Bren gun restoration?

Grizzlypeg

Grizzlypeg

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
80   0   0
Location
Winnipeg
Anyone here restore a dewat bren gun to make it into a nice looking display gun? I've acquired a pretty chopped up dewat (1944 Inglis Bren Mark II) that I would like to restore to look decent, if that's possible. Would it be hard to find mags? How about the front barrel piece that looks a bit like a trumpet? Pistol grip?
 
Last edited:
Pig4000 said:
Check out Marstar, im sure they could hook you up with what you need.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I see they have magazines and barrels. Not sure if the flash suppressor or whatever it is on the end of the barrel is removable or not. Someone chopped it off on the gun I have, and also cut the receiver in several places. It will be fun to piece this together as a dewat.
 
"...the front barrel piece that looks a bit like a trumpet..." That'd be the flashhider/cone.
Like Pig4000 says Marstar has most of the parts. It won't be cheap. They want $20 each for unpinned mags. $229.95 for 12 in the original carry box. $50 each for the pistol grip.
http://www.marstar.ca/ac-bren/index.shtm
"...cut the receiver in several places..." Part of the deactivating.
 
Looks like a good source for parts. I'll have to figure out which version of gun it is, and what exactly is missing. I have a receiver that has some cuts in it, a barrel and top carrying handle, the barrel has been chopped at the flash suppressor (which is missing). I have a bipod that is on a rail that looks like it was cut off the front of the lower receiver. The wood pistol grip is smashed and only half of it in on there.

It cost me nothing, so I can take my time and figure out what pieces I would need to make it look presentable again, and decide if its worth putting money into. Considering it cost me nothing, I am prepared to spend a bit on it for a flash suppressor, magazine and pistol grip. But I'll have to look over some drawings and see what else might be needed and what they cost.
 
I did one, if you ahve any questions ask me, there is pics of my project in the restoration thread at the top of the milsurp page. i have all the armourers drawings if you need some,, at least i think i still do,,,
 
ShooterMcGavin said:
I did one, if you ahve any questions ask me, there is pics of my project in the restoration thread at the top of the milsurp page. i have all the armourers drawings if you need some,, at least i think i still do,,,
Click to expand...

Thanks. Its an Inglis 1944 Mark II. The upper receiver has been cut off at the forend, but it came with a piece of another upper receiver that is more complete than the piece missing. It should be pretty easy for me to cleanly cut it on a bandsaw and tig the other piece back in. The barrel is plugged, but cut off just forward of a pin that appears to secure the flash suppressor. Bolt is missing, pistol grip is split and rear half missing.

How do you remove the barrel? It seems to be stuck in position, rotated about 30 degrees clockwise, so the handle sits pointing off to the left and gas assembly not level.

There's enough here to make a nice display unit. And I like cutting and welding stuff back together.
 
I would hope that as long as the barrel remains plugged and there is no bolt, it should remain a deactivated firearm in the eyes of the law. Is it illegal to be able to remove the barrel? Should the plugged barrel be welded in place?
 
Grizzlypeg said:
I would hope that as long as the barrel remains plugged and there is no bolt, it should remain a deactivated firearm in the eyes of the law. Is it illegal to be able to remove the barrel? Should the plugged barrel be welded in place?
Click to expand...

The barrel should be pinned into a blind hole that goes through the receiver and into the barrel, with a hardened steel pin that is bore diameter or larger.

Install the barrel, barrel lock, and bipod, then drill from the bottom (inside the receiver ) up through the chamber with a 5/16 drill bit. Then force fit a pin into that hole, and weld the hole shut. That is the RCMP guideline for deactivation. If the barrel can come out, even if it is welded shut, then it's still a gun. The upper receiver is the gun, and if the mere addition of parts is all it takes to make it work, then it is considered easily adapted to discharge a round, and remains a gun. Until the barrel is welded in, or something similar to prevent installation of working parts, it is possible to be charged for possession of an unregistered prohib.
 
Both the upper and lower receiver are cut and cannot accept functioning parts at this point in time.

So I should make sure I have a plugged barrel pinned to the receiver, before I weld the pieces of upper receiver back together. Does that sound like the correct order?
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Anyone here restore a dewat bren gun to make it into a nice looking display gun? I've acquired a pretty chopped up dewat that I would like to restore to look decent, if that's possible. Would it be hard to find mags? How about the front barrel piece that looks a bit like a trumpet? Pistol grip?
Click to expand...

Mr Clark has done some nice work with his Bren, et al.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Both the upper and lower receiver are cut and cannot accept functioning parts at this point in time.

So I should make sure I have a plugged barrel pinned to the receiver, before I weld the pieces of upper receiver back together. Does that sound like the correct order?
Click to expand...

No worries about the lower, they are not regulated. But I would think that you would not want to have the rewelded upper sitting around for very long before it had a barrel blind pinned into it.

On most that I have seen, the trigger mech is ground/welded into a semi auto state,and the upper and lower are welded together. Also, the breech block face is ground away so as not to support a round.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom