The Owen SMG: Looks Bad; Shoots Good

[@jemc4276]

Every Australian is so proud of this gun. My dad talked about using it during his army days in the early sixties.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

As he should!

[@anti-loganpaul7827]

Your dad's a real hero that's for sure.

[@pleaseno779]

I'm not surprised, pretty much the only known and used gun the Aussies made, so he wasn't gonna be proud of any other :)

[@therealfinn1839]

@Saint Jerry and what type of hero are you let me guess a keyboard hero

[@inertia14]

My uncle was issued this during his national service in vietnam. His dad , my grandad was issued it during the New Guinea campaign in ww2. It’s awesome to hear their stories about laying down hate with the same gun 20 years apart in 2 completely different wars both geographically and politically.

[@bigsmoke8816]

The magazine is just a result of Australian being upside down

[@comradeurod9805]

Just happened to be a perfect fit for the rest of the world

[@randomfpv22]

Oi

[@lancer2204]

@rustybuttpate I bloody dere ya Aunty Jack!

[@mcqueenfanman]

I wonder what the rifle twist direction is.

[@trentpetersen443]

@@mcqueenfanman , the same as toilets in Australia...all at once and in one direction...

[@erichharding8777]

“The simplest answer is usually the correct one.” Defines this gun in a nutshell.

[@driffbro3380]

The Occam's smg..

[@pyro4squirrel]

This isn't the simplest answer.

[@pyro4squirrel]

@ZaHandle firearm wise the sten is more simple. Aside from magazine the mp18 is more simple as well.

[@itcaboi1707]

​@@pyro4squirrelthe mp18 is not more simple. When it was first introduced it was an artisan piece, hard to mass produce and heavy. The Owen smg was literally built and designed by a kid in his garage, this is as simple as simple gets.

[@pyro4squirrel]

@@itcaboi1707 he was 23 when he made the first prototype (a .22lr) Not exactly a kid. Also the mp18 is 100% more simple.

[@chowderpilot3843]

A young bloke has the smarts and audacity to build the prototype in his backyard shed. The gun is discovered by a neighbor and is manufactured locally. It is so well designed and cheap to make it helps save the country during WW2. The weapon is reliable and effective and remains in service with the Australian Army until 1971. And for his innovation and his efforts the inventor was never paid by the Australian government. This is such an Australian story on many levels.

[@campbeld63]

This may be why there's so few around now. Prototyped in a home workshop, developed in the machine shop at Lysaght's Port Kembla works (probably using repurposed machine parts), if you could get a barrel and a look at how it works you could make one. (We used to have one with part cut away to show the internals, behind the reception desk at Springhill Works. I'm betting it's gone now.)

[@Necrodermis]

Evelyn Owen did receive £10,000 (adjusted for todays inflation its a little under 855,000 AUD today) in royalties and patent sales. probably the biggest shame is this bright man died at the age of 33 in 1949

[@sunriseboy4837]

Yeah, very "Australian"...not getting paid!

[@hughboyd2904]

Credit to the young designer but tbh, it was our alliance with the US that ultimately saved us in WW2. Not an American fanboy, just realistic about our geopolitical situation.

[@cobar5342]

The real brains behind the Owen, as delivered, was Gerry Wardell who was an engineer. He saw potential in Owen's principal and modified the workings of the gun to a degree that it became quite sophisticated and very tolerant of dirty conditions. Gerry's brother, Vincent, had the appropriate connections within the government to promote the gun.

[@happyhaunter_5546]

"VERY convenient and easy to shoot for a left hander like me" He's gonna buy one.

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

As an Australian, I can't actually buy one of these, unless I have a license possessed by six people in my entire state. I might find one lying around one day though

[@five5105]

Dracarys Blackfyre It's not illegal if nobody knows about it.

[@67daffy]

@@five5105 wouldnt get past customs, u end up in jail and gun gets destroyed

[@draxxsklounst6595]

@@five5105 sure.....

[@TheFanatical1]

Does Ian even have the paperwork to purchase a dealer sample gun?

[@andrewpiegzik4121]

An SMG with sights for a lefty, common ammo, and an odd esoteric look. How much will Ian spend to get it?

[@davidcreagh]

Not French though.

[@Agentcoolguy1]

@@davidcreagh I think he'd be highly tempted despite its lack of baguettes.

