Firearm selection is limited for shooters under the age of 14. Although reliable[citation needed] it was not accepted due to the US-driven standardization within NATO on the larger 7.62×51mm NATO round. [citation needed], The Bren was magazine-fed, which slowed its rate of fire and required more frequent reloading than British belt-fed machine guns such as the larger .303 Vickers machine gun. 227 likes. This was supplemented in the 1980s by the L86 Light Support Weapon firing the 5.56×45mm NATO round, leaving the Bren gun in use only as a pintle mount on some vehicles. The original Bren gun was designated the Mark 1. The flash suppressor was changed from the cone type of .303 variants to a slotted type similar in appearance to that used on the SLR and L7 GPMG. Some ex-Chinese Czech ZB weapons were also in use in the early stages of the Vietnam War. Sometimes known as the "Garage hands" model. Introducing the Bren Gun. "Resistants" were constantly pleading for maximum drops of Brens". It was "by general consent the finest light machine gun in the world of its period, and the most useful weapon provided to the (French) "maquis" ... accurate up to 1,000 meters, and (it) could withstand immense maltreatment and unskilled use. As the result, cost savings and increased rate of production became two main goals for subsequent variant designs. Guns made at BRNO chambered to .303 for the British trials were designated 'ZGB 30' at a cost of £175 per-gun with two barrels and with spares and accessories. The British-issue L4 magazine is of 30-round capacity and has a slight curve. The BREN Machine Gun, usually called the Bren, was a series of machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991. The top-mounted magazine vibrated and moved during fire, making the weapon more visible in combat, and many Bren gunners used paint or improvised canvas covers to disguise the prominent magazine. A friend of mine went to a local machine gun shoot recently, and came back with some footage of a pair of Bren guns being fired with a 100-round drum magazine. Although fitted with a bipod, it could also be mounted on a tripod or be vehicle-mounted. [citation needed], The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards (550 m) when fired from a prone position with a bipod. Weight: 40 lbs: Dimensions: 45 × 20 × 12 in: Reviews There are no reviews yet. On long marches in non-operational areas it was often partially disassembled and its parts were carried by two soldiers. All L4s are chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO rimless ammunition. The 30-round magazine from the L4 also fitted the L1A1 rifle, but the magazine spring was not always strong enough to provide enough upward pressure to feed rounds correctly, this being remedied by stretching the magazine springs. BAR – The Browning Automatic Rifle was the hard-hitting assault rifle used by U.S. troops Thompson – This famous sub-machine gun fires .45 ACP fast and accurately, making it a favorite amongst shooters. winter Arctic). Bren, without the magazine fitted, used by Polish Commandos. What is the minimum age for shooting at Battlefield Vegas? The position of the sights meant that the Bren could be fired only from the right shoulder. A Victoria Cross was awarded to Private Bruce Kingsbury for such use at Isurava, New Guinea, in 1942, during the Australians' fighting retreat from Kokoda. The Bren LMG is an air-cooled automatic machine gun with a 450-550 rpm rate of fire. Calm down BAR fans, the BAR is just what its name implies—an automatic rifle—not a light machine gun. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Realising the need for additional section-level firepower, the British Army endeavoured to issue the Bren in great numbers, with a stated goal of one Bren to every four private soldiers. The STEN served as the … Many 7.92 mm ZB light machine guns were shipped to China, where they were employed first against the Japanese in World War II, and later against UN forces in Korea, including British and Commonwealth units. [6], Following these trials, the British Army adopted the Czechoslovak ZB vz.26 light machine gun manufactured in Brno in 1935, although a slightly modified model, the ZB vz. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. A simplified version of the Mk1 more suited to wartime production with original design features subsequently found to be unnecessary deleted. 26, which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. 