Owen Gun

[mrclark303]

It made infinate sense didn't it, that a magazine feeding rounds into a chamber from above was always going to work well, however, the Sterling did the same job as long as you rested the springs in your mags once a week.
Best weapon for CQB in the world, loved it

Just for you Gil, from my NZ issued collection.....

[bigduke6]

Very Nice John, I'll be looking for a Sterling and a L1A1 Deac at some point, to go in to the FFR Land Rover I bought.

[Archilochus]

Thanks for the picture! The Owen is my favorite WWII SMG. I've got a parts kit, and am slowly working on "cloning" it as a legal (in US) 16" barrel semi-auto.

I know the bayo mount and finned barrel don't really belong on the same gun, but I couldn't resist those fins, and every SMG needs a bayonet. (even though it won't mount with the 16" barrel - some day I might file for the short-barreled-rifle paperwork).

[Gil Boyd]

A lovely example John of one of the best SMG's of all time, really envious. It was my best friend for quite some time and never missed a beat even in the worst conditions

[mrclark303]

Cheers guys, I cosmetically rebuilt if from a real dog a few years ago. It's deactivated, but done with a 'light touch' to old spec in 1989, so cocks, clicks and strips...

---------- Post added at 12:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 AM ----------

Thanks for the picture! The Owen is my favorite WWII SMG. I've got a parts kit, and am slowly working on "cloning" it as a legal (in US) 16" barrel semi-auto.

I know the bayo mount and finned barrel don't really belong on the same gun, but I couldn't resist those fins, and every SMG needs a bayonet. (even though it won't mount with the 16" barrel - some day I might file for the short-barreled-rifle paperwork).

Excellent, best of luck with the project and keep us posted.

I know of a UK Owen project currently underway, using some original parts to build an inert display example...

Extremely rare beasts north of the equator!

[browningautorifle]

though it won't mount with the 16" barrel

Can't you move the bayonet lug forward like the Johnson automatic rifle? Transverse pin on the barrel and all should work right...you likely won't need it for CQB...

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Archi:

Your kit appears to be the remains of a post WW2 Mk2/3 upgraded gun.

These had the "supplementary" safety catch that rotated around the body tube to block forward travel of the bolt assembly

[Archilochus]

Archi:

Your kit appears to be the remains of a post WW2 Mk2/3 upgraded gun.

These had the "supplementary" safety catch that rotated around the body tube to block forward travel of the bolt assembly

Thanks for the ID! Wish the kit had come with that extra safety catch. It's always difficult to replicate a part without having one in hand.

I've been trying to figure out what might have been soldered into the rear section of the stock. All around the rim of the rear section are remains of a solder bead. So far I've found no info on what might have been there. Any ideas?

Can't you move the bayonet lug forward like the Johnson automatic rifle? Transverse pin on the barrel and all should work right...you likely won't need it for CQB...

I might end up doing that. I'll have to mock it up and see how it looks.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Archi:

The late-pattern "safety was a pretty simple piece of rolled sheet metal and should not be too hard to fabricate; it will make a VERY positive manual "hold-open on a closed-bolt build.

The tube fragments to the right of the mag and its housing appear to be firstly, the front locating piece for the "lower" housing.there should be a small but robust "tab" on the front of the "lower" that is inserted in that slot.

The rear attachment point for the "lower" is a threaded hole in the rear-most internal "collar, the one that supports the bolt extension and against which the main (botl) spring actsHard to tell what the other bit is..One of the "cheese-head" screws the SHOULD have come with the parts kit is used for this.

As for the "end cap"; the entire bolt assembly is pretty much stuffed in via the front of the receiver tube (BEFORE you mount the "quick-release" barrel). The catch is that you need to CAREFULLY remove this cap from the rear of the receiver tube to install the cocking handle on the bolt extension. The end-cap is supposed to be "firmly affixed" to the rear of the receiver tube. It is, meant to be removable. The "fingers' on the end cap are slightly sprung and there SHOULD be a small, radiused flange around the extreme rear of the tube. The cocking handle should have a small, serrated brass "button. This needs to be pulled out to allow the cocking handle to slide onto the bolt extension and then the plunger is released to lock into the appropriate hole.

Find an on-line copy of the original "user handbook" for more details.

Fun point: when this rear-mounted safety is rotated into the "SAFE" position, its handle / detent plunger housing blocks the view between the rear and front sights.

Probably a major drama building a "linear-striker system for a closed-bolt version, perhaps a "hammer" mechanism could be "adapted" into the lower housing. Looks like an interesting challenge.

Have fun and keep us posted.

[AlexRod85]

One of the biggest features was the magazine; not just because it was on top, Owen is certainly more pleasant to shoot.