Small Arms - BREN_303 - Light Machine Gun

7/22/2019 Small Arms - BREN_303 - Light Machine Gun

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..@,....SMALL ARMSIDENTIFICATION ERIES

.303-in.BRENLIGHT MACHINEGUN

Partsdentification Lists,BrenL.M.G.Series otes,Exploded artsDrawings,Descriptions,

AccessoriesFittings

s.A.t .No. 5 Ian Skennerton


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REFERENCES:'A Brief History of the Bren Light MachineGun' 1969, Inspectorate f Armaments'AustralianServiceMachineguns' an Skennerton 1989, SKENNERTON'BritishSmallArms of World War 2' lan Skennerton 1988, SKENNERTON'fdentificationList: Gun, Machine,Bren' AustralianMilitary Forces 1945, M.G.O.'ldentif icat ionList or Gun,MachineBren 303-inch' 1944, 1945, 1947, War Off ice'lnstruct ionsfor Armourers 1931 (Supplement o. 2)' 1938 War Off ice'Light MachineGun - 1939' SmallArms TrainingVol. l, PamphletNo. 4, H.M.S.O.'List of Changesn Brit ishWar Material ' 1939-1946,H.M.S.O.'LocalE.M.E. nstruct ions'1944-1956 Canadian rmedForces'Military SmallArms of the 20th Century' Hogg Weeks sth Ed. 1985 A. A. P.'OrdnanceBoardProceedings Minutes' 1930-1945,War Off ice'PartsList:Gun,Machine,Bren 303-in.Mk 3 - 1945' Chief nspector f Armaments'PrincipalMechanical ComponentDifferences' PeterLaidler 1992, LAIDLER'The BrenGun Saga' Dugelby 1983, COLLECTORRADEPUBLICATIONS'The Bren Light MachineGun' 1942, Gale PoldenLimited,Aldershot'UserHandbookor the .303-inchBrenGun' 1969, Inspector f ArmamentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS:RobertFaris,Wickenburg, r izona,U.S.A.Peter Laidler,Marcham,Oxfordshire,England

HerbertWoodend,M.O.D.PatternRoom,Nott ingham, nglandWarrenWheatfield,Sudbury,Ontario,CanadaMovieOrdnanceOld.,AshmoreCity, Oueensland,ustral iaRobertCourtney,Curatorof Weapons,AustralianWar MemorialThe Trustees,AustralianWar Memorial,Canberra, ustraliaJohn Mclean, The Gap, Oueensland, ustraliaRon Hayes, Bardon,Oueensland, ustralia

@lan Skennerton, | 994 2OO4Second mpression, 2OO4All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or othetwise, without the priorpermission in writing of the author and the publisher.NationalLibrary of AustraliaGataloguing-in-Publication ata:Skennerton, lan D.tsBNo 949749 23 0Typesetting, layout and design by lan D. Skennerton.Publishedby 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 America- Great Britain- Australia-Arms MilitariaPress JeremyTenniswood lan Skennerton ublishingPOBox5014 36 St. Botolph's t . POBox80GrantsPass Colchester LabradorOR97527 EssexCO27EA Old.4215USA England AustraliaWebsite: www.skennerton.comE-mail: [email protected]


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BrenL.M.G.GenealogyModel ldentificationTablesDifferencesn ComponentAssembliesGun SpecificationsUserGuide . .Key PlatesBarrelGroupsBipodsBodyGroupsButt SlideGroupsNut, BArrelAssembliesPiston BreechBolt GroupOperatingMechanismGun Stripping AssemblyAccessories FittingsPartsManufacture dentificationBrenGunSerialNumbers

5891415161824263238404243464748

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cuil, MACHINE, REN,3O5-llICH.

A suitable eplacementor the GreatWar Lewis ightmachinegun resulted n the SmallArms Committeeexamininghe U.S. BrowningLMG and othercontemporaries,s earlyas 1922. By late 1930, the 7.92mm Z,P,26 as being considered,along with animprovedBrowningBAR, Madsenand VickersBerthier.Further mprovementso theCzechBrno ZB Model 1926 resul tedn i ts advancemento Models1g3o, 1933 and1934; t was in .303- in . onf igurat ionor theseBri t ish r ia lsby 1931. The 1934 modelwas furtherdeveloped t R.S.A.F.Enfieldunti l he f irst product ion un was assembledthere in 1937. Regardingts name, the first two lettersof Brunn (Brno)and Enf ieldwere combined o ident i fy he new gun as the BREN.The .3o3 Bren Mark I and i ts equipmentwas official lyapproved or Bri t ishservice nAugustof 1938' Manufacture as alsocommencedn Canada y John Ingl isCo. Ltd.in 1938, and at the Lithgowsmail Arms Factory n Austral ia uring1g40.In order to streamlineproduct ion,certain eaturesof the early guns were dispensedwith not long afterwards.Suchmachining perat ions n the receiver ncludedomissionof the dovetai l or lensat ic ight,anddelet ing he gas cyl inder lut ingand gas deflectionshieldand variousstrengtheningibs. Theseproduct ion hortcuts esulted n a Mark I(Modif iedlversion(Mark * body)which was producedat all three factories;howeverfew of these modif ied guns are markedas such. Similareconomieswere applied othe butt and barrelgroupsand the bipod assembly, esult ing n subsequentMarks ofthe varioussub-assembly nd component roups.The Mark 2 Brengun was produced n Bri tainby the MonotypeGroup,a consort iumofMonotype,Daimler,HerculesCycle,ClimaxRockDri l l ,F. Tibbenham,Brit ishFabricat ingMachineCo. and SigmundPumps.Sometimes nown as the garagehands model, heMark 2 further dispensedwith the drum backsightand many machiningoperat ions nthe body, as wel l as the foldingcockinghandle.This new receiverwas designatedheMark 2 body, with the gas cyl inderbeingscrewed nto the body and securedby a pin.ln the official ntroduct ion f the Mk 2 gun, the Mk 2 barrel , ipod,butt and sl idewerealsoannounced, l though heseassembties re nterchangeablen most Marksof Brenguns 'SomeMk 2 gunswerealsoproduced t R.S.A.F. nf ie ld nd by Ingl is n Canada.Approved n August, 1948, the Mark 211Brenhas a smal l ocat ing ug brazedonto thefront of the cockinghandleslot, to suit the folding cocking-hanOteloe of the Mk l.fhe upgradedbody is usual lyengravedwith the new nomenclature. s this modif iedgun was not in t roducedunt i l 1948, the old designat ion f Mark number and, , r . , ,variat ionhad beensuperseded y an upgradedmarking, /1 . This replacedhe original * classi f ierwhich indicates n improvement r modif icationo the pattern.ln July of 1944, the Mark 3 Bren was approved,a considerablyightenedvariant orjungle ighting.The Mk 3 was producedat Enf ield; omemay havebeenmadeby Inglisin 1945. Certain eatures rom the Mk 2 model are obvious,such as the folding eafaperturebacksight; ater marks of the butt and barrelassemblieswere also ut i l ised.Substantialmil l ingand ightening uts were appl iedo the new bcidyon the Mark 3 gun.

