old guys, tell me about your Bren experiences.

harmoniums

I just ordered a semi-auto re-weld build






I should have it in by mid February!

I've sourced a ring mount for my M35A2 truck (US deuce and a half), so I'm thinking about making up an adapter and fitting it on that.

Stovepipe

Drooolll!!! Saw that model in Stores but never fired it. Only fired the later, plainer ones (no drum sight, different flash eliminator, plainer butt, less fitting for anti-aircraft mount). Great gun.

regards
Stovepipe

Local-womanizer

Fired the later one too, but I loved it. Very accurate and easy to fire. Only fired 40 rounds out of it mind you so my experience was a brief but enjoyable one.

Enjoy it Harmoniums,ya lucky fecker!

*I am not an oldie btw, had the chance to fire one before it was retired*

goldie fish

Never liked it. Too heavy to be practical, with firepower no better than an automatic rifle. Lugged it around on a tactical ex for 48 hours in 1988, and unlike everyone else on ex, couldnt fire blanks.It's a rifle with a bipod, only less accurate. Throw a bipod on a FN and you would get better results.
It stopped being useful when belt fed light machine guns were invented. The magazine provides an unnecessary unavoidable stoppage.

youtheman

Fired it when I was in the FCA in the late 1970's. The obvious difference between it and the Lee Enfield .303 is that your shoulder wasn't dislocated after firing it. We were all 'under age' in those days, having doctored our date-of-birth to join up. So a 16 year old firing the Lee Enfield all day on the range was a fairly sobering experience. Then when you graduated onto the Bren Gun it was a pleasant transition in that the thing didn't 'kick back'.

Those were the days !!!!!!

Nuttzz

Like goldie without real ammo it was a pain in the arse for tactical exs

However being the first weapon where you could fire a burst from it was a real thrill to do so, but carrying around the weight of 5 mags with 30 rounds each was impracticable really.

krissovo

I found it the most accurate automatic weapon I ever fired if you have a fairly stable platform. Groupings tended to be in the millimeters and a lot of rounds would follow the same path going through the same hole on the target. As the ejection port is underneath you do not get the creep that you do with more modern automatic weapons and gravity would prevent ejection lift. When it went 7.62 (LMG) it got even more accurate.

Negatives: Pain in the ass to carry as there is absolutely no comfy position to hold, the best I found was strap over my neck with the weapon across my chest resting on webbing.

30 rounds would go in a flash.

Magazines were a weakness either dirt or the spring losing its tension would cause stoppages. If you can get a 20 round magazine like a SLR/FN type it would be a lot more reliable.

goldie fish

Oh, I forgot to mention...casings up the sleeve!
AHHHH!(cue mad flapping on the firing line)

iceage

Fired it with the plainer stock with both the FCA and the British ACF. Loved it except when charging around the place with it.

Stovepipe

There were several attempts to upgrade it, include one project called a Motley Gun, which had a 200-rd drum, in the style of the Vickers GO used by air gunners in Allied bombers in WW 2. There were also home made lash ups with extended mags, to give a 50-odd round capacity.

regards
Stovepipe

goldie fish

Stovepipe wrote: »

There were several attempts to upgrade it, include one project called a Motley Gun, which had a 200-rd drum, in the style of the Vickers GO used by air gunners in Allied bombers in WW 2. There were also home made lash ups with extended mags, to give a 50-odd round capacity.

regards
Stovepipe

The British converted theirs to 7.62, but if was prone to magazine related stoppages.

rednik

Fired it in the FCA in the late 70s, if I remember correctly it was known as the "runaway gun".