[@BillB23]

@@Agentcoolguy1 You can get baguettes in any large town in the US, Canada, and most of the western world, so why not send more lead down range?

[@kementh]

Alas, I think he said it was a Dealer Sample, So we won't get to see it in the next two gun ;)

[@alexanderm3504]

A Vegemite sandwich

[@Goatboysminion]

WW2, how about Korea, The Malaysian Emergency and Vietnam! We got a lot of mileage out of the Owen.😎🇦🇺

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

SO rare to see someone mention Malaya. I've been lucky enough to know a few vets of Korea and Malaya, and they all love the Owen.

[@downunderrob]

@@zoiders Well I'd read that the Malayan Emergency saw the widest use of combat shotguns in its history, I'd never hear that about the Bren gun. Really, big cats in Malaysia? Leopards or Tigers?

[@downunderrob]

@@zoiders Well yes, Bren was still in use, we had it in Vietnam as far as I know. To supplement the M60 and to do a better job than the L1A2 HB FAL, otherwise known as 'bang-bang-jam'. My curiosity was more about giving them to Scouts, the man on point, as it were.

[@mickellis8747]

Hay Rob, Tigers took more soldiers in Vietnam than people know. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKGnn599iZh_rrs

[@Goatboysminion]

@@mickellis8747 Like Chef in Apocalypse Now?😆 "A fucking Tiger!"

[@idontlikeitproductions3509]

There’s a good reason why this gun was called the “Digger’s Darling”.

[@LukeBunyip]

Still in use in Vietnam 😉

[@caprise-music6722]

Luke Bunyip so it’s not so rare over there? :P

[@alexanderm3504]

Does it come with a vegemite sandwich?

[@idontlikeitproductions3509]

ALEXANDER MACEDONIA Don’t be silly. Owens come free in huge bulk boxes of Weet-Bix. But you have to fill in a form on how you eat your Weet-Bix before you get any magazines. How you eat your Weet-Bix will determine how many magazines you get.

[@justdna4385]

@@caprise-music6722 most of the guns made were scrapped after they were pulled from military inventory

[@colenelvogel7001]

"Shooting Owen" I hope you don't get in trouble for shooting Owen

[@bl4cksp1d3r]

NOT UNCLE OWEN! Luke will be sad

[@trentpetersen443]

And/or firing at will... dad jokes lol

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Better than fire at Will.

[@jcorbo7518]

demonetized

[@theblackbaron4119]

@@Taistelukalkkuna At the crime seen, all they have to do is dust for fresh prince c:

[@SJKlapecki]

I'm always extremely impressed by the firearms that get made for cheap - the ones that suck REALLY suck, but the ones that are good are almost always masterpieces in their own right.

[@roeng1368]

yup, ak47 and the sten, which wasn't great, but it allowed massive amount of people to be armed against a potential invasion, for very little money or resources.

[@tisFrancesfault]

@@roeng1368 the AK wasn't a cheap rifle, plus it's a great rifle. Though the sten... Yeah it applies.

[@Feeshyenjoyer]

tisFrancesfault its cheap for the Russians , if you try to make one in the us it’s ridiculously expensive

[@sotemot]

@@tisFrancesfault True, people get this wrong all the time. The AK is cheap per unit when you set up production to make millions, but the costs of setting up that production are astronomical compared to say a PPSH or a Sten.

[@Feeshyenjoyer]

Serena J. Fleming its a hard thing to balance cost effective and great , thats why this sort of thing (grease guns, stens , and this thing) show great engineering

[@jeffveraart2695]

The reason the sight is offset to the right is when you are laying in the prone position you tilt the Owen to the left so the expended brass flies off to the right and not straight down where it can bounce back in your face.

[@LUR1FAX]

Hm. Is that documented anywhere?

[@Jaded-K]

@@LUR1FAX i mean, it makes sense whether it’s recorded directly or not

[@The67wheelman]

Not to mention the clip being directly in the line of sight

[@llll7396]

I mean if there was a sight on both sides or just on the left side (as it should be as most people are right handed) then you could tilt it to the right and the rounds would still eject out the bottom lmao

[@Leon1Aust]

Yes I have to say I did that with the F1 SMG

[@nchunter8918]

Oh Ian, we love you so. "Can't leave it loaded, Yknow, the spring will wear out" This is the dry humor we came here for.