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The Mark 4 Brenwas a l ightenedMk 2 model,approved t the same ime as the Mk 3,in Jufy 1944. However, not very many Mk 4 modelsappear o have been convertedand so guns with the "Mk 4" engraving requi tescarce.SomeMk 4 guns used ngl isMk 2 bodies nd he or iginalMk 2 engravings somet imes isible. ccordingo Laidler ,most Mark4's were subsequentlyonvertedo the 7.62mm L4 configuration.Canada's i rst Brengun was assembled n 23rd March 1g4o at the John lngl isCo.plant n Toronto. ngliswas contractedo providepart of its product iono GreatBritain;someor iginal rnoZB modelsweresent o Canadan 1936 and Br i tain 's i rst order or5,OOO ngl isguns was placedas ear lyas September 938. product ionof the Mk Imodelwas fol lowedby the Mk I (M), he Mk 2, andpossibly,he Mk 3 in 1945 at theend of product ion.Canada lsoproducedhe Brenchamberedor the r imless7.g2 x57mm round, or export o China.Some 30-OO rototypeswere alsoassembled.

Inglis renMk (Mlbodymarks.loteMk1backsight,k cockingandle recessedk mag atch.. lllatter.In Austral ia, AF Li thgow's he f i rst s ix guns were f i red on gth January1g41 Thetotal wartime productionamounted o 17,335 guns, plus a few test and prototypemodels.Feederactor iesat Mudgee,Portland nd Dubboalsosuppl ied omponentpartsto Li thgow.The Mark I and Mark | (M) guns was the only types made n Austral ia,al thougha l ightenedpatternwas fabricatedor trials.The Brengun was alsoproducedin fndiaat Hyderabad, i th manufactureommencing ur ingwor ld war 2.After the introduct ionof the new rimlessNATO round, many .303 Bren guns wereconverted o become he Gun,Machine,7.62mm L4; the most commonlyencountered7 '62mm model being Britain's L4A4. certain problemsassociatedwith the original'3O3 rimmedcartridgewere thus overcomeand he Brenwas givena new leaseof l i feusinga r imless ar t r idge. ,or which i t was or iginal ly es igned.ndian 303 Brengunswere afsoconvertedo 7.62mm,wi th a new "7.62mm A';designat ion.

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.303 BRENMODEL DENTIFICATIONldentif icationof the various models of Bren Light Machine Guns is relat ivelyeasybecause his is markedon the body; Mk l, Mk l l , Mk l l /1, Mk 3, etc. However, ew ofthe Mk l* bodieswere marked s "Mk lM" (modi f ied) r "Mk l*" . The var iousmarksofbarrel, bipod, butt, b utt sl ide, gas piston, tr igger,were progressivelyntroducedandoften fitted onto guns already n service, uring outinemaintenance nd upgrades.

Principalfeatures 0theln0tesGan lntro-nodel ducedMark 1937 BodyMk . The riginalesign,asedponhe mprovedCzechGBModel o.4of 1934. ial rum acksight,dish.shapedas eflectionhieldt front f body, kgas istonnd oltassembly,oldingockingandle.early tylemillingroundas ent orts.Mark lMl 1941 EodyMk *. 0missionf dovetailor ixedine ighton eftside f body, ut etainingialdrum ack-sight. suallyittedwithMk2 bun-slide,ark'

barrel ssembly,ndater tyleMk buttwithouthehingedunplatetrap r hebutthandlenderneath.BodyMk l. Foldingeafbacksightountedntoopofbody, ovetaillotsorbacksightnd omeighteninggroovesmitted. as ylinders a pressit into hebody, ecuredya pin.Non-foldingype f cockinghandle ithcorrespondinghangesn body lot.Non-coffugatedagazineell over. implifiedroduction.

Mark l

Mark /'l 1948 BodyMk211. dditionalll" markedfterheoriginalMk"ll" or "2" designation.arlyoldingockingandle.Mark3 1944 BodyMk3. Fitted ithMk2 foldingeafbacksight.Bodymachiningncorporatesany xtraighteningutsresultingnsignificanteighteduction,articularlynoticeablet front f thebody, roundhegas ylinder.Mark4 1944 BodyMk4. HasheMk2 foldingeafbacksight.

Additionalody uts ndmachiningo reduceeight.

Has ovetaillot or ixedine ight n hereceiverody. uttoriginallyittedwithabutthandlenderneath,nd foldingtrapat topof thecup-shapedunplate.

Someimplificationf machiningperationsonbody,latgas eflectionhield,overticalreinforcingiboutsidehemagazineousing,and implifiedachining/millingroundhegas ort ents.Fitted ithMk l barel,Mk l bipod, k lgas iston, k l carying andle, k l buttandMk l buttslide. hehinner,latgasshieldas horn" xtensionsrojectingp-wardso preventeft,rightarrel ovemenl;Mk l has obarrelocatingecessr ug.Mk cockingandleequiresodymod opreventt reciprocatingithpistonxtension.Essentiallylightened,odifiedk bodyfittedwithshorterarrel nd ater roductionmarks f assemblyroups.

Essentiallylightenedk l body,ittedwithshorterareland ater roupssemblies.

1942

Note:- Some differences may be noted in the body features (e.9. gas deflection shield), notalways in accordancewith originalspecifications.Certainchangesmay have been implementedgraduallyand even applieddi f ferent ly n the Canadian nd Austral ian actories.The variousbarrel,carry handle,bipod, gas piston, butt and sl ide groups are basical ly nterchangeable;many guns were upgradedand fitted with later replacement arts n service.For the purposeofidentification, he Mark of the gun is taken to be that markedon the body. Service eplacementbarrels nd sl idegroupswere alwaysserial-numberedhe sameas the gun body number.I


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DIFFERENCESN COMPONENT SSEMBTIESMany guns were upgraded n serv icewi th var ious eplacement ar ts and ensuingMarksof bar re ls ,b ipods, bu t ts , &c . Assembl ies rom the di f ferent ac to r iesmay also be f i t ted.The body Mark number is found on the rece iver ,w i th the fac to ry name or code andyear o f product ion. Most par ts and groups are in terchangeable n the var ious act ionbodies.A code sys tem was appl ied n Br i ta indur ing W.W.2 for commercia lcontractorsand stamped on mSly par ts .Enf ie ldguns usual lyhave the "E" logo whi le the Monotypeguns are coded M67 or "D" for Daimler .Canadian eceivers anbe readi ly dent i f iedasthey are marked " lNGLlS" ; the i r Austra l iancounterpar tsare stamped "LITHGOW" and"MA". Ind ian eceiversare usual lymarked "SAF" . Gun ser ia lnumbersare usual ly ounda t the top rear o f body, le f t s ide of barre l , ear of but t -s l ideand on the barre lnut .Bodies:

Actionodiesrom op:Mk1 Enfield1 37), k (M)ithgow, k2 DaimlerlMonotype,k2ll (originailyonotype),k3EnfieldndMk4 conversion.ote ifferencesnbodyuts ightening.acksights,as ents miiting,nd arrelradles.Mk1, (M)&3 bodiesaveocatingug rear fgas hield)toentralisearre . k2 & c bodiesonotlBarretsk , l. &3havecorrespondinglot ehindhegas locko it Mk1, (M)& bodies.hileeporredharMk2,4& 5 barrelsre orinterchangeablenMk & 3 bodies,ur xperiences hat llbarretsnterchangenallMark odies.M.0.0.atternfloon.9


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Butts:Butt Mk l. Cupped buttplate; early model had folding butt strap and butt handle.Product ion conomies ispensed i th the foldingbut t st rapand handle.Butt Mk 2. Flat buttplatewith extended houlder est. Recoi lspr ingand plateomitted,new butt swivel and plate itted. Return pring etained y a screwedspring ube nut.Butt Mk 3. Furtherproduct ion conomieso Mk 2, with f lat buttplateheel;not issued.Butt Mk 4. Lightened nd apered, l ingswivelbar on bu ttplatewith recess lot.

Fromhe eft- ButtsMark, 2,3 and . M.0.0. atternroon,loninghan.

Butt-Slides:Marks 1, 2 & 3. Machined rom sol id, he new Marks progressivelyimpl i f iedmanu-facture.Major di f ferences re obvious rom the drawings; he progressive achiningchangesare not nec essari lyelated o specif icmarksof the butt sl ides.


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Cocking Handle:Mk l. Spring-loadednd hingedcockingknob, olds forward n the closedposit ionanddoes not reciprocate ith the butt sl ideduringoperat ion.Givesa thinnergun profi le.Mk 2. Fixedhandleand plunger; t does not fold forward ike he Mk I pattern.

Barrel Nut:Mk l . Lightening ecesson outsideof side ever.Safetycam on underside reventsbuttbeing ul ly withdrawnand mechanism ockedor f i red, unless he nut is ful ly closed.Mk 2. Safety cam omitted.Lightening ecessalsoomitted,a product ion conomy.Mk 3. Slightlydifferentmachining, nly uses he catchesMarks 2 or 3.

Fromeft-M a r k s l , 2 & 3 .

Gas Piston & Post:Mk l. Comprises tem, extension,piston post, piston post spring,plunger,cotter andpin. Flutedpistonstem. Mk 1 pistonpost is not as deeply ecessed,arger n diameter.Mk 2. Mk 2 plunger s longer, he Mk 2 pistonpost is recessed eeperand is smaller ndiameter,givingbetter support o the plungerand surrounding pr ing.The pistonstemis not fluted.

Fromeft-Marks& 2.Magazine Catch:Marks 1 & 2. Mk 1 catch has a mil led ecess n the rear ace of the thumb-piece;heMk 2 has a hole bored hrough t .

Fromhe eft- Marks & 2.

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Barrels:Mk 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 de s i g n a t i o n u m b e r . t i s 2 5 - i n . l o n g w i t h as ta i n l ess tee l s l eeve o r the las t 10 .S - i n . o muzz le .S t ra i gh t ape r on f l ash h ide r ,so i ti s s im i l a r o the Mk l * exceDt o r t he ex te rna l ape ro f t he f l ash h ide rcone .Mk l * Assem b ly .S tamped l * " on l e f t s i denea rb reech .Mk l l l gas regu la to r i t t ed , w i thi t s l a rge r h ree gas ven ts i nc reasedn d i ame te r , t amped l l l " . Some Mk I ba r re l swe reconve r ted o th i s pa t te rn a l so25 - i n . ong ) .D i s t i n c t k i nk " i n f l a s h h i de rcone ape r .Mk 2 Assemb ly .F l ashe l im ina to r nd gas b lock i t on to ba r re lend , no t i n teg ra lw i t h i t .E l im ina to r nco rpo ra teso res i gh tb r a c k e t ,gas b lock houses he regu l a to r .No l oca t i ngrecess ongue (nea r he midd le )unde rnea thhe ba r re l ; 5 - i n . ong .Mk 4 Assemb ly .L i gh te rcons t ruc t i on , ew des ign l a s h e l im ina to r nd fo res i gh tb l ock ;22 .25 - i n . ong . (Mk 3 was 2 -g roove xpe r imen ta l n l y ) .Mk 5 Assemb ly . L i gh te rcons t ruc t i on ,mod i f i edM k 2 p roduc t i onby tu rn i ng down andsho r ten ing . onge rs i gh t i ng ad ius , i gh t i ng r acke t l ose r o muzz le ;22 .25 - i n . ong .

Dif ferentarre l arks,rom op-M ark . , Mark , M ark andM ark .Notehedi f ferentarre lengths,forms f the oresightnd hei rposi t ioning,hich f fectselat ivesight ingadius. arry andleleeves;Mk t has ighteningoles, k 2 hasnone, k 3 is shor ter i th ighteningholes. a is ted k 1 wood arry andleaswel las Mk 2 paral le lypemay enol icedn he ater arre ls .M.0.0. PatternBoom,lottinghan.Bipods:Marks 1 , 2 and 3 (pe r 1969 pam) . Mk t has te l escop ing egs , sp r i ng - l oaded o theyfo l d a t t he same ime . Mk 2 has i xed eng th egswh i ch fo l d i ndependen t l y . k 3 i s l i k eMk 1 bu t w i th non -ex tend inge g s ;a l somay have sp i ked ee t . I n 1947 , the Br i t i shM k 3was a Mk 2 t ype w i th i ndependen tegs ;bu t l a te rnomina ted s the t ype shown he re .

Lef t o r ight -M k 1 , M k 2& M k 3 .M.0.0.Pattern loon.

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Magazines:3O-rd,Mk l. The original attern.3o-rd, Mk l*. Auxil iaryspring itted inside he case, he front of which is recessed opand bottom to providea seating or the spring.Converted rom Mk i r"g"rin".3o-rd, Mk l*t. similar o Mk l* but fitted with Mk l* bottom plate and bottom plateretainer'Mk l* platehas wo half-moon ndents.Convertedrom'Mi-l magazine.30-rd' Mk ll. Sameas Mk l* magazine ut new made.Sl ightdimensional i f ferences.3o-rd, Mk llt. Sameas Mk l** magazine ut new made.Slightdimensional i f ferences.upon the introduction of the Mk l** and Mk tt* models, the Mk l, Mk l* and Mk Itmagazines were declared obsolescent. Some magazine cases are stamped as ,,lll,.

W30-rdMagazinek l.-l. Case, agazinek l2. Guide,latform

3. Plate,ortom, k .4. Platform, k l5. Retainer,ottomlate,Mk .6. Spring,uxiliary7. Spring,tarform,k l

1.O.O-1d,k l . Original ype. Upon ntroduct ion f Mk ll drum, (a) Mk I was modifiedbydelet ing nspect ion over and insertion f a washer n lieu; (b)' nspect ion'note nd slotfor cover in the top cover platedeleted; c) "WIND" and direct ionarrow pressed ntotop cover plate.toeliminate ossibil i ty f windingspring n the wrong Ji iect lon.loo-rd, Mk tl. Simplif ied esign,which.also ncorporateshe windinghandleas part ofthe magazine, osit ioned longsidehe loading evei.- -

[eft:100rd. ..A.Magazinek 1Right:l00rd.A.-A.Magazinek2

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SPECIFICAT'ONSGUN,MACHINE,BREN, 3O3-iN.

Length Weight Sight RadiusGun ,Mk 1 : 3 f t . 9 . 5 i n . 1155mml 22 \ b . 2 oz . 10 kg l 31 . 0 n . 787mm]Gun ,Mk 2 : 3 f t . 9 . 5 i n . 1155mm] 23 l b . 3 oz . 1O. 5 g ] 3O. 8 n . 782mm]Gun ,Mk 3 : 3 f t . 6 .9 in . 1o89mml 19 lb . 5 oz . 18 .76 g l 27 .3 in . [694mm]Gun ,Mk 4: 3 f t . 6 .9 in . 1O89mml 19 lb . 2 oz . 8 . 67kg l 27 .3 in . [694mm]BarrelMk 1*: 25.O n. [635mm1 6 lb. 4y4oz. 12.84kglBarrelMk 2: 25.0 in. [635mm] 6 lb . 7lz oz. t2.93 kglBarrelMk 4: 22.25 in. [565mm1 5 lb. 1y2oz. [2.31 kg]BarrelMk 5: 22.25 in. [565mm] 5 lb. O oz. 12.27kglBarrel :Rif l ing 6 groove,Enfield oncentr icRi f l ing wist R.H. ,1 turn n 10 in.Meangroovedepth .O057-in.Meanwidth of lands .088-in.Sights:BacksightMk 1 Aperture, ial drum,200 - 1,800 yds.BacksightMk 2 Aperture, oldjng eat, 2OO 2,OOO ds.Front Blade oresightMethodof Operat ion ... Gas-pistonCycl icRateof Fire 45O - 550 r.P.m.Magazines 3O-round ox magazine1OO-round rum magazineanti-aircraft)Cartridge .303-in.Brit ishMuzzleVelocity,Mk Vll ball ... 2,440 ft./sec.approximateProductioncosts: f4olo/od (Mk l, 1939) Enfield,Engtandf3O/18/Od(Mk ll, 19421Monotype,England$160.00 (Mk 2, 19441 nglis, Canadac. f3T lOlOd Mk l, 1943) Lithgow,AustraliaTripod;Weight (w/ A.A. leg) 29 lb.Elevat ion 19oTraverse 42o14


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USER GUIDEfor PARTS nd VOCAB.L/SISIMPORTANT- Read his section irst.

