Small Arms - BREN - 303 - Light Machine Gun [PDF]

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SMALL ARMS

IDENTIFICATIONSERIES

.303-in.BREN LIGHT MACHINEGUN

Partsldentification& Lists,BrenL.M.G.SeriesNotes, ExplodedPartsDrawings,Descriptions, Accessories & Fittings

s.A.ts. No. 5

Ian Skennerton

REFERENCES: 'A Brief History of the Bren Light MachineGun' 1969, Inspectorateof Armaments 'AustralianServiceMachineguns' lan Skennerton 1989, SKENNERTON 'British Small Arms of World War 2' lan Skennerton 1988, SKENNERTON 'fdentificationList: Gun, Machine,Bren' AustralianMilitary Forces 1945, M.G.O. 'ldentificationList for Gun, MachineBren.303-inch' 1944, 1945, 1947, War Office 'lnstructionsfor Armourers- 1931 (Supplement No. 2)' 1938 War Office 'Light MachineGun - 1939' SmallArms Training Vol. l, PamphletNo. 4, H.M.S.O. 'List of Changesin BritishWar Material' 1939-1946,H.M.S.O. 'LocalE.M.E.Instructions' 1944-1956 CanadianArmed Forces 'Military Small Arms of the 20th Century' Hogg & Weeks sth Ed. 1985 A. & A. P. 'OrdnanceBoardProceedings & Minutes' 1930-1945,War Office 'PartsList: Gun, Machine,Bren.303-in.Mk 3 - 1945' Chief Inspectorof Armaments 'PrincipalMechanical& ComponentDifferences' Peter Laidler 1992, LAIDLER 'The BrenGun Saga' Dugelby 1983, COLLECTOR GRADEPUBLICATIONS 'The Bren Light MachineGun' 1942, Gale & PoldenLimited,Aldershot 'User Handbookfor the .303-inchBrenGun' 1969, Inspectorof Armaments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: RobertFaris,Wickenburg,Arizona,U.S.A. Peter Laidler,Marcham, Oxfordshire,England HerbertWoodend,M.O.D. PatternRoom,Nottingham,England Warren Wheatfield,Sudbury,Ontario,Canada Australia Movie OrdnanceOld., AshmoreCity, Oueensland, RobertCourtney,Curatorof Weapons,AustralianWar Memorial The Trustees,AustralianWar Memorial,Canberra,Australia John Mclean, The Gap, Oueensland,Australia Ron Hayes, Bardon,Oueensland,Australia @lan Skennerton, | 994 & 2OO4 Second lmpression, 2OO4 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or othetwise, without the prior permission in writing of the author and the publisher. National Library of Australia data: Gataloguing-in-Publication Skennerton, lan D. tsBN o 949749 23 0 Typesetting, layout and design by lan D. Skennerton. Published by lan D. Skennerton, P.O. Box 8O, Labrador 4215, Australia. Printed and bound bv Thai Watana Panich Press Co. Ltd., Rama I Rd., Bangkok, Thailand.

Distributors: North AmericaArms & MilitariaPress POBox5014 GrantsPass OR97527 USA

Great BritainJeremyTenniswood 36 St. Botolph'sSt. Colchester EssexCO2 7EA England

Website: www.skennerton.com E-mail: [email protected]

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Australialan SkennertonPublishing PO Box 80 Labrador Old.4215 Australia

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Bren L.M.G. Genealogy Model ldentificationTables Differencesin ComponentAssemblies Gun Specifications U s e rG u i d e . . . Key Plates BarrelGroups Bipods Body Groups Butt & Slide Groups Nut, BArrelAssemblies Piston & BreechBolt Group OperatingMechanism Gun Stripping& Assembly Accessories& Fittings Parts Manufactureldentification