Lemming

krissovo wrote: »

I found it the most accurate automatic weapon I ever fired if you have a fairly stable platform. Groupings tended to be in the millimeters and a lot of rounds would follow the same path going through the same hole on the target. As the ejection port is underneath you do not get the creep that you do with more modern automatic weapons and gravity would prevent ejection lift. When it went 7.62 (LMG) it got even more accurate.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that during WW2, Bren gunners preferred using worn barrels to create a wider target spread since the gun was considered too accurate for a support gun

Stovepipe

@rednik, I only ever had "runaways" with GPMGs, twice, stopped in both cases by twisting the belt. The Bren was as reliable as a Swiss watch and as tough as old boots. I found it to be very "pointable", for want of any other word. Once, on the ranges, the NCOs set up a line of snap targets, in the style of a section, and one of them demonstrated the accuracy and lethality of the Bren by cutting them down in one sweep from 300 yards. Very effective as a firepower demo.

regards
Stovepipe

goldie fish

rednik wrote: »

Fired it in the FCA in the late 70s, if I remember correctly it was known as the "runaway gun".

Never heard that one with a magazine fed weapon. if the gun runs away, take off the magazine, it stops firing.

kieranfitz

goldie fish wrote: »

Never heard that one with a magazine fed weapon. if the gun runs away, take off the magazine, it stops firing.

Maybe a reference to the fact that it tended to recoil slightly forwards instead of back. Must admit I loved shooting it but we always had gpmgs on the ground.

krissovo

kieranfitz wrote: »

Maybe a reference to the fact that it tended to recoil slightly forwards instead of back. Must admit I loved shooting it but we always had gpmgs on the ground.

I forgot about that, getting pulled up the range was a great craic.

goldie fish

krissovo wrote: »

I forgot about that, getting pulled up the range was a great craic.

if you were a small animal perhaps...

kieranfitz

goldie fish wrote: »

if you were a small animal perhaps...

Like a gold fish perhaps?

gizmo555

kieranfitz wrote: »

Maybe a reference to the fact that it tended to recoil slightly forwards instead of back. Must admit I loved shooting it but we always had gpmgs on the ground.

krissovo wrote: »

I forgot about that, getting pulled up the range was a great craic.

I do remember the NCO instructing us on the Bren pointing out that the bipod feet had holes just the right diameter that a couple of spent cartridge cases could be used as pegs to fix the bipod firmly to the spot.

I don't know if this was the intended purpose of the holes or whether this was just a work around arising from experience with the weapon. Anyone else know?

Stovepipe

@gizmo, did that myself on the ranges. It worked but was unworkable for actual tactical training.

regards
Stovepipe

galwaycyclist

I loved it I think they were a fabulous piece of kit. As a piece of engineering they were of a different time. Among the snaggy old NCOs, the Bren seems to me to evoke genuine affection that other weapons don't really seem to.

Certainly if I wished to have my own LMG for my own range shooting it would be the Bren no question.

I have a recollection of being issued in the RDF, some time in the last decade, effectively brand new Brens still in the packing cases. When the GPMG came in some of our Brens can't have had more than a few thousand rounds fired - if even.

xflyer

Most soldiers who fired it, but not all I notice, loved the Bren. Maybe not carrying it around although that's a problem with all LMGs.

What I noticed was how quiet it seemed with the ejection slot underneath. It was also accurate, too accurate as some pointed out. But that was only if you were actually aiming at the target. I remember on the range in Kilpedder firing the Bren, a little bit low so my rounds were hitting the ground just below the target. To make it worse the idiot beside was also firing low at MY target. If you've ever been in the butts you know how that sounds even with single shots. Here were two machine guns doing it. Apparently there were recruits operating the targets. Their first time 'under fire'. I heard they were sh***ing themselves.

Wicklowrider

My father was sent down from Clancy bks sometime in the '60's with a Bren gun carrier to take part in the Easter Parade. It broke down somewhere near O'Connell bridge so they took the weapons and got the bus back up to islandbridge

V Bull

The Bren has got to be one of the best guns that I have ever shot over the years..Loved it..:):)

BigDuffman

Fond memories of the bren. I always found it a pleasure to fire (first gun I was ever any use with!).

Yeah sticking brass in the bipod feet and pulling her right back to try compensate the "rock".

The age of the weapons when we had them meant we were told to only load 28 rds as the springs in the mags were knackered.

Spending ages doing the reload drill and the heel of your palm would be sore from banging off the mag catch and mag in same motion.

I remember my first major tax ex as I 2*. I had to carry the bren and was gutted as everyone else had pyro coming out their ar$e.

