Bren mag spring marking I.D.???

[Flying10uk]

I've seen this marking a few times on Bren mag parts, mainly the spring, but also on other parts such as the plate which fits on the end of the spring and sits below the mag end plate. The upper part of my example has not been fully struck, unfortunately. The vertical part of the "L" should extend above the top of the "B". It basically looks like a slightly different version of the Long Branch combined L and B. While I don't think it is a Long Branch marking I did wonder if Lines Brothers ever used a combined L and B trade mark; their markings were always two separate letters as far as I am aware.

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[Peter Laidler]

It just looks like a letter B to me. I can't see any sign that there's an L within it unless I'm missing something. Belgret and Broadbent made springs while BSA made the complete magazines and assembled them and the letter B was one of their marks. There was a proviso allowed for spring makers that it was not necessary for their identifying mark to be impressed into springs. I would assume that this really means coil springs but springs are springs.

You really should invest in a little book that identifies all(?) of the parts makers. And the SAIS book of the Bren. The BEST ready-reckoner type of books yet published

[Flying10uk]

I'll see if I can find a better example, tomorrow, of what I'm referring to, Peter. I've had a some mags apart to clean up and grease etc and have taken an interest in the markings. The majority of U.K. manufactured mag springs do appear to be marked with a maker's letter or letters as do Australian made springs. However, I don't believe from the mags that I've seen, that Canadian manufactured Bren mag springs are marked with any sort of manufacture's mark.

[Flying10uk]

The other springs which I have available at the moment all appear to have the same marking which do appear to be just a "B".

Another thing that I've noticed concerning Bren mag parts. All the spring/platform yokes manufactured by Enfield that I have seen have had their company mark on the inside of the yoke. I have not seen a single example that has been marked externally and some are very lightly struck unlike the sample in the photograph. This mark could easily be missed and it be assumed that the part was unmarked and made by an unknown maker.

[tankhunter]

It looks to my eye. That that Enfield Logo Marking. Was struck at the same time the follower was punched/stamped out. And I would say, before it was 'folded'/ stamped with the sides down.

[Peter Laidler]

The GUIDE, platform. As a matter of interest regarding the odd way we name our small-arms parts. We identify parts by what they are, such as a PIN. Or in this case, a GUIDE. Then they ask, but what sort of PIN - or GUIDE. The answer then becomes apparent and obvious to us. It is a 'retaining' pin for the handguard or 'guide' for the platform. Hence the backward sounding part names. PIN, retaining, handguard or PIN, retaining spigot or GUIDE, platform, magazine. It goes a but further than that too. But it works and in naming the parts correctly, there is no confusion.

[Flying10uk]

I was wondering what the "proper" name was for this part is but wasn't sure and so I invented my own, as I do sometimes, when I don't know the official terminology.

[Peter Laidler]

You really MUST get that little booklet! Brian do you still have them in stock......? Mind you, a lot of other subscribers recently could use the same booklets in relation to other bits of kit. It really does save a lot of confusion and deciphering.......

[Flying10uk]

While cleaning up some Bren mag casings by Hercules Cycles I discovered that the examples which are marked only with the company dispersal code of M/117 have the same marking on the inside face of the opposite side panel of the mag. The MKII marking is also there but can't be seen in the picture. This is only true of the mags that are marked with the dispersal code; the mags which are marked H.C. are only marked on the outside face of one panel. The H.C. also appears in pretty much a random position, indicating hand stamping.

The stamping of the inside face confirms what tankhunter has already stated about the Enfield mark being included at the blank punching stage and this is a perfectly normal production method. Obviously, this shows us that only a single blanking tool was available to Hercules Cycles and that the blank was simply flipped over to form the opposite side of the mag. While they could have removed the letter and number stamps from the tool for the opposite side, it served no useful purpose in doing so..