BrenGun SerialNumbers

5 8 9 14 15 16 18 24 26 32 38 40 42 43 46 47 48

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A suitablereplacementfor the GreatWar Lewis light machinegun resultedin the Small Arms Committeeexaminingthe U.S. BrowningLMG and other contemporaries, as early as 1922. By late 1930, the 7.92mm Z,P,26was being considered,along with an improved Browning BAR, Madsen and Vickers Berthier.Furtherimprovements to the C z e c h B r n o Z B M o d e l 1 9 2 6 r e s u l t e di n i t s a d v a n c e m e ntto M o d e l s 1 g 3 o , 1 9 3 3 and 1 9 3 4 ; i t w a s i n . 3 0 3 - i n .c o n f i g u r a t i o fno r t h e s e B r i t i s ht r i a l sb y 1 9 3 1 . T h e 1 9 3 4 model was further developedat R.S.A.F.Enfielduntil the first productiongun was assembled there in 1937. Regardingits name, the first two letters of Brunn (Brno) and Enfield were combinedto identifythe new gun as the BREN. The .3o3 Bren Mark I and its equipmentwas officially approvedfor British service in A u g u s t o f 1 9 3 8 ' M a n u f a c t u r ew a s a l s o c o m m e n c e di n C a n a d ab y J o h n I n g l i sC o . L t d . in 1938, and at the Lithgow smail Arms Factoryin Australiaduring 1g40. In order to streamlineproduction,certain features of the early guns were dispensed with not long afterwards.Such machiningoperationson the receiverincludedomission of the dovetailfor lensaticsight, and deletingthe gas cylinderfluting and gas deflection shield and various strengtheningribs. These productionshortcutsiesulted in a Mark I (Modifiedlversion (Mark l* body) which was producedat all three factories;however few of these "modified" guns are marked as such. Similareconomieswere appliedto the butt and barrel groups and the bipod assembly,resultingin subsequentMarks of the varioussub-assemblyand componentgroups. The Mark 2 Bren gun was producedin Britainby the MonotypeGroup,a consortium of Monotype,Daimler,HerculesCycle,ClimaxRock Drill,F. Tibbenham,BritishFabricating MachineCo. and SigmundPumps.Sometimesknown as the "garagehands" model,the Mark 2 further dispensedwith the drum backsightand many machiningoperations on the body, as well as the folding cocking handle.This new receiverwas designatedthe Mark 2 body, with the gas cylinderbeing screwedinto the body and securedby a pin. ln the official introductionof the Mk 2 gun, the Mk 2 barrel,bipod, butt and slide were also announced,althoughthese assembtiesare interchangeable on most Marks of Bren g u n s ' S o m e M k 2 g u n s w e r e a l s op r o d u c e da t R . S . A . F E . n f i e l da n d b y I n g l i si n C a n a d a . Approvedin August, 1948, the Mark 211 Brenhas a small locatinglug brazedonto the front of the cocking handle slot, to suit the folding cocking-hanOte Jloe of the Mk l. -fhe upgradedbody is usuallyengravedwith the new nomenclature.As this modified g u n w a s n o t i n t r o d u c e du n t i l 1 9 4 8 , t h e o l d d e s i g n a t i o no f M a r k n u m b e r and,,r.,, variationhad been supersededby an upgradedmarking,"/1". This replacedthe original "*" classifierwhich indicatesan improvementor modificationto the pattern. ln July of 1944, the Mark 3 Bren was approved,a considerablylightenedvariant for jungle fighting. The Mk 3 was producedat Enfield;some may have been made by Inglis in 1945. Certainfeaturesfrom the Mk 2 model are obvious,such as the folding leaf aperturebacksight; later marks of the butt and barrel assemblieswere also utilised. Substantialmillingand lighteningcuts were appliedto the new bcidyon the Mark gun. 3

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The Mark 4 Bren was a lightenedMk 2 model,approvedat the same time as the Mk 3, in Jufy 1944. However, not very many Mk 4 models appearto have been converted a n d s o g u n s w i t h t h e " M k 4 " e n g r a v i n ga r e q u i t e s c a r c e .S o m e M k 4 g u n s usedInglis M k 2 b o d i e sa n d t h e o r i g i n a M l k 2 e n g r a v i n gi s s o m e t i m e sv i s i b l e .A c c o r d i n gt o L a i d l e r , most Mark 4's were subsequentlyconvertedto the 7.62mm L4 configuration. C a n a d a ' sf i r s t B r e n g u n w a s a s s e m b l e do n 2 3 r d M a r c h 1 g 4 o a t t h e J o h n l n g l i s Co. plant in Toronto. Ingliswas contractedto providepart of its production to Great Britain; someoriginaB l r n o Z B m o d e l sw e r e s e n t t o C a n a d ai n 1 9 3 6 a n d B r i t a i n ' sf i r s t o r d e rf o r 5 , O O OI n g l i s g u n s w a s p l a c e d a s e a r l y a s S e p t e m b e r1 9 3 8 . p r o d u c t i o no f t h e Mk I m o d e l w a s f o l l o w e db y t h e M k I ( M ) , t h e M k 2 , a n dp o s s i b l y t, h e M k 3 i n 1 9 4 5 at the e n d o f p r o d u c t i o n .C a n a d aa l s o p r o d u c e dt h e B r e n c h a m b e r e df o r t h e r i m l e s s7 . g 2 x 57mm round, for export to China.Some .30-OOprototypeswere also assembled.