[@nchunter8918]

@POOR PIRANO Some people believe that leaving magazines loaded will wear the springs out, a large portion of gun guys believe this but (to my knowledge) there's been no proof that magazines in good condition, and with correct springs, will deteriorate in any reasonable amount of time because of being left loaded. Instead, what tends to wear springs is the loading and unloading. This was just a subtle inside joke.

[@AlexG-xl1cc]

Paul Harrel completely says the opposite, that hes seen this happen irl for guns stored for years. Any spring compression is gonna wear out its basic physics imo. This even includes shotguns.

[@greybayles7955]

@@nchunter8918 I dont have any first hand proof that it does happen, but ive heard a gunsmith say it absolutely can. To my knowledge spring compression is real, but youd seriously have to leave something loaded to capacity for decades. I still wouldnt roll the dice with it if the gun is old, but something like an AR is gonna have no problems.

[@MarkGoding]

They apparently did have a tendency to accidental discharges when bumpedor dropped, even with the safety on.

[@richardhughes8408]

As a 14yr old high school army cadet we had one Owen in our q-store, got to fire it at the Dean range, I remember being a bit surprised how quickly a mag emptied.

[@ianlowery6014]

Comparative performance testing of the Owen in its 9mm calibre variant alongside its British Sten and US Thompson SMGs was conducted by the Australian Army. After harsh trials in multiple environments involving sand, mud and water and endurance testing, the Owen was the only weapon that remained serviceable Later comparative testing by the UK, Canadian and US military confirmed the results of the Australian military testing

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

ill still take a Thompson Americans treat their weapons better than their wives.. 🤪

[@craigthescott5074]

That’s because they didn’t have the M3 Grease gun to test.

[@21owlgirl72]

You know what, i think the Owen looks fine.

[@jackeagles1637]

Trisha Owlgirl. I agree - have seen lots of online comments regarding the top feed mag on an Owen gun but not one bad comment about the top feed mag on a Bren gun. Australia made 50,000 of these guns for use in the Pacific - range capability wasn't that important - if your enemy was more that 30metres away you couldn't see him anyway.

[@dansmith9724]

Like all aussies, rugidly handsome and effective😉

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Me too. It's the triumph of function over form.

[@generic_tylenol]

It ain't fer lookin' at 😉

[@AhnkoCheeOutdoors]

My dad had one he scrounged off an Aussie in New Guinea during WWII. He carried it aboard his LCM right thru to the end of the war in Manila PI.

[@hoilst265]

Your dad was clearly the coolest guy in the Navy, then! Did it have the factory green-and-gold patriotic camo on it? Apparently Macarthur wanted to put in an order for something like 30,000 of them for American troops, but we couldn't scale production, and thankfully the war ended. We (Australia) were paying something like $320US for Thompson kits (ie, gun, mags, cleaning gear, etc), which is like $5000US today. Considering the abuse they went through on Kokoda - and Kokoda is no place for something as delicate as a Thompson - these things were a revelation.

[@comradeurod9805]

Looked really smooth to shoot, full auto doesn't look that bad actually. And of course the odd look is making it even more interesting

[@Easy-Eight]

I understand MacArthur was getting tired of the BS with the Tommy gun & just wanted to get 45,000 of these things for US Army service in the Pacific. He lost that fight. Nobody picks a fight with US Army Ordnance & wins.

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

I doubt Lithgow or her feeder factories had the industrial output to arm the US Pacific Divisions. And given the Owen was an Australian icon, I doubt the Australian public, or government, would have been too keen to hand them over to a foreign power

[@Easy-Eight]

@@dracarysblackfyre6030 , since MacArthur didn't get the Owen it's pretty clear he lost the request. Since the USA lost a fleet of ships at Coral Sea & Guadalcanal then not arming the USA may not have been in Australia's best interests. Anyway, the second largest operator of P-40s in the Pacific was the RAAF; not a perfect aircraft but a hell-of-a-lot-better than a CA-12 Boomerang. Sort of weird to say "no" to a foreign power when the USA lost three fleet carriers, about a half dozen cruisers, and over a dozen destroyers defending Australia. Anyway, by 1944 the M3 Grease Gun was in inventory.

[@Nukle0n]

The ghost of William Crozier made it impossible.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine And we're still using an Air Force Gun to this day... Goddamn disgraceful. But we got revenge: They still have A-10's. Knock. Knock.

