Bren MK1m

[Peter Laidler]

The enlarged gas port in the barrel was developed long before the Mk1m gun. This didn't change the actual GUN designation. It did change the BARREL designation from Mk1 to Mk1*. But I could be wrong.....

The enlarged gas port was the beginning of a long sorry saga that plagued the Bren reputation for reliability. Designers did not take on board at the time, the bigger picture and that with all/most things mechanical, a change here......., for the better (?) inevitably had an effect further along the chain. In this case, several DIRE effects further along the line.

A classic example was changing the design of the flash eliminator from a straight venturi as designed at Brunn, to a 'choked' or stepped venturi............. and then back to how it was designed!