The Bren Gun, also known as the Bren LMG, was a light machine gun manufactured by the British starting in the 1930s which was in service in some form or other until the 1990s. It was largely developed as a response to issues faced by machine gun crews operating the Lewis and Vickers machine guns through the First World War. Both of these platforms, which were used widely throughout World War I, were hamstrung by design efficiencies; the Vickers MMG by the fact that it required a water source for cooling, and the Lewis by its weight and because it was prone to jamming.
The British Forces adopted a Czechoslovakian platform, the Czechoslovak ZB vz.26 LMG. This platform was well received by the British Forces that carried it, so they modified it and gave it a new name. The new version, known as the Bren Gun, was given a sliding grip frame and sliding ejection port cover. It was also outfitted with a different, curved magazine that was intended to accept .303 Small Arms Ammunition (SAA, the famous .303 British round accepted by Lee-Enfield).
The new Bren Gun was an air-cooled, gas-operated light machine gun capable of producing a rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. These LMG platforms came with a spare barrel that could be swapped out if the barrel overheated in response to periods of high, sustained fire. While the Bren gun could be operated as a “marching fire” weapon, it was typically fired prone while utilizing a bipod and required a two man crew; one to fire the weapon and another to carry ammunition and load the weapon. This platform saw service throughout World War II in the hands of British Troops, as well as in the Korean War and Vietnam War, among many other conflicts. Here we carry parts for this LMG platform and its variants, including the Bren MK2; take a look through them and call us at 610-250-3960 if you have any questions.