The Sterling Submachine Gun Magazine: The Best Magazine Ever Designed? 

Definitely, so important to get them right. Thanks for watching!

They really are just as essential as the firearm themselves, it's symbiotic I think.

Thanks Johnny, always great to hear from people who used them. Definitely agree, the rollers are novel and likely do help in some cases but the double feed, robust body and mag shape are probably more important features. Thanks for watching.

I do, going to be a part of the Sten series that I'm still working on!

Thanks Paul, I’m glad you found it interesting! A Mk3, very nice.

Definitely will, thanks for watching!

Thanks Andrew, thanks for watching!

Welcome! Thanks for watching.

Thank you! Great question. Cost was most definitely a factor for the UK government at the time. They not only took the Sterling design and copied it without Sterling's permission but they adapted the mag to be simpler and cheaper - the one I mention in the video. Sterling sued and won. Cost is always king in military procurement.

Yes, definitely a good mag. Double feed is the key I think. Thanks for watching.

I'd wager it's a matter of availability. Glock mags are ubiquitous and reasonably reliable. There have been exceptions; Lage made a bunch of their uppers use M45 magazines, which were widely available as surplus for a time.

Big up front cost to set up production for something like this, cheaper and easier to design around an existing, popular, in production mag. There's also the argument that it's a benefit for a PCC to use service pistol mags, to such an extent some offer options besides Glock.

At a guess I’d say they’re more expensive?

@@matthayward7889 Roller followers are generally not considered today for both of the reasons mentioned here. Of course, they're more expensive to manufacture than a simple pressed or stamped follower, and they take more vertical space, either reducing capacity or requiring a longer magazine body. More importantly, modern developments in low-friction and self-lubricating polymers/plastics have permitted the introduction of inexpensive molded polymer followers offering anti-tilt features and smooth, reliable feeding, obviating many of the benefits of rollers. The majority of modern magazines use molded polymer followers.

Because it is one of those "Innovations" that only the British think are innovative. There is no proof that this mag is any better and it certainly hasn't been copied and re-used in other guns the way some magazines have. For example the Soumi / Swedish K magazine or the Uzi magazine.

Indeed, it's a novel idea and has some merit certainly but as I mentioned the Canadian mag didn't sacrifice much by abandoning the rollers. The key I think is the profile of the curve and the double feed. My video title was a little hyperbole haha.

@@gregoryw70 The use of rollers is innovative by any definition, and its utility and effectiveness are not in question. Efficiency, ease of manufacture, and cost are another matter. TAB admitted the title was hyperbole but the Sterling magazine is indeed widely accepted as one of the superior pistol-caliber magazine designs. Being "copied and re-used" is not the only indicator of significance, as the Uzi magazine is not known for the same reliability as the Sterling's. Its chief virtue was its availability, simplicity, and cost- not its superior performance. As to the impact of Patchett's magazine design, I'd arguably look to the MP5. While I doubt there was any direct influence from the Sterling, it's clear to see that the curved profile is nearly identical, and the idea of a pressed reinforcing rib is present as well. It's likely less a case of inspiration than a necessary acceptance that this configuration is in fact the ideal design for a steel 9mm magazine. It would be appropriate as well to note that the MP5 is renowned for its reliability and smooth-feeding magazines- which was not the case initially. The MP5 was originally accompanied by a traditional (for subguns) straight-walled magazine; only after encountering feeding issues did they redesign the magazine with a curve. You could argue that even with all of HK's engineering grunt, they still needed to fail and discover on their own what Patchett already knew decades earlier.

I've never seen any mentions of using enemy mags in documents but when I have the guns on hand I think it'll definitely be worth doing a video comparing them all!

Thanks for watching!

Thank you! Haha almost certainly!

Well the Sterling's bolt is heavily influenced by the Lanchester's. Sterling manufactured Lanchesters. The early Patchett prototypes used Lanchester bolts. The Sten and Lanchester bolt faces aren't too different as both evolved from the MP28. The Sterling's magazine housing was also designed to index the mag at a similar length of insertion to the STENs. But the double feed really makes feeding more reliable.

@@TheArmourersBench true enough -- so, is the Sterling's feed ramp just a chamfered ring like the Sten's? And I guess the forward angle of the Sterling mag is less pronounced than it looks? Cheers!

From my understanding the Sterling's feed ramp is much like the Lanchester's as it was seen as adequately reliable in terms of feeding.

Yeah, I think a 100% reliable mag is the holy grail haha.

I'm interested of the magazine

Indeed and we can see that the rollers weren't essential from their deletion from the Canadian magazines.

I googled it. I laughed.

How did he die?

@@TheArmourersBench magazine stuck in the corner wire, he was shot down struggling to pull out the magazine.

@@motolooper4928 Ahh I see, that's tragic. Certainly one of the common complaints with the magazine. They thought it would be better for prone shooting, it was just carried over from its predecessors the Lanchester and Sten. Where was he killed?

@@TheArmourersBench korea

Ahh, wasn't a Sterling then. It'll have been a Sten.