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Thread: What is your experience in adapting other tripods or mounts to work with a Bren?

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  1. #11
    Legacy Member tombear's Avatar
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    I'm having one of my rare gos on the old computer that sounds distressingly like a tractor so I've access to my D.D.(E.) files. Excuse me for repeating myself but Ive more details now.

    If anyone wants to mount a Bren on a Vickers tripod I've the dimensioned engineers drawings for that D.D.(E.) 2786 (3 sheets) 1941 Lookls pretty simply to a layman like me.

    I've also got 3 or 4 versions of Besa 7.92mm to Vickers tripod adapter as well as a couple for fixed iron and adjustable sights for the Besa in ground use and one for the Besa to Bren tripod. Theres also one for Emergency ground use thats a bipod and shoulder stock to be used with the sights mentioned above.

    What else? theres some drawings about mounting ZGB to a Vickers Berthier tripod and fitting a VB to a Normal vickers tripod and the czech LMG tripod but they aint fully dimensioned. If any onewants any Im happy to send them down the wire if they pm me a address. If your really ambitious I've full sets for stuff like the Straddle and Motley mountings, Mk II* Bren tripod and all sort of weird AA mounts , quad bren, tree mounts all sorts! I did send one set (a Scarf like mounting for the Bren) to a guy who wanted to fit one to the hole in the roof of his Bedford three tonner but I never heard if he did it.

    ATB

    Tom
    Last edited by tombear; 10-23-2015 at 09:08 AM.

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  4. #12
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    I ended up going with an MG42 AA tripod from whatacountry.com for $296 delivered. Brand new in the factory wrap. The damn thing is beautifully made! Not at all like some wartime contract job. They're sold out of them now, alas. Added a $40 Bren adapter from HellBox Armory: Bren Gun Adaptor Which fit like a glove. Smooth traverse with no wiggle and no rattle. The setup works very well. Most shooter-friendly setup I've seen in a while. I'm planning on getting adapters for some other guns of mine for this tripod.

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  6. #13
    Legacy Member TactAdv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrNatural View Post
    I ended up going with an MG42 AA tripod from whatacountry.com for $296 delivered. Brand new in the factory wrap. The damn thing is beautifully made! Not at all like some wartime contract job. They're sold out of them now, alas. Added a $40 Bren adapter from HellBox Armory: Bren Gun Adaptor Which fit like a glove. Smooth traverse with no wiggle and no rattle. The setup works very well. Most shooter-friendly setup I've seen in a while. I'm planning on getting adapters for some other guns of mine for this tripod.
    ......and, this is exactly what I was describing and showed pictures of in Post #7 above!! Glad you like it!

    As for other guns using the MG3 AA tripod (it's an MG3 device, NOT an MG-42 item!), take a look at some of the pictures in my post above. Currently to date, I have made adapters for using this with PKM, DP-28, M249, M240B, Jap Type 1/100 (MG15), MG-34, CETME Ameli, Ultimax 100 Mk 3, RPD, M1918A2 BAR, FN-D, IMI Negev , MK 46.....in addition to the original placement for my MG1A1 & MG74 and the pictured Bren MK II posted on. And I have seen done MANY more gun types than those that I have done myself for my own guns.

    Some are EXTREMELY simplistic, like the for the Bren, or PKM here:


    To date, the only one that really took any serious work was adapting the Jap Type 1 (MG15 clone) as that required dealing with and making provisions for the gimballing mount on the gun itself, for which the below adapter was devised:Attachment 66804Attachment 66803



    Many people also adapt these for the various Barrett .50BMG rifles. They are really adaptable, as you'll soon discover!

    -TomH

  7. #14
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    Back to basics though........... The Bren was made to be the master of all trades and all things to all men. But, alas, when it came to push and shove it didn't excel in the AA fire role, nor the fixed lines role nor any of the other things the designers and trials teams of the 30's wanted of it. Things such as the ill fated fixed lines, indirect fire role, overhead advance to contact fire were to side line the Vickers and 2" mortar but they never could. And while the tripod mounted Bren could be used like this, during military training doctrine and training lessons, these roles were casually preached but never practiced.

    Where it did reign supreme until it was only bettered by the equally magnificent true jack-of-all-trades L7/GPMG, was as the section light machine gun. FIRED FROM THE BIPOD. If you have a bipod on your Bren, that's all you need. If you need a tripod, then let the big boys with their medium machine guns, the 2" and 3" mortars (ok..., 60 and 81mm's then) do the job - properly!

    Just my opinion. Been there, done it..........

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    Legacy Member TactAdv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Laidlericon View Post
    Back to basics though...........
    Just my opinion. Been there, done it..........
    Hi Peter! Well, I can't argue with anything you said there!! Fantastic commentary on the real-world use of the "tools of the trade", and too, I am always astounded at your level of first-person experience in this realm........you're certainly a "National Treasure" to be able to let us have direct access to your encyclopedic knowledge base.

    I know you realize though, that for most of us over here, where we can own and actually shoot live privately owned MG's that our "requirements" pretty much begin and end with shooting dirt, rusty oil drums, and the occasional dead car and model airplane. ;-))

    For that reality, many people here have done remarkable things with what we have available.......I have no doubt that it horrifies and sickens strict military-doctrine professionals to see what has been cobbled up over here "for fun", but there is still a large group of people that truly benefit from all this '"garage engineering" energy.

    Taken full circle......look at what is on display in the various current hot-spots in the M.E. with the various local Islamist radicals........they're doing the same exercise really, adapting with what is on hand and available to them.....and USING it in the heat of battles.

    Granted, over here, at the end of the day all of our privately owned MG's come home and disappear into the basement, or vault room, or similar.....so our actual usage puts the kit we cobble together at best in the league of a hobby or sport, but it matters to many to be able to come up with good, solid, usable solution to mount their various MG's from and enjoy sending a few thousand rounds down range for a fun day. As my old acquaintance Peter Kokalis used to acknowledge, grudgingly, "shooting from a padded potty seat has it merits".

    Here's a perfect example of what I'm relating to:

    Attachment 66817

    .....in the context of where I live, it all makes perfect sense. ;-))

    I have enough headaches everyday in my real job dealing with the military/Govt realm, shooting is my way to let off steam and have fun....

    -TomH

  10. #16
    Legacy Member tr63's Avatar
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    bump to find

  11. #17
    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tr63 View Post
    bump to find
    To find what??? Why don't you just ask a specific question instead of bringing these old threads back? That's two you've done for no good point...and no proper question.
    Regards, Jim

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  13. #18
    Legacy Member tr63's Avatar
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    Has anyone the extension tubes for the Bren tripod to make it useable for the AA mount ? Has anyone made up these tubes ?

  14. #19
    Legacy Member tr63's Avatar
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    Looking for a clear picture of the Bren Gun MKI AA tube extensions . Must see the way the tubes fit together , the foot that meets the ground , and the shape of the end that slides into the part on the front leg of the tripod when it is in AA position . I want to see if I can make up the tubes to use on my Bren MKI tripod . Any help will be greatly appropriated, thanks .

  15. #20
    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    Is this the tube you mean? there are really no shortage of members here that have these, just hang on and one will show you a close up...
    Regards, Jim

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