Building a .303 Bren gun

[bigthaiboy]

Does anyone here know of anyone who's built a british .303 Bren Gun from a parts kit in CA. I would be interested to find out whether it can be done to CA compliance. Failing that, I would consider putting one together with a dummy reciever. I was wondering :

1. How it would have to be configured?
2. What company is building recievers for them?
3. Where to get 10rd magazines?
4. Is there a difference between building a MK1 or a Mk2?
5. Are there dummy recievers being made?

The Bren has always been a favourite of mine.

Bren Gun 2.jpg

[Mssr. Eleganté]

The Bren has always been a favourite of mine.

Heh, heh. Favourite! Good show!

My brother has a Bren dummy gun that he bought from Sportsman's Guide I think. It is pretty cool. There was (or is) a company called Historic Arms that was making a semi-auto Bren receiver. They were posting updates on the project on various gun boards a few years ago, and may have run into problems either getting it to work or getting it approved by ATF.

It's a damned sexy gun.

[DRH]

Does anyone here know of anyone who's built a british .303 Bren Gun from a parts kit in CA. Yes I would be interested to find out whether it can be done to CA compliance.It can be done, as it can be with any gun. The final product will not look original Failing that, I would consider putting one together with a dummy reciever.Dummy guns are not legal unless they are painted solid orange or green, not just the tip of the barrel I was wondering :

1. How it would have to be configured? read the catagory three assault weapon language and understand it
2. What company is building recievers for them?Most people are modifying the existing receivers and rewelding them. Jigs are available, check weaponeer.net for more info.
3. Where to get 10rd magazines?Have someone permanently modify a 30 round mag down to 10 rounds out of state
4. Is there a difference between building a MK1 or a Mk2?Yes
5. Are there dummy recievers being made?Not legal in Kali

The Bren has always been a favourite of mine.

[ATTACH]3486[/ATTACH]

You must also play the 922 imports parts game when assembling this weapon.

[wilit]

The thing would be pretty useless without the pistol grip as you'd have a hard time pulling the trigger with nothing to hold on to. It's not like an AK where you can go PG-less and still reach the trigger with your hand holding onto the stock.

It's also pretty difficult to load the magazine if you went with a fixed mag setup. Much more so than an AK or FAL.

I'm no BREN expert, so I don't know how the action works (Blowback or Gas, ETC) but your best bet of making it CA compliant would be to make it a non-semi-automatic. Meaning you pull the trigger, pull the cocking handle to extract the spent casing and load a new round, and do it over and over again.

[DRH]

I would think that the monsterman grip would attach very easily with some extra trimming.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

Dummy guns are not legal unless they are painted solid orange or green, not just the tip of the barrel

Don't forget about the exemption for "A nonfiring collector's replica that is historically significant, and is offered for sale in conjunction with a wall plaque or presentation case." It just has to be offered for sale in conjunction with the wall plaque or presentation case, it doesn't actually have to be mounted.

[WallySparx]

i'm thinking it might be a good candidate for rear magazine lever deal, like the one on atlantic arms' CA-legal aks.

[dw1784]

wouldn't it work as a single shot?
Somebody brought one of those to Front Sight a few years back. We all waited in line to shoot it but it kept on jamming. I wanted to see how you shoot with the mag blocking your view.

[gunsnrovers]

Historic Arms LLC in Franklin Georgia is making semi-Auto Brens.

Set you back about $2500 or so.

[bigthaiboy]

Thank you. I am fully aware of the laws concerning SB23 and 922(r) compliancy and have spent much time reading up on them. As people are putting together FAL;s, AK's, G3's, even M1919's together, there are manufacturers producing compliant parts and off-list recievers for them, I just wanted to get an idea, whether there was a smaller niche scene of shooters who are putting together Brens.

A friend in England recently suggested I should build a semi-auto Bren, and until that point, I hadn't even thought of it. Obviously I would have to rethink it, if it was going to be undoable due to a lack of U.S. made parts available to make it 922(r) compliant, or it was going to turn into a huge feat of engineering.

One option I had considered was a build a Bren with sealed up gas components, to make it a manually cycled rifle. I'm guessing, this would be the safest type (in the eyes of the BATF) of build to own in CA. A dummy gun would have been a last resort, if there had been no legal way of getting one built in CA. I really not that keen on the idea of historic guns that have to be permanently disabled.

The Bren has always been a favourite of mine.

Heh, heh. Favourite! Good show!

I spelt favorite like that because I was actually educated in England, and that's how it's spelt there, so sometimes my brain goes into auto-pilot with my spelling. I wasn't trying to be funny.

[jimx]

Check out

http://www.weaponeer.net/productcart/pc/showsearchresults.asp?idcategory=2

and for the jig

http://www.weaponeer.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4459

or maybe someone will lend you one??????
If not a wall hanger you will need semi parts machining. You do not need to play the # of US parts game but you may need some semi parts????

[jimx]

A friend in England recently suggested I should build a semi-auto Bren, and until that point, I hadn't even thought of it. Obviously I would have to rethink it, if it was going to be undoable due to a lack of U.S. made parts available to make it 922(r) compliant, or it was going to turn into a huge feat of engineering.

A Bren does not need to be 922 compliant...

[Michael303]

I would be down for a group buy or build. I’ve always wanted a Bren, but figured since it didn’t have the same following as a 1919 there just wasn’t the interest.

I suppose you could build it 10/32 fixed style. The mag would be somewhat similar in design to that of the modified 10/30 AK mags, except there would be a hole cut at the 10 round mark, allowing for the insertion of .303 rounds. Borrowing from the fixed AK design, the user would pull the spring and follower up, exposing the cutout. The user would then drop in the rounds, and release the spring. I think it would work. Or maybe I’m missing something major.

[grammaton76]

DRH: The letter references semiautomatic assault weapons. If the federal AWB was the main reason they denied him and kept the barrel+FH, are you sure the conditions of his refusal still apply?

[jimx]

Please do not give out bad information, the Bren is not importable. This letter was pre AWB sunset so the AW part does not apply federally. The writer got his submission sample back less the barrel and flash hider.

Thank you

I see in your letter the Fed's call it a "rifle". My understanding is if it is not designed to be shoulder fired they do not consider a rifle and is not subject to 922. An AK he needs to comply however a maximum does not, unless of course you come up with another letter : )

I guess with the wood stock they consider it a shoulder fired a weapon????