Newbie... Bren Gun Finish.

[BarryPayne]

Good evening everyone. My Name is Barry and I am based over in the UK.

I have finally decided that I want to get into reenacting, and to start me off I have made a purchase of a Deactivated Mk 3 Bren. Dated 1955. Now I know that for WW2 stuff, I'm going to be pushing it, but sorry to the purists out there.

Anyway, I've got my Bren at home, but on inspecting the paint finish, it looks so different to a friends Bren who also has a Mk3. It looks like it has been painted with some thick black paint over some sand?! I've only taken a couple of pics, but I am after some advice on the finish and should I take it back to how it was issued, or leave as is?
It's such a shame that when deactivating these beautiful guns, proof houses butcher them.

Thank you for your time, any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to speaking with you more.
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[Brit plumber]

It all depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it. Originally your Bren would have been finished in suncorite, a oil based black paint that has a slight sheen to it. It appears your gun was badly refinished over the blotchy original paint which has blistered.

With regards to proof houses, the 2 in the UK just proof guns. They don't carry out the work, that's undertaken by the individual or company who did the work. So you can find some very professional work using mills and power saws to those using angle grinders. Either way they all have to meet the minimum standard which is checked and certified by one of the proof houses.

Where in the UK are you?

[Peter Laidler]

The Mk3 Bren. The Bren Gun in its most rugged form. I have to say that it is a bit of a pxxx-poor finish! The original sunkorite and bake finish is in fact a spirit based. Someone has decided to paint it with that grotty paint which has pickled in contact with the whatever it is stuff.

I'd strip the gun so far as you can, dunk it in paint remover and repaint it in a bake-dry heat resisting paint. DON'T user a self dry heat resisting paint as it's crap. When it's out-of-the-oven dry, then paint it again - and again and again. Then spray it with oil while it's hot for the last time

Did I hear someone say that it's not original? No, but he ain't using it on the advance into Burma in 1945 neither!

Putting my Mystic Meg* hat on, I'd say that our Barry was from Oxfordshire somewhere in middle England - and my ouiga glass is hovering over......... Bicestershire!
*Mystic Meg; former psychic on UK TV.

[Flying10uk]

Barry, if you purchased your Mk3 Bren from the same vendor as I purchased my Mk3 Bren about a year ago (which I also found to have had a fancy spray job done on it when I opened the parcel) you may find that you have also inadvertently purchased a quantity of shot blasting medium contained within the gun. If this is the case you really need to strip the gun as much as possible and wash the parts in a suitable cleaning product. I wont name the vendor because the gun was sold at a very good price and it may have been his supplier who did the shot blasting/re-spray work.

[Vincent]

I've only taken a couple of pics, but I am after some advice on the finish and should I take it back to how it was issued, or leave as is?

Welcome and thanks for the pics. That always helps.

Should you leave it as is? That’s a good question to ask. You don’t want to damage it and reduce its value. In this case I don’t think it will damage it. At this point you would be restoring it.

Peter already gave you good advice on making it look the way it was issued.

Since it’s a display piece I will throw this out for consideration. You could take it to someone who can phosphate it. Done correctly it will look fantastic with all the engraving and stamps clear and crisp for people to admire. It’s not original but looks spectacular and you can always paint it later if you like.

There’s loads of good information on wood restoration in the restoration forum. Follow it and you will have that butt and pistol grip looking like new.

If you have time we would love to see your results.

[Peter Laidler]

The trouble with dewats in England Vince is that after 1989 or so spec, you cannot remove the barrel. That causes minor problems to the average Joe setting about refurbishing his Bren as you can't remove the bipod sleeve either. Once the bead blaster gets into the bipod/gas cylinder sleeve, it's a disaster! It has been said that some have removed the barrel in order to refurbish and then re-welded it back sensibly.

To be honest, and it might not apply here, some of those that I have seen that have stripped to 'refurbish' have given me cause for concern, thinking '.......if this has been rebuilt/refurbished, then what was it like before! Maybe someone ought to do a video tutorial similar to what I used to do in real life with Bren collectors groups (great people.....) at Warminster - where I'd see the various attempts at refurbishing.

Some of the things that used to fool owners was the
removal of the body and ejector locking pins,
the barrel nut/mag cover plungers,
carrying handle plugs, plungers and handles - using everything but the right kit!
Mk1 butts and fittings
Bipods believe it or not. Never seen so many butchered screws, locknuts and bent bipod legs
Ejection opening covers and catches, especially reassembling

[Vincent]

Ah! Thank you, Peter.

I have never seen a dewat Bren here. They are usually converted to closed bolt semi-auto only or in their original condition.

There are some semi-autos that have the slide cut off just in front of the trigger guard and welded in. You can imagine the problems that creates.

[Peter Laidler]

The earliest attempts at a lightweight Bren did away with the butt slide forwards of the trigger guard. Apart from holding the ejection opening cover and the front mounting pin, it serves no useful purpose. Some say that none of those parts serve any useful purpose! So far as a lightweight Bren for the jungle, I never saw tripods out there although there might have been one or two in Ordnance somewhere.......!

[Vincent]

Doing away with the front of the slide would have been better than welding it in there. At least you’d be able to get in there to clean.

[scoobsean]

Doing away with the front of the slide would have been better than welding it in there. At least you’d be able to get in there to clean.

My Historic Arms 7.62mm semi rebuild has the shortened butt slide. It works fine, but not sure how it would hold up in a dirty/muddy environment.