Britishand AustralianLists have been he principal eferences, pdated n some areas.This UserGuideshould be studiedso as to better understandhe lists and their arrangement.REF.NO. is the part number as il lustratedon the adjacentpage.DESIGNATIOIIs the servicepart name. Lines are often indentedwhere that particular ine applies o the previousentry. Forexample, he Nut, cam, backsight(page27, il lustratedas Part No. 5) is part of the Backsightassemblyof the Body group.e.g. BODYGROUP,MK IBACKSIGHT, K ICAMCAM, backsightNUT, cam, backsight Componentpart of the Cam assembly.Lower case indicatesan additionaldescriptionof the part, lt is noted, however, hat by the endof the war, these sub-assembly roups end to have becomedispersed; crews, springs,etc. ofthe variousassemblies re nclined o be grouped ogether,at the end of the particular ists.VOCAB.NUMBER s the servicepart numberas on originalpackagingor attached abels,mainlya stores reference.Letter prefixesare also a service ndicator.OriginalBritishstores numbersuse two letters. A third letter suffix is sometimesnoted, "A" is an Australianmodification, C"is Canadian. or example,bipod egs Mk l in the Austral ianist are part nos. CAA 1088 and1O89.CGB s also Canadian. he general 81/" pref ix s for r i f le parts, "C1l" for machinegunparts, C2l" for AFV machine un partsand "G1/" for general toresand ronmongery.Br i t ishVocab. No. pref ixes eem o have commencedwith "AA", through "BA" and "BB" forthe .3O3 No. 1 r i f le. "BB" was also used or the No. 4 r i f le while "BJ" general ly elates o i tsMk l* var iant. CR" parts numberpref ixes eem o date from around195O,continuing nto the7.62mm NATO era. "BD" pref ixeswere applied o the .303 VickersMachineGun, "BE" to the9mm Sten and also or the .3O3 Brengun. Vocab.Nos. wi th unusual ombination ref ixsuchas M3/MC 8268 (steel keeperspli t-pin or Mk 2 bipod leg hinge pin) indicates upply froml ist ings utside he smallarmsser ies; he M3/MC s from a 3- in. mortarmount.An indicator #)marks hose partsavailable hrough he ordnance upplysystem or normalmaintenance.Major componentgroups did not have Reference r Vocab. Nos. in the usual column as theywere not available. GA" is a GeneralArrangement nd "A" signif iesan "Assembly". Thisexplains he absenceof part or vocab.numbersas these were assemblygroupsor sub-groups.The MAT. columndetails he part materialand /O. OFFis the "numberof" or quantityrequired.DRAWING NUMBER s the originalmanufacturer'spart drawing. An A.D.D.(S) prefix to thedrawing number ndicatesAustral ian r ig in,D.D.(E) s an Enfield rawing (DesignDepartment,Enfield).M.G.D. s alsoof Br i t ish riginwhile M.G.A. ndicates n assembly.

Part assembly group.Part assembly group.Part group, applicable to the Backsight Assembly.Componentpart of the Cam assembly.

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42/53

OPERATINGECHANISMACTIONDESCRIPTION- On discharge f thecartr idge,some of the gases fol lowing thebullet pass through the gas vent and gasregulator nto the gas cylinder.This forces hepiston to the rear and compresseshe returnspring until the piston is stopped by thepiston buffer. The empty case, being grippedby the extractor, s carried o the rear on theface of the breech block until its basemeetsthe ejector.The case then ejectsdownwardsthrough the ejectionslot in the piston'The piston, carrying he breechblock, avingbeen stopped by the pistonbuffer, s forcedforward by the return spring. Feed horns onthe bolt contact he baseof the f i rst round nthe magazine and force it forward into thechamber, he extractorclosingover the r im.The piston post in i ts f nal move forwarddr ives he f i r ingpin against he cartr idge ap,thus f i r ing the round. The cycle is repeatedduring automatic i re, so long as the tr iggerremains depressed and the magazine ischarged.

3 piston ostongue5 gas iston6 rear f breechlock9 bodyockinghoulderI 1 extractor13 firing in15 banel as ent

42

gas egulatorgas lockreturn pringodunlockingam acegas enlseiector

1 61 71 81 92021

With the change lever at "A" (Automatic),pressureon the trigger disengages he searfrom the bent on the piston, and the piston sallowed o go forward.As long as the tr iggeris pressed,he gun wil l continue o f i re but i fthe tr igger s released, he bent wil l engagewith the sear he next t ime the pistoncomesto the rear, stopping ts forward movement.With the change ever at "R" (Rounds), hetrigger must be pressedeach time a shot is tobe fired, because he piston is held back aftereach round. With the change lever at "S"(Safe),he tr igger s disengagedrom the searand he gun cannotbe fired.(BURsrs) SAfE ROUNDS SINGLEROUNDS)

(orRepetitionl

Note- l f tr iggerpressures maintainedwhenthe change lever is altered from "safe" to"automatic" nd then released nd the tr iggerpressed again, the gun wi l l not f re. Thechange lever, therefore, will not be alteredwhile he tr igger s pressed.

Action o the Gases and Unlocking the Brcech

Ethaysl Action ol thc Gues, Ettpctiot ond Electio^


43/53

The Bren was designed for quick take-down and interchange f assemblies ndtheir sub-assemblies;or furtherstr ipping,it is best to use the original Bren tools.Essentialspare parts and a combinationtool were issued n the SparesWalletwitheach gun. Before stripping,the standardsafety procedures ate to remove themagazine, ock the gun and check thatthe bodyand chamber re clear.To Remove the Piston & Breech BlockAssemblies.With piston and breechblockin the forward position,push out the bodylockingpin (1) from left to r ight and drawthe butt (2) to the rear until the returnspring rod (3) is clear of the body (4).Hold the return spring rod to the left andpull he cockinghandle harply o the rearto withdraw piston (6) and breech blockl7l . l f th is doesnot move he pistonandand breechblock to the rear, nsertyour fingers hrough he ejectionopeningunderneath ndeasepiston and breechblock rearwards.Return he cockinghandle o i ts forward posi t ionandremovepiston and breechblock.Releasehe returnspring od in order to resume ts normalposition. To Remove BreechBlock from the Piston Extension (after removal from the gun), pullthe block o the rearandgive t a sl ightupward i l t in order o clear he pistonpost.To Remove Firing Pin and Spring, hold thebreech block with undersideuppermost,pressout f ir ing pin retainer 8) from leftto r ight, al lowing he f i r ing pin spring (9)to push the fir ing pin (10) rearwards.Becareful hat the f i r ingpin does not f ly outunderpressure f i ts spring.To Remove Extractor Stay and Spring.With the underside of breech blockuppermost, l i f t the f ront end of theextractor stay (11 unti l i t disengagesfrom the extractor 12). Remove xtractorstay and spring 13) and l i ft the extractorup out of i ts guides n the breechblock.Be careful o prevent loss when pressureon the stay spring s released.