26 was designed (in the Zbrojovka Brno Factory) and Enfield, site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory. In 1922, to find a replacement for the Lewis, the Small Arms Committee of the British Army ran competitive trials between the Madsen, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Hotchkiss, the Beardmore-Farquhar, and the Lewis itself. British Squad Firepower: The Bren Light Machine Gun - YouTube The Bren was popular with the soldiers who fired it (known as Brenners) as it was light and durable, and had a reputation for accuracy. ... Org WWII Factory Registered 1917A1 WC Machine Gun $ 55,000.00. THE GUN .303” BREN, LIGHT MACHINE GUN. [citation needed], The Mark III Bren remained in limited use with the Army Reserve of the Irish Defence Forces until 2006, when the 7.62 mm GPMG replaced it. FREE HUMVEE PICKUPS - CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW. These modifications were categorised in various numbered designations, ZB vz. The loading mechanism works smoothly. Weight 23 lb 3 oz (10.5 kg). The woodwork on the Mk2 was simplified by being less ornate and ergonomic, which sped up the manufacturing process. Each gun came with a spare barrel that could be quickly changed when the barrel became hot during sustained fire, though later guns featured a chrome-lined barrel, which reduced the need for a spare. The Bren gun is widely regarded as one of the best light machine guns ever built, but that reputation is based on the British .303 caliber version. [15], In general, the Bren was considered a reliable and effective light machine gun, though in North Africa it was reported to jam regularly unless kept very clean and free of sand or dirt. A canvas bag was designed to catch the cartridges and overcome the problem, but it seems to have been rarely issued. Production of a 7.92 mm round model for the Far East was carried out by Inglis of Canada. ~ WW2 Bren Light Machine Gun Mark 2 ~ A deactivated Bren light machine gun with its bipod stand. Propellant gases vented from a port towards the muzzle end of the barrel through a regulator (visible in the photo, just in front of the bipod) with four quick-adjustment apertures of different sizes, intended to tailor the gas volume to different ambient temperatures (smallest flow at high temperature, e.g. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also used in the Korean War and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including the 1982 Falklands War. The Inglis version of the Bren Mk 2 chambered for the .30-06 (7.62 mm) cartridge and known as the M41 was also manufactured in Formosa in 1952. The Vickers-Berthier was later adopted by the Indian Army because it could be manufactured at once, rather than wait for the British Lewis production run to finish; it too saw extensive service in World War II. Surplus Brens have been imported to the United States for sale to collectors, but due to US gun laws restricting the importation of automatic weapons such guns must be legally destroyed by cutting up the receivers. Further British requests for modifications led to the ZGB 32, ZGB 33, and ZGB 34, the last being accepted for production as the Bren with the first Enfield production gun being completed in September 1937. more info Quick view. Daimler also built 74,000 Bren guns, initially at a workshop in their Coventry factory and, after that workshop was destroyed in the April 1941 raid, at a boot and shoe factory in Burton-on-Trent. This Bren is lot #1013 at Morphy’s April 2019 auction. This became a greater issue when it was discovered that only 2,300 of the 30,000 Bren guns issued to the British Expeditionary Force came back to Britain after the defeat of France. [13] On occasion, a Bren gunner would use his weapon on the move supported by a sling, much like an automatic rifle, and from standing or kneeling positions. The Lewis, although lighter, was still heavy and was prone to frequent stoppages; its barrel could not be changed in the field, which meant that sustained firing resulted in overheating until it stopped altogether. [25] Some examples were still in service with reservists of the British South Africa Police in 1980, and were inherited by the Zimbabwe Republic Police upon the country's internationally recognised independence. [11] The Bren was operated by a two-man crew, sometimes commanded by a Lance Corporal as an infantry section's "gun group", the remainder of the section forming the "rifle group". I've moved the article to "Bren light machine gun"- I've never actually seen the gun's name spelt BREN in any reference text (the same goes for the Sten gun too, incidentally). The bipod, woodwork and barrel were also simplified making production quick and rate of fire slightly