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Tyroma

Tyroma

CGN Regular
Rating - 99.8%
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Location
Norfolk County, Ontario
Hey Gang...

Ok...here's the story...

I was at the residence of an old fella the other day for a service call. While in his basement, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that he had a Bren MkI hanging on the wall! I asked him about it, and he said that he'd owned it for about 40 years! When he first owned it, it was FULLY FUNCTIONAL...not CA or Dewat. Some time later, due to licincing hassle, he Dewatted it himself. Did a really nice, clean job, AND kept all the internal bits and pieces intact.

I asked if he were will to sell it, to which he replied "sure I am!" Turns out he's into other things now, and needs cash. Needless to say, it is now in my house. Not sure if the wife was too happy about it being on the kitchen table for a few days, but ah well.:rolleyes:

When I went to pick it up, the old fella pulled out the original wood crate, 4 mags, a service/user manual and all the internal bits.

It's a 1942 Inglis Mk I. The crate reads as follows:

Top lid...

FROM N.A.S.O. NAD

VISHAKHAPATNAM

TO THE COMMANDANT ASSD

KIRKEF POONA

Back side...

KG 32
JOD C1.53853

M/S WESTLEY RICHARDS S COY LTD
GRANGE ROAD BOURNBROOK
BIRMINGHAM B.29.GAR UK

GH BOMBAY

105
OF
130

Best I can figure is that at some point she was shipped to India for service before returning here. The inside of the crate is intact with packing and assebly instruction as well as a manifest of other items which should have been recieved with the gun.

Don't know what I am going to do with it yet...might flip it, might find a Universal Carrier to build around it (I like that idea!).

Any info you guys can give on the crate markings or Inglis Bren history would be appreciated.

Here's a pic...
Bren.jpg


BTW...the old fella also had a Thompson hanging on the wall! :eek:
It, however, is not a Dewat, but rather a REALLY good replica. Made of white metal and real hard wood, it is a full #### and click model, with a drum mag and a stick mag, nice wood and good finish. Even has the Cutts style compensator. Would be nearly impossible to tell from genuine gun, except it's a bit lighter. I can't afford to get both, but if anyone is interested, he wants $400 for it. If you want it, PM me.

TY
 
Are those weld marks above the trigger guard?? If so too bad, its so easy to weld them up and still make it "legal" as well as hiding the welds. Oh well.

Anyhow your MKI looks to be a MKIII. Most MKIII's started there life as a MKI and got converted over somewhat. Whats odd about yours is it has a MKIII buttstock but retains the original MKI bipod. Also you have a MKIII barrel and carry handle. The dovetail
line sight grooves are gone which is a sign of this procedure or its a MKIm.

Now most MKIII's have a flip up rear sight like a MKII

Heres a pic of a MKIII
Bren_MK3_6.jpg


I,m guessing its a MKIm with a MKIII lower and barrel anyone have a better guess?
 
Wow, nice find. Cool that he still had the crate and everything to go along with it.
 
SHUT THE FLOCK UP! Delete your posting and don't say anything more in public.

Take the gun to a registered gunsmith and have him verify that the deactivation is legal. There is paperwork to follow to certify it complies with the latest specification. You may be in possession of a firearm that someone with a badge will find to have been easy to revert to live. And then the world will come crashing down on you.

About fifteen years ago, a full auto collector named Ray Korpus in Regina found an unregistered full auto Maxim and tried to register it - to bring an illegal gun into lawful compliance. He lost everything and it cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
SHUT THE FLOCK UP! Delete your posting and don't say anything more in public.

Take the gun to a registered gunsmith and have him verify that the deactivation is legal. There is paperwork to follow to certify it complies with the latest specification. You may be in possession of a firearm that someone with a badge will find to have been easy to revert to live. And then the world will come crashing down on you.

About fifteen years ago, a full auto collector named Ray Korpus in Regina found an unregistered full auto Maxim and tried to register it - to bring an illegal gun into lawful compliance. He lost everything and it cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
Click to expand...

By the look of the weld blobs on the lower and upper by the trigger guard it looks to be over compliant to the "guidelines" that wish it to be made incapable of discharging projectiles that can cause serious injury or death and therefore, no longer meet the definition of a firearm.

If he can't chamber a round, the barrel is blocked cant be removed, and in his case of overkill the reciever looks to be welded shut he's fine.

Theres no need to seek a smith if he finds it met all that.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
SHUT THE FLOCK UP! Delete your posting and don't say anything more in public.

Take the gun to a registered gunsmith and have him verify that the deactivation is legal. There is paperwork to follow to certify it complies with the latest specification. You may be in possession of a firearm that someone with a badge will find to have been easy to revert to live. And then the world will come crashing down on you.

About fifteen years ago, a full auto collector named Ray Korpus in Regina found an unregistered full auto Maxim and tried to register it - to bring an illegal gun into lawful compliance. He lost everything and it cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
Click to expand...