InglisBrenMkl(Mlbodymarks. iloteMk 1 backsight, Mk I cocking handle & recessed Mk I magcatch. J. lllatter. I n A u s t r a l i a ,s A F L i t h g o w ' st h e f i r s t s i x g u n s w e r e f i r e d o n g t h J a n u a r y 1 g 4 1. The total wartime productionamountedto 17,335 guns, plus a few test and prototype models.Feederfactoriesat Mudgee,Portlandand Dubboalso suppliedcomponentparts t o L i t h g o w .T h e M a r k I a n d M a r k | ( M ) g u n s w a s t h e o n l y t y p e s m a d e i n A u s t r a l i a , althougha lightenedpatternwas fabricatedfor trials.The Brengun was also produced i n f n d i aa t H y d e r a b a dw , ith manufacture c o m m e n c i n gd u r i n gw o r l d w a r 2 . After the introductionof the new rimless NATO round, many .303 Bren guns were convertedto becomethe Gun, Machine,7.62mm L4; the most commonlyencountered 7 '62mm model being Britain's L4A4. certain problems associatedwith the original '3O3 rimmed cartridgewere thus overcomeand the Bren was given a new leaseof life u s i n g a r i m l e s sc a r t r i d g e f. o , r w h i c h i t w a s o r i g i n a l l yd e s i g n e d I. n d i a n. 3 0 3 B r e n g u n s w e r e a f s oc o n v e r t e dt o 7 . 6 2 m m , w i t h a n e w " 7 . 6 2 m m l A ' ; d e s i g n a t i o n .

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.303 BREN MODELIDENTIFICATION ldentificationof the various models of Bren Light Machine Guns is relatively easy becausethis is marked on the body; Mk l, Mk ll, Mk ll/1, Mk 3, etc. However, few of t h e M k l * b o d i e sw e r e m a r k e da s " M k l M " ( m o d i f i e do) r " M k l * " . T h e v a r i o u sm a r k so f barrel, bipod, butt, butt slide, gas piston, trigger, were progressivelyintroducedand often fitted onto guns alreadyin service,duringroutinemaintenanceand upgrades. Gan nodel

lntroduced

Principal features

Mark|

1937 BodyMk l. Theoriginal design, based upontheimprovedHasdovetail slotfor fixedlinesightonthe Czech ZGBModel No.4of 1934.Dialdrumbacksight, receiver body.Buttoriginally fittedwitha gas front I handle dish.shapeddeflection shield at of body,Mk butt underneath, anda folding strap gaspistonandboltassembly, folding cocking handle. at topof thecup-shaped bunplate. gasventports. earlystylemilling around

0thel n0tes

MarkI lMl 1941 EodyMk l*. 0mission of dovetail for fixedlinesight onleft sideof body,butretaining dialdrumbackfittedwithMk 2 bun-slide, Markl' sight.Usually andlaterstyleMk I buttwithoutthe barrel assembly, hinged bunplate strapor thebutthandle underneath.

simplification Some of machining operations onbody,flat gasdeflection shield, novertical reinforcing riboutside themagazine housing, andsimplified machining/milling around the gasportvents.

leafbacksight mounted 1942 BodyMk ll. Folding ontotopof body,dovetail slotsfor backsight andsome lightening grooves omitted. Gascylinder is a press fit intothe body,secured by a pin.Non-folding typeof cocking handle withcorresponding changes in bodyslot.Nonproduction. wellcover. coffugated magazine Simplified

FittedwithMk ll barel,Mk ll bipod, Mk ll gaspiston, Mk ll caryinghandle, Mk ll butt andMk ll buttslide.Thethinner, flat gas "horn" projecting shield has extensions upwardsto prevent left,right movemenl; barrel Mk ll hasnobarrel locating recess or lug.