[@demonprinces17]

MacArthur didn't care for his troops

[@Mizone505]

When shooting from the hip if you look over the mag down to the flash suppressor, you should just see the end of the flash suppressor. That is how you level the gun from the hip which was how us Aussies sometimes used it

[@highlandoutsider]

Mrs Gun Jesus " How was your trip to Oregon hunny?" Mr Gun Jesus " I take it you've not checked our bank account..." Lol

[@matiasdelafuente3106]

why am i reading Mr Gun Jesus's part in his voice xD

[@isaacainslie2638]

Morphy's is in PA, IIRC

[@alexjutte229]

They were used in Korea, Vietnam and Malaya by the Aussies. The Rhodesians even used it in their Bush war.

[@highestqualitypigiron]

guys find yourself a girl that loves you like Ian loves the owen

[@LoneWolf051]

not sure that kinda loves exists anymore lol

[@Yimyimyimyim277]

Looks bad, shoots good

[@alternateacc4937]

@@Yimyimyimyim277 ok no that was good

[@chubbycatfish4573]

I too mag dump to preserve spring tension.

[@hughiedgar7574]

The bloke who invented this was a tinkerer since he was a young man. He knew what his fellow serviceman needed. Excellent weapon.

[@Liamv4696]

When used in Australia it's actually loaded from below - source: Me, an Australian.

[@VonRammsteyn]

Nice! If an australian said so, i have no choice that take it as the word of god on that matter!

[@wenqiweiabcd]

Kind of a design oversight considering that Australian soldiers were expected to use this gun in combat in Europe and North Africa, that is, while being the right way up?

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

@@wenqiweiabcd Actually, they weren't. By the time of the adoption of the Owen we had recalled all Australian Divisions back for the defence of New Guinea and the mainland. I'd imagine had we still been in North Africa, we would have made an attachment for our ground harnesses that would allow the Owen gun to be shot upside down

[@VonRammsteyn]

@@wenqiweiabcd more like pacific than europe...

[@wanderer7755]

This thread is piss funny ya drongos keep going 😂

[@deketk5227]

The simplicity and reliability of the Owen made it incredibly popular among ANZAC troops and because Aussie and Kiwi soldiers often fought in punishing tropical or desert terrain, its ability to withstand those conditions made it the weapon of choice

[@blake9358]

Better than the mass produced Sten

[@fien111]

Yeah it is pretty damn ugly and crude looking, huh? Like something some random Bruce put together in his shed or something oh, wait.....

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

As Ian explains in his full length video on the gun, it was primarily developed by actual gunsmiths and engineers, Evelyn Owen merely came up with the split chamber design. His initial gun used a rotating magazine, and was in .22lr. Still though, when you compare it to the Sten, or Austen, crude take son another meaning.

[@insiainutorrt259]

It looks charming and capable not... ugly....

[@Colt3854]

It may look ugly but it worked and worked very well. You could stick it in the mud, sand, water and it come out shooting. It was a very well respected weapon in Vietnam and American soldiers would swap anything to get their hand on one.. Served ozzie troops well in New Guinea against the japanese.

[@darkiee69]

@@Colt3854 Like the Swedish kpist 45b.

[@olleborner4604]

@@darkiee69 except the carl gustaf 45/b was a terrible gun. Rumor says it could barely penetrate a thick leather jacket.

[@grahamcrumb9494]

Believe it or not, the Vanuatu Mobile Force in the remote South Pacific still has a couple of these in use by its members. Saw a couple on parade just a year or two ago....

[@j.p.6022]

It's a masterpiece of simplicity & efficiency- accurate too. Almost impossible to jam, there are old black & white films of the Owen being tested with 2 Aussie Diggers pouring buckets of sand & crap into it while firing & mag changes to try to get it to jam- it just kept shooting, the Diggers loved it.

[@_ArsNova]

Simplicity is elegance in engineering! Awesome gun.

[@eatabagovdiks2056]

There was so little recoil or rise even on a long burst. You have to love that little bugger. And they are stilling being made.... Mostly by Guerrilla armies and in backyards by criminals because they are so simple and reliable.

[@rickofpolynesia8070]

That seems pretty understandable. A simple and cheap design anyone can make

[@EeekiE]

The last mag dump looked supremely controllable. Nice video Ian

[@chost-059]

I dont think it looks bad at all, i kinda like the look of the stock and the grips.

