Repairing Bren Mk 1 barrel

I am sort-of glad, in a sad way that this loooooooong thread, involving many knowledgeable forumers, over a long time, that came up with a lot of good answers AND reached fruition had come to this. It's a gentle reminder of what I always thought and said about the transient and fickle nature of dewat/inert/deact - call them what you will - Bren tinkerers*. Here today, ask the question, get the answer and contribute absolutely nothing.

That's why any answer I give initially is sharp, to the point. They've all got something to contribute for heavens sake............. that's why they've all got xxxxxxg Bren guns.
* one even asked me with what authority I gave a detailed reply......

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

* one even asked me with what authority I gave a detailed reply......

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I hear you have tinkered with the odd Bren gun in the past Peter:rofl:

Me, Tankie and Skippy........ between us we have probably done a million! I always seemed to make it into the minor units Bren pairs shooting team where the Bren was our staple machine gun in the days when the GPMG was the major units MG. Long run-downs and varied drills, a barrel change, sight changes, mag changes, pouches fastened '............and don't forget the SPWallet' (we could keep the second A2 barrel across our chest underneath the webbing yoke straps)

There'll be no lugging a lightweight Minimi or SA80-LSW over open muddy fields or brick filled ditches and destroyed houses on the advance into Europe. It would never stand the pasting. Only a Bren gun can do this AND those same guns STILL be in action 45 years later - and counting

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

There'll be no lugging a lightweight Minimi or SA80-LSW over open muddy fields or brick filled ditches and destroyed houses on the advance into Europe.

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I suppose not Peter, but our guys have carried them for ten years over Afghanistan's moonscape. Sentryduty can elaborate...but it's fact... They certainly didn't spare the whip there.

I take the point BAR but I had to give the Bren a bit of a boost. Then again, will those SAME Minimis still be in the regiment armouries in 40 years?

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

I take the point BAR but I had to give the Bren a bit of a boost. Then again, will those SAME Minimis still be in the regiment armouries in 40 years?

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They seem a bit more robust than the SA80 LSW.......

Those Minimi's are now well worn out, rattle enough to keep a full kindergarten amused and may be heading the same was as the LSW.
I think it has now been shown folded tin sheet is no replacement for forged metal billet! Unless you are prepared to replace the whole weapon more often.
Cheap production methods produce an item with a limited life, not a weapon for a 40/50 year service

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Originally Posted by skiprat

Those Minimi's are now well worn out, rattle enough to keep a full kindergarten amused and may be heading the same was as the LSW.
I think it has now been shown folded tin sheet is no replacement for forged metal billet! Unless you are prepared to replace the whole weapon more often.
Cheap production methods produce an item with a limited life, not a weapon for a 40/50 year service

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Some (most??) of ours are around 30 years old...

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

I had to give the Bren a bit of a boost

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Not really Peter, I had one, shot them lots and love 'em too.

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Originally Posted by skiprat

rattle enough to keep a full kindergarten amused

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They did that from the beginning.

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Originally Posted by Lee Enfield

Some (most??) of ours are around 30 years old...

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And watch them get even older. The point was, they did their time over in Afghanistan and that duration was ten years...many were expended and replaced too. We had the originals as DP guns in Gagetown...low numbers like #18...

As a pure laymen, I never understood why when building service firearms in modererate numbers (200,000 / 300,000), with a view for a 30 year plus service life, like the L85/86, why not make them from milled billet instead of formed welded steel??

If your intention is a cheap "AKM" type, to be made in the millions, then it makes perfect sense.

But building a limited number of (supposed) quality service firearms for a professional Army, well, this method of expedient cheap manufacture just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Or have I got it completely wrong guys?