My new Bren

[David TS]

Ok, nothing special you may say, and as it is the UK then it is obviously a deact .

However, what makes it special for me is that I got the chance to fire it on full auto before it was deactivated .

I last fired one whilst in the Cadets circa 1969 .





Peter, you will remember where I got this as it was your recommendation, David is a lovely chap and hugely interesting, so thanks .

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[Brit plumber]

For how long after full auto were you chuckling away to your self?

I remember when I was first told to use auto, we were all in a line for a download when we were given the order to 'Mexican Download'. We were all like 'Is this an Army thing?' (We were all RAF) so I had to ask what the hell a Mexican download was. He said 'Switch to auto', depress the trigger and when it stops I'll check it for clear. He really didn't want to take the ammo back!

[David TS]

For how long after full auto were you chuckling away to your self?

I remember when I was first told to use auto, we were all in a line for a download when we were given the order to 'Mexican Download'. We were all like 'Is this an Army thing?' (We were all RAF) so I had to ask what the hell a Mexican download was. He said 'Switch to auto', depress the trigger and when it stops I'll check it for clear. He really didn't want to take the ammo back!

Mate, I'm still chuckling, and it was several months ago .

[Peter Laidler]

You should have photographed the event. That would have doubled its value I suspect. But very nice looking gun.

BP is dead right about bringing ammo back. By the time the range day is finished and all cleared up, you inevitably have to bring in the grumpy old fat ammo storeman in from his room or if he's married to some poor unfortunate gal, back from his place to take it all in again. They usually try to fob you off with some excuse and tell you to leave it in the guard room overnight. And then there's a load of verbals when you refuse and when he gets back to the ammo store. If it's full, unopened boxes, he just usually winges for the time he's there BUT if it's open unsealed boxes with loose rounds, that REALLY brings on the pains because he's got to count it all and 'green card' it while you're there, watching! He did have the cheek to say that it looked like we had linked up some ammo to give the GPMG's a bit of a slogging (or de-linked some to give the Brens a good going - whatever). It took absolutely xxxxxxg ages to hand the stuff in and keep re-counting it............... I feel sure that Dick Baker one of the good training Sergeants kept adding a few live to the box or sneaking a few away each time. Naughty Richard!

I used to tell him to just get on with it and he could be as quick as HE wanted it or as SLOW as I wanted it - the choice was his. But to be honest, if it was a good range day, there wasn't usually any left as the RCO/me had carefully worked every last round out, to a man. This was done not by good timing and mathematics but by using the machine guns. In a controlled and under the strictest of supervision of course.........

[David TS]

You should have photographed the event. That would have doubled its value I suspect. But very nice looking gun.

Peter

David did do a short video clip .

Want to swop a nice Bren for an L98A1? .

[Simon P]

Nice Bren, the HBSA had a demonstration of Fully Auto weapons at Bisley this year which was great to watch.

[Gopher]

Bring back ammo is a problem here in the states, too. The club I belonged to shared a military range. As RSO I was working on the range one Sunday afternoon when about 4 PM a Lt and 4 enlisted showed up with 6 M-16's, a carton of magazines and about 3000 rds of ammo. They couldn't turn it back in so they were going to shoot it. After watching a few minutes, I started loading mags for them. Later the Lt. came and asked if I was familiar with the M-16. I said that I was. He then suggested that I take the spare M-16, some mags and a can of ammo and go to other range and have a little fun, which I did. The six of us took an hour and half to solve their problem.