HISTORY
The Owen gun, known officially as the Owen machine carbine, was an Australian sub machine gun designed by Evelyn Owen in 1938. The Owen was the only entirely Australian-designed and constructed service sub machine gun of World War II and was used by the Australian Army from 1942 until 1971.
The first prototype of the Owen gun was developed by Evelyn Owen in 1931, who finalised the design in 1938, when he was around 23. Owen submitted the design to the Australian military, but was rejected, as they were waiting for the British Sten to finish development. By May 1940, Owen had enlisted in the Second AIF, and was set to deploy to the Middle East, but after speaking about his design to the manager of a local plant of Lysaght, who had an interest in the design, Owen was transferred to the Central Inventions Board. In June 1941, Owen was discharged from the army and began to manufacture the Owen gun. After conducting tests in September that year, the Owen was found to be more accurate and reliable than competing designs such as the Sten and Thompson.
The Owen gun proved popular with soldiers in the Pacific. New Zealanders fighting in the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns swapped their Thompsons for Owens, as they found Owen guns to be more reliable. During the gun's life, its reliability earned it the nickname "Digger's Darling" by Australian troops, and many of the Australian soldiers who had used the Owen came back to personally thank the Lysaght team as they believed the Owen had saved their lives. General Douglas MacArthur considered equipping American troops in the Pacific with the Owen.
The Owen was later used by Australian troops in the Korean and Vietnam, particularly the scouts in infantry sections. It remained a standard weapon of the Australian Army until 1971, when it was replaced by the F1 sub machine gun and, later, the M16.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Excellent all steel replica of the rare Australian first pattern Owen gun. Very detailed dry fires with removable magazine. steel stock. This Green camo painted example reflects its service in korea and Malaya. This weapon cannot be lived fired.
# PLEASE NOTE
Before committing to purchase this replica Owen gun please ensure that it complies with any Police licensing requirements within your state. This replica is allowed to be sold in WA with no license requirements.