F1 submachine gun

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F1
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin Flag of Australia Australia
Service history
In service 1963-1991
Used by Australia
Wars Vietnam War
Production history
Designed 1962
Manufacturer Lithgow Small Arms Factory
Produced July, 1963
Number built 400,000 +
Specifications
Weight 3.7 kg (Empty)
4.30 kg (Loaded)
Length 714 mm
Barrel length 198 mm

Cartridge 9x19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback
Rate of fire 600-640 rounds/min
Effective range 150 m
Maximum range 100-200 m
Feed system 34-round magazine
Sights Iron sights

The 9 mm F1 was a standard Australian submachine gun manufactured by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory [1]. Issued to Australian army troops in July of 1963, it replaced the Owen machine carbine. The F1 was retired in 1991 and replaced by the F88C Austeyr, an Australian-built version of the Steyr AUG Carbine with slight modifications. The F1 had a robust and simple design and proved useful in close-quarters fighting during the Vietnam War.

[edit] Design details

The F1 is a simple blowback design firing from an open bolt. It shares many design features with the British Sterling submachine gun. Unlike both the Sterling and its predecessor the Owen the F1 has a fixed wooden stock and pistol grip. A curved detachable box magazine is inserted in a magazine housing on top of the barrel. The butt-plate and pistol-grip are identical to those on the L1A1 SLR.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Modern Firearms' F1 submachine gun. Retrieved on July 28, 2007.

[edit] External links