To RemoveBarrel.Check hat the magazine peningcover s closedand the gun is tilted to ther ight. Depress arrelnut catch {14) and raisehandle 15) to i ts ful lestextent,disengaginghelocking hreadsof the barrelnut from thoseof the barrel.Pushbarrel orwardand i f t Cteir .-

STRIPPING& ASSEMBLY


44/53

Remove Gas Regulator. Press the gasregu la to rp i n (16 ) i nw ards un t i l i t i s f l ushw i th i t s hous ing (17 ) . Tu rn t he regu la to run t i l t he re ta i n i ngp in hous ing co inc i desw i th the s lo t i n t he gas b lock (18 ) andpush out the regulator rom r ight to lef t .Remove Butt Slide Assembly (not illust-rated) . D isengage barre l nut catch andraise he barre l nut handle (necessaryonlyfo r s t r i pp ing he Mk 1 gun) . Wi thdraw thebut t s l ide rom the body.To Remove Butt Plate and Return Spring.Mk 1 But t : Depress the but t p late catch(19 ) and rem ove he bu t t . p l a te 20 ) . P lacethe open end o f t he com b ina t i on oo l (21 )ove r t he re tu rn sp r i ng tube cap (221 ,p ress the cap inw ard and t u rn an t i -c l ockw ise approx im a te l y90o , ease thecombinat ion tool to the rear and removethe cap . Wi thdraw the re tu rn sp r i ng (23 )and re tu rnsp r i ng od.Mk 2 & 4 But ts: Unscrew and remove thetwo but t o late screws (24\ and removethe bu t t p l a te (25 ) . U s ing he com b ina t i ontoo l o r sc rew dr i ve r , unsc rew the re tu rnsp r i ng ube cap (26 ) and rem ove the cap .Remove the return spr ing (271 and returnsp r i ng od.

Remove and Strip the Trigger Mechanism.Rotate the change lever (28) unt i l thedetent is c lear of i ts recess ( i .e. between" S a f " and "Automat ic " o r " Safe" and" R epe t i t i on "and push ou t the l eve r f r omr ight to lef t , contro l l ing the upwardtendency of the sear . Push out the searp in (29 ) f r om l e f t t o r i gh t . con t ro l l i ng heupw ard tendency o f t he sea r (30 ) .Remove the sea r (30 ) , sp r i ng (31 ) andpos t (32 ) . R o ta te the t r i pp ing leve r (33 )upw ard to d i sengage he p lunger rom thecanne lu re n t he t r i gge r p in (34 ) and pushout the pin f rom r ight to lef t . Remove thet r i gge r and t r i pp ing leve r com p le te ,through the top of the but t s l ide.

24

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45/53

JTo Remove Bipod. Rotate the gun body tothe lef t through 9Oo and then wi thdrawthe bipod from the gas cyl inder .

To Remove Magazine Catch, Ejector andMagazine Opening Cover. Slide magazineopening cover forward, press magazinecatch pin (35) to the r ight to d isengagethe reta iner , and wi thdraw the pin to ther ight as far as i t w i l l go. S l ide ejector andmagazinecatch (36) forward, c lear of thebody. With magazine catch and ejectorremoved from the gun, wi thdraw themagazineopening cover (38) to the rear .To Strip the Magazine Catch and Ejector.Hold the magazine catch and ejectorbetween the f inger and thumb of the r ighthand, the thumb placed against the rearof the e jector and wi th the f inger andthumb of the lef t hand, hold the operat ingproject ion of the magazine catch. Thencompress the magazine catch spr ing (37)and rotate the catch (36) forward, there-by d isengaging he two components.To Remove the Barrel Nut. Close themagazine opening cover , d isengage thebarre l nut catch and press down theplunger in f ront of the magazine opening(39) wi th a punch or bul let t ip . Then l i f tout the barre l nut .To Strip the Magazine. Press in stud (4O)prot ruding through the bot tom plate (41)and sl ide i t of f . Mk 2 magazine has twoindentat ions (421 in the bot tom platewhich prevent i ts being sl id al l the wayof f ; then l i f t i t o f f s ideways. Take outmagazinespr ing (43) and plat form.

ASSEMBLY of the gun general lyoccurs inreverseorder to the str ipping. In replac ingspr ings,be carefu l hey do not buckle.CLEANING: For working guns, lubricatethe breech block locking shoulder andbear ing sur faces, bear ing sur faces on thepiston extension, piston guide and r ibsand grooves in the gun body in which thepiston guide r ibs run. Leave the barre l dryas wel l as the gas cyl inder and regulator .A lso leave the piston head, between thepiston r ings, and the breech bol t face dry.

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ACCESSORIES FITTINCSThe anti-aircraftmagazines re shown on page13. Nominated s 1OO-rd apacity,withthree dummy "follower" rounds, he true cartridge apacitywas 97. These magazineswere general lyoadedwith a highpercentage f tracer, ncendiary nd armour-piercingammunitionand zeroed on the target by observing he tracer bullet f l ight. With thelarge capacitydrum fitted, standardsights were not able to be used. The magazinecover platewas removedand a special racketand lat spr ing it ted so as to mount themagazine.Makersare listed n British SmallArms of lNW2. Four such magazinesweresuppl ied n a specialbox which has i t t ings o faci l i tate oading f the magazines.Brit ish Bren tr ipods were made by B.S.A.; hey were also manufacturedn Austral ia,Canadaand India.Some special r ipodswere made or paratroops nd airborne orces,these are ident i f iedby the short front leg and lower profi le.For the anti-aircraft ole,the front leg was raisedverticallyand a two-pieceextension emoved rom inside hetubes, to serveas a long ront leg. A specialmorticeslot also aci l i tated he S.M.L.E.rif le beingused as the front leg,by fitt ing onto ts bayonet ug.