Markll

"ll" marked Mark2/'l 1948 BodyMk211.Additional aftertheoriginal Mk I cocking handle requires bodymodto Mk "ll" or "2" designation. Earlyfolding cocking handle. prevent it reciprocating withpistonextension. Mark3

1944 BodyMk 3. FittedwithMk 2 folding leafbacksight. Essentially a lightened, modified Mk I body Bodymachining incorporates manyextralightening cuts fittedwithshorter barrelandlaterproduction particularly resulting in significant weightreduction, groups. marksof assembly noticeable at frontof thebody,around thegascylinder.

Mark4

1944 BodyMk4. HastheMk2 folding leafbacksight. Additional bodycutsandmachining to reduce weight.

Essentially a lightened Mk ll body,fittedwith shorter barelandlatergroupassemblies.

Note:Some differences may be noted in the body features (e.9. gas deflection shield), not always in accordancewith originalspecifications.Certain changesmay have been implemented graduallyand even applied differentlyin the Canadianand Australianfactories.The various barrel, carry handle, bipod, gas piston, butt and slide groups are basicallyinterchangeable; many guns were upgradedand fitted with later replacementparts in service. For the purpose of identification,the Mark of the gun is taken to be that markedon the body. Servicereplacement barrelsand slidegroupswere alwaysserial-numbered the same as the gun body number.

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DIFFERENCES IN COMPONENTASSEMBTIES M a n y g u n s w e r e u p g r a d e d i n s e r v i c ew i t h v a r i o u s r e p l a c e m e n tp a r t s a n d e n s u i n g M a r k s o f b a r r e l s ,b i p o d s , b u t t s , & c . A s s e m b l i e sf r o m t h e d i f f e r e n t f a c t o r i e s m a y a l s o b e f i t t e d . T h e b o d y M a r k n u m b e r i s f o u n d o n t h e r e c e i v e r ,w i t h t h e f a c t o r y n a m e o r c o d e a n d y e a r o f p r o d u c t i o n . M o s t p a r t s a n d g r o u p s a r e i n t e r c h a n g e a b l eo n t h e v a r i o u s action b o d i e s . A c o d e s y s t e m w a s a p p l i e d i n B r i t a i nd u r i n g W . W . 2 f o r c o m m e r c i a l c o n t r a c t o r s a n d s t a m p e d o n m S l y p a r t s . E n f i e l dg u n s u s u a l l y h a v e t h e " E " l o g o w h i l e t h e M o n o t y p e g u n s a r e c o d e d M 6 7 o r " D " f o r D a i m l e r .C a n a d i a nr e c e i v e r sc a n b e r e a d i l y i d e n t i f i e d as t h e y a r e m a r k e d " l N G L l S " ; t h e i r A u s t r a l i a n c o u n t e r p a r t sa r e s t a m p e d " L I T H G O W " a n d " M A " . I n d i a n r e c e i v e r sa r e u s u a l l y m a r k e d " S A F " . G u n s e r i a l n u m b e r s a r e u s u a l l yf o u n d a t t h e t o p r e a r o f b o d y , l e f t s i d e o f b a r r e l ,r e a r o f b u t t - s l i d ea n d o n t h e b a r r e l n u t . Bodies:

(1937),Mk | (M)lithgow,Mk2 DaimlerlMonotype, Action bodies fromtop:Mk 1 Enfield Mk2ll (originaily Monotype), Mk3 Enfield andMk4 conversion. Notedifferences inbodycuts& lightening. gasvents& miiting, backsights, andbarrel cradles. Mk 1,l(M)&3 bodies havelocating lug(rearof gasshield)to centralise barre!. Mk2 & c bodies donotlBarrets Mk l, l. & 3 havea corresponding slotbehind thegasblockto fit Mk1,t(M)&3 bodies. Whilereporred tharMk2,4& 5 barrels arenor interchangeable onMk| & 3 bodies, ourexperience - M.0.0. pattern isthatallbarrets interchange 0nallMarkbodies. floon.

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Butts: Butt Mk l. Cupped buttplate; early model had folding butt strap and butt handle. P r o d u c t i o ne c o n o m i e sd i s p e n s e dw i t h t h e f o l d i n gb u t t s t r a pa n d h a n d l e . Butt Mk 2. Flat buttplatewith extendedshoulderrest. Recoilspring and plate omitted, new butt swivel and plate fitted. Returnspringretainedby a screwedspringtube nut. Butt Mk 3. Furtherproductioneconomiesto Mk 2, with flat buttplateheel; not issued. Butt Mk 4. Lightenedand tapered,sling swivel bar on buttplatewith recessslot.

