Found this interesting the differing cycle rates between the two Brens ~ just a question does the gas setting control the rate of fire? TIA
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...oLN61XoFds2tlg
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Found this interesting the differing cycle rates between the two Brens ~ just a question does the gas setting control the rate of fire? TIA
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...oLN61XoFds2tlg
I know on modern machine guns such as the FN Minimi (C9 to me) and Mag 58 (C6 to me) series the gas setting does change the rate of fire, although they are not intentionally designed to be used in that manner.
The gas port on the above guns are to be used on Normal (C9) or position 1 (C6) during normal "clean" gun conditions, as the gun is fired and gas affected parts become fouled with carbon, the gun will become sluggish and may experience stoppages. The remedy until the gun can be cleaned is to change to the next setting, Adverse (C9) and position 2 (C6) each has a larger gas port which vents more gas to the piston and overcomes the fouling of the action and gas port. The C6 may have 3 or more settings depending on which of the at least half dozen gas regulator variations you happen to have.
If you were to have a clean gun and run on Adverse or position 3 right out of the gate, you will experience greater recoil and a much higher rate of fire. A 5.56mm C9 LMG will cycle at about 750 rounds per minute on Normal however a clean gun on Adverse will cycle around 1000 rounds per minute.
Proper gunnery calls for using the lowest setting possible to avoid battering the gun, but I used to set mine depending on my mood, sometimes it was fun to tear through ammo for no good reason. C6's were much less sensitive to the gas port changes, but the rate would still change some. On the LAV 3 IFV's we would usually just set the c6 coax to "3" that was so no one had to climb out of the turret to adjust the gas, we started on the biggest hole and it took the longest to foul.
A clean C9 running with a box magazine instead of a belt will burp at nearly 1200 rpm on adverse, there is no load on the feed pawls slowing the gun down without the belt, so it will just hammer rounds like a big 5.56mm open bolt sten gun or PPSH.
Same with any of them, open up the gas and they run faster (Bren)...but it abuses them. That's why they took control of the gas away from us on the C6 too...now they can't be tuned in the field. Sad...