The STEN gun is famous for its simple design and construction, so much so that it “can be made even by a bicycle workshop”, referring to Lines Bros Ltd. (a manufacturer of children’s bicycles and toys in the early 20th century), just one of many privately owned manufacturers to produce the STEN. At the other end of the scale, Birmingham Small Arms, or BSA, was one of the biggest and best-known of these firms, founded in 1861 in the Gun Quarter, Birmingham. BSA started trial production of the STEN in August 1941, with 1000 guns manufactured in October. By March 1942, the 100,000th STEN gun came off the production line, which was all the while being targeted by the Luftwaffe during the Birmingham Blitz.
By the end of 1942, BSA was churning out approximately 9000 STEN guns per month. This remarkable achievement in production efficiency led to BSA management being invited to help to establish the arsenal at Long Branch in Canada. After the Second World War, the Royal Ordnance Factory in Fazakerley, being in the midst of a labour dispute, resulted in BSA gaining orders to build L1A1 Self Loading Rifles for the British Armed Forces.
