Bren Mags

[Vincent]

Anyone know who the maker was of this one? It has a beautiful blued finish.




These two were in the pile also. Mk1*’s I believe. Are the spot-welded ones common?

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[Peter Laidler]

When you ask if something is common in respect of Brens Vince, each Bren eventually came issued with 25 magazines (2x boxes +1 in the chest) so they are all very common in real terms numerically but some are not as common as others as opposed to UNcommon I'd say. We used to call those mags 'split magazines' (they all were really of course but those were more visibly 'split') but you'd see them all the time.

Can't think of who 'J' might be. Someone is bound to suggest a badly stamped JI but just ignore that........... I bet BP or Kev G knows who they are!

[Vincent]

Thanks, Peter.


I know I have seen the sun marking (top pic) before somewhere.

[Flying10uk]

Vincent, I took that to be a star as in a MKII* not to be confused with a partial Electrolux Australia marking which is a globe symbol. I thought the Electrolux marking looked like a sun before I found out it's real meaning. I have several spot welded mags but not many and some are marked with the "E", like yours, and others with the dispersal code. I haven't seen a maker's code of just "J" and wonder if it is actually the maker's mark. On some of the Bren mags I have the maker's mark is difficult to see and this can be especially true if the mag has been refurbished.

[Vincent]

Looks like a sun to me.

I believe this is Mk2*:

[Flying10uk]

I have seen this mark on some of my mags and always assumed it to be a star. However, as in this example, due to the positioning of it I have wondered if it was added later, after the MKII marking, perhaps when the mag was brought up to the later spec.. I concluded that when a star/sun was/if added later it was fitted in where there was a convenient space.

[Peter Laidler]

6 pointed star as in No4 Mk1* or Mk1**. Often seen on No2 revolvers that have been modified and had the Mk/type advanced

[Flying10uk]

Here are some pictures of the markings on an Electrolux Australia manufactured mag. It was some time before I discovered what the heck this marking was which I use to describe as a "half rising sun" before Kev kindly enlightened me and some other fellow collectors who were also stumped as to it's meaning.

[ZGB]

Is there any more markings on the mag apart from the J? The mag is a Mk2*, the roman numerals are very faint and they have been over stamped by the broad arrow. The split/wrapped mags are uncommon and are marked with dispersal code M78 and E for Elkington.
Discovered another uncommon maker the other day that caught my eye. The handfull of mags are marked RBA43 or RBA44, after a bit of reaserch and asking around, these mag's are made by RYLANDS BROTHERS NEWCASTLE Northen Austrialia. The markings are roughly hand stamped on and some are double stamped where the stamp has bounced and some of the smaller markings are stamped on very haphazard. After taking them apart it appears so far that RYLANDS only made the case/body and all the other internals and the floor plate are MA marked. Another variation to look out for anyway!

[Flying10uk]

I've not come across a Electrolux made platform; all the Electrolux mags which I've examined have had the platform made by someone else, normally M.A. marked for Lithgow.

My Hercules cycles made mags appear hand stamped if marked by "H.C." but machine stamped if marked by their dispersal code. The reason I say hand stamped for "H.C." is because the positioning appears at random places on the mag and the letters also appear to be sometimes struck to differing depths. The dispersal code from memory, M177 ?, always appears to be in the same position and, as I've noted on another thread, this marking is also duplicated on the inside of the opposite side of the mag.. This, obviously, indicates that Hercules used the same press tool for both sides of the mag..