Bren Gas / receiver Cleaing Rod Question

[Peter Laidler]

READY................., here we go. The rod is 17" long x .5" in diameter. If you have a Bren gun transit chest, the rod fits into thetwo fittings at the front right hand end (as you're looking in) and is secured by the little 1" x 2" or so rotating chock. I learned many years ago that the rods were made from hickory but the one I'm holding in my hand certainly isn't........, it looks like a bit of plane or boxwood to me. Certainly the ones we used as apprentices were a hard hickory type wood because we used to use them to 'bone' the rifle woodwork we'd just repaired as test pieces...

1-7/8" from the end of the rod is a hole .1" in diameter drilled diagonally through. From this/these holes for 1-78" forward is a groove to take the shank of the cleaning brush you are using.

To keep the shanks and the cleaning brush in place, a 2" long steel ferrule with a .5" I/d slides back and forth. The legs/arms/shank of the brush sort of holding it in place.

If you want the REAL truth about these rods - and - and the brushes - and the originals.......... As every squaddy and Bren gun crewman will tell you, they were pure crap! They will look good in the Bren transit chest but that's all. because this is what we in the Armourers shops used to use..........

On operations in Malaya we had Savage shotguns and they came with a comprehensive big bore cleaning kit. The 12G shotgun steel wire 'christmas tree' bore scrubber was better than anything else in existance for scrubbing Bren gas cylinders especially if you screwed it onto a cut-short standard issue cleaning rod and put the rod into the electric drill chuck.

Off at a tangent........ I seem to remember that the threads for the shotgun cleaning kit differed from the UNF threads of our UK rods so you had to make a little adaptor/connector on the lathe but it was simple enough. But when you had loads of Savages and Brens........... Every little helped as they say!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[tankhunter]

Pete,
If I remember correctly, werent' these rods reissued later with the 21mm Sub Calibre
adaptor for the 6mm LAW? They just had the addition of steel wire bristle brush for cleaning the bore of the adaptor.

When I was at 27 Command, we had to make a 'Gauge' that was basicaly a straightness of bore gauge.
You cleaned the bore by scrubbing it out & the gauge MUST run through without binding.
it was discovered that you could clean the bore & it looked ok.
But SOME of the 66's when fired. Got the 'Projectile' stuck in the bore & it was pulled out of
the Poor Firers hands!
Often resulting in a torn ear as well!..Very Nasty!

It was also discovered, that even though the bores of the adpator had been scrubbed & oiled. they would STILL rust when sat on the Armourey shelf!
This was because of the corrosive effects of the propellant charge used.

We found the ONLY way around this, was to clean oil & then store them in a 50 Gallon Oil drum full of oil! The oil prevented too much oxygen oxidising the bores & the oil kept them clean! A large container taking up a fair bit of space. But there was really no other option as they got fired so frequently!

[Mk VII]

Early (Mk.1/1) cylinder rod [BE9204] with threaded brass ferrule on one end, probably modified later for the clip-on type brushes:-



This one is 17" long. The steel sleeve, which appears to be seamless tubing, is nominal 1/2" bore and and about 10 thou thickness, with nominal 2" length (variable). Note the three annular rings, 1" separation, for grasping.

---------- Post added at 06:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 PM ----------

Two Mk.2 rods [BE4199]. One is 23 3/4" long, the other 17".



---------- Post added at 06:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------

drawing D.D.(E) 1924 shows the Mk.1 rod as being two 17" sections; the handle one being broadly as BE9204, the other section being with two brass ferrules threaded male and female.

[yankbrenner]

Great details and interesting history! Thank you for the thoughtful responses, I'll post a picture when I finish making a replica. Even if it isn't the most useful tool, it'll look good and fill a slot in the transit chest or holdall.

[tombear]

If you want the factory drawings for the three types of rod (Mk I and Mk I* are the same except the I* is just the same as the rear section of the Mk I) I have them scanned in. D.D.(E.) 1827, 2906 and 2986 and can squirt them down the wire no problem.

Not sure of the copyright issues so won't put them up here.

ATB

Tom

Also got the drawings of the brushes and mops if you want them for sizing comercial brushes to use on shotgun cleaning rods.

T