# Need Help! sterling arms mark 2



## mac_bb (Jan 24, 2012)

hi, 
i have a sterling arms mark II .380. this last weekend after i was done shooting it i noticed half of the takedown screw got tore out from the slide (pictures below). now from what i know about this pistol is sterling arms went out of business in 1983 so the gun is discontinued... after extensive searching the only replacement parts i can find for this gun are from numrich and of course they are out of stock. i was wondering if any body knew of any resources i could look into for this piece? or perhaps somebody has one they would be willing to part out? any help would be much appreciated.


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## TedDeBearFrmHell (Jul 1, 2011)

this is going to be a tough nut, sterlings were marginal at their best.... and horrible at their worst. they were disposable guns, much like the jennings/bryco/jiminez/raven/davis guns are today.

IF you must use this gun, you may find a local machinist who can make the screw for you, but it will most likely cost more than the guns worth.... one other place might be ACE hardware, they have a crap load of machine screws in all sizes, take the slide off and take it in for a test fitting. if you get the right thread pitch and shape, you can always shorten the screw to fit.

IF you dont have to use this gun, i recommend that you piece it out and sell it, in "like new"
condition its only worth $90-100.


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## Bimmster (Apr 2, 2012)

I have the same issue with mine!
A friend and I each bought one of these in 1982. Mine is still a good shooting gun and my son loves to shoot it, my friend parted with his long ago, it was a constant jammer no matter what we did.
I'm also looking for this part and or a parts gun.


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## rickw638 (May 12, 2012)

I have one that could be used as a part gun. Contact me at [email protected].


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## Haas (Jun 24, 2009)

Even if you find a screw at the hardware store with a matching thread, a machinist would be able to modify that head without too much cost. In fact, if you head over to a machine shop on a Saturday morning, you might find someone working who will modify if quickly and cheaply for cash.


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## dogngun (May 29, 2006)

Some thoughts on Sterling Arms. I can not agree they were "junk" or "disposable" guns. I bought one of their small pocket .22's when they first came out...they were all steel, machined, and very costly compared to the cast guns of that time...around $130. The problems with Sterlings came from the number of different designs they tried to make without sufficient de-bugging and in a very small factory. They made a great variety of handguns, from the .22 and .25 pocket pistols to a single shot changeable barrel hunting pistol called the X-Caliber. They were well made, but they were never completely trouble free. I think they should have started with a few designs and got them all working well, but they did not.
Sterlings were made in New York State from 1972 till 1984...

Here's a pic of an X caliber...http://www.gunauction.com/buy/10764...terling-arms-corporation-x-caliber-357mag-box

mark


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## jose (Jan 9, 2013)

Hello all, this may be a bit late but I figured I'll put it out there any way. I own a sterling 380 and i will say while every one is entitled to their opinion, I have no complaints about the pistol for its class. It's accurate and a good fit for large hands. Dual action with a thumb safety! Excellent ease of de-cock. Minimal recoil although responds poorly to cheap ammo (mucks up).Any replacement parts I've needed were readily available from Jack First. wwwdotjackfirstgundotcom. the service and expertise are incomparable when you want that one on one help and I've gotten a firing pin, take down screw, and thumb safety from them. (they mill them on site) perfect fit! I enjoy shooting my sterling and am looking for another. I've put about 1000 rounds through my used one with about ten stove pipes and a couple of mis fires due to pin spring lag. otherwise a great range gun for me. Hope this helps.


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## 60DRB (Dec 20, 2012)

Yeah, I bought a .25 (S300) for $60 w/3 mags a while back on a whim. Shoots OK with good ammo. Had to have the extractor replaced after it snapped the second trip to the range (thanks Numrich). OK since then. Seems to be well finished/fitted for what it is.


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## golfstocks (May 25, 2014)

Thanks for the help for my Sterlihg 380. I had to spray the take down screw with lube and work the spring for a while. Eventually it turned the entire quarter turn and the slide lifted up and off. The next problem was with the safety. It kept slipping on when I fired a shot. 

First I had to take the slide off and use a pin punch to push the saftey pin all the way in. The safe had to be off to do this. I had to tap it so it would get stuck all the way down. At this point the saftey lever could be pulled out and the entire safe unit would follow. I set up the saftey lever in a vise and put the two small indent holes in the open so I could drill on them. I figured out whtch indent crater was being used to pin the saftey off when I was ready to fire. I used a metal drill to make the hole deeper. I was like a dentist drilling a cavity. When I replaced the saftey lever the little piston that was pushed into the crater holding the saftey off was now deeper and had more holding power. It set in a little deeper and the saftey no longer went from off to on every time the gun was fired. You also must remember when you reassemble the gun that you have to gently push the stuck firing pin back into its original position. 

While you have the gun apart, you might also want to pull the saftey pin and spring out and clean them both.


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