| Place | Oceania: Australia |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL/16462 |
| Collection type | Technology |
| Object type | Firearm |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Wollongong |
| Date made | c 1938 |
| Conflict |
Period 1930-1939 Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Prototype .22 Owen Sub-machine Gun
Description
Prototype .22 Owen Sub-machine Gun. There are no markings on this weapon which appears to have been made from a semi-automatic .22 calibre rifle. The wooden stock has been cut down to behind the magazine slot and a wood pistol grip attached. The trigger mechanism, bolt and magazine are missing. There are no sights. Two slotted, cheese head screws have been remanufactured by the Australian War Memorial Objects Laboratory to bolt the stock and action together.
History / Summary
This weapon was supposedly made in Wollongong by a friend of Evelyn Owen, the inventor of the Owen Sub-machine gun. It came to be known when Mr Kevin Smith of Sydney, New South Wales was researching his book The Owen Gun Files, published 1994.