Stripping the Bren Gun

[Klunk]

Stripping the Bren Gun (by klunk)

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A nice healthy Inglis MK1 BREN
Unload and clear gun (but you knew that, right?)

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Lift up the 'barrel nut'....

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...and remove barrel

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Turn bipod 90 degrees clockwise and withdraw from gas tube...

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Push captive 'take down' out and upper and lower receivers can be seperated

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upper and lower separated

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bolt and bolt carrier can now be withdrawn rearward along with gas piston

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bolt and carrier separated

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Extractor and firing pin are easily removed for cleaning...

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The MK1 butt features a recoil buffer under the butt plate
Press the butt-plate 'in' and depress butt plate catch located on top of butt
Round thingy in centre of butt is the spring loaded buffer
The other item is the 'return spring tube cap'

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Depress and turn the 'return spring tube cap'...
it can now be removed along with return spring and return spring rod

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the 'piston post' can be removed
it is a spring loaded assembly intended to reduce stress on the moving parts
compress the piston post and withdraw the 'transverse cotter pin'
the transverse cotter pin has an extension on the right side which engages with the cocking handle

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The ejector and magazine catch are retained by the same pin...
remove this pin (it is captive) and wiggle the ejector/mag catch out
the ejector and mag catch can then be separated along with their spring

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Depress the little plunger and remove the barrel nut

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an interesting pic showing a MK1 barrel along with a cut-away training barrel
the cut away shows the gas plug functioning-barrel/bore and spring loaded carry handle
the carry handle can be swung to the side to provide a fore-grip for 'from the hip' assault fire

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Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Peter Laidler]

That the carrying handle is extendable to the left for hip firing is not quite correct. Try it to see. If you do, it'll pull your left arm from the socket within a minute,especially on automatic fire.

The actual reason is for directional stability during anti-aircraft fire from the tripod.

For hip firing, the pistol grip should be well back and if possible, rested on or level with the waist belt. The left hand should grip the folded bipod

[trooper554877]

Then get to the stage where you are blindfolded, can't see and get given a sandbag with ALL the components stripped and get given a time that seems unachieveable to put it all back together and fire a burst of 5 blanks. Whilst I never carried the 303 version, i certainly did the 7.62mm version and this was the final test we had to do.

Cheers
NED

[Beerhunter]

I am afraid that the sequence is a little out.

First is the Body Locking Pin. (The Barrel Locking Nut is left locked at this point because it prevents the butt group from sliding all the way to the rear, thus allowing the body group to fall.)

Having slid the Body Group to the rear as far as it will go (Remember the Barrel Locking Nut stops it going too far.), give a quick jerk on the Cocking Lever which should move the Piston Group to the rear. (If it doesn't one puts a finger in the Ejection Opening and slides it to the rear in that fashion.) Now take the Breech Block off the Piston.

Now undo the Barrel Locking Nut and slide the Barrel Group forward.

Now take the Bipod Group from the Body Group.

Source: umpteen years of doing it an teaching it.

[trooper554877]

I am afraid that the sequence is a little out.

First is the Body Locking Pin. (The Barrel Locking Nut is left locked at this point because it prevents the butt group from sliding all the way to the rear, thus allowing the body group to fall.)

Having slid the Body Group to the rear as far as it will go (Remember the Barrel Locking Nut stops it going too far.), give a quick jerk on the Cocking Lever which should move the Piston Group to the rear. (If it doesn't one puts a finger in the Ejection Opening and slides it to the rear in that fashion.) Now take the Breech Block off the Piston.

Now undo the Barrel Locking Nut and slide the Barrel Group forward.

Now take the Bipod Group from the Body Group.

Source: umpteen years of doing it an teaching it.

beerhunter,
you are correct
barrel is last thing stripped i.e. gas reg removed.

what unit/corps you with?
me?
3RAR (paras) and 2CAV

cheers
NED

[Beerhunter]

Combined Cadet Force (School), Royal Engineers, Honourable Artillery Company.

[trooper554877]

Combined Cadet Force (School), Royal Engineers, Honourable Artillery Company.

I understand the cadets and gingerbeers, but honurable arty?
Could you explain?
Cheers
NED

[Peter Laidler]

Ah, Trooper and Beerhunter.... If you have a Mk1 gun, then an obstruction on the butt slide prevents you removing the butt slide until the barrel nut is lifted. BUT, for the Mk2, 3 and L4 guns, the butt slides were modified so as to eliminate the little obstruction. This allowed the gun to be stripped in any order in order to simplify production and training.

The original barrel nuts also had a little external obstruction that prevented something else that....I won't go on. BUT, the Pilkington Committee on the simplification of small-arms got rid of all surpflous crap and the cheap Mk2 and later lightened Mk3 emerged.

You're giving your ages away if you remember the old drum-sight Mk1 Brens. Trooper, I was one of the Armourers with 4 and 8 RAR

[Beerhunter]

I just be going nuts Peter because I could have sworn that the L4s were the same as the MK1s. (The DP guns that we had at school.) Mind you, they do say that as one gets older one remembers one's childhood better than one's later life. Plus of course I have a MK1. (The one that I have arranged with RobD to bring to the IWM in June of next year.)

[Beerhunter]

I understand the cadets and gingerbeers, but honurable arty?
Could you explain?
Cheers
NED

On this one occasion, the Wikipedia entry is quite good Honourable Artillery Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia