MANUFACTURER – Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, London, England.
STATUS – Obsolete
SERVICE – None, prototype only
By the time the Mk IV had been developed enough for production, the Sten Mk V was already coming off the production lines. The design was originally intended to meet a need by British Airborne forces for a more compact weapon then even the Sten Mk II. The Mk IV has a very short barrel, which required a flash suppressor to minimize the otherwise violent flash at the muzzle of the weapon. A unique aspect of the Mk IV design is the locking bolt handle. By pulling the bolt handle back only slightly, it could be rotated to lock the bolt in the forward position. The safety is the same upward hooked slot design found on all of the Stens. The folding stock pivots at the base of the pistol grip after a spring-loaded catch is pulled forward to release the mechanism. A very few of the Mk IV design were manufactured, basically from a Sten Mk II receiver and general parts.