Where are you living OP?

fenris

I really enjoyed firing the Bren, the accuracy was great, there were often heated debates on whether two rounds had gone through the same hole.

A couple of us woke up to the realisation that shooting too well landed you on Bn shooting teams where your had to listen to way too much bull from the "shooters/mountainey men" (the lads with the long hair that that didn't know left from right, marched like they had dug their way out of a shallow grave, produced one intelligible word if for but jesus could they shoot) as well as covering their asses by being the presentable ones while they were hidden in the wagon.

So we perfected the art of blowing the legs off of the four foot targets once you got your qualifying score (but not enough to end up on a team). The whinging from the butts as yet another target toppled made up for the freezing damp hours on security!

Muppet Man

I fired it competitively for about 10 years in the Reserve's and I miss it dearly since the change over the GMPG. It was a beautiful weapon to fire. In competition there was always arguments about the holes in the bipod shoes – sometimes you were allowed to pin the gun down with empty 303 casings and sometimes not. The holes in the shoes would only take about two thirds of the casing anyway, so I’m not convinced that was their original purpose. I do remember one shoot where someone had tampered with the holes in the Bipod shoes to take the full length of the casing and they were promptly disqualified. Also remember some of the old-schoolers having “special” 303 casings with a 6 inch spike out the top to give extra depth… no names…

The small magazine and a box 12 of magazines in a (heavy) metal box made it almost impractical as a section support weapon – especially for the poor bastard carrying it. Its true too that it was just too accurate. Additionally on tactics, no blank adaptors and often no belt to carry it over your shoulder. Long day.

I also remember zeroing it at 100 yards – the fall of shot had to be 1 inch high and 1 inch right of the white patch due to the rear apperature sights being set at 200 yards and also because the sights were offset to the left. Zeroing was complicated even more because the fore sight only came in graduations of 3 inches (I think it was a 3 inches).I used to fire with a “37” sight, the next smaller sight was a “34”, which you would bring up the target. Moving left/right was a lesson in gentle persuasion with a heavy hammer and screwdriver.

At the change over to the GPMG many Brens were still in stores packaged in heavy paper – never having fired a shot - and locked / jammed solid in grease. We did manage to secure 2 new bren guns for one all-army competition which took about a few gallons of “Jizer” and a lot of patience to degrease.

The gas settings – of which there were only four – were fairly simple and easy to change. Most Immedaite Actions were typically a badly filled magazine (the rounds had to be rim in front of rim), or broken magazine and less rarely insufficient gas. A simple, strong and accurate weapon. But the move to belt fed just had to happen.

Muppet Man

Stovepipe

@muppetman,
I think the British Army might disagree about it's tactical utility as a section weapon. They loved it, especially because of it's accuracy and ease of use. I think the only thing they regretted about the Bren was that it's competition in WW 2 was the MG34 and 42. Of all the magazine-fed machine-guns, it was probably the best. In the FCA, I did see "home-made" Bren slings made out of converted rifle slings or, in one case, a fine leather sling made by a farrier!
Still, it was great fun to fire and I only wish it had been fitted for left-handers as well.

regards
Stovepipe

Muppet Man

Agreed yeah, I vaguely remember two lee enfield 303 slings connected to make a sling for the Bren, but by and large, it was deemed punishment to be the bren carrier on tactics and there was no way (my) CQMS would come across with two very valuable lee enfield slings

I was just citing its impracticality for section support (with my very limited tactic experience) based on its relatively small mag and pain the arse for lugging all the mags and mag box around. Obviously though, awesomely accurate and at distances well above the 300 yrd mark as well.

Cheers
Muppet Man

harmoniums

BigDuffman wrote: »

Fond memories of the bren. I always found it a pleasure to fire (first gun I was ever any use with!).

Yeah sticking brass in the bipod feet and pulling her right back to try compensate the "rock".

Where are you living OP?

Southern California, USA.

I wonder if using not fired brass (ie live/pulled rounds) would stake it better?
Fired brass always swells a bit as the chamber has to be a wee bit bigger than the new round.