Unusual Defect

[tankhunter]

As I mentioned in a thread in the 'Other' SMGs Etc section. I lay down for your interest, what I encountered at a local Military vehicle Show very recently.

I attended the War & Peace revival Show from the 16th-24th July here in the UK. It is litteraly 20 Mins drive up the road from where I live. (So it would be rude not to attend! )

I Own an RB44 2 Ton truck with a radio Body on the rear. So I have comfortable accommodation to live/ sleep. & also the benefit of being able to secure weapons in the 'Shack', when I wish to have a Beer or two with good friends.

Obviously, you tend to walk round the show seeking out similar owners, to share/ learn about similar marques of vehicle & their particular Picadillos.

Well, I was talking to this nice Chap & his son, who were also owners of the same model truck as mine. & obviously the conversation turned round to my Trade as an Armourer.
The Guy mentioned he had a problem with his Deact Bren. It would clock, but not dry fire.
I offered to examine the Gun to discover the problem, & took it back to my pitch.

it was a MK.I.m Model, with the horrible MK.II Spindly Bipod! Upon CAREFULLY pushing the body locking pin to one side. & SLOWLY pulling the Butt Slide rearwards. It was indeed, cocked & putting the return springs under compression!
Holding the working parts with my Left hand & the Butt with my Right. I pulled the slide sufficiently back to clear the receiver end. & CAREFULLY lifted the whole piston extention & B/Block as one. Up & off the sear, & slowly releasing the ensemble forwards. Easing the tension on the return springs & push rod.

Upon close inspection, It revealed that the trigger axis pin was missing. Aha, I thought. But it didn't end there!
The reason the trigger axis pin got lost, was because. The trigger plunger Operating spring, had collapsed inside the tripping sear! The plunger puts tension on the axis pin at ALL times. & without this pressure, the pin simply fell out unnoticed by it's owner!

I only had a few Bren spares with Me at that time, & naturally. Nothing that I needed!
So....I removed the trig Plunger retaining pin, which is very small. & discovered that the coil spring had collapsed in TWO places, making three sections of short & coil bound spring!.

What to do I pondered?....So I made a new axis pin from a nail used in a bolt gun, which was conveniently headed. But hard to file!
& robbed a coil spring from a Biro Pen, which was given to me that morning from a stall holder as a Freebie. Not quite as strong as the original, but did the job admirably!

Reassemble the Gun & it all worked as it should. A few repeated cock & fire's to check all was OK. & it was duly returned to a very pleased owner. Another Friend Made, & Tech info manuals on my Truck being Emailed to me as we speak. Lovely!

Another example of 'Adapt & Overcome' in the Field. Of which R.E.ME Trained Personel excel if I may make so Bold!

I hope you guys found this just a little entertaining? If not....well. Pour another glass for Me Please!

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Make do and mend. The Armourers motto I say!

[browningautorifle]

Well done that! Sounds like many jobs I've managed as well...as long as it functions as it should, let the armorers sort it later.

[Brian Dick]

Improvise, adapt and overcome!!

[Gil Boyd]

Sounds like a Blue Peter badge, sticky back plastic and a biro pen..........you lot always were a remarkable breed, do anything for a workshop manual.

[tankhunter]

Hey up Gil! The 'Blue Peter Badge' came in the form of a few Beers that Evening. From a very Grateful 'Customer'!... Very nice too, I like Budweiser! LOL

[Brit plumber]

Hey Tankie, I know your out of the mob now but did you see the NEM for the armed forces? The top earners are Army Air Corps pilots and there welcome to it for the job they do. Next up was the RLC Ammo Tec! WTF, an ammo storeman gets paid higher than any other trade in the military!!

[Gil Boyd]

Oh well..........me and Peter on our old PARA pay were duped for many years as we thought. Good cause subsidising the REME and AAC so don't feel so bad now

[Peter Laidler]

Another one of those niggling faults with Brens was that the blind hole behind the barrel nut plunger, where the spring goes, used to block up with crud and water and that'd cause the spring to rust. Once you pressed the plunger in (to get the chinese puzzle magazine plunger out.....), it'd crush and break the spring and nothing was going to get the plunger out! The plunger was diamond hard and such an awkward shape that a drill wouldn't touch it. You could bang and bash but once the rust had got behind it, you were fighting a losing battle. Every man and his dog thought that they could shift it of course. You could put drifts and sharpened screwdrivers down the mag plunger part of the hole, only to break off the front bit of the barrel nut plunger and.....

We had to write off a couple that had been made worse by the attempts of others. The L4A2 onwards guns were a bit better because you could get a very thin drift in from the rear that might JUST slide to one side of the spring retainer. What a palava......

[tankhunter]

Oh well..........me and Peter on our old PARA pay were duped for many years as we thought. Good cause subsidising the REME and AAC so don't feel so bad now

Hey Gil I an recall a case of a Mess Collegue with 3 Para in B.A.O.R, when I was with them. He had an ND (Negligent Discharge) on the Range. & as per Proceedure dictated. The weapon was cleared & removed from Him. Tagged & Packaged up & came to Me for an Armourers inspection/examination. As he stated the weapon had gone off by itself.

As He was also a fellow Senior NCO & a very decent Chap. He came to me in a bit of a state, knowing what might happen if the weapon actually were not defective!......

Well, aid inspection/ examination thoughly carried out by yours truly. & you guessed it, nothing wrong whatsoever with the Rifle (L1A1) So.......What to do I thought?......
After stripping the trigger meh housing components out. I proceeded to 'Play' with the sear bent on the hammer, & also the engagement bent of the sear. Introducing 'wear' to these parts. So that when you cocked the rifle, SOMETIMES the bearly engaging faces of those areas would allow the hammer to fly forward. Imitating uninitiated firing!........
I did this so it wouldn't do it every time, but you COULD get it to do this a few times.

My report stated that with tollerances at the minimum end of the scale on both components. Combined with wear to them also. This would/ had indeed caused the Weapon to Fire 'Inadvertantly'!...................Case dismissed, & aforementioned SNCO was dropped from potential serious consequences to his Career.
Not a thing I would do normally naturaly. But this chap was a VERY decent Bloke & looked after his Men excellently. He was also under great strain with serious Family difficulties. & we in the Mess felt for Him.

I warned him that if anything EVER happened like this again (Which I put my hand on my own heart & state, it wouldn't) I would not be able to dig him out again!...

Result was, I never had to buy a beer in the mess again. & when he was moved into the QMs dept, to the clothing store. I never went short of woollie Pully's Or Para Smocks!
I had an excellent spare set of issue clothing, that was tailored to perfection also!....

Not really the thing to do of course. But this case was the exception to the rule. & I never had to resort to anything like that again, Thankfully!

So Gil, HIS PARA Pay was VERY well received in Beer to THIS R.E.M.E Armourer! LOL

---------- Post added at 04:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 AM ----------

Hey Tankie, I know your out of the mob now but did you see the NEM for the armed forces? The top earners are Army Air Corps pilots and there welcome to it for the job they do. Next up was the RLC Ammo Tec! WTF, an ammo storeman gets paid higher than any other trade in the military!!

BP, The extra pay for ammo techs is because they are at risk from blowing themselves up all the time. Rendering Inert, all the 105mm Shell cases we are always asking for. To convert into mess Bells with the Punisher motief cut out & filed into the side!....LOL