File:Bren_wog.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Type
- Light machine gun
- Place of origin
- First Czechoslovak Republic (design) United Kingdom (manufacture)
- In service
- 1938–2012
- Used by
- See § Users
- Wars
- See § Service
- Designer
- Václav Holek
- Manufacturer
- Royal Small Arms Factory John Inglis and Company Lithgow Small Arms Factory Rifle Factory Ishapore
- Unit cost
- £40
- Produced
- 1935–1971
- Number span no built
- 500,000
- Variants
- See § Variants
- Mass
- Mk1 & Mk2 :, 22.8 lb (10.3 kg), 25 lb (11.3 kg) loaded Mk3 & Mk4 :, 19.15 lb (8.7 kg), 21.6 lb (9.8 kg) loaded
- Length
- Mk1 & Mk2: 45.5 in (1,160 mm) Mk3 & Mk4: 42.9 in (1,090 mm)
- Barrel length
- 25 in (635 mm)
- Crew
- 2, gunner and assistant
- Cartridge
- .303 British 7.92×57mm Mauser .30-06 Springfield 7.62×51mm NATO 7.62×39mm
- Action
- Gas-operated , tilting bolt
- Rate of fire
- 500–520 rounds/min practical 120 rounds/min sustained
via Wikipedia infobox
~34 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Bren gun (Brno-Enfield) was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by the United Kingdom in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and British Empire 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. 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 designer was Václav Holek, a gun inventor and design engineer. The later Bren gun featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Bren light machine gun” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.