They predate the American involvement, but the US version was in response to the search for a weapon that could be easily transported by submarine; weight was not a consideration, but bulk was. And the simple tubing barrel assembly could be carried aboard even the cramped confines of a submarine by the hundreds.
The reason the stocks were so well-made was because the first ones, with a pine or maple buttstock frequently split and had to be replaced with locally-made replacements made from damaged M1917 Enfield [whose flat ejector springs routinely break or Jap rifles or from native Phillipine mahogany. Accordingly, later production was walnut shaped suspiciously like the back half of an M1 Garand buttstock less the buttplate and cleaning kit inletting woodwork, until eventually it dawned on someone that it was only necessary to ship barrels and brass shell cases with replacement primers and powder, and the guerrillo workshops could take care of the rest. The example of the Phillipine *Guerrilla Gun* owned by Mitch Werbell was one such, [with mahogany stock] but whether an early *replaced stock* version or one of the later ones built from components, I'm not at all certain. But it had 4 notches cut in the fairly crudely whittled-out stock, and I do not think they represented successful pig hunts.
The US manufacturer/contractor was Richardson Industries of East Haven, CT who tried to market a somewhat better-built version after the war, primarily in the agricultural South. They were marked *Richardson Industries Guerrila Gun* and *East Haven, Conn.*, branded into the stock and so far as a *proper* name for 'em, were variously known as the *slambang* or *zip gun* [ever wonder where the New York gang punks picked up that moniker for their home-built handguns!] or by the term paliantod in the Phillipines.
They're a useful bit of tool for an occupied people, but the price for series production of the WWII Sten Gun in quantity was around $9.00 each, and you might think that would be money better spent.
I'll be a monkey's uncle. Your post here is the first corroboration I have ever seen for that gun. Most of the people I have told about it -- including some heavy duty weapons nerds -- have given me the, "I'll humour you till you go back on your meds" look.
Mitch WerBell. There's a guy I haven't thought of in almost as long as he's been dead. His son (sons?) did alright taking the business in a new direction. I used to have a Sionics Hi-Standard in the arms room, years ago. Useful critter, I understand a subsequent custodian had to turn it in. They didn't know what we'd get up to with it :). The Mk IIs Sten was a different matter, cause you could disassemble it and soak the powder out of the innards and it would quiet back down. But that .22, when the wipes were gone, they were gone. And the valves tended to get clogged up.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F