Fromtheleft- ButtsMarkl, 2, 3 and4. M.0.0.Pattern froon,lloninghan.

Butt-Slides: M a r k s 1 , 2 & 3 . M a c h i n e df r o m s o l i d ,t h e n e w M a r k s p r o g r e s s i v e lsyi m p l i f i e dm a n u f a c t u r e . M a j o r d i f f e r e n c e sa r e o b v i o u sf r o m t h e d r a w i n g s ;t h e p r o g r e s s i v em a c h i n i n g changesare not necessarilyrelatedto specificmarks of the butt slides.

Cocking Handle: Mk l. Spring-loadedand hingedcocking knob, folds forward in the closed positionand does not reciprocatewith the butt slideduringoperation.Givesa thinnergun profile. Mk 2. Fixedhandleand plunger;it does not fold forward like the Mk I pattern.

Barrel Nut: Mk l. Lighteningrecesson outsideof side lever.Safety cam on undersidepreventsbutt beingfully withdrawn and mechanismcockedor fired, unlessthe nut is fully closed. Mk 2. Safety cam omitted. Lighteningrecessalso omitted, a productioneconomy. Mk 3. Slightlydifferentmachining,only usesthe catchesMarks 2 or 3.

FromleftMarksl,2&3. Gas Piston & Post:

Mk l. Comprisesstem, extension,piston post, piston post spring, plunger,cotter and pin. Flutedpiston stem. Mk 1 piston post is not as deeplyrecessed,largerin diameter. Mk 2. Mk 2 plungeris longer,the Mk 2 pistonpost is recesseddeeperand is smallerin diameter,giving better supportto the plungerand surroundingspring.The piston stem is not fluted.

Fromleft-

Marks I & 2. Magazine Catch: Marks 1 & 2. Mk 1 catch has a milled recessin the rear face of the thumb-piece;the Mk 2 has a hole boredthrough it.

Fromtheleft- Marks1 & 2.

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Barrels: M k l A s s e m b l y . U s u a l l yw i t h o u t a M a r k d e s i g n a t i o nn u m b e r . l t i s 2 5 - i n . l o n g w i t h a s t a i n l e s ss t e e l s l e e v ef o r t h e l a s t 1 0 . S - i n .t o m u z z l e .S t r a i g h tt a p e r o n f l a s h h i d e r , s o i t i s s i m i l a rt o t h e M k l * e x c e D tf o r t h e e x t e r n a lt a p e r o f t h e f l a s h h i d e r c o n e . M k l * A s s e m b l y .S t a m p e d " l * " o n l e f t s i d e n e a r b r e e c h .M k l l l g a s r e g u l a t o rf i t t e d , w i t h i t s l a r g e rt h r e e g a s v e n t s i n c r e a s e di n d i a m e t e r ,s t a m p e d " l l l " . S o m e M k I b a r r e l sw e r e c o n v e r t e dt o t h i s p a t t e r n ( a l s o2 5 - i n . l o n g ) .D i s t i n c t" k i n k " i n f l a s h h i d e r c o n e t a p e r . M k 2 A s s e m b l y . F l a s he l i m i n a t o ra n d g a s b l o c k f i t o n t o b a r r e le n d , n o t i n t e g r a lw i t h i t . E l i m i n a t o ri n c o r p o r a t e sf o r e s i g h t b r a c k e t , g a s b l o c k h o u s e s t h e r e g u l a t o r .N o l o c a t i n g r e c e s st o n g u e ( n e a rt h e m i d d l e )u n d e r n e a t ht h e b a r r e l ;2 5 - i n . l o n g . M k 4 A s s e m b l y . L i g h t e rc o n s t r u c t i o n ,n e w d e s i g nf l a s h e l i m i n a t o ra n d f o r e s i g h t b l o c k ; 2 2 . 2 5 - i n . l o n g . ( M k 3 w a s 2 - g r o o v ee x p e r i m e n t aol n l y ) . M k 5 A s s e m b l y . L i g h t e r c o n s t r u c t i o n ,m o d i f i e d M k 2 p r o d u c t i o nb y t u r n i n g d o w n a n d s h o r t e n i n g .L o n g e rs i g h t i n gr a d i u s ,s i g h t i n gb r a c k e tc l o s e rt o m u z z l e ;2 2 . 2 5 - i n . l o n g .

