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Sterling SMG
The Sterling Mk.4 submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1994 as the L2A3 when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1. Its earliest combat record however was field testing near the end of WWII with early prototypes.
It was also formerly manufactured and used by India as the Sub Machine Gun 1A1 alongside the suppressed 2A1 variant. A Chilean copy of the Sterling exists, known as the FAMAE PAF, which features a retractable wire stock and no barrel shroud.
Specifications
(1944 - 1988)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Caliber: 9x19mm
- Weight: 6 lbs (2.7 kg)
- Length: 18.9 in (48.1 cm) stock folded, 27 in (68.6 cm) stock extended
- Barrel length: 7.7 in (19.6 cm)
- Capacity: 34-round box magazine; early Sterling prototypes can use Sten magazines
- Fire Modes: Full-Auto
The Sterling SMG and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Sterling Mk.4 / L2A3
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Return of Doctor Mabuse | German police | 1961 | ||
| The Ipcress File | Michael Caine | Harry Palmer | 1965 | |
| Funeral in Berlin | Multiple Characters | 1966 | ||
| Death is Nimble, Death is Quick | Ceylon police | 1966 | ||
| You Only Live Twice | Multiple Characters | 1967 | ||
| Dark Of The Sun | Rod Taylor | Capt. Bruce Curry | 1968 | |
| Jim Brown | Sgt. Ruffo | |||
| Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese | Dominique Zardi | Charles' henchman | 1968 | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | George Lazenby | James Bond | 1969 | |
| No Blade Of Grass | 1970 | |||
| The Last Grenade | Multiple Characters | 1970 | ||
| When Eight Bells Toll | Anthony Hopkins | Philip Calvert | 1971 | |
| The Bamboo House of Dolls | Imperial Japanese Army soldiers | 1973 | ||
| R.A.S. | Jacques Weber | Alain Charpentier | 1973 | |
| Jean-François Balmer | Raymond Dax | |||
| Jacques Villeret | Pvt. Girot | |||
| Jacques Chailleux | Pvt. Moutier | |||
| Albert Dray | Pvt. Titus | |||
| French soldiers | ||||
| Zardoz | Exterminators | 1974 | ||
| The Man From Hong Kong | George Lazenby | Jack Wilton | 1975 | |
| Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold | Tamara Dobson | Cleopatra Jones | 1975 | |
| Ni Tien | Mi Ling Fong | |||
| Christopher Hunt | Mendez | |||
| Members of Hong Kong Tactical Squad 7, thugs | ||||
| Hennessy | British Army radioman | 1975 | ||
| Flatfoot in Hong Kong | Macau police | 1975 | ||
| The Gypsy (Le gitan) | Maurice Barrier | Jacques Helman | 1975 | |
| Boomerang (Comme un boomerang) | A gangster | 1976 | ||
| Star Wars (A New Hope, 1977) | Imperial Stormtroopers | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle" | 1977 | |
| Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back, 1980) | Imperial Stormtroopers | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle" | 1980 | |
| Star Wars (Return of the Jedi, 1983) | Imperial Stormtroopers | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle" | 1983 | |
| The Spy Who Loved Me | Roger Moore | James Bond | 1977 | |
| Death of a Corrupt Man (Mort d'un pourri) | Assassin | 1977 | ||
| Midnight Express | Turkish soldiers | 1978 | ||
| The Wild Geese | Jack Watson | RSM Sandy Young | 1978 | |
| Love and Bullets | A mobster | 1979 | ||
| The Outsider | Derek Young | UDR sergeant | 1980 | |
| Gerry Alexander | British sergeant | |||
| British troops | ||||
| An American Werewolf in London | "Nazi" werewolf | 1981 | ||
| Water | Alan Shearman | Major Charlesworth | 1985 | |
| British SAS paratroopers | ||||
| Biggles: Adventures in Time | Alex Hyde White | Jim Ferguson | 1986 | |
| Neil Dickson | James Bigglesworth | |||
| Armed and Dangerous | Brion James | Anthony Lazarus | 1986 | |
| Jonathan Banks | Clyde Klepper | |||
