1941 Dovetail Bren

[ZGB]

Bought a 1941 Enfield MK1 dovetail Bren recently at a show and wondered if anybody else had something like it?
It is in the K serial number range. I think it may have had a problem in manufacture and then salvaged by the factory at a later date. It also has corresponding 41' inspection date by the barrel nut, next to it is also a 46' date so she must have been re-worked.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

You're being a tad ambiguous again ZGB. Surely ALL Mk1 Brens hade a dovetailed bodyside. That's what makes a Mk1 and Mk1 - or am I missing something in my old age?

[Vincent]

Is it a double dovetail?

[Peter Laidler]

Where does it say that Vince....... It must be my age. But if it is a double dovetail, there is a simple explanation. If a gun body had a fault during manufacture that after consideration, could be rectified instead of being scrapped, it could be diverted in a couple of directions. If it was already serially numbered and therefore accountable (for security and contractual royalties purposes) it might go to the training department for apprentices to section as a training aid. Or it could go to a 'rectification' bay - commonly known as 'the hospital' where skilled machinists could put the mistake right and save valuable time and money.

So it is quite feasible for a D/D Mk1 gun to be diverted to the hospital and come out much later and be allocated a later serial number prefix, such as this one(?) Depending on the outcome of the rectification, some of these guns bear the letter A following the serial number.

One Mk1/Mk1-A intermediate gun has a ‘K’ serial number prefix when its features tell us it SHOULD have a ‘E’ prefix. Others such as E-906A and H-7070A that had clearly been rectified and were over engraved with the A suffix

[ZGB]

Sorry peter
Did not use modern collector jargon(double dove tail.) That all mk1 brens have one dovetail as a given. Just wanted to know if anyone had one the same.
Had a look at the serial number and there does not appear to be A-prefix on there peter. It was de-acted a couple of years ago looking a the cert.

[Peter Laidler]

The only reason why there would be an A suffix, such as H-7070A is as a warning to Armourers in the future that parts were not fully interchangeable and selective or hand fitting would be the norm. No A suffix and it was just another Mk1 Bren so far as the acceptance board were concerned.

But your Q at thread 1 does illustrate that to get the answer, you need an unambiguous question

[Kev G]

Picture posted on behalf of ZGB -

[Peter Laidler]

Thanks for doing that KG. Interesting because it doesn't have the E in the D engraved. The visible longitudinal and vertical edges between the rear sight dovetail and the ejector were usually well rounded too. I would say that this was definately one of those that was side-tracked to the rectification bay, corrected and put back onto the out-inspection line later, after the other double dovetails had gone.