Originally Posted by
fusilier
I agree, supply of brass cartridges would be a serious problem. They were very expensive, and there was little industry set up to make them.
I'm not so sure that the sten gun would be that easy to manufacture. Stamped metal and welding facilities could be found in the 1940s in bicycle shops. Stamping presses certainly existed in the 1860s, but I don't know how widespread they were. However, the only welding available in the 1860s was forge welding, and I don't know how suitable that would be for stamped parts.