parkerised finish, Mark II butt, Mark III barrel with bayonet lug, cocking slot cover safety-catch, original safety blocked with screw, small remnants of original green paint finish are still visible, firing-pin cut

The Owen gun was the brainchild of a young Australian, Evelyn Owen. In 1940 his design for a submachine-gun was taken up by the firm of Lysaghts of Port Kembla, New South Wales. Modifications were made by Lysaghts' chief engineer, Gerard Wardell. Wardell's brother Vincent, who managed the works, laboured to get the weapon accepted by the Army. After a period of development, needlessly extended by procrastination on the part of the Australian Army, production of the Owen Gun commenced in late 1941. The Owen Gun incorporated many interesting features. The magazine was placed above the receiver, allowing gravity to aid the feed of ammunition. The barrel could be removed by means of a quick release plunger. The weapon proved very reliable in dirty conditions, as the cocking handle was separated from the bolt by a disc, which prevented the entry of foreign matter; meanwhile the ejector port was on the underside of the weapon, which encouraged any dirt to fall out. Controllability was enhanced by the fact that the point of balance lay above the firer's trigger-hand. The Owen was an immediate success when first issued to troops in New Guinea, and became the main submachine-gun (or Machine Carbine to use the contemporary terminology) employed by Australian forces. By 1945 45,000 had been produced. They remained in service, with modifications, long enough to see service in Vietnam. This example is a Mark 1 gun which underwent modification in 1954 to the standard designated Mark 2/3 by the Australian Army. This involved lightening the body, reinforcing the barrel and adding a new safety device.

The Owen 9mm submachine gun was favored by SAS troops operating in the jungles of Malaya in the 1950s.

Originally built as a Mark 1, Mark 2/3 is an army designation added at the time of a Factory Thorough Repair in 1954.