Anyone ever bought a Sten parts kit?

Splatt6

I've always thought the Sten was a cool weapon, and I was wondering if it was worth it to buy a parts kit.I know that creating a fully-functional receiver for one is illegal, but there's little point in buying a parts kit if you can't make it look good. Is it ok to create a fake receiver that allows the parts to fit together, but doesn't allow them to operate (no bolt movement, or something)?

boeboe

Fully functional semi-auto receivers, as well as all the parts necessary to make one in a semi-auto version are available. You couldn't make a full auto receiver, but you could build a semi-auto Sten with a pre-built receiver (transferable through an FFL) or you could build your own semi-auto receiver and parts. There are probably FFL dealers around who can get you the semi-auto receiver and semi-auto kits. And you should always check with the ATF regarding the technicalities of building a semi-auto version of a full auto weapon. If you did own a legal semi-auto Sten, I don't think you would want to be caught in possession of any parts that could be used to convert it to full auto. On building a dummy gun (non-functional) there are some things you need to do to satisfy the ATF that it can never be made fully auto. On most full auto dummy guns, that includes welding the barrel closed at the breech and then welding the barrel to the receiver. HOWEVER, that is not enough in some cases and I'm not sure what all has to be done to the Sten to make it a legit dummy gun. Sten guns are so simple, just welding the barrel shut and welding it to the receiver might not be enough. You should check with the ATF and find out for sure.