[@SurmaSampo]

Wait till you see one in the original paint!

[@Kalashboy420]

yeah i love the look of them. and the ones in the original paint, OMFG! sexy!

[@kaletovhangar]

It looks like weird child of Thompson 1928 and Sten,but in positive way.

[@KingdomOfApple]

I usually hate foregrips but it looks great on the Owen imo. Far better than what they do on a Thompson, and that's one of my favourite smgs of all time.

[@danwincen1]

@@kaletovhangar It was actually designed long before the Sten, but I definitely see Thompson SMG style in the Owen.

[@Aaron_Jensen]

It's fantastic to see you shoot the Owen again with higher production quality. Such an awesome gun.

[@671021]

controllable full-auto just put smile on your face every time

[@OGbluetooth_]

That Owen guy looked at gravity and said "hey pal, mind giving me a hand?" Actual genius

[@paulmcgregor6411]

Rumour has it that when they were disposed of by the military, many were melted down and used as brake shoes for New South Wales trains…

[@artytomparis]

That looks like fun. The design is so simple. Like a couple of broom handles stuck together. Amazing.

[@brotherpanda3626]

Last time I was here this early, THE Owen was still getting credit for his weapon and the Australian government was giving the machinists the run-around.

[@tomw377]

As soon as Ian cut loose with the first extended burst I immediately thought, "that is one smooth firing SMG." It definitely looks very easy to control.

[@ФилиппЛыков-д8е]

"...could not leave it full, or the spring would wear out..." "Innocent!"

[@robnunya572]

Maaaaate. Nice to see that you got to shoot an Owen, and thank you for sharing it with us.

[@gangleweed]

If you get the chance to see the DVD called Danger Close about the Viet Nam war you will see a couple of Owen guns being used.

[@tedhubertcrusio372]

It's by far the most desirable SMG in the Second World War onwards, even in the Philippines Scout Rangers had these guns and would rather have them over rifles.

[@raphaelambrosiuscosteau829]

Damn, this gun sounds nice.

[@albertomendoza543]

like the tazmanian devil

[@lri1962]

As a child, one of dads friends apparently had one of these in the early 70's (before my time). He used to tell us stories of taking it out in the bush and letting rip with it. He always said that it was difficult to hold on target, that it would climb high and to the right, but Ian handled it without any issues in the vid. He also said that in the dark or low light, that the muzzle flash threw out a big arc and looked awesome!

[@its_dippy6779]

That title thumbnail made it seem like you had score to settle with a feller named Owen

[@valkokir]

Awesome. I was just watching your Owen video last night where you were lamenting that it wasn't a functional weapon and looking for one that was.

[@chopper7352]

A great little "Aussie Gem" of an SMG. ...Thought we almost had Ian about to give us a ..."Giddy Up" ...but had to settle for a 'Thumbs Up' ! :)

[@stuartgarfatth1448]

As a 17-19 year old, having used it in 1967-68, in the Australian Citizen Military Forces, in my service with the 18th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Kogarah, New South Wales, everything you say here is totally correct!. A bloody nice bit of kit!.

[@dallesamllhals9161]

AHA! So all in all! It IS NOT just about LOOKS alone? +1 Bruce & CO :-)

[@zmanjace1364]

Alright, I need to get me one of them hats.

[@paulEG6]

There’s something weird yet strangely pleasing about the combination of Ian shooting an SMG in a flat cap!

[@sixstringedthing]

Ian delivers the goods yet again. Love the mag dump at the end. Top work mate, I'll buy you a beer if you ever come down under. PS. That's a fine gentleman's hat you got on ya noggin, very nice.

[@roybennett9284]

Proudly made in Wollongong (well sort of) there was a photo and mural dipicting the Owen gun and Owen at Wollongong library.. unfortunately no longer there.

[@fordprefect80]

They were manufactured in Newcastle as well during the war.

[@roybennett9284]

@@fordprefect80 so we're the Johns brothers

[@BenFomz80]

Mate do some research plenty of history around your area in the gong

[@flamingfrancis]

Little is mentioned in the vision but the story of the inventor Evelyn Owen is a a very good one. Lots relating to it will be found with a search. The big advantages were it's simplicity, the weight and ability to fire in jungle comditions...some say it would work under water !. it was a favourite on the famous Kokoda Track in New Guinea and later in the Vietnam War where our Diggers served with distinction....Lest we forget.

