WW2Steel.com
page last modified 22Jul'06
Bren:
(A Bren Mk II with my favorite Bren
MkI aluminum barrel.)
History: The Bren gun began most directly as the Czech vz.27 in
the 1930s. (Incidentally, the Czech's were one of the largest
land warfare arms suppliers prior to WWII. A nice prize for Herr
Hitler.) 'Bren' is a combination of Brno - the Czechoslovakian
city of development, and Enfield Lock - the English manufacturer.
The most widely used models in WWII were the MkI and MkII. Above
is a MkI aluminum tipped barrel on a MkII. The MkI can be
distinguished by the pistol grip under the shoulder shock and a large
knob to the left of the rear sight. These relatively unnecessary
features were deleted on the MkII. Though a slower rate of fire
and smaller magazine than the German MG34 or '42 it was used tactically
on the level of the BAR or FG42. A great recoil mechanism with
long travel through a decently machined receiver made recoil
forces low and accuracy above average. The Bren L4A2 chambered
for NATO 7.62 is still in service today.
Country of Origin:
|
Great Britain (Czechoslovakia)
|
Caliber:
|
.303 British
|
Weight:
|
22.5lb (10.25kg)
|
Feed/ Capacity:
|
30 round box magazine, 28 usually loaded for
ease of the spring.
|
Rate of Fire:
|
500 rpm
|
Muzzle Velocity:
|
2400fps (730mps)
|
Range:
|
3300' (1000m) +
|
I
no longer offer dummy
guns due to the rising cost of Bren parts kits, lack of reasonably
priced barrels,
and that it takes over a week's
labor to do a good job on one. I have sold off all of my excess
parts. Thanks for the interest!
Finally, here is a new photos of
one I have built (dummy gun of
course!)... the old looking parts are the ones I use in my shop
for fitting purposes. The kit parts are usually very nice!
