Bren Magazine Tool?

[scoobsean]

I needed a Combination Tool and ended up buying one in a kit that also included the fouling tool and what was described as a Magazine Tool. It is a solid block of metal, rectangular with a slightly curved end and a groove cut along that curved edge (the top item in photo).
What does it do and how do you use it?Attachment 64301

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

You are missing the massive other part of the magazine repairing tool. The part you have is radiussed in order to use it against the missing part to re-contour the magazine lips. The other part could also be used for repairing small dents in the magazine case too. But nothing beyind the smallest dings because you couldn't get the tool past the ding!!!!!!!

But I'll let you into a little well kept secret. That tool was a bit like the foresight adjusting tool or the original alignment tools issued to Armourers workshops. It looked good, we were all taught to use it but once out in the real world it stayed back in the issues cupboard and never saw the light of day again. Think mickey mouse watch. Good to look at but not a lot of good when it comes to telling the time..........

PS. I couldn't picture the groove cut along the curved edge you mention as there are TWO curved edges. A straight edge with a concave curve and a visibly curved edge. This part is the former and the other missing part is the dolly - or the other way round!

[Peter Laidler]

Just a little sequel to this. Bren magazines were one of the first items of hardware that were deemed officially as '....repair by replacement'. I don't know if the condemnation procedure works the same now but when the stores stockholding is huge, then it becomes simply uneconomic to repair things beyond, say, a simple dob of paint or replace a lost screw - the sort of everyday run of work sort of stuff. So Bren magazines (and later 7.62 Bren and L1A1 magazines, GPMG BFA's et al) all became repair by replacement articles, non returnable but written off locally and '......reduced to workshop salvage'. Not even a condemnation cert was required

[scoobsean]

Thanks for that info Peter. I was mistaken and the curved edge is 'flat' and the straight edge is 'recessed' (if that makes sense). I thought it was probably useless as soon as I opened the package!

[Kev G]

[scoobsean]

Thanks Kev. Even if I had both pieces it would still be a useless bit of kit for me, as I have an L1A4 magazine!

[Peter Laidler]

Yep..., that's the other bit......... You can see now how if it were a big ding to the magazine, then it really was no help. Additionally, if a magazine was a bit on the tight side anyway you just couldn't get the bugger in anyway.

As apprentices, Harry 'the ogre' Weeks would ding and misshape the lips of a few old and inevitably tight magazines for you to work on and un-dent etc etc. But wouldn't be happy that the mags were un-dented and worked, he'd want the finish to be like that of a classic car panelbeaters work. No one told us - or him - that once you dent something, it's stretched and no amount of dollying straight is going to unstretch it! Thanks photo maestro KevG