Budget/economy Mag Catch

[Flying10uk]

I have come across this Bren mag catch which appears slightly unusual in that it seems to have been made out of 2 pieces of metal. The outer part appears to be of thin sheet steel while the inner core seems of thicker stock. One has to wonder if the greater time and effort required to make this item in two parts was really worth any saving that may have been achieved by not making it out of a single billet of steel.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Mk2. C1/BE 9650. .5” dia. hole described above bored through.
Production variation retaining the Mk2 part number. A fabricated magazine catch has been produced where the operating surface is neither counter-bored nor bored through. Another fabricated design has a 3/16” diameter hole. All fabricated Mk2 designs were declared obsolescent in April 1946 under LoC C-2374/46.

These were not uncommon.

If you only have the facility to make/fabricate the cheap part, it passes the MoS Inspection standard, the relaxation approval is granted, then it's better than no catch.

[Flying10uk]

When you state that they were declare obsolete in April 1946, Peter, does that mean simply that they stopped being produced in this way or were they also removed from guns which came in for refurb/repair? This catch is fitted to an early MK1 which is believe to have been in use by Greece in it's later years. Thanks for the information.

[tankhunter]

[B][QUOTE=Peter Laidler

If you only have the facility to make/fabricate the cheap part, it passes the MoS Inspection standard, the relaxation approval is granted, then it's better than no catch.[/QUOTE]


I have found myself a couple of years ago, in the position. Where a Bren came to me with no Mag Catch. I did not have time to acquire a spare, or indeed. Have one to hand myself.
So, as any good Armourer worth his salt. Went back to basics, & with the aid of a hacksaw. & a 2nd cut file, I filed one up by hand. Out of a small lump of metal I had, in my 'Ferrous Metal Box'. Under the bench!

Not a particularly difficult job, took Me 2 hours to it. Not too bad I thought!

[Peter Laidler]

Obsolescent means not produced any more but still in the system and will continue to be used until spare parts dry up. If you ordered under part number BE9650 it was pot luck whether you got the standard Mk2 type or the fabricated Mk2 type.

That's the short answer...... But in real life, at the front end of the Armourers shops, if you ordered, say, 10 mag catches, pistons, carrying handles etc etc in reality you got 10 mag catches, pistons, carrying handles of any sort/mark/type. The blanket stackers at Ordnance didn't care or differentiate - and neither did we! And that's the reason why I keep repeating, time and time again until I'm blue in the face that once a weapon has been through an Armourers shop, then it ceases to be factory original. But, the real experts tell me differently time and time again how an Enfield Bren must have all Enfield parts and and Enfield No2 pistol the same............... and...............

[Flying10uk]

It's interesting to find/see a good armourer's repair on a weapon. For example, I have a model 1910 Browning semi auto pistol (U.K deactivated) which has had it's magazine main spring broken at some time, in the middle section, in the past. The broken ends of the spring have been lapped over each other and then bound together tightly with thin wire. Although you could say it's a simplistic and cheap repair it has been very neatly done and in my view it is good to see such repairs.

[Peter Laidler]

You could silver solder it and I don't think that would affect the temper.