Why did the Sten gun have a side magazine?

The Sten was designed as a cheap alternative to the Lanchester submachine gun, which was itself a copy of the MP 28 II. It retained the side mounted magazine both to save time and to enable a soldier to switch from one gun to another without re-training.

What gun has the magazine on the side?

The Sten is a select fire, blowback-operated weapon and loads its magazine on the left, rather than the bottom, as is the usual configuration….Sten.

Sten, submachine gun
Effective firing range	100 m
Feed system	32-round detachable box magazine
Sights	fixed peep rear, post front

What was the first gun with a magazine?

The first magazine fed firearm to achieve widespread success was the Spencer repeating rifle, which saw service in the American Civil War. The Spencer used a tubular magazine located in the butt of the gun, rather than under the barrel, and used new rimfire metallic cartridges.

Why are bullets called magazines?

Magazine comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘storeroom,’ so the usage of the word to refer to a place where bullets are held for a gun or where ammunition is kept in a battleship makes complete sense.

Which submachine guns have side mounted Mags?

This was a great success and widely copied, both with and without licence, and established the side mounted magazine as standard for European submachine guns. It was retained on the MP34, MP35, Erma EMP, Steyr-Solothurn MP34 (O) and several other designs.

What was the first submachine gun ever made?

The first practical submachine gun was the German MP18 I. This used the the bulky 32 round snail drum magazine developed for use in the Parabellum Artillery Model P08/17 pistol (long barelled Luger).

Why do some weapons have Mags protruding from the bottom?

If you have a long magazine protruding from beneath your weapon, it’s hard to keep your head low as that mag is in contact with the ground. This is the same rationale that was led to the M1 Garand having the internal magazine and using the en bloc clips rather than a detachable box magazine.

What was the purpose of a top mounted magazine?

The top mounted magazine was inherited from the Italien Glisenti machine gun. Although this fired a pistol cartridge, it was intended to be used as a light machine gun, mounted in pairs on a bipod mounting. The top mounted magazines made it easier for the assistant gunner to reach over and reload the guns.