54R Bren Issues

[TactAdv]

IMHO, it is FAR easier to weld up, or take down, the BOLT locking surface. You'll need a coolant-flow grinder to take it down, but it does work well.

Same thing with moving it up (tightening) the lock-up; You can weld up the rear locking surface and the grind to fit the specific locking block in the gun.

For my original select-fire BREn, I am in the process of making two caliber conversions- one, 8mm using one of the mystery re-bored and chambered original .303 barrels that are floating around out there, and two, a .308/7.62mm NATO conversion using an SA 7.62mm barrel. Both conversions will use standard, original .303 bolts with 7.62mm extractors installed. (Magazines are ZB26/30 mags for the 8mm, and ZB-39 mags for the .308. The ZB26/30 mags require a slight opening up of the rear mag well area.)

Both barrels are fitted to lock up tight and smoothly in the barrel recess in the receiver; at that point, current (-ANY-) "headspace" of the chosen bolts with the installed locking shoulder is irrelevant as each bolt will be hand fit to mate properly with it. The goal is to make each conversion such that all that is required is to field strip the gun, exchange the barrel, bolt, and magazine, leaving the installed locking shoulder and all else in place.

As mentioned above, each bolt will have a small amount of weld built up on the bolt locking surface, then ground down to the final fitment. Thus , each bolt is thus "fully committed" to the specific conversion/receiver combination, but since bolts are cheap and available, I judged this the best course of action.

(I have also a 7.62x54R conversion "mostly" done, as I have previous mentioned, though am currently stalled on the magazine.....I have decided the only rational plan is using a modified DP-28 47rd pan, modifying the underside receiver interface to fit and lock in the BREn receiver. Got most of that done, but will still be awhile to get it fully fitted.)

-TomH