'Service Tests of Modern Sub Machine Guns' (1941) and other Historic Films on the Owen Gun (1940s)

'Service Tests of Modern Sub Machine Guns' is a film recording extensive testing of the Thompson, Sten, Bergman and Owen Sub Machine Guns.
Filmed by 20th Century Fox Movietone News on Monday, 22 December 1941 at the Long Bay Rifle Range (now The Anzac Rifle Range) at Randwick, New South Wales (Australia).
Film Direction: Major H Grattan Guinness
Film commentary: Lt. Col. L. Moore-Cosgrave.
On the same VHS Cassette Tape were also two other Movietone News films:
"Aust. Inventor Creates Miracle Gun" (Silent) and "Owen Gun in Mass Production" featuring women at work manufacturing the Own Sub Machine Guns in the Lysaghts Factories in Newcastle, NSW.
The VHS Tape (Archives Shelf Location: A9099 lxviii) was donated by Mr Allen Stein as part of an extensive collection of material relating to the Owen Gun that he donated to the University of Newcastle's Archives from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
The VHS tape was digitised October 2021 at the GLAMx Audio-visual Digitisation Lab, Auchmuty Library, University of Newcastle (Australia).
Courtesy - University of Newcastle (Australia)
A9099(lxviii)_Owen Machine Gun
For more information: hunterlivinghi...

[@kotahurt]

The owen smg is not an ugly gun, it's simplicity and cheap cost to manufacture make it a masterpiece of mechanical engineering artwork

[@brucelamberton8819]

My late father fought in New Guinea in WW2 and swore by his Owen SMG, and said it saved his life on many occasions.

[@kikokltzhke8266]

The Owen gun's charging handle being located in a different isolated space negated the need for having any other holes in the bolt space which also coincidentaly prevented any dust to enter while the top loaded magazine with the open ejector at the bottom meant that any sand that entered eventually just got "sweeped" down there and out. Interesting.

[@briantayler1230]

My father was a Sargent in the Australian Army in the mid-50s and was involved in another series of tests of submachine guns. This time the Stirling and M3 were included. Again the Owen gun won the tests against all other guns.

[@user-gm5bv2ez2r]

this is the best, most amazing 'real deal' testing I have ever seen! It should be done with every armies firearms, not only to see the serious shortcoming of the weapon, but also how to unfuck it. Here's to Oz & the Owen!!!

[@peterkirgan6850]

Owen & the bren were great weapons!!!!

[@DeathMetalThrasher]

LOL 4:18 The dude covered the magwell with his hand unlike all the others. To be fair, the owen is actually a great smg. Pretty overlooked nowadays, sucks you don't see it in video games either.

[@newcastledefence1272]

Unless I was seeing things wrong the mag jammed just as bad as the other weapons.

[@nicholasrobins2835]

That's how the magazine was designed to be changed, acts as a guide for the next magazine in prone and low visibility, the advantage as a cover is an additional benefit. Each gun was operated as it would be in the field.

[@gw5436]

Sorry dude, the operator tried to shield the magazine port on all the sub guns being tested there. No favours for that Owen prototype.

[@calcutt4]

he covered the mag well of all the guns

[@AlexTrull]

Owen so stable.

[@Steve-ei2vh]

The first prototype of the Owen gun was developed by Evelyn Owen in 1931, who finalised the design in 1938. Owen submitted the design to the Australian military, but was rejected, as they were waiting for the British Sten to finish development. After all if it is built by the British it must be better than something an Australian can build ( attitude of our politicians of the day,) By May 1940, Owen had enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force, and was set to deploy to the Middle East, but after speaking about his design to the manager of a local plant of Lysaght, who had an interest in the design, Owen was transferred to the Central Inventions Board. ItIn June 1941, Owen was discharged from the army and began to manufacture the Owen gun. After conducting tests in September that year, the Owen was found to be more accurate and reliable than competing designs such as the Sten and Thompson. "As your excellent little Historical movie shows ." It always bewildered me why we did not arm our African and European troops with the Owen rather than the inferior Sten. Even General Douglas MacArthur was considering arming his troops with the Owen. and a lot of Australian solders
felt that the Owen saved their lives in the Jungle , Including my father. It eared the nickname Diggers Darling. ("Digger". Nickname for Aus troops derived from ww1 (They felt they were always digging so started calling each other digger) The Owen was used by the Australian army till 1971 A testimony of how good a weapon design it was. Thank you for showing this movie Well done.

[@jayytee8062]

I thought that they were called diggers because a lot were former miners...??

[@Steve-ei2vh]

@@jayytee8062 Actually it became a term of endearment from the early days of gold mining. even if you werent a miner

[@rodneeso7439]

Thankyou for posting this film of the owen. Been wanting to see field test of the owen, fn good design and reliability. Be very happy to take the owen to war.

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

very cool!
i dont live in a desert or a jungle so id still have the thompson :P

[@richardeast5660]

The Diggers Darling Australian and the best

[@lorna7338]

What if they fired the Berman upside down and the Sten side ways mag up. I think it will work as good.

[@ianlowery6014]

No, The spring and piston are in a chamber which is sealed at both ends which prevents the ingress of dust, mud and sand.
There were major tests done on the Thompson, the Sten, the Owen and one other by the Canadian, US, British and Australian armies. The OMC won hands down against the rest, especially in terms of reliability, and maintenance.

[@calcutt4]

@@ianlowery6014 Don't forget that the Owen was also lighter, more accurate and more controllable than most existing weapons

[@peterkerr4019]

at 11:01 they show an original Sten Mark 1.It would be as rare as it is ugly these days.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

He kept his hand over the open mag well on the Owen when reloading but not the others.

[@Rustebadge]

I noticed that too. Guess the Canadians favored adoption of the Owen. Certainly not fair to all participants. I didn't like the way the Owen was treated in other tests. Mud test for example, the tester appeared to take care to avoid debris in the bolt cuts while other SMG's got dunked well into mud. Hmmmm.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

You cower behind a cowardly fake name while commenting on real soldiers! Funny old world.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

@@MichaelKingsfordGray moronic.

[@kmcgovern2012]

@@MichaelKingsfordGray yet you don't refute what he actually said, because it's true. Totally biased testing.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

@@kmcgovern2012 I despise cowardice in any form.
One cannot trust anything that cowards utter, in fact: the reverse!

[@discount8508]

I notice the owens detractors are all absent from here

[@andymaciver1760]

He put his hand over the mag well when reloading! How is that fair?

[@discount8508]

@@andymaciver1760 when reloading youre going to do that anyway

[@brucelamberton8819]

@@andymaciver1760 he did that for some of the other ones too

[@andymaciver1760]

@@discount8508 no way dude. Totally not fair

[@blokeVB]

7.55 bugger

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

Don't describe your hobbies.

[@ianlowery6014]

@@MichaelKingsfordGray Don't indulge in yours! 🙂

[@natebush8217]

I love the Owen Gun...it's so BAD!!! ---------------------‐-----------------------🔫 😎

[@anthonyfoutch3152]

Too bad they didn't have a Russian machine gun.