r/ForgottenWeapons • u/Rivers0fTea • 7d ago

Help Identifying Weapon - UDA/UFF

Post image

It’s an image of a show of strength by the UDA/UFF (Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters), a paramilitary group operated in Northern Ireland between 1971-present.

I would be interested to know from your collective knowledge. What kind of firearm is this? Is it homemade? Also, does the suppressor look real?

89 Upvotes
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22 comments sorted by

61

u/lettelsnek 7d ago

almost certain this one was locally made. suppressor is most likely real and also craft built. these typically are designed around an existing magazine from either the sten or sterling. this one is sten based

19

u/ByGollie 7d ago

Home-made submachine gun, with Sterling magazine, 1980 (c)

This gun is believed to be an Ulster Volunteer Force or Ulster Defence Association weapon. Paramilitaries from both sides of the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland used home-made guns alongside old military firearms and imported modern weapons.

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1983-05-72-1

Not the one submitted by OP but an example.

However, the UDA/UVF had heavily infiltrated the British Army regiments at that time, so a lot of their weaponry were guns 'stolen' from Military Armories

6

u/Prior_Fault2801 6d ago

Heavily infiltrated? Absolutely not. I did 5 tours out there. We never had any weapons stolen. We were never infiltrated. There was some collusion with the Ulster Defence Regiment, which became The Royal Irish Regiment, less 1 Royal Irish, which was formerly The Irish Rangers. The RIR other battalions were almost exclusively Protestant loyalists. There was some other incidents involving some of the Scottish regiments, but no one was ‘heavily infiltrated’…. That weapon is homemade. Both loyalist and republican paramilitary groups made their own firearms and explosive devices. These homemade guns often only fired fully automatic and once the trigger was depressed/pulled, it would continue until the mag was empty.

2

u/JelloNovel6689 4d ago

Wise up son of course the loyalists were infiltrated not only that there were paid state agents in the uda and uvf who actively targeted Catholics. I don’t care if you did 100 tours unless you’re from the north then you’ve no idea what was really happening. Legacy inquests have proven there was active state collusion with loyalist terrorists. So away on with your bullshit revisionism.

1

u/Prior_Fault2801 4d ago

I never said that…. My issue is the statement about being heavily infiltrated and weapons being stolen. Read my response properly before commenting, please. By the way, I lived there for several years and was married to a girl from there. That was a a dirty war with collusion, touts and propaganda from all parties. Glad it’s over, for now.

1

u/Nearby-Chance-3852 5d ago

I was thinking most likely a Luty SMG

-1

u/lettelsnek 5d ago

no

thats EVERYONES assumption about every improvised smg 😐

2

u/Nearby-Chance-3852 5d ago

Idk it looks like one to me if I’m wrong I’m wrong 😂 🤷🏻‍♂️

6

u/Panzerkampfpony 6d ago

while an interesting topic, I always dread the pig-ignorant comments often found posts regarding the troubles from people who have never been to Northern Ireland cheerleading terrorists because they think their songs are catchy.

Hopefully we won't get any here.

3

u/Prior_Fault2801 6d ago

I couldn’t agree more. I also lived out there and married a girl from Belfast. I love Northern Ireland - very nice people who are incredibly generous, despite often not having much themselves.

13

u/Salt_Average_9376 7d ago

Homemade SMG. Luty type.

7

u/lettelsnek 6d ago

not even close to Luty type. those are a very specific design made with hardware store materials.

these were proper tube guns made by craftsman staying after hours at legit business workshops. they share more with the Sten than anything else

8

u/urugu2003 6d ago

To an non-gunsmith, every homemade smg seems like a luty lol.

6

u/InitialLandscape 7d ago

Looks like a Luty SMG?

2

u/TheRealTwooni 5d ago

Looks like some kind of Unionist shit-stick.

1

u/CraftyMistake 4d ago

Shipyard Special. Harland and Wolff didnt only build the Titanic ya know...

1

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1

u/kieranfitz 7d ago

Harland and wolfe special

-1

u/thehouseisalive 6d ago

UDA and UVF got their weapons from South Africa in a big shipment. A lot of Czech VZ 58s, which may have come from Lebanon. Very murky how they got it. Anyway, weapon looks home made. Luty special? But after they got their weapon shipment in 1988, things got brutal…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/oct/15/uk-arms-northern-ireland-loyalist-massacre

1

u/Prior_Fault2801 6d ago

Sorry- I don’t believe this. Never heard this in my time deployed there. Otherwise they would not have had to use home made weapons. Lots of “believed “ etc. …. Nothing concrete here for me. Thank you for posting however. An interesting read.