefully dressed down by hand to form a smooth, seamless blend of steel. Per the MOD, the gun is cleaned & phosphated then a matte black, modern formula paint is applied matching the original appearance.
If you decide to purchase one of our guns, you may also be assured of the highest quality and zeroing accuracy. Because the receiver casing is constructed in welded sections, final tube alignment after welding and subsequent barrel concentricity within the receiver tube is critically important. To gage this standard, each completed gun is measured using a dial indicator and adjusted on a fixture designed by Mr. Howroyd and constructed by us. Each gun is adjusted to .005" or better, thereby insuring its' shooting accuracy.
Q: Why have you called this American Redux 1958-2008 When the information around says the L2A3 was developed in 1954 -1956 depending on what you read?
A: According to GoD, 1956 is the year the L2A3 came out and adopted into service. Sterling made it for 2 years, before the British government basically stole the gun design and produce it for themselves without license. Actually, they were tooling up and trying to manufacture it covertly from 1956 onward. This was contested and Sterling was eventually vindicated in court.
The Ministry of Defence adopted the L2A2 (Mk3) in 1955, which was an improvement over the L2A1. They were given the distinctive markings US55Axxx on the magazine housing.
Officially, the L2A2 had a very short service life because in Sept 1955, it was announced the L2A3 (Mk4) would be the general service issue SMG. The L2A2 was declared obsolete in March 1956 due to expected deliveries of L2A3s' in large numbers. The first deliveries L2A3s' arrived in 1956 with the new markings US56Axxx. Our REDUX is a remake of a 1958 model.
Q: Are these exact recreations of the 1958 Sterling made military guns?
A: As close as we can make them. Our product was patterned from a 1958 original gun found in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, UK. This newly remanufactured edition uses original Dagenham parts and is built with meticulous care striving for the same qualities and high standards of the L2A3/Mk4 weapon built by Sterling.
Historical data taken from, The Guns of Dagenham
Collector Grade Publications Inc.
Ontario, Canada
