Semi auto Bren ?

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Spencer

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Has anyone in Canada built and registered a semi auto bren ? I've been doing a little reasearch and it seems the Yanks have been building them for quite a while. The thing that makes me wonder with their method is whether it's possible in Canada. Looks like they all weld up the cut recievers and are then able to register them as having a newly made reciever. Anyone know what the CFC regards as a newly made reciever ? In theory if a cut up reciever is not regarded as a reciever any more, then constructing a reciever from the pieces of a non reciever must mean it's newly made right ?:confused: Probably wrong :)

I have seem reciever Jigs go for between $500 and $700.
 
I was just looking into this in regards to the FN Fal. I don't know about the bren, but the FAL was prohibited by name, regardless of other functions, especially considering many of them were only semi auto and a few were even single shot. If it is the same for the bren they will probably rule it as prohib simply because it looks like a bren. Eventually someone would get one liscenced, but the cost involved for individuals and small businesses tends to dissuade most people from trying.

If a modern day already legal firearm could be built within a bren body however, as a conversion kit, I could see some very good potential for success.

IE: taking a semi auto rifle in .303, flipping it upside down, and mounting it in the reciever mounted to the barrel. In all likelyhood the bren mag would only be a shell for the actual mag, the ejector and ejection port would need to be switched sides, and a trigger rig made to run up and over the actual reciever inside.

That's just my initial thoughts. No idea if it would be viable, but at least a fun project.
 
Len Savage makes them in the US. His start from a new machined reciever. They ought to be importable. Depending on the whims of the US State Departmet, they might not be exportable.
 
With a set of drawings, a nice machine shop (nicer than mine) and free labor, making one is doable - if not economically viable.
 
This is very cool, Semi auto "new" Bren... It's actually the butt group that has the trigger and auto sear in it. Since it is an open bolt actions, It might be difficult.... But never say never? I'm curious now..

Bren picts

ht tp://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/brengun.htm
ht tp://gunbroker.net/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=95547200

I saw a semi only MG-42?

ht tp://brpguns.com/mg42semi.htm
 
I have seen a Bren that was rebuilt from a demilitarized MK. II Long Branch. After the receiver was repaired, the gun was duly registered, no problems. A new barrel, bolt and gas piston had been installed. Looked good, and was functional. No changes were required in the mechanism. It functionned in the normal open bolt manner, and the trigger mechanism was intact. Of course, this was in the 1960s, and the gun was registered as full automatic, and would be a 12(2) now.
While it is RCMP practice to consider a receiver made using parts from a demilled receiver to be in the same class as the original receiver was,
there are a few options available:
-ask for a formal ruling if a semi auto Bren made by a particular US manufacturer is acceptable. This could require going through the process of importing one, and submitting it for testing and a decision;
-ask for a formal ruling on whether a Bren receiver made in Canada using some or all parts from a demilled gun would be accepted as a non-restricted receiver.
Manufacturing a Bren receiver from a 40 pound bar of steel would be a major undertaking for a very well equipped machine shop. The 247 separate operations Stencollector referred to were operations made using the specialized, purpose built tooling.
To the best of my knowledge, the only receiver which has been accepted by the RCMP which uses original receiver parts in its manufacture is the 1919 type Browning. This is only because they accepted the position that the right hand sideplate is the receiver. There are various rulings that have been made with respect to exactly what part of the gun is the receiver: breeched barrel for percussion muzzleloaders, lower receiver for ARs, upper receiver for FNFALs, magazine housing for Sten types, right hand sideplate for Browning guns.
 
What gives me some hope that Len Savages gun might be legal here is that the BATFE are even more anal about full auto/converted auto then our own gun cops. If he has satisfied the BATFE, there is great hope that the same argument may sway the RCMP.
 
Its not so much the semi auto/converted auto/convertabilty back to full auto, as it is the definition of what is the receiver.
The RCMP have approved the BD-38, BD-3008, neither of which is acceptable to the BATFE.
 
In the US, the ruling is once a receiver is torch cut, it's just scrap metal. If you re-weld it, it's a "new" receiver. In Canada, this is not the case. Whatever they deem the receiver, you could NOT re-use original bits during manufacture.
 
IT IS SIMPLE;
You cannot use rewelded receivers in Canada for the manufacture of a Bren....
If said receiver had NEVER been assembled into a gun, then you can use it.
John
 
TIRIAQ;
May I respectfully suggest that you do your research before pronouncing yourself on the BD "family" of weapons
John
 
atf and rcmp ruleings are way different


you cannot use orig reciever pieces to make a semi auto

this is why stencollector had to make his OWN newly made mag well (reciever)

are the bd guns open bolt?? if so there not permitted in the us (atf ruleing) but fine here 2 different countries to vastly different laws
 
Now what if someone with contacts in the Chinese firearms manufacturing sector were to have new receivers made there? Chinese mfg prices are really low, so they shouldn't be too expensive by the time they reach our shores. However, I doubt there's enough of a market here to justify more than about 100, and Chinese firearms stuff won't fly with the U.S. Maybe an 80% receiver would? Or if it were made in Taiwan, with whom the U.S. has no trade embargo. I visited shops in Taiwan who would custom design and machine a set of rims for your car for less than $300, including rubber. How much could they charge to cook up a bren receiver? Of course, one would need the design before proceeding. Could one of you engineering types cook up some drawings for a machinist? I could send them to a friend in Taiwan and see about getting a quote for a small batch...
 
What john is alluding to is that the BD family of weapons IS available in the USA, but those guns are built to be closed bolt if I understand it properly. We in Canada get to have the open-bolt versions - hooray!
 
johnone - I was surprised that the BATFE would accept the open bolt BD firearms as sold in Canada. When did they change their long established position on new production open bolt firearms?
 
TIRIAQ;
Your statement "I was surprised that the BATFE would accept the open bolt BD "
PLEASE read what I wrote, I NEVER said that they had accepted the open bolt gun, they have NOT, never have, never will....
I can only repeat what I said earlier::
May I respectfully suggest that you do your research before pronouncing yourself on the BD "family" of weapons
JOHN
 
JOHNONE - The RCMP approved the BD-38 and BD-3008 for sale in Canada. The BATFE, as you point out, have not and will not approve these versions for sale in the US.
Exactly what is your point? What research are you suggesting I do? I commented on the difference between what is acceptable in this country and not acceptable in the US. Is there any factual error in stating that these two BDs are approved for sale here, and not in the US?
 
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