1939 Bren Mk.1 - just obtained & questions

[peregrinvs]

So, your friend needs a Mk1 mag at £100ish, Mk1 mag catch, Mk1 scaloped but plate with spoon, early Mk1 lower (Could prove a problem), and one of Kev Grooms repro butt handles. All in all a good start, he could always put replaced parts on ebay to recoup some cost.

Wouldn't he also need an early rounded cocking handle as well?

(And thanks again to KG for finding one for me a couple of years back )

[Peter Laidler]

That was a very astute comment Peregrine because cocking handles were one of those items where the sub contractor was granted almost immediate permission to utilise the best means available with the machinery at their disposal to make/simplify the actual handle part. As a result, there are many. many slight variations of the handle. There's different knurl patterns, helix swirl types , opposite twists etc etc etc. As a result, it's difficult to really say which type is 'original'. Just on Warminster guns alone and in my spare parts lockers I counted about 7 different types

Maybe BP, KevG and ZGB can comment on this. But, it is a feature that I use in the bbook to illustrate various points as 'manufacturing variations'.

[Brit plumber]

I think Peregrinvs is refering to the early ball type like the ZB that I think KG said was changed for the straight sided type in 1938. I've not got them on my 1939 guns but all the '38s have, although only one of the 1938s actually had it fitted when I bought it.

[peregrinvs]

I think Peregrinvs is refering to the early ball type like the ZB that I think KG said was changed for the straight sided type in 1938. I've not got them on my 1939 guns but all the '38s have, although only one of the 1938s actually had it fitted when I bought it.

On page 151 of 'The Bren Gun Saga' is a picture of a row of MkI Brens which (according to the book) was taken in June 1940. The two guns nearest the camera appear to have rounded cocking handles.

[Brit plumber]

I could well be recalling what Kev said incorrectly, hopefully he will be a long at some point to give us a correct date. If I remember the photo correctly, I think the butts also have the disc fitted too, can anyone (Peter ;-) ) remind us when they were removed/stopped?

[Peter Laidler]

That was at the same time as the big simplification of the manufacture of small-arms committee sat. They eliminated masses of superflkous crap at a stroke of a pen. But it wasn't THAT simple. Some sub contractors used certain features as datum points for the next stage of the manufacturing operation and so on so thay had to retain certain features until they could update their processes. So there was a good deal of overlap and goodwill until the changes were implimented. But this goodwill wouldn't have lasted for long as standardisation is what you need in all out war