Few pics for MrClarke and others...

[Kev G]

The South Africans used and made 20 round magazines with the FN locking lug for their 7.62 converted Brens.
It wasn't until the weapons found there way to Rhodesia that larger capacity magazines were made and converted.Pic attached.

The UK L4A1 7.62 Bren conversion also used the FN locking lug on a 28 round magazine.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Bottom one, very nice. Yes, the others make sense too. The sort of thing troops have done by the unit welder.

[mrclark303]

Thanks for the info, I believe museums open to the general public here in the UK have to deactivate all Arms to the the current standard.

Even trophy firearms in various bases have to be deactivated to EU standard and be certificated. Only official restricted collections, like the Royal Armouries, Warminster etc, can have live firearms with the accompanying and nessasary vetting and security measures for anyone wishing access.

[Gil Boyd]

John,
Certainly true at our museum, everything deactivated and certificated to the current specs.

[Peter Laidler]

I thought museums had a special exemption from this deact stuff in law along with their museum status regarding firearms generally?

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
Sadly not, they still have to be "belt and braces" certificated in case of theft

[mrclark303]

Ridiculous Gil, talk about a nanny state. Does this mean you will need to rework and re certificate your museum inventory at considerable expense?

[Gil Boyd]

John,
Thats the heart break, and why I am the fundraising Trustee. The costs of running a museum inside the Imperial War Museum wire, are not cheap.
Everything has to go through their cleaning and rendering service to ensure there is no cross contamination, especially where uniforms and clothing are concerned, so yes its a non stop money pit unfortunately.
To see some of the weapons seized in yesteryear by PARA Operations deativated to this level is criminal. They are basically now just show pieces behind glass. It doesn't look much from this photo, but it is a 360 degree way of looking at a large number of weapons............cleaning the inside of the glass is a real pain which we did a few weeks ago now.

[mrclark303]

Its crazy Gil, it must be one hell of a struggle in this day and age.

Working within the layers of ever more complex and expensive legislation..

[Gil Boyd]

John,
Absolutely right, and one reason why, when this book SNIPERS DOWN SOUTH is finished, every penny will go to our Parachute Regiment Museum.
I am also working other major fundraising events alongside that.

Incidently on page 100 of this A4 hard backed book, full of unheard of stories from the snipers themselves in all the Regiments who went south to reclaim the Falkland Islands in 1982!