The Sten traded refinement for wartime production

The Sten's few parts and simple manufacture met the needs of rapid wartime mobilization. Repeated efforts to simplify the design reduced the production work required. Its rationale also included the expectation that quickly conscripted troops would not match professional soldiers' shooting performance. Light 9 mm ammunition reduced the burden on men already carrying radios and other heavy equipment. Modern attempts to 3D-print it illustrate that simplicity, although printing a model does not establish that it would function as a weapon. The Mark II is singled out for its especially minimal construction. The comparison with cheap self-assembly furniture concerns wear: replacing a worn-out Sten could cost less than maintaining it. Continued production was therefore needed to replace exhausted weapons, while the minimal construction left little scope for more powerful ammunition.