[@babanapeal]

We were taught to use it from the hip. Aim to the lower left of target as the gun would pull across and up. In short bursts you would hit the target with about the second or third round if you were any good with it.

[@pygmyowl8801]

"anything that somehow falls *up* into the gun" well this is Australia we're talking about

[@Roodosutaa]

If the Jackal wanted an SMG instead of a sniper rifle to assassinate de Gaulle, he would've asked the gunsmith to make this

[@bounter_]

Sten: Who are you? Owen: You but A LOT better

[@janstan8407]

I've seen other video's on this SMG. The control looks FANTASTIC!!

[@PShep4u2u]

The reason the sites were on the right side of the gun was so the shooter had an eye on each sides of the magazine, eliminating any blind spots from your field of view. If the sites were on the left side of the gun, the magazine would create a blind spot in the shooter's vision. It was a deliberate design of the gun to have the sites on the right.

[@Roger_Stenning]

"Can't leave it full, the spring might wear out!" Classy ;)

[@daredevevil]

"it looks like a high, middle, or even elementary school construction project" only an American can say that XD

[@daredevevil]

@leftboob the artisan I'm aware.

[@ExternalInputs]

@left boob the artisan High school and primary school is what Australia has. Middle and elementry are American terms, and like freshman and sophomore, they're not used in Australia.

[@CHAlVlELEOlV]

@@ExternalInputs Same for us South Africans, its a british curriculum for schooling I believe

[@ralph769]

First saw forgotten weapons looking for Owen footage. Nice to see a new shooting video of another.🇦🇺

[@JenniferinIllinois]

"The spring will wear out". 😁😁😁

[@MrPibb23x]

Plenty reason enough for me.

[@sparkling925]

@@I_Cunt_Spell if you keep a mag loaded for too long the spring could wear out and wont feed right

[@unpietraselvatico7912]

Paulo K there's a spring inside the magazine to make it function properly. While the rounds are in the magazine the spring is compressed, hence why it would wear out if left that way. Of course Ian is being sarcastic.

[@Jello-ou9uz]

It's a joke. It takes a very long time for a spring to wear out. Ian's just jokingly explaining why he is mag dumping, other then for fun.

[@Skozerny]

@@Jello-ou9uz also, in a top mounted magazine it's even less of an issue because of gravity helping in the feeding process

[@CheapCheerful]

Thanks for the great coverage of our aussie owen. Wish we could still manufacture these!

[@oldtyres36]

Personally, i like the look of it. I'd be a lot more confident with this gun than any other smg from ww2 if I was forced to participate in combat.

[@yeetdaddy5716]

I love the look of the Owen

[@iron4517]

This was legit made by a kid in his garage

[@wanderer7755]

Awesome to see an Owen in action after all these years, great channel

[@Dongjun-0137]

I will name this gun "Crazed Gunman'

[@dallesamllhals9161]

..or just: BETTER than STEN!??

[@dobeekind]

hey mr FW. that puppy seems to shoot REALLY SMOOTH and a good rate of fire. i bet the bad guys had a hard time when facing some good guys. impressive. thanks.

[@MeleeTiger]

A good example of function over fashion.

[@cristop5]

I remember hearing about this gun in school (Australia 1960s), but hadn't thought about it since then, despite reading several books about Australian actions in New Guinea. So it definitely qualifies as forgotten.

[@salokin3087]

Ah, i remember picking one up a show a few years back, unfortunately, its impossible in Australia to actually shoot it.

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

If you've got a dealers permit you can... If you know a dealer really well, they can allow you to "sample" the firearm, in case you wish to purchase it.

[@salokin3087]

@@dracarysblackfyre6030 thanks!

[@alexjohnward]

you can, but takes a long time, a clean record, an expensive vault system, and a lot of money.

[@marvindebot3264]

Tell Bob Nioa that . . .

[@williamhumphrey9766]

Legally ........ that is.

[@1337flite]

The top mountrd mag was apparently useful for moving through the J, because you could use to to move foliage aside.

[@zhukie]

It is a goddam tragedy that no one in Australia can own these.

[@dallesamllhals9161]

You can't do ANYTHING 'cause of corona version: COVID-19(greek letters+) :-O

[@marvindebot3264]

And verily, Gun Jesus laid hands upon the Owen and saw that it was good.

