Owen Mk I & Mk II
Official wording
Australian, OWEN MK I and MK II, submachineguns, cal. 9mm, mfd. in Australia prior to 1946.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “mfd. in Australia prior to 1946”
- ATF REQUIRESMade 1945 or earlier (ATF’s dates)ATF: “prior to 1946”
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
AustraliaBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- John Lysaght LtdBasis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- SMGBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- 9mm ParabellumBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1942–1944ATF: made in 1945 or earlier; start year approximateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 82 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Owen gun” ↗, maker: infobox manufacturer Lysaght's Works; Owen took the design to the manager of a local Lysaght plant.
- 2. Wikipedia, “Owen gun” ↗, years: infobox production date 1942–1944; within ATF 'prior to 1946'.
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1941–1945 → 1942–1944. Wikipedia (Owen gun) gives production 1942–1944
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “CompletedOwenGun1942.png” by Negative Photograph original by C. Bottomley This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: cropping, contrast adjustments, grey/color levels, sharpen and de-noise. Modifications made by Aeonx., Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Owen gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Owen gun, known officially as the Owen machine carbine, was an Australian submachine gun that was designed by Evelyn Owen in 1938. The Owen was the only entirely Australian-designed and constructed service submachine gun of World War II. It was used by the Australian Army from 1942 until 1971.