D i f f e r e nbta r r em l a r k sf,r o mt o p M a r k1 . , M a r k2 , M a r k4 a n dM a r k5 . N o t et h ed i f f e r e nbta r r el le n g t h s , f o r m so f t h ef o r e s i g h a tn dt h e i r p o s i t i o n i nwgh,i c ha f f e c t sr e l a t i v e s i g h t i nrga d i u sC. a r r yh a n d lsel e e v e s ; M k t h a sl i g h t e n i n hg o l e sM , k2 has n o n eM , k 3 i s s h o r t ewr i t hl i g h t e n i n g h o l e sW . a i s t eM d k 1 w o o dc a r r yh a n d l e a s w e l la s M k 2 p a r a l l e t yl p em a yb e n o l i c eodn t h el a t e rb a r r e l s . M.0.0. PatternBoom,llottinghan. Bipods:

M a r k s 1 , 2 a n d 3 ( p e r 1 9 6 9 p a m ) . M k t h a s t e l e s c o p i n gl e g s , s p r i n g - l o a d e ds o t h e y f o l d a t t h e s a m e t i m e . M k 2 h a s f i x e d l e n g t h l e g s w h i c h f o l d i n d e p e n d e n t l yM . k 3 is like M k 1 b u t w i t h n o n - e x t e n d i n gl e g s ; a l s o m a y h a v e s p i k e df e e t . I n 1 9 4 7 , t h e B r i t i s hM k 3 w a s a M k 2 t y p e w i t h i n d e p e n d e n lte g s ; b u t l a t e r n o m i n a t e da s t h e t y p e s h o w n h e r e .

L e f tt o r i g h t Mk1,Mk2 &Mk3. M.0.0. Patternfloon.

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Magazines: 3O-rd,Mk l. The originalpattern. 3o-rd, Mk l*. Auxiliaryspringfitted insidethe case, the front of which is recessedtop and bottom to providea seatingfor the spring.Convertedfrom Mk i r"g"rin". 3o-rd, Mk l*t. similar to Mk l* but fitted with Mk l* bottom plate and bottom plate retainer'Mk l* plate has two half-moonindents.Convertedfrom'Mi-l magazine. 30-rd' Mk ll. Same as Mk l* magazinebut new made. Slightdimensional differences. 3o-rd, Mk llt. Same as Mk l** magazinebut new made.Slightdimensional differences. upon the introduction of the Mk l** and Mk tt* models, the Mk l, Mk l* and Mk It magazines were declared obsolescent. Some magazine cases are stamped as ,,lll,. 30-rdMagazine Mk ll.l. Case, magazine Mk ll 2. Guide, platform 3. Plate,bortom, Mk l. 4. Platform, Mk ll 5. Retainer, plate,Mk l. bottom 6. Spring, auxiliary 7. Spring, ptarform, Mk tl

W 1.O.O-1d, Mk l. Originaltype. Upon introductionof Mk ll drum, (a) Mk I was modified by deletinginspectioncover and insertionof a washer in lieu; (b)'inspection'note and slot for cover in the top cover plate deleted;(c) "WIND" and direction arrow pressedinto top cover plate.toeliminatepossibilityof winding springin the wrong Jiiectlon. loo-rd, Mk tl. Simplifieddesign,which.alsoincorporates - - the winding handleas part of the magazine,positionedalongsidethe loadingfevei.

[eft: 100rd.A..A. Magazine Mk 1 Right: l00rd.A.-A. Magazine Mk 2

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SPECIFICAT'ONS

GUN, MACHINE,BREN,.3O3-iN.

G u n ,M k 1 : G u n ,M k 2 : G u n ,M k 3 : G u n ,M k 4 : BarrelMk BarreM l k B a r r e lM k BarrelMk

1 *: 2: 4: 5:

Length 3 ft.9.5 in.t1155mml 3 f t . 9 . 5 i n . [ 11 5 5 m m ] 3 ft.6.9 in.I1o89mml 3 ft. 6.9 in.t1O89mml

Weight 22\b.2 oz.[10 kgl 2 3 l b . 3 o z . [ 1 O . 5k g ] 1 9 l b . 5 o z . 1 8 . 7 6k g l 19 lb.2 oz.t8.67kgl

25.O in. [635mm1 25.0 in. [635mm] 22.25 in. [565mm1 22.25 in. [565mm]

6 6 5 5

Sight Radius 31.0 in.[787mm] 3 O . 8i n . [ 7 8 2 m m ] 27.3in. [694mm] 27.3in. [694mm]

lb. 4y4 oz. 12.84kgl lb. 7lz oz. t2.93 kgl l b . 1 y 2o z . [ 2 . 3 1 k g ] lb. O oz. 12.27kgl

Barrel: Rifling R i f l i n gt w i s t Mean groove depth Mean width of lands

' 6 groove,Enfieldconcentric R . H . ,1 t u r n i n 1 0 i n . .O057-in. .088-in.

