Bren gun restoration?

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Let's see it before you get started!
 
It's ugly. Mud, some rust, bipod all seized up. Its out in the garage with penetrating oil working on the bipod that attached to the cut off part of the lower receiver.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow. I think it has potential if I can locate some of the missing bits that make it look incomplete, like the flash suppressor (and I think some barrel length), something that went in sideway into the gas assembly and front sight, and the pistol grip. It's of course missing the bolt carrier assembly, but I don't care about that. I just want it to look good sitting on the coffe table. Oh yeah, got to have a magazine. Anyone have any Mark II parts?
 
The shoulder thing that goes up?:D
I suppose you mean that little piece on the buttplate that flips over to rest on your shoulder. Oddly enough, the buttplate on the ZB26 fits the Bren but it was designed to be used with the pistol grip that attaches to the bottom fitting on the buttstock. You were supposed to pull the butt into your shoulder with it. Most were discarded, but found new life as carrying handles for 2 inch mortars.
 
shortandlong said:
yes go with Mr Clark ,he hasn't been around here much lately but he does fine work
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I,m around still just in stealth mode:ninja:, too busy and too broke to contribute anything of substance.

Heres my MKII before and after
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I am though working to restore this old #####, problem is its not exactly something you can drop in a sand blast tank without some issues.

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If you give me a list of parts you need for your bren I can check and see if I have them or at least find some for you.

Also understand if your going to park the gun after you weld it all together unless the metal matches the type used on rcvr (it wont) it will show up as lighter in colour and look like crap.

Basically anywhere you welded will show up no matter what you do.

Stencollector recommended this for me years ago
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and I swear by it. It is the best method I can find for guns like yours where parking is going to be an issue.

I used it on my BAR
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and on this rusted old Inglis HP
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Nice work Mr Clark!

Here's a piece that I think is cool. I really like the bipod design. I'm wondering if some of the parts like bipod and carry handle are actually Mark II or not?

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Grizzlypeg said:
What did the white paint stripes mean? I see that on some surplus guns.
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The white stripes usually are designated to display purpose guns DP's. Guns used for armourer training or simply conversation pieces found in the mess hall etc etc.

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Your barrel looks to be MKI/MKIm as is your barrel handle which is fine for a MKII as Inglis units mostly used the MKI wood on the MKII's.

You also have the correct bipod for a MKII.

Is the stamped or engraved DP anywhere?
 
Here is what I can make of your pieces:
The main part of the upper receiver is mk2
The forward part of the receiver is mk1
The lower is mk1 (both ends)
The barrel is early mk1 (carry handle has lots of cooling holes)
The bipod is mk2

It was not common at all to find mk1 wood on a mk2, It was an approved change to go to mk2 wood on a mk1 when supplies ran short.

The buttstock is later mk1 as the disc is omitted, and the back half of the lower is also later as it has the extra machining omitted. They may well be later mk1(M)
 
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stencollector said:
Here is what I can make of your pieces:
The main part of the upper receiver is mk2
The forward part of the receiver is mk1
The lower is mk1 (both ends)
The barrel is mk1
The bipod is mk2

It was not common at all to find mk1 wood on a mk2, It was an approved change to go to mk2 wood on a mk1 when supplies ran short.
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Its going to be a mongrel. What change marks the forward part of the receiver and indicates mkI? It should splice onto my MKII upper, but that's pretty frankenstein.
 
Mk1 has all the fancy machine work on the forward portion. Mk2 was just left squarish.

The mk2 gun was not about making a lighter or better gun, it was about reducing the amount of machine work required to make the gun. They ended up heavier than the mk1, and a lot of the cadillac features (extendable bipod, extra dovetail on side of gun for lensatic sight, fancy drum style rear sight) were omitted.
 
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