Brenguns were issued n wooden ransitchestswhich alsoheld he steelcleaning od.A webbing holdal l sparebarrelbag)contains he No. 2 barrel, yl inder leaning od andchambercleaning tick. t alsohas ive external ocketsdesignated s fol lows:Top eft- Mop, wire brush,gas cyl inder oul ing ool and magazine leaning rush.Topcentre- Singlepul l hrough.Topright- Oil bottle for graphitegrease.Centre- Sparepartswallet.Bottom- Oil can.The webbing spareswallet pocketswere nominatedo contain:Top eft- Combination ools.Centre- Oil can full of Oil A.Top ight- Doublepul l hroughand lannelette.Bottom- Spareparts in which alsocontains as regulator eamers, upturedcaseextractor,wire gauzeand a f i r ingpin point gauge.Other issue accessoriesncludea magazinemandril l for repairingdented cases), adeflectorcartridgecase bag and a long webbingslingwith specialhook catches.Thesteel magazine ase holds welve magazines, nd wooden battal ionsparesboxes "A"and "8" contained ools and servicespareparts.The "8" box is twice as high as the"A" box and he designations re usual ly tenci l led n the greenboxes n white paint.46

ffi=e- a@ fl 'c ' Mt ( l'

, t , i r . ' BREN 303 "-


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PARTSMANUFACTUREDENTIFICATIONA close examination f the inspect ion nd product ionmarkson componentparts wil lhelp to establ ish he originalityof a gun becausedifferent manufacturer ndicatorstamps were appl iedby the various actor iesand contractors.Many guns had partsreplaced n service,during heir routinemaintenance nd repair,so thele replacementcomponents an usual lybe identif ied y checking he markings.Body Manufacturer Markings: Guns were usually marked on the right side of the bodywith the factory indicatorand year of production.The British guirs will be found tohave "ENFIELD",he EnJield D" logo,or "UE" on later7.62mmL4 grns. MonotypeorDaimlerguns have the M67 or "D" markings.Canadian uns are mjrked INGLISwhilethe Austral ianguns are ma rked "LITHGOW"or "MA". Most of the lndian .3O3 Brenshave been converted to 7.62mm 1,A and these are sti l l in service. Those fewHyderabad unsexamined avebeenmarkedwith "sAF" and he year.Other Parts& lnspectors'Markings.'Manufacturers'markingsand/or nspectionstampswil l be found on most componentparts.Those examples hown here are typical, nodoubt some others are l ikely o be encountered.Austral ianand Canadian nspect ionand proof stampswil l be found to differ rom their Brit ishcounterparts. he inspectionmarksshouldnot be confusedwith proofmarkswhich incorporate rossed lags,or thefactory ident i f icat ion odes. Serialnumberscan also be an indicatoralthoughmanygunswere upgradedn serviceusingcomponent arts rom othermakersand countr ies.Enfieldnspectionmark:lnglis nspectionmarks:lithgow lnspectionmark:

Monotypenspectionmark:Sydneynspection arh:EritishContracton'marks:

CRDFTHC

JI , J I I

d2)r}'c*R)CoH.C.M@@

cbE27ci?l 8L&Dl 6o6sM 13M47M67M78M88M l 1 7M 1 3 6M601M603M609M625s l5s2s

s26s81s99s105s111sl 23sl80s223N 10N40N65N 1 7 8N 1 9

EritishProofnark:Canadianroofnarh:Iithgow Proofnark:

lndianpost.warPmofnarh:Ereech lockPnof nark:Gouernmentcceptancc arh:Canadian ontnctorc'marks:

Canadianovernment arts: 4C?nMAPABASLAZ

AustnlianFactorynarks:

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BRENGUN SERIALNUMBERSDifferentmakerswere allottedserialnumberblocks, hese can conf irm manufacturers.They may also dentify he makerandgun o which somepartsbelong.Somenumbers tthe series end may not have been utilised, igures were sometimes recordedas beingterminatedshort (ErifishSmallArms of World War 2; Codes & Contracfs, Skennerton).ENFIELD-Principalmanufacturer ith over %-mill ion unsby the end of the war. To thistotal of 253,633 must be addedan ndefinite uantity rom the endof the war unti las ateas he 1960's,al though his product ion as ntermittent ndran nto he 7.62mmera.Theyearsare ndicators nly,not necessari lyhat engraved n he body,as he contractdates,product ion nd assembly re seldom ound o havecoincided.A1 to 4999B 1 Entield 1937Enfie ld MONOTYPE ROUP roduced ome83,438 guns,during1942-1945.82 to B1O3(DPguns) Enfield R1 ro R999951 to 59999T1 ro T9999U1 ro U9999V1 ro V9999W1 fo W8320RA1 fo RA6695RB1 o RBlOOOO

M1 fo M9999N1 ro N9999P1 to P2OT1 fo 15T7544

A1 to A999981 to 87429

Monotype Corp.Monotype Corp.Monotype Corp.Monotype Corp.MonotypeCorp.Monotype Corp.Monotype Corp.MonotypeCorp.

Ingl is,Canadalngl is,CanadaIngl is,CanadaIngl is,Canada

Lithgow,AustraliaLithgow, Australia

8104 Sknmodel8105 fo 89999C1 to C9999D1 ro D9999El to E9999F1 ro F9999G1 to G9999H1 ro H9999K1 ro K9999L1 fo 19999Pl ro P9999U1 fo U9999V1 t o V9999W1 fo W9999X1 to X9999Y1 to Y999921 to 29999AA1 fo AA9999BA1 fo 849999BB1 o 889999

Enfield c.1938Enfie ldEnlield c.1939Enfield 05000 asMkl toEnfiefd Mkl(Mlchangeover.EnfieldEntield c.1940EnfieldEnfieldEntield c.l94lEnfieldEnlield c.1942EnfieldEnfieldEnfieldEnfieldEnfieldEnfieldEnfield c.1943Enfield

INGLIS roduction an rom 1939 unti l1945. Somework was carr ied ut atLongBranch f ter nglis loseddown.

and maybe more.OCHI(?) o Inglis,Canada,4CH3000 apprcx. 7.92mm Chinesecontract,1943-45LITHGOW .A.F.production an rom1940 unt i l1945,a to ta lo f 17,429guns.

BC1 to 8C9999 EnfieldBD1 fo 8D9999 Enfie ldBE1 o 8E9999 Enfie ldBF1 fo 8F9999 Enfield c.19tUBG1 o BG9999 Enfie ldBH1 fo 8H883 Enfie ldLB1 fo LB35OO0 Enfield ronc.l945LB350OOo LB54O33 Enfield l948'1952LB54384 Enf eld cnnvettedo 280'in.1854385 ro 1858823 Enfield 1952'1954A1000 fo A7O0Oapprox. Enfield 1950's'1960's.

