I need help identifying these Bren parts please. Round firing pin?

[stencollector]

Breech block is the same pattern as the Czech ZB vz39 which the HK mark helps ID it.Round profile firing pin and insert also as ZB vz39 for 8 x 56R .
If the piston extension/carrier is also marked 11481 this is also probably vz39 ,Inglis serial number would have had a 'T' in a 5 digit serial number - 1T1481 or 11T481.
ATB Kevin

Yes and no on the T in the serial number. The early Inglis Brens used the series letters M and then N. The standardization to the letters signifying the location of North American production (T for Toronto) didn't come into being until a bit later. But you are certainly right that there should be a letter in there.[COLOR="Silver"]

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[Peter Laidler]

My understanding KG is that the ZB39 was a ZB made version of the British .303" Bren, for sale to nations that had a military allegiance to the UK but NOT the licensing authority to make the Bren. A small part of the twp-way deal with the UK Government was that we allowed the ZB company to use some of the UK patents/modifications, such as the threaded barrel nut idea that tightens up the barrels as it's locked down as opposed to the plain interrupted locking idea being one that I recall.....

So was the ZB39 made in other calibres too?? That would answer the round firing pin hole. But the oval plan shape was critical for the .303" Bren - that plus the staking of the cap with the ejector, that prevented 90 percent of the trials stoppages

Good job the later ZB 39 only gets a passing mention in the book as being thrown out of the nest by its direct competitor, the .303" Bren made at Enfield

[Kev G]

Yes and no on the T in the serial number. The early Inglis Brens used the series letters M and then N. The standardization to the letters signifying the location of North American production (T for Toronto) didn't come into being until a bit later. But you are certainly right that there should be a letter in there.

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Or a M or a N if the Inglis Bren was made before the adoption of the letter to denote place of manufacture in North America. (T for Toronto).

Yes Stencollector agree on a M and N prefix but these only went to 4 digits (9999) for 5 digits as per the serial number given it would have to have a T in the serial number.

ATB Kevin

[Kev G]

Bulgaria ordered the Czech made 'Model 1939 Bren' (zb39) in 8 x 56R Mannlicher in 1938.Other contracts for the Czech Brens built to customer countries specifications (so they vary a bit in barrel ,sight configuration etc) in .303 were Iraq and Ireland that I know of with Egypt and Latvia also mentioned in Czech records.

My only item of Czech Bren parts for Iraq,a magazine bottom plate


Peter you mention that the oval firing pin was a UK design but SAC Minute 1544 quoted in Dugelby's Bren Gun Saga seems to say this was a ZB design ?

ATB Kevin

[Peter Laidler]

That's interesting KG. I'll look it up on Tuesday! But the trials distinctly report on a vast amount of stoppages due to caps out and initially it was put down to using old stockpiles of 1918 ammunition. They reported back to the factory with their oval punch type fiting pin and ZB initially tried the staked cap as an answer. That's interesting about the odd ZB39 calibre. This whole thread's turned out to be interesting in fact.

We have some captured Iraqi Sten guns and No2 revolvers and they all seem to have a similar triangle mark but with a squared-off figure 8 set inside it with the squared off top of the 8 almost forming the top of the triangle

As an aside KG, BP and others, did you notice that the very slightly deacted 1938 Bren body got through Ebay unscathed and made £65 or so? GOOD buy with someone with a milling machine who could turn it into something useful, like a real deact of course

[peregrinvs]

As an aside KG, BP and others, did you notice that the very slightly deacted 1938 Bren body got through Ebay unscathed and made £65 or so? GOOD buy with someone with a milling machine who could turn it into something useful, like a real deact of course

Yes, I saw that one and had it on my watch list. I assume it's of dubious legality and I'm surprised the auction wasn't pulled. They were quick enough to pull an empty, dented and rusty MP-43 magazine shell I had on there earlier this year. Grrrrrrr.......

Mark

[c310pilot]

Yes, I saw that one and had it on my watch list. I assume it's of dubious legality and I'm surprised the auction wasn't pulled. They were quick enough to pull an empty, dented and rusty MP-43 magazine shell I had on there earlier this year. Grrrrrrr.......

Mark

what was the auction number?

[peregrinvs]

Item number 300446736090

[infidel]

re: butt slides, my 1943 mkII Inglis has the shorter butt slide, but with what is identified as the simplified mkI machining around the trigger group. the receiver has T in the serial#, butt slide has C in the number

[Peter Laidler]

Shorter butt slide, regardless of trigger machining style is a Mk2. Would be interested in the numbers you mention but if it's a C-xxxx number then that's a 1939/40 Enfield and if it were the original number would definately be a Mk1 butt slide, similar to (i think...) the bottom example shown on page 1. But don't forget, once they got out into service, we didn't worry about the post-service Bren fiends out there looking for originality....... Oh no....., If time was of the essense, it just got the next one on the rack. The old one was repaired (if possible of course.....) and put back on the rack for the next time.

If anyone in the UK wants a Mk1 butt slide assembly, complete, with butt, JI grip butt grip and butt strap, let me know