The Sterling pistol 302 in 22 Lr

In this new article, we will discover the Sterling pistol chambered in .22 LR. I wanted to introduce you to this small pistol because it offers a useful comparison with the Bernardelli Baby pistol, which was described in a previous article. This will be an opportunity to look at a similar pocket pistol equivalent, but in a different caliber and with distinct design choices.

Sterling 302 pistol.

The Sterling firm did not exist for very long, and the company’s strategic choices were probably the cause. This can be seen through the firearms they marketed, notably a compact version of the High Standard pistol. It is hard to believe that it actually sold. The 302 pistol seems to represent a genuine effort to market a true compact pistol, rather than just a shortened version of an already existing model. You can find more information on the following page: weaponsman.com.

Field stripping this firearm does not require any special tools. The various steps to accomplish this task are detailed below :

• Remove the magazine from the weapon ;
• Verify that the chamber is empty ;
• Press the button that unlocks the slide assembly lever ;

• The assembly button pops out of its housing ;

• Once unlocked, the slide lifts out through the top ;

• Field stripping is now complete ;

The slide is made of steel. It appears to be produced by investment casting (micro-fusion) and then machined. Casting and machining marks are visible. The slide alone is rather heavy and massive. The weight of this part is 136 grams. The dimensions of the raw block envelope are: length = 119 mm, thickness = 20.4 mm, height = 20.1 mm.

With an almost identical mechanism, one can compare the firing pin of the Sterling pistol (rimfire) and that of the Bernardelli Baby pistol (centerfire) to contrast the designers’ choices. Two small bevels are present on the firing pin tip; they are there to provide better penetration into the cartridge case rim during ignition.

The firing pin rests back on its sear notch after the slide travels 26.7 mm backward.

Ejection occurs via the extension of the firing pin spring guide rod. A hole runs through the firing pin to allow this extension to pass through so it can fulfill its role as an ejector.

The frame is a massive part; it weighs 179 grams (bare component). Its dimensions are: height: 79 mm, thickness: 13.5 mm, length: 106.5 mm.

The magazine consists of 6 parts :

• The magazine body ;
• The magazine folower ;
• The magazine folower spring ;
• The magazine follower stop pin ;
• The magazine floorplate lock ;
• The magazine floorplate.

The magazine capacity is 6 rounds.

Instead of utilizing a single piece of sheet metal, the manufacturer used two pieces which were then spot-welded together with three points on each side. The two metal sheets used do not have the same thickness (0.8 mm for the rear sheet forming the magazine lips, 0.6 mm for the front sheet).

The magazine slides perfectly into its well.

Live Fire Testing the Sterling 302

The first shooting session did not go very well. It was impossible for me to fire a complete magazine without a malfunction. The recurring issue was cartridge feeding/chambering. With every shot, extraction and ejection were fine, but the next round failed to chamber properly.

To feed the next round, I had to close the slide by pushing it forward by hand. When feeding manually (directly into the chamber, without the slide or magazine), the cartridges had difficulty fully seating into the chamber.