CFC let me deactivate my own receiver without issue, all i had to do was take pictures of the completed deact and send it to him. Just make sure the deact is to guidlines. Also "all internals intact" , i may be wrong, but just make sure your bolt face is ground off if you are able to see it.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
"Yes your honour, my legal counsel on CGN tells me your forensics experts are all wrong."
Click to expand...

Well so far your the only pseudo Crown here who is implying he may risking criminal charges with owning the deact, or any deact that doesnt have paper work? and as I said by the look of the gun and the overkill on the welds and if it fits the criteria for a legal deact as I said he should be fine. He can do this himself. If he cant one of us can point him in the right direction instead of getting out the tin foil hats.

He should be able to tell if its a solid weld job you dont need to be a forensics expert to see welds or grind marks.

What do you think the smith is going to do x ray it?
 
Question

So all the thousands of dewat Brens, Stens and BAR's sold out of Hercules surplus store in Toronto in the 70's and 80's that were sliced, cut and had every part torched through are legally what? They would not meet the current deactivation guidelines (and they are only guidelines) but: 1) were legally deactivated according to the law of the day making them 'non-guns' and 2) less likely to be made shootable than those dewatted to the current standards.

And...should all the dewats that meet the current guidelines require an inspection and paperwork to show compliance? I suggest that that would only be necessary if a registered firearm was to be deactivated to de-register it.

Thoughts?
 
Thanks for the concern, but it was done right. The barrel was cut at the rear, and welded closed, it was welded to the reciever, the upper and lower were welded together, and the mag was welded in form top and bottom. The only way you could use it to hurt someone is if you dropped it on their toe!

Thanks

Ty
 
Tyroma said:
Thanks for the concern, but it was done right. The barrel was cut at the rear, and welded closed, it was welded to the reciever, the upper and lower were welded together, and the mag was welded in form top and bottom. The only way you could use it to hurt someone is if you dropped it on their toe!

Thanks

Ty
Click to expand...


FA's were "restricted" firearms requiring registration, until they were prohibited in '78.

In order for him to legally DEWAT the firearm, he would have had to prove that it was done to the spec of the period in which it occurred, and gain approval from RCMP.

Did you get the RCMP papers "de registering" the piece and indicating that it was no longer a firearm ?
 
bogusiii said:
So all the thousands of dewat Brens, Stens and BAR's sold out of Hercules surplus store in Toronto in the 70's and 80's that were sliced, cut and had every part torched through are legally what? They would not meet the current deactivation guidelines (and they are only guidelines) but: 1) were legally deactivated according to the law of the day making them 'non-guns' and 2) less likely to be made shootable than those dewatted to the current standards.

And...should all the dewats that meet the current guidelines require an inspection and paperwork to show compliance? I suggest that that would only be necessary if a registered firearm was to be deactivated to de-register it.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree I think were getting a little bit out of hand with the paranoia here. As all prohib deacts were at one time actual prohibs is it neccesssary to get paperwork to prove with all of them that they were deactivated with the blessing of the cfc and or the governing body at the time.

If the gun does not fit the criteria of a prohibited weapon now but that of a welded up block of steel which it is does he have to double check, I mean he could but he really doesnt have to.

Even if it was a prohib at one time it sure as hell isn't now.

I dont think they would give him a hard time if the gun is the condition he states it is.

From what I read if it meets the criteria of the "guidelines" he does not have to go through the process again now that the process has changed.
 
MRCLARK said:
I agree I think were getting a little bit out of hand with the paranoia here. As all prohib deacts were at one time actual prohibs is it neccesssary to get paperwork to prove with all of them that they were deactivated with the blessing of the cfc and or the governing body at the time.

If the gun does not fit the criteria of a prohibited weapon now but that of a welded up block of steel which it is does he have to double check, I mean he could but he really doesnt have to.

Even if it was a prohib at one time it sure as hell isn't now.

I dont think they would give him a hard time if the gun is the condition he states it is.

From what I read if it meets the criteria of the "guidelines" he does not have to go through the process again now that the process has changed.
Click to expand...


It's not that simple.

In order for any registered firearm to be deactivated, the process requires the approval of the registering authority.

Failure to notify the registering authority of the deactivation and classification change is an offense.

If this DEWAT ever came to the attention of law enforcement, they would run the serial number against those in the registry.

If the serial number came up as a live gun registered to another individual, both parties would have a lot of explaining to do, and would probably face charges.

Many MG's came into Canada over the years. In order for them to be legal for sale, they either had to have been deactivated by the importer, or registered with the RCMP.

If the serial number for this DEWAT is not in the firearms registry as ever being a registered live FA gun, then it was never a firearm for purposes of sale or transfer in Canada. It should be a non issue.

As I stated before, if it did come up there would be an investigation.

The gun has to be approved as deactivated by the registering authority before it can be declared a "non gun" and removed from the registry.
 
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