shooting prone

[ActionYobbo]

I have had my bren for over 3 years and today I encountered a problem the first time I have ever shot it from the prone position the hump on the top of the Mk2 butt plate beat 7 bells out of my collarbone. I have only ever been able to shoot it from a bench in the past but today I got the chance to shoot prone at 400 yards and was able to constantly hit the 9" steel plate with the standard sights buy could not find a position where the butt plate did not "leave a mark"
what am I doing wrong? should I just buy the flat butt plate?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

That 'shoulder stop' thinggy on the Mk2 butt plate was a pain in the neck for Armourers. I didn't worry too much about it bruising the crunchies shoulders but it did concern us when they put the gun down none too gently on the butt. With that, the overhang would force the little tongue bit on the top into the top of the butt, taking the screw with it and splitting the butt.

My advice, get the Mk3 flat type or just modify the one you have. There is an EMER mod and diagram of how to do it but first you've got to repair the blooxx split butt, plug the elongated screw hole. Next you have to get the butt plate cherry red, beat it flat and mark out the re-designed top section. Cut and file and re-fit.

But if you're clever and had a Battalions worth of Mk2 Brens under your wing - which were the norm on BAOR, you didn't do all that rubbish, you just made the Mk2 butt plate into a flat sheet, cut, shaped and fitted it to the butt. If such a design was good enough for the Mk3 gun then it was good enough for the Mk2 guns! The big workshops at Wetter and Hamm had a fly press adapted to just chunk the butt plates to shape

[Vincent]

10a: PLATE, butt, Mk2 (flat type) - BRP CORP Store

If that doesn’t do the trick, you might try a slip-on rubber recoil pad.

[Peter Laidler]

That's the one........ FAR better

[ActionYobbo]

thanks or the replies. I am going to change that plate.
funny how things are discovered. the plate looks good and the lump serves a practical purpose when shooting from a standing or sitting position but for me it is 1" too low when shooting prone

[Peter Laidler]

You're right that it serves no useful purpose! Consider that the butt strap was removed from the Mk1 because it was useless and all regularly broke off - and in doing so, sheared the butt plate lug away from the butt plate. So why on earth incorporate something even LESS useful onto the Mk2 gun.

The damaged shoulder strap lug was the very first defect report submitted when the Mk1 Bren went into service. The lug only had to be punched downwards a tad and you couldn't depress the catch sufficient to disengage the butt plate. Thereafter you had to damage the catch or butt plate to get the butt plate off to repair it all............

[Vincent]

Makes me wonder why people are buying the reproduction Mk2 butt plates with the shoulder strap??

The Hotchkiss LMG shoulder strap is pretty robust and folds onto the butt plate. It’s really just a frill that makes the not so light LMG a little easier to handle,, and adds even more unwelcome weight!

[Peter Laidler]

The Mk2 repop buyers (are they REALLY making repops.....?) are those who ain't got 60 under their wing and 60 gun crews who demount from trucks and 432's (113's to you colonials...) only to shred the butts

[Vincent]

Attachment 66074

Yes, they really do make a repop. I guess it would do for a non-gun or just to as a display item to tell the story.

I have an original Mk2 but plate, but no strap. How does the strap lock and unlock?

[Peter Laidler]

Ah........, you're referring to repop MK1 butt plates with strap. The strap remains open as the spring loaded internal lug in the tubular section locks into the slot shown at the rear of the example shown