This is a very fine example of a very rare, WWII British Lanchester Mark I * (modified) SMG manufactured by the Sterling Engineering Company Ltd. in Essex, England. This model was designed in early 1940 by George Lanchester and was used by the British Navy throughout WWII. These SMGs were an almost direct copy of the German MP28 II except for a couple of minor changes to the basic design of the weapon. The internals were identical to the MP28, except for the earlier Lanchester models that had a selector switch on the front of the trigger guard. Later in the war the selector switch was completely eliminated making them a fully automatic weapon only, with all previously fielded so modified. Those models were redesigned as a "Mark I * " as in this example. The two unique features of this weapon is that the magazine housing was completely made from brass and the barrel jacket has a permanently attached bayonet lug on the underside for the British 1907 pattern bayonet. The top of the magazine housing is marked "LANCHESTER/MK. I./SA/16478A/CF 52". It has the standard WWII fixed front sight with a tangent rear sight. It has a late hardwood Enfield pattern walnut stock with finger grooves on the sides. This is a very robust and heavily designed SMG, that was probably very easy to control. This weapon includes one 50 round stick magazine.

Very fine with 95% of the arsenal gray parkerized finish overall on the steel parts with the brass magazine housing having lost most of its black painted finish. The bolt is in the white. The stock is in very good condition with a nice original oil finish showing minor handling marks and light scratches overall. A very scarce and desirable WWII British submachine gun. NOTE: This item is restricted as a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a "Curios or Relic" as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 478.