[@heffatheanimal2200]

Read a few accounts of Americans in the pacific often ditching their Thompsons in favor of Owens. lighter and more reliable in the jungle

[@jeffkitney39]

It was nice to see a copy in good order being used at the range

[@brianreddeman951]

"Many bowling pins died to bring you this video..." :)

[@MrDiggerRob]

I was in the Australian Army in 1968 and we trained on the F1 which was fun to shoot. I only realised that we still had the Owen in our inventory when I was given one to qualify SMG on at the Williamstown range. The deal was to fire 2 mags in a finite amount of time. I fired off the first mag and loaded the second but 2 rounds in it had a stoppage so I quickly performed an IA, but 2 rounds in my time ran out. I was told that I’d missed qualifying as “Marksman" by just 2 rounds! I was cursing that stoppage I can tell you! I carried an SLR in Vietnam later that year but always remembered both models of SMG that I’d fired in the army. Sweet little guns, if not a little underpowered.

[@steeltalon2356]

'ThE sPrInG wIlL wEaR oUt.' Chapter 6 of the Fudd Lore Encyclopedia.

[@bibfortuna298]

Does that make Paul Harrell a fudd?

[@fruitylerlups530]

doesn't the spring wear out if the bolt is held open? I remember some vickers vid where he fired an Iranian G3 that had been kept in storage with the bolt held open for a long period of time, and it wasn't capable of cycling in full auto properly and he attributed it to the spring wearing out due to that?. Obviously Ian was joking here though!!

[@fruitylerlups530]

ooh nvm he meant the magainze spring XD

[@jeffreywong5112]

Sounds amazing

[@fab006]

Gun Jesus said the spring will wear out! ‘Tis the revealèd truth!

[@KB4th]

Nicely shot mate, my old Grand Father used to talk this gun all the time :)

[@ryan_1099]

The title of the video:"The Owen SMG, looks bad, shoots good" Thumbnail of the video: *Shooting Owen*

[@nickjohnson410]

"Can't leave it full the spring will wear out" *proceeds to mag dump* I dig your style dude :)

[@Agentcoolguy1]

I love running and gunning with this bad boy is Rising Storm 2 Vietnam.

[@dracarysblackfyre6030]

My man! Gotta give some love to the SLR and M60 as well

[@MrLoobu]

The top feed magazine is the best option in reality despite it falling out of favor today. Its a little faster to use a bottom feed because sight acquisition and reload are more ergonomic, but you get tactical benefits for the shooter (going prone) and technical benefits to feeding and reliablity with a top feed system. These are inherently more important in any sort of automatic firearm because the very point is to produce suppressing fire (shooting a lot with no jams) on a target, and the best way to do that is from prone so the smallest amount of yourself can be shot back at.

[@blancsteve4819]

Bren and Sten sitting in a tree, kay eye ss ing.

[@dudemcguy1194]

Love to see ya shooting such cool guns! Sometimes i get superjealous on that, so keep up that good work Ian! Btw. did ya heard about our old Vetterli Mod. 1869/70 in 10,4mm ? a cool vintage boltaction rifle wich i think you may find pretty interresting!

[@redbyrd64]

No sadder words than, “Out of ammo”

[@bigricksmith8345]

*"I'am COMPLETELY...out...of ammo...!"* I hate that feeling...

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@joewilson3575]

It's like a functioning sten.

[@keithad6485]

The model Owen fired in this video, was a later WW2 production with an attempt to reduce the weight, timber of the butt is machined out both sides and sides of the trigger group housing has the side panels machined out creating 'windows'. This is a WW2 model configuration and did not receive the post war mod which has a device on the outside of the rear of the main tube designed to stop the bolt firing by itself if dropped. Very good model to have as it clearly WW2 type. About 40,000 were made of all models (differences between models are minor)

[@ben-ve3kr]

the mad lad finally found an automatic one

[@spokehedz]

Thanks, Ian, for keeping the springs from wearing out too early.

[@caprise-music6722]

Dayamn, that rate of fire is profound! I don’t know how fast it is, but sounds quite a lot faster then 600. My guess would be around 800-900 I’m sure someone knows the exact number

[@tarmaque]

I was guessing 800ish myself.

[@attempttoreview4411]

Wikipedia says 700 rounds per minute. Link below en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Gun

[@pj7362]

That's a handy little squirter . Seems to be nice and light as well.