Bren MKI + MKII (Semi-autos)

[dcollector]

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. 

[Carrabassett]

Fantastic collection, thanks for sharing! 

[T BIRD]

VERY IMPRESSIVE,  THANK YOU FOR SHARING👌

[Kia kaha]

I know these gun well, we trained using 0.303 mk1 and 2 and the shorter airborne version in 1979/80. Deployed using the L4 version in 7.62 mm, and was on the last Small Arms Instructors Training Course to teach the use of the Bren. I love these guns.

 

[dcollector]

Nice pictures Kia Kaha!

 

Thanks for sharing - I just bought a NZ L1A1 - has to be refurbished at ARS in Arizona, but I will post pictures here.

It will be a nice one when the rest is finished.