Australian submachine gun of 9mm calibre, Used in Vietnam war
| F1 submachine gun | |
|---|---|
| File:F1 9mm SMG.JPG | |
| Type | sub-machine gun |
| Place of origin | Australia |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Australia |
| Wars | Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1950s |
| No. built | 400,000 + |
| Variants | see text |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.72 kg |
| Length | 714 mm |
| Barrel length | 198 mm |
| Cartridge | 9x19 mm Parabellum |
| Caliber | 9 mm |
| Action | Blowback |
| Rate of fire | ~ 550 round/min |
| Feed system | 34 rounds |
The 9 millimeter F1 was a standard Australian submachine gun. 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 F88 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.
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.
Specifications
- Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum
- Mass: 3.7 kg empty 4.30 kg loaded
- Length: 714 mm
- Barrel length: 213 mm
- Rate of fire: 600-640 rounds per minute
- Muzzle Velocity: 366 m/s
- Magazine capacity: 34-round detachable box
- Effective range: 150 meters