HYDERABADndiaproductionoccurredduringWW2 alongwith tr ipods,markedSAF with yearof manufacture.

Most 1952-1956Enfield rderswere or he rishRepublic, udan,Aden,Burma,Singapore,HongKong,Pakistan,Ceylon,Rhodesia,Tripol i tania,raq and Aden, and FTRprograms.The , J, M, N, O, O, R, S, & T pref ixeswere not usedby Enfield.U, V, & W pref ixes rel istedas al locatedo both EnfeldandMonotype.Also note hat ser ials 1 to 4999 and81to 87429 were usedby Lithgow oo, thoughA1000 to A9999 was Lithgowonly.RecentEnfield ecordsputtheirtotal product ion f the Mk lgun at 22O,OOO ith 57,60Oof the subsequentMk 3. The Mk 2 was onlyproduced y MonotypeCorporation, peddledschemewhich ncorporated ub-contractors, ith their otal WW2 figureof 83,438 guns.

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SMALLARMS DENTIFICATION ER'ESBased n service dentificationists and Armourers' nstructions,he components accessoriesaredetailed ith stripping, artsdentificationnddisassemblyrawings.Ihe5.A.1.S.ave echnicalinformation ot available efore n a single eference. he 11 x B -in.sizewith plastic aminatedcover, hread-sewninding andartpapermakes he dealstudyor workshop reference ndmanual.o No. 1 -.303-in. RIFLE . t Skennerton Updated reprinted 004TheShortMagazineLee-Enfielderies s made n England,Australia nd lndiauntil afterWW 2.o No. 2 - .303-in.RIFLEM. 4 Sken erton Updated& reprinted 002Wartime uccessorf the No. I 5.M.1-.E.,anufacturedn Britain,Canada nd the U.S.A.r No. 3 - 9mm AUSTEN OWENSMG's SkennertonAustralia'sndigenous evelopment ndproduction,duringWorld War 2.o No. 4 - .303-in. RIFLEM. 5 Mk I SkennertonThe enownedBritish'jungle arbine',tssuccesseslongwith itsshortcomings.o No. 5 -.303-in ERENLIGHTMACHINEGUN Skennerton Updated& reprinted 004Manufacturedn Britain,Canada nd Austalia, he differentmodelsand partsvariations.o No. 6 - BR,TiSHSERVICEIyORDS& LANCf PAIIERNS SkennertonAn illustrated ynopsis f the service words, ut/assesnd lances ince he 1850's.o No. 7 -.303-in. MAGAZINELEE-METFORDLEE-ENF,ELDIFLES CARETNES kennertonFrom BBBuntil the adventof the ShortMagazineLee-Enfield,he standardEmpiressue ifle.o No. 8 - .303-in.VTCKERSk I MACHTNECUN SkennertonMaden England nd Australiarom t9l2 until 1945, neof history'smost eliablemachine uns.o No. 9 -.455-in. WEBLEY . I REVOLVERSkennertonAn illustrated recis f the renownedBritish evolver n service rom 191 until about 19 50.o No. 10 -.303-in. PATTERN 914 RIFLE SNTPTNGAR,ANTSSkennerton

Manufacturedn the U.S.A.during he CreatWar, heP'14 laterservedas a 2nd linearm.o No. 11- 9mm SIEN MACHTNE ARBINEMARKS, I*,2 & 3 SkennertonBritain'swartime expedient ub-machine unand itsearlyproductionvariantso No. 12- 7.62mm Ll & Cl F.A,L.RIFLESkennertonA comparativetudyof the British,Canadian Australian roductionFN inch-FAlseries.o No. 13 - SPEC,AL ERV,CEEE-ENFIELDSkennerton.45 De LisleCommando arbineand the wartimeexpedient as-operatedutoloaders.o No. 14 .303-in. LEWISMACHINEGUN SkennertonAn Americandesignmanufactured y BSACuns; he CreatWarground& air patternguns.r No. 15-.450 &.303-in. MARTIN,RIFLES CARETNESkennertonThe BritishEmpire'sirstpurpose-builtbreech-loadingeneralservicessueongarm.o No. 16- BRITTSHMP,RECADET& IRATNTNGRIFLES kennertonA synopsisf the British,Australian, anadian New Zealandssuerainin rifles.o No. 17 .45 THOMPSONSUB-MACHINE UN SkennertonU.5.& BritishCommonwealthssue f theModel 192BAl and M I variants uringWorld War 2.o No. 18- 7.62mmL42At SNIPE& 139,2A & LEE-ENFIELDONVERSTONSkennertonBritish& lshaporeNATO era development f theNo. and No.4 rifleseries.o No. 19 - AIJSTRALIAN .M.L.E.VARTATIONS kennerton LabuddaSpecific ithgow nd WW2 feeder actory roductionalongwith Lithgow Slazenger porters.


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SMALL RMS DENTIFICATIONERIESlan Skennerton

Projecteditles ist-7.62^ L1& C1 Rif les.303VickersMachineCunAustral ian .M. .E. ariat ions

Brit ish mpire adet& Training if les.303Ri f le,No.1, S.M.L.E. ,arksl l and l l*.303Ri f le,No.4 Marks & l* , Marks 12,1/3 27.62^ L42A1Sniper, 39& Lee-Enfieldonversions9" AustenMk | & 9" OwenMk I Sub-Machineuns.303Magazine ee-Metford Magazine ee-Enfield.303Pattern 914Rif le& Sniping ariantsBritishService word& LancePatterns.450& .303MartiniRif les Carbines.303BrenLightMachine un.30Browning achine unSpecial eruiceee-Enfields.303LewisMachine un.303Ri f le,No. 5 Mk I.455Pistol,Revolver, o. 1.380Enfield, evolver, o. 2.45Thompson ub-machineun9" StenMk | & Mk ll MachineCarbines9" StenMk V & Mk Vl MachineCarbines

Small Arms - BREN_303 - Light Machine Gun

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