| Bren | |
|---|---|
 A Bren Mk.1 gun | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1938–2006 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | See Service |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Václav Holek |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Unit cost | £40[1] |
| Produced | 1935–1971 |
| No. built | 500,000[2] |
| Variants | Mk I, II, III, IV L4 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | Mk1 & Mk2: 45.5 in (1,160 mm) Mk3 & Mk4 42.9 in (1,090 mm)[2] |
| Barrel length | 25 in (635 mm) |
| Crew | 2, gunner and assistant |
| Cartridge |
|
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting bolt |
| Rate of fire |
|
| Muzzle velocity | 2,440 ft/s (743.7 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 600 yd (550 m) |
| Maximum firing range | 1,850 yd (1,690 m) |
| Feed system |
|
| Sights | Iron |
The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also used in the Korean War and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including the 1982 Falklands War.[3] Although fitted with a bipod, it could also be mounted on a tripod or be vehicle-mounted.
The Bren gun was a licensed version of the Czechoslovak ZGB 33 light machine gun which, in turn, was a modified version of the ZB vz. 26, which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. The later Bren gun featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel.
The designer was Václav Holek, a gun inventor and design engineer.
In the 1950s, many Bren guns were re-barrelled to accept the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge and modified to feed from the magazine for the L1 (Commonwealth version of the FN FAL) rifle as the L4 light machine gun. It was replaced in the British Army as the section LMG by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), a belt-fed weapon. This was supplemented in the 1980s by the L86 Light Support Weapon firing the 5.56×45mm NATO round, leaving the Bren gun in use only as a pintle mount on some vehicles. The Bren gun was manufactured by Indian Ordnance Factories as the "Gun Machine 7.62mm 1B"[4] before it was discontinued in 2012.[5]
- ^ Dugelby & Stevens 1999, p. 125.
- ^ a b Grant 2013, p. 17.
- ^ Canadian Encyclopedia: Bren Gun
- ^ "Gun Machine 7.62 MM '1B'". Ordnance Factory Board. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- ^ Grant 2013, p. 66.