The Austen was an Australian submachine gun derived from the Sten designed by Uarre Riddell in 1942 and produced from 1942 to 1945 by Diecasters Ltd. and W.T. Carmichael Ltd.
History[]
During World War II, Australia found itself cut off from its allies and was unable to receive large quantities of military ordnance from the British government. Therefore the Australian Army found itself without a submachine gun and requested a new local design to fulfill its requirements. Those requirements were met by the Owen gun and the Austen, which were both issued to Australian troops throughout the war.
The Austen was designed by Uarre Riddell and produced at Diecasters Ltd. in June 1942. In 1943 an improved model, the Mk.II, was developed subjected to military trials in Britain, which it passed. The Austen Mk.II was produced at W.T. Carmichael Ltd. in 1944.
From 1942 to 1945, 20,000 Austen guns were produced in total; substantially lower than the number of Stens made during the war. The Austen was considered inferior to the Owen gun and was disliked by Australian troops. Today examples of the Austen are quite rare.
A silenced version of the Austen Mk.I, known as the Mk.IS, was produced in very limited numbers and saw little combat usage.
Design[]
The Austen Mk.I was a basic clone of the Sten Mk.II externally modified with a pistol grip, foregrip and folding stock. Internally it differed only in that the firing pin was housed inside the return spring. It fed through its own 28-round magazines rather than using Sten magazines.
The Austen Mk.II, although bearing a superficial resemblance to the Mk.I, was a different weapon designed from the ground-up. It retained the blowback operation of the Sten but utilized a redesigned body constructed made up of two rectangular aluminum frames. It used a fixed firing pin attached to the bolt face. The barrel casing had cooling fins and a bayonet catch. Overall the Austen Mk.II was built to a much higher standard than the Mk.I and was much more reliable.
Gallery[]