| Fatal Beauty | Brad Dourif | Leo Nova | 1987 | |
| Picasso Trigger | Cynthia Brimhall | Edy | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle" | 1988 |
| Savage Beach | uncredited actor | Donny | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle" | 1989 |
| Return from the River Kwai | Chris Penn | Lt Crawford | 1989 | |
| L. A. Bounty | Bob Minor | Martin | The civilian version with extended barrel. | 1989 |
| RoboCop 2 | Gun store robber | 1990 | ||
| The Krays | 1990 | |||
| Marked for Death | Jamaican Soldier | 1990 | ||
| Point Break (1991) | Australian police officers | 1991 | ||
| If Looks Could Kill | 1991 | |||
| An Ungentlemanly Act | British and Argentinian soldiers | 1992 | ||
| Mask of Death | A street thug | 1996 | ||
| Return to Savage Beach | Donny | as the "BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle"; footage from Savage Beach | 1998 | |
| Crocodile 2: Death Swamp | robber | 2002 | ||
| Bloody Sunday | British paratroopers | 2002 | ||
| Lakshya | Indian soldiers | 2004 | ||
| Dhoom 2 | Police | 2006 | ||
| Blood Diamond | Government Soldiers | 2006 | ||
| The Last King of Scotland | Ugandan soldiers | 2006 | ||
| American Gangster | guards at Frank's heroin plant | 2007 | ||
| Shootout at Lokhandwala | Anti-Terrorist Squad officers | 2007 | ||
| Max Payne | 2008 | |||
| The Nice Guys | Matthew Bomer | John Boy | 2016 | |
| Soldiers Only Known By God | Argentinian Amphibious Commandos and British paratroopers | 2017 | ||
| Malay Regiment | Communist guerillas | 2017 | ||
| Avengement | Scott Adkins | Cain Burgess | 2019 | |
| Thomas Turgoose | Tune | |||
| John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum | Seen in armory | 2019 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who | John Levene | Sgt. John Benton | "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" | 1974 |
| Doctor Who | Martin Taylor | Cpl. Norton | "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" | 1974 |
| Doctor Who | Trevor Lawrence | Lodge | "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" | 1974 |
| Doctor Who | max Faulkner | Cpl. Adams | "The Android Invasion" | 1975 |
| The Professionals | Various characters | Different configurations | 1977-1981 | |
| Dempsey and Makepeace | Mark Ryan | Jimmy | "Extreme Prejudice" (S03E05) | 1986 |
| Dempsey and Makepeace | Tony Osoba | Sgt. Jarvis | "Extreme Prejudice" (S03E05) | 1986 |
| Big Game (Bolshaya igra) | Killer | S01E06 | 1988 | |
| Inspector George Gently | RAF gate guard | "The Burning Man" (S01E01) | 2008 | |
| The Day of the Triffids | Jean Murray | Susan | 2009 | |
| Endeavour - Season 4 | A guard on nuclear power plant | "Harvest" (S04E04) | 2017 | |
| The Mandalorian | Mandalorians | "Chapter 3: The Sin"; mocked up as a BlasTech DH-17 Blaster | 2019 | |
| The Mandalorian | New Republic Security Droids | "Chapter 6: The Prisoner"; mocked up as a BlasTech DH-17 Blaster | 2019 | |
| Fallout - Season 1 | Ella Purnell | Lucy MacLean | "The End" (S1E01) | 2024 |
| Dave Register | Chet | |||
| Annabel O'Hagan | Stephanie "Steph" Harper | |||
| Raiders |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Operative: No One Lives Forever | Incorrect 30-round capacity | 2000 | |
| No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way | L2A3 | Incorrect 30-round capacity | 2002 |
| Contract J.A.C.K. | L2A3 | Incorrect 30-round capacity | 2003 |
| Vietcong 2 | 2005 | ||
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | 2007 | ||
| Cross Fire | "Sterling" | 2007 | |
| Payday 2 | "Patchett L2A1" | Incorrect 20-round and 30-round capacity | 2013 |
| Insurgency | Sterling | full-auto only | 2014 |
| World of Guns: Gun Disassembly | Sterling MK4 | bayonet | 2014 |
| Insurgency: Sandstorm | Sterling | Added in June 2020 "Nightfall" update | 2018 |
