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| F1 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin |  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 |
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| 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.
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.
Problems occurred with the design of the F1, as its double-stack magazine (rounds side by side in the magazine) tended to spin the rounds as the bolt connected. This eroded the chamber into a bell shape, which increased the likelihood of jams.
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