Patchett Machine Carbine Mk II
Sterling Engineering Company · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1946
Also known as: Patchett Mk 2, Patchett Machine Carbine Mk 2, Patchett Mk II
Overview
The Patchett Machine Carbine Mk II is a British 9x19mm blowback submachine gun designed by George William Patchett of the Sterling Engineering Company. An improved development of the wartime Mk I, it introduced a ribbed bolt and a revised trigger mechanism, firing at around 600 rounds per minute from a 34-round curved side-mounted magazine. Tested in the 1947 and 1951 British trials and refined further during jungle trials in Malaya, it was adopted by the British Army in 1954 as the L2A1 and formed the direct basis of the long-serving Sterling submachine gun.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2700 g (95.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 686 mm (27.01") |
| Folded Length | 481 mm (18.94") |
| Barrel Length | 196 mm (7.72") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 34 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 390 m/s (1280 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 481 J (355 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Tubular Receiver, Side Mounted Magazine, Perforated Barrel Shroud, Folding Stock, Curved Magazine, Ribbed Bolt
Variants
- Sterling L2A3 - Production Model
Base model
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1954 · as L2A1
Conflicts
- Malayan Emergency (1948-1960)
Production
Production years: 1946-1954
Trials and pre-production quantities; a batch of about 75 trial guns was sent for field testing in Malaya in 1953 before the design was adopted as the L2A1 and mass-produced as the Sterling.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: George William Patchett
Discontinued: 1954
Notes
The Mk II's ribbed bolt scraped fouling from the receiver walls, improving reliability in dirty and muddy conditions. A redesign of the trigger, made to stop firers bruising their fingers, inadvertently pushed the cyclic rate above 600 rpm, which was judged excessive during trials.
Background
The Mk II Patchett bridged the wartime prototype and the mass-produced Sterling. Trials in the jungles of Malaya against communist insurgents, including field-improvised shotgun-style rib sights for the dense jungle, shaped the sight and reliability refinements that carried the design into decades of British service.