Sights: BacksightMk 1 BacksightMk 2 Front

Aperture,dial drum, 200 - 1,800 yds. Aperture,foldjng leat, 2OO- 2,OOOyds. Bladeforesight

Method of Operation Cyclic Rateof Fire Magazines

...

Gas-piston 45O - 550 r.P.m. 3O-roundbox magazine 1OO-round drum magazine(anti-aircraft)

Cartridge MuzzleVelocity, Mk Vll ball ...

.303-in.British 2,440 ft./sec. approximate

Productioncosts:

f4olo/od (Mk l, 1939) Enfield,Engtand f3O/18/Od (Mk ll, 19421Monotype, England $160.00 (Mk 2, 19441lnglis, Canada c. f3T lOlOd(Mk l, 1943) Lithgow, Australia

Tripod;Weight (w/ A.A. leg) Elevation Traverse

29 lb. 19o 42o

14

USER GUIDE for PARTSand VOCAB.L/SIS IMPORTANT- Readthis sectionfirst. British and AustralianLists have been the principalreferences,updated in some areas.This User Guideshould be studied so as to better understandthe lists and their arrangement. REF. NO. is the part number as illustratedon the adjacent page. DESIGNATIOIIis the service part name. Lines are often indentedwhere that particularline appliesto the previous entry. For example, the Nut, cam, backsight (page 27, illustratedas Part No. 5) is part of the Backsight assemblyof the Body group. e.g. BODYGROUP,MK I Part assembly group. BACKSIGHT,MK I Part assembly group. CAM Part group, applicable to the Backsight Assembly. CAM, backsight Component part of the Cam assembly. NUT, cam, backsight Componentpart of the Cam assembly. Lower case indicatesan additionaldescriptionof the part, lt is noted, however, that by the end of the war, these sub-assemblygroups tend to have becomedispersed;screws, springs,etc. of the various assembliesare inclinedto be groupedtogether, at the end of the particularlists. VOCAB.NUMBERis the service part number as on originalpackagingor attached labels,mainly a stores reference.Letter prefixes are also a service indicator. Original British stores numbers use two letters. A third letter suffix is sometimesnoted, "A" is an Australianmodification,"C" is Canadian.For example,bipod legs Mk lin the Australianlist are part nos. CAA 1088 and 1O89. CGB is also Canadian.The general"81/" prefix is for rifle parts, "C1l" for machinegun parts, "C2l" for AFV machinegun parts and "G1/" for generalstoresand ironmongery. BritishVocab. No. prefixesseem to have commencedwith "AA", through "BA" and "BB" for the .3O3 No. 1 rifle. "BB" was also used for the No. 4 rifle while "BJ" generallyrelatesto its Mk l* variant. "CR" parts numberprefixesseem to date from around 195O, continuinginto the 7.62mm NATO era. "BD" prefixeswere appliedto the .303 VickersMachineGun, "BE" to the 9mm Sten and also for the .3O3 Bren gun. Vocab. Nos. with unusualcombinationprefix such as M3/MC 8268 (steel keepersplit-pinfor Mk 2 bipod leg hinge pin) indicatessupply from listingsoutsidethe small arms series;the M3/MC is from a 3-in. mortar mount. An indicator(#) marks those parts availablethrough the ordnancesupply system for normal maintenance. Major component groups did not have Referenceor Vocab. Nos. in the usual column as they were not available."GA" is a GeneralArrangementand "A" signifiesan "Assembly". This explainsthe absenceof part or vocab. numbersas these were assemblygroups or sub-groups. The MAT. column detailsthe part materialand l/O. OFFis the "number of" or quantity required. DRAWING NUMBER is the original manufacturer'spart drawing. An A.D.D.(S) prefix to the drawing number indicatesAustralianorigin, D.D.(E)is an Enfielddrawing (DesignDepartment, Enfield).M.G.D. is also of Britishoriginwhile M.G.A. indicatesan assembly.

15

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