Do your stormtroopers hold their blasters left- or right-handed?

[JediTricks]

That's actually because they're holding the gun wrong. In the real world, the British design meant for the gun to be held by the grip in the right hand, and by the magazine well in the left. The Stormtroopers, however, held it by the barrel, which would be a bad idea in the real world since you'd burn your hand by doing that. Of course, the Star Wars version has a housing over the barrel, so we can assume that's the Imperial answer for a heat shield.

I assume they weren't instructed to hold it by the magazine because they would have looked silly, or because the armorers thought the magazine would jam, but I'm going to go with the former reason.

Here's some good vids on the Sterling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCzX6_BniuA (shows how to properly hold it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or0LxVDxB_c (informative)

No, that's a myth, if you hold a Sterling by the mag, it causes the mag to strain into the receiver which increases the chances of a jam. The Sterling was designed to be held by the barrel casing, its many vents are there to keep the barrel cool and safe to touch, and to keep the hand from getting burned by any heat the barrel could generate. The stormtroopers generally hold it by the folded up stock underneath the barrel casing, which seems even safer. The Sterling's manual even says that the point of the casing is to make it safe to the touch when used, and there are FINGER GUARDS at the front and back of the casing on the right side to keep your left hand from slipping in front of the barrel or backward into the range of the ejector port: http://nazarian.no/images/wep/337_Sterling_SMG.pdf

Look at the guy holding the mag in that first vid, the hold is awkward and blocks visibility from the left, and the mag is now loose which makes control worse and lowers the lifespan of the weapon. Stormtroopers actually are holding it correctly (although the weapon was designed with righties in mind, it can be used by lefties too but they have to be mindful of the ejecting shells).

[LTBasker]

Very interesting, thanks. I know that on guns you're generally not supposed to hold it by the magazine due to jamming, but I thought the Sterling's magazine may have been manufactured with the capability to not be effected by being held. The manual says January 1973, though, so they might have actually been instructed to hold the weapon by the magazine during WWII? I'm just theorizing, of course, but changes might have been made to it since then to properly reduce heating, or the ammunition made around that time may not have been the same as it was during WWII and doesn't cause as much heat.

[JediTricks]

I have read that the Sterling's mag has always been prone to cause jamming when held that way, and I don't believe anybody was trained during WW2 to use it that way (the Sterling not even invented until the last year of the war and only a hundred or so were used, it wasn't until the early '50s when it entered mass production). Besides jamming, it's just not good for aiming or for controlling the weapon in general, and it makes left-handed shooting impossible. Plus, the Sterling has always had those finger guards on the barrel casing.

I think folks are mistaking it for the Sten. The Sten's mag receiver was the part of the body that stuck way out the side which made for a popular grip, and the Sten's barrel casing was short and had less venting which made the proper barrel grip unpopular.

[LTBasker]

That would make sense, especially the mark 2 which really looks like the magazine would be the only practical place to hold it. I'd imagine that could have continued on with the Sterling from those who were used to using the Sten?

[JediTricks]

I guess, but Churchill in this shot is holding a mk1 properly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H_010688.jpg

I think that metal grip-like receiver would make a big difference on whether or not to hold it around the clip.