| Military Conflict: Vietnam | L2A3 & L2A3 with suppressor | 2022 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini | Mercenaries | 1996 | |
| Spriggan (1998) | A Turkish assassin | 1998 | |
| Desert Punk | A mercenary | 2004 |
Sterling Mk.5 / L34A1
The Sterling L34A1 (a.k.a. Sterling Mk.5) is the suppressed version of the Sterling L2A3.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Ungentlemanly Act | British and Argentinian soldiers | 1992 | ||
| Soldiers Only Known By God | British and Argentinian soldiers | 2017 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way | L34A1 | Incorrect 30-round capacity | 2002 |
| Contract J.A.C.K. | L34A1 | Incorrect 30-round capacity | 2003 |
| Conflict: Vietnam | 2004 | ||
| Insurgency: Sandstorm | Sterling | Added in June 2020 "Nightfall" update, created by fitting the Sterling Mk. 4 with the "suppressor" attachment | 2018 |
Sterling Mk.6
The Sterling Mark 6 (also called Sterling Mark 6 "Police") is a closed bolt semi-automatic civilian carbine version of the Sterling Mark 4 sold in the United States in the 1980s. It is has a 16" minimum legal length barrel. These were used in movies and television shows, sometimes with the barrel cut down and legally converted to full-auto fire.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoboCop | Mike Moroff | Hophead | 1987 | |
| The Hidden | Clarence Felder | Lt. Masterson | 1987 |
Sterling Mk.7
The Sterling Mk.7 is a compact pistol version of the Sterling Mk.6. The Mk.7 models are named with a suffix consisting of a letter and a number. For the letter, "A-" models are automatic, "C-" models are semi-auto. For the number, "-4" models have 4.25" short barrels, "-8" models have 7.8" long barrels. They may be fitted with foregrips, front straps, and/or fixed stocks.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Team | Mk.7 A8 (or Mk.7 C8) with no stock and no foregrip | 1997 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firearms: Source | "MK7A4" | Mk.7 A4 with foregrip, without stock | 2010 |
CETME C2
The CETME C2, also known as the CB-64, is a Spanish derivative of the Sterling Mk.4 made by CETME; though similar in profile, the CETME C2 features significant modifications to the design, and none of its parts are interchangeable with the Sterling. The most obvious differences between the C2 and the Sterling is the C2's improved pistol grip, straight 30-round magazines, and different stock design. It also has a relocated charging handle at the top of the receiver and different iron sights. The CETME C2 is made in both 9x19mm Parabellum and 9x23mm Largo.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrente | Thugs, Rafi's friends | 1998 | ||
| The Business | Colombian | 2005 |
C1 Submachine Gun
The C1 is the Canadian version of Sterling SMG. It used stamped metal parts rather than cast ones, featured slight internal differences, and had different front sights and a larger, more square trigger guard that can swivel open. Canada produces and issues 30-round magazines for the C1, which feature a slightly different design from the L2A3's 34-rounders, though both magazines are fully interchangeable.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Play | Soldiers | 1978 |
MGC Sterling
A non-firing model replica of the Sterling SMG is produced by MGC of Japan. This replica is primarily based on the Canadian C1, featuring its enlarged trigger guard and trigger, but has its own unique front sight found on neither the C1 nor the L2A3.
The MGC Sterling is notable for being the basis of the BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle found in the Star Wars franchise, specifically the ones in Return of the Jedi.
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Six Siege | 9mm C1 | Introduced in Operation Black Ice expansion (2016) | 2015 |
| Ghost Recon Wildlands | 9mm C1 | 2017 |