higher. The Bren Mk2 was much simplified in the body, which although still being milled from a solid billet of steel, required significantly fewer milling operations than the Mk1, resulting in a much cleaner appearance. December 27, 2013 Ian McCollum Accessories, Light MGs 13. [citation needed]. Overall length 45.5 inches (1,160 mm), 25 inches (640 mm) barrel length. Among the variant designs were two speciality prototypes that never entered production: The belt-fed Taden gun for stationary defence use, and the ultra-simplified Besal gun to be produced in case a German invasion of Britain actually took place (which would hinder British production efforts). Chapter 1, Section 1, para 102, Australian Army Manual of Land Warfare, Part 2, Infantry Training, Vol 4 Pam 6, Machine Gun 7.62mm L4A4, Australian Government 1979. It was 45.5 inches in overall length, and employed a quick-change 25-inch barrel, which could be replaced in seconds, allowing it to keep up a sustained rate of fire. Machine Gun Parts & Accessories. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also used in the Korean War and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including the 1982 Falklands War. In Australia, the Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales began building Bren guns in 1940; a total of 17,249 were built. The magazine was curved in order to feed the rimmed .303 SAA ("Small Arms Ammunition") cartridge, a change from the various rimless Mauser-design cartridges such as the 8mm Mauser round previously used by Czech designs. The BREN Machine Gun, usually called the Bren, was a series of machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991. [10] The 66-man "Assault Troop" of British Commandos had a nominal establishment of four Bren guns. Bren Mk2 conversion, one chromium-plated steel barrel. ... Bren Gun Original Magazine Chest With 12 .303 Mags. Weight 22 lb 2 oz (10.0 kg). The Bren was also delivered to the Soviet Union as part of the lend-lease program[20], The British Army, and the armies of various countries of the Commonwealth, used the Bren in the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Mau Mau Uprising and the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, where it was preferred to its replacement, the belt-fed GPMG, on account of its lighter weight. [4], At the close of the First World War in 1918, the British Army was equipped with two main automatic weapons; the Vickers medium machine gun (MMG) and the Lewis light machine gun (LMG). Bruce Canfield's "U.S. Small Arms of World War II" is a rich tome complete with a wealth of information and impressive color photography. The Bren gun, in its last incarnation—the post-World War II L4A4—was effectively removed from active service in the mid … [14], The 30-round magazine was in practice usually filled with 27 or 28 rounds to prevent jams and avoid wearing out the magazine spring. Battlefield Vegas offers the best shooting range experience in Clark County, Nevada. Click here to email info@battlefieldvegas.com, Click here to view location 2771 Sammy Davis Jr Drive Las Vegas, NV 89109. A conversion of the Bren to 7.62mm NATO from 1958. [26] Zimbabwean policemen continued to deploy Bren guns during operations against ZIPRA dissidents throughout the early 1980s. "It [the L4A4 Bren] is normally fired from the shoulder in the lying position, supported by the bipod, although it may be fired from other positions to engage targets at close range". 2771 Sammy Davis Jr Drive Las Vegas, NV 89109. Bren Vertical Mg Foregrip. In the conflict in Northern Ireland (1969–1998), a British Army squad typically carried the L4A4 version of the Bren as the squad automatic weapon in the 1970s. $65.00. This firearm appears to be unissued complete with spare barrel and box of 10 magazines. The balance of the parts are surplus Bren parts. By 1938 when Hitler marched into Czechoslovakia, over 120,000 of these handy guns were sold to two dozen countries around the world. Note: the provision of a chromium-plated barrel with its improved wear characteristics at high temperatures made the carrying of a spare barrel unnecessary. Fully Transferable Original WWII 8mm BREN MKI manufactured by Inglis Canada. The vented gas drove a piston which in turn actuated the breech block. The Bren Mk II design simplified production by replacing the drum rear sight with a ladder design, making the bipod legs non-adjustable, simplifying the gun butt, reducing the use of stainless steel, among other steps that reduced the cost by 20% to 25%; Mk II was approved in September 1940 and entered production in 1941.