Bren MkI/MkII Barrel Varient observed

[Brit plumber]

Is there a number and date on it?

[Peter Laidler]

Just as a matter of interest, in the 1938/9 Armourers instructions for converting updating Mk1 barrels to Mk1*, it states that the gas port from the barrel to the gas block was bored after assembly. I know that it's obvious really but it does negate the question or notion of simply knocking off the Mk1 sleeve and sliding on a Mk1 gas block - and expecting the holes to miraculously align. Just me being realistic..........

Added a bit later: Just had an opportunity to measure the barrel diameters of a sleeveless Mk1 barrel (.735") and the muzzle/flash eliminator (F/E) end of a Mk3/lightweight barrel (not a Mk2 but will be the same dia) which comes out at .700". So to fit a Mk1 flash eliminator to a Mk1 sleeveless barrel as per the photo you'll have to skim out the internal bore of the F/E or skim .035" from the muzzle end of the barrel to fit the F/E.

[Lee Enfield]

Is there a number and date on it?

There were, but I failed to make a note of them.

[Lee Enfield]

As a matter of interest I observed another of these barrels on Stencollector's table at the Calgary April gunshow.

[Peter Laidler]

Maybe Sten Collector has the answer to these, er......... hybrids!

[stencollector]

Sorry, no explanation. The barrel that LE is talking about was on a dewat that I was selling at the show. The dewat was a recent acquisition from the surplus dealer who bought them directly from the military......there was no fiddling with them, they are exactly the way the Cdn government released them.....torch cuts and all.

I did not even notice the skinny barrel until LE pointed it out to me at the show.

[stencollector]

Bumping an older thread with a bit of an update. I just picked up a fair collection of cut-ups that are out of Cdn service. There were 3 more (out of a total of 37) of these barrels in the bunch. I have not cleaned the cosmoline off them to check for serial numbers, but can do so if it would be of interest to anybody.

These were relased by the DND as scrap back in the 60s, and have remained hidden away for the last 50 years, only seeing the light of day now. So there has been no un-authorised fiddling with them post service....they are as they left the Canadian military.