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The Bren's are home.

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  • pitfighter
    Veteran Member
    • Jul 2009
    • 3141

    The Bren's are home.

    Another British post, because another head wears a crown:

    So these two reconditioned old restorations are home after their protracted stay in transfer-prison.
    Sharing some images for those that are interested.
    I qualified on this monstrosity when I was a 14 year old cadet, and have had a love/hate with it ever since.
    I had the mags and spare parts in my closet for decades, finally decided to have them built into CA DOJ, BATF, 922R compliant Semi-auto rifles whilst retaining as much WW2 as is possible.

    1. MKI Bren Gun 1943 - Drum rear-sight - (barrel fore-end in the white. Hump-back stock.)
    With canvas spare barrel bag, and cleaning kit.
    With Mag carrier containing 12 x 30 round magazines (still in original grease paper, still smells like rotten British food.)
    This is wearing reproduction wood I sourced and a reproduction sustained fire butt-plate.

    2. MKII Bren Gun 1942 - standard elevation rear-sight - canvas sling.
    With Canvas spare barrel bag and cleaning kit.
    With Mag carrier containing 12 x 30 round magazines (used and abused.)

    3. Two of my favorite original 1941 Fairbairn Sykes First Pattern daggers.
    Great blade shape, beautiful condition, unique color "issue" leather scabbards.
    *Crazy thing is these knives are worth more at auction than the Bren guns!

    4. One Royal Marines Commando Officer's Beret (Post war, sorry)

    5. 60 rounds of Winchester 1942 dated .303 174 grain (full patch) ball cartridges - made in the USA.
    These will run the Bren like a scolded mule, the cordite clean up afterward being similar to said mule incident, too.

    6. The Bren Gun Saga revised 1999 edition by T. B. Dugelby.
    Collectors Grade Publications. Hard cover.
    A great resource if you're interested in this old iron. Though be warned it's kinda an expensive book to purchase.

    *Look at the Bren receiver sections and you can see where they were welded together (quite a rough job unfortunately, a bit "chewing-gum" weld) from destroyed parts; what you cannot see is the BATF approved semi-automatic conversion within the receiver and the 922r US made parts. I'm a little disappointed by the cosmetics but all the welds seem solid enough. The price point was in my grasp so there's that. Both barrels have had the flash-hider cone filled - making it no longer a flash-hider. CA compliant Kydex fins removed for photographs.










    Last edited by pitfighter; 05-09-2023, 9:31 PM.
    Pitfighter.
    CA/AZ
  • #2
    Capybara
    CGSSA Coordinator
    CGN Contributor
    • Feb 2012
    • 15266

    Damn. Those are really amazing pieces of history you have there. Agree the welds on #2 could be a bit more refined but whats done is done and in the end, it doesn't really matter, all that matters is that they are around, shootable and ready to rock.

    Nice acquisitions! Great pictures.
    NRA Certified Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor, Shotgun Instructor and Range Safety Officer

    sigpic

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    • #3
      pitfighter
      Veteran Member
      • Jul 2009
      • 3141

      Originally posted by Capybara
      Damn. Those are really amazing pieces of history you have there. Agree the welds on #2 could be a bit more refined but whats done is done and in the end, it doesn't really matter, all that matters is that they are around, shootable and ready to rock.

      Nice acquisitions! Great pictures.
      Cheers - these are shooters, they photograph nicely, but, these are for the range. Not for work; collection-wise they're not really original, or rare, so they're logged under the heading; for fun!
      Well, until I run out of .303 British, which might be soon, lol.
      Pitfighter.
      CA/AZ

      Comment

      • #4
        BrokerB
        Calguns Addict
        • Sep 2010
        • 5282

        very nice
        Beans and Bullets

        Comment

        • #5
          sealocan
          Calguns Addict
          • Mar 2012
          • 9950

          " It's me Bren gunS!?! "

          Pitfighter , you keep amazing us with your outstanding collection!
          Thank you for sharing the info and the well photographed images.

          Reminds me of the time that hippie girl went all Hollywood style fake shoot-em-up in the 1998 movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" with
          "me Bren gun". ...



          The movies worth watching if anyone here hasn't seen it yet, or watching it again if you have, but it's not to be confused with "Lock Stock & Barrel Investments,
          a Gun shop in Simi Valley, California "
          (That some members here have said good things about.)

          Comment

          • #6
            aolis110
            Member
            • May 2011
            • 246

            Who did the conversion, and can you give the price?

            Comment

            • #7
              pitfighter
              Veteran Member
              • Jul 2009
              • 3141



              I provided the CA Kydex grip wrap and I did the CA flash hider conversion, (the cones are filled so they're defacto barrel extensions.)

              The cost of the work will depend on the nastiness of the cuts in your receiver section and how difficult they are to repair, and there are other factors that will determine the cost of the finished job.

              If you're in a hurry, I would suggest one of the Historic Arms conversions for sale on Gunbroker.

              Good luck.
              Pitfighter.
              CA/AZ

              Comment

              • #8
                Rocklander97
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2016
                • 729

                I love my Bren. I shoot it more if 303 wasn?t so hard to find


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                Comment

                • #9
                  CAL.BAR
                  CGSSA OC Chapter Leader
                  • Nov 2007
                  • 5632

                  Originally posted by Rocklander97
                  I love my Bren. I shoot it more if 303 wasn?t so hard to find


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                  Convert it to .308. I did it to mine and haven't looked back. You just need a .308 barrel and extractor.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Rocklander97
                    Senior Member
                    • Nov 2016
                    • 729

                    Originally posted by CAL.BAR
                    Convert it to .308. I did it to mine and haven't looked back. You just need a .308 barrel and extractor.

                    Really [emoji102].


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                    • #11
                      Saigon1965
                      CGN/CGSSA Contributor - Lifetime
                      CGN Contributor - Lifetime
                      • Nov 2003
                      • 17276

                      Holy sh** Pit!

                      Coolest pair there - Gonna need to see you dual wield those...

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        pitfighter
                        Veteran Member
                        • Jul 2009
                        • 3141

                        Originally posted by Saigon1965
                        Holy sh** Pit!

                        Coolest pair there - Gonna need to see you dual wield those...
                        Hah, I haven't tried that.
                        Pitfighter.
                        CA/AZ

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Funbaby
                          Senior Member
                          • Nov 2009
                          • 1879

                          Takes me back to my youth, locked in the school armory for the afternoon after rifles were issued to the cadets, smoking cigarettes into the extractor fan and taking the Bren guns apart over and over to pass the time.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Ishooter
                            Senior Member
                            • Mar 2010
                            • 907

                            They're awesome. They're probably expensive.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              pitfighter
                              Veteran Member
                              • Jul 2009
                              • 3141

                              Originally posted by Ishooter
                              They're awesome. They're probably expensive.
                              Everything is relative.

                              The Brens I can sell on Calguns or Gunbroker easily if required, know how few people want to spend over $5K on an ugly second hand knife you can't even use, lol?

                              (The two 1st pattern 1941 FS daggers in the OP each cost more than a semi-Bren.)
                              Pitfighter.
                              CA/AZ

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