Early Mk1 Bren with white highlighted markings

[Flying10uk]

One can imagine the response if a live Bren turned up at a car boot sale here in the U.K..

[Flying10uk]

Another thing about this Bren that is slightly different is the conical part of the Flash Hider. It looks like a normal Mk1 barrel, although I'm no expert, but the Flash Hider is much more elongated which I assume to be because it's an early Bren/barrel.

[Peter Laidler]

It is what is known as a choking or stepped flash eliminator (the f/e). The Czechs designed a straight taper but Britain knew better and designed the stepped taper, against the advice of Professor Venturi who knew a bit about directional venting gas. Before long, it was discovered that .......... Is anyone really interested in the technicalities of this stuff? So we changed the shape of the f/e to a straight taper what they suggested in the first place and Prof. Venturi had long decided was the best means of blah blah blah.......

[tankhunter]

'....... purchased at an island market....' How the other half live!

Not an uncommon Occurance in Belguim & France at 'Fairs' I have heard!........Probably not so frequent these days I would say. With the current
'Situations' that have unfolded just over the Water!

[mrclark303]

In Greece at the moment, the hotel owner has a very nice family "hand me down" S42 Luger in his office draw... They do have firearms laws here, but like many other rules/laws in Greece, get largely ignored.

I recall a junk/antique shop in Herakleion about 30 years ago, awash with WW2 gear and and many firearms, including a tatty but fully functional MP40!

[TactAdv]

One can imagine the response if a live Bren turned up at a car boot sale here in the U.K..

Just as a political annoyance I will relate to you that....... in most states here, if you're talking about a semi-auto BREn at least, you can still actually do just that between private individuals. (Certain states aside, with their relatively new requirement for "universal background checks").

And, it wasn't all that long ago...up until the late-70's....that here in the USA the normal manner in which full-auto machine guns were "transferred" was that the deal was made, the gun exchanged, then AFTER possession had been changed the IRS Alcohol & Tobacco Tax Unit (ATTU) was notified of the change of ownership via mail, and they amended the records as such. The working concept of "permission/approval" to affect a transfer was not in actual usage until relatively recently. And among certain NFA Dealers, the practice of calling in to ATF NFA Branch and having a gun transferred in the records (affecting the "transfer") between two Dealers while on the phone call was truly alive and well until VERY recently.

-TomH

[Flying10uk]

Last year the BBC screened a travel/adventure programme, by Simon Reeve, from the Mediterranean including Greece and a Greek Island. On the Greek Island there appeared to still be significant numbers of WW2 German handguns still in the hands of the Islanders who were shown firing them into the air to mark the anniversary and celebration of some event.

[Peter Laidler]

The Greeks will be firing them in the air again within the next year or so when they get GRexit from the dreaded EU. Sorry....., politics - but in a light hearted way!

[mrclark303]

Here here Pete, brexit has gone down very well here, in fact that's how I became aware of the Luger, the hotel owner brandished it last Friday morning and pretending to fire it in the air in celebration, so glad he didn't start shooting, does nothing for a hangover!

It's surprising what can still be found here (kefalonia) if you are observant, the neighbour down the road has a Willys Jeep bonnet to cover his well (with the rest of the dismantled Jeep in his back yard), I saw the rusted remains of an Italian steel helmet on a scarecrow on the drive here and also rusted twisted aircraft aluminium skin used to plug gaps in Goat fencing up in the mountains (spotted by my wife as we drove past, she's good at spotting these things these days)... the Greeks don't throw anything away!

[Flying10uk]

You should have heard what the Islanders had to say about the original owners of the pistols, Peter, which I won't be repeating here.