Question Reqarding The Bren Light Machine Gun
 

I have a question regarding the BREN light machine gun. We are going to be working with a military group that still uses these light machine guns and we are trying to find BFAs for these weapons. We have tried everything we can think of trying to see if there is even such a thing as a BFA for these weapons. I could really use some help on this matter and I was thinking with all the experience and know how on this website someone might be able to help me with this problem. I appreciate any help with this matter.. thank you in advance...

And, of course, you Googled "blank firing adapters for Bren machine guns" and came up empty?

You might ask some questions on the brit military board called ARRSE.com I'm sure somebody will know if there is one. In fact, since I'm registered there I'll ask the question and see what is said.

I looked through my manual and it has no ref ot a BFA for the Bren. It is dated 1943 they may have developed one later but no luck in my old manual.

BTW: Was this the Bren (.303) or its derivation the LMG (.762) ? (They wanted to know.

Here's one came back from my post on ARRSE, so far.:

Quote:

"The LMG had a true BFA to allow it to fire blanks, the Bren did not. Instead it had a blank firing barrel which had a 3/4 metal closure over the end of the barrel. The rounds fired from it were not blanks but live rounds with wooden bullets, which were mashed but the protective plate. By the time I got my mits on one of the latter in 1983 as a cadet, the plate had worn down a bit and firing them was dodgy to say the least! Still the wooden rounds were great for sheep culling! "

Sounds like a pretty weird way to fire blanks to me!


More:

(bulleted blank and a semi closed flash hider)

Some LMGs were issued to Infantry Bns for ops on the border in NI in the mid to late seventies and ISTR that for training the old type SLR BFA could be fitted but had to be adapted with a barrel collar as thier was no bayonet boss. This was the old skeleton type BFA that the army decided was unsafe, withdrew, and issued the big yellow nob shaped thing instead.

Another post:

"The .303 bulleted blank had a blue wooden bullet and some had the headstamp KYNOCH BREN. They were used with a barrel that had a plate on the end this plate broke the bullets up.

The 7.62mm L4 series LMG (BREN) had a BFA."

They are also interested in feedback on what you think of the weapon after using it.

I did and didn't find anything worthwhile. :D

The more important question here, IMO, is what is the purpose for conducting training with blanks? Is it to make the troops accustomed to the noise of firing while maneuvering without the risks of using live rounds? Is it to make the troops practice malfunction drills (think M-60 w/ BFA)? Are you conducting blank fire training for a legitimate reason, or just because that's how we do things in (most of) the US military, so by God its how we'll do it elsewhere? Food for thought.

More Information
 

Trip_Wire thank you for your help. It is the .308 version of the BREN. Sounds like there was a reason we couldn't find anything out there about a BFA for the BREN. Thank you for that new website, defiantly sounds like one I am going to register on for future use.

Razor, the reason we are going to be using some blanks is because we are working on I.A. Drills & patrolling in a area that has no live-free maneuver range. We have BFAs for their G3s & MAG-58's(their "heavy machine gun") but not the BREN which they have quite a few of.

So besides creating noise, how do the blanks enhance your training objectives? Are you using them to gauge volume (no pun intended) of fire?

This may help
 

I found a site called tripatlas.com ( http://tripatlas.com/BREN ) that stated the
.308 version of the BLMG is still in limited use by the Army Reserve of the Irish Defense Forces. I looked for further info on the weapon system, and came up empty handed. However, there is a forum, http://www.defencetalk.com where some of the ARIDF are members. I have a post in, and hopefully it turns up with something. Out here.

Here's some info from that site, taken from a manual.:

Heres a picture they posted of a LMG BREN (?) with a BFA mounted on it. They didn't provide any other info with the Pic.

Hmm
 

M60 Blank Firing Ad. + a leatherman + a trip to the local hardwear store maybe?

May have to play with the gas rate?

Jury rigged
 

I've jury rigged BFAs in some odd places and most worked well enough for short durations.

Problems were they worked loose taking the gun out of action.

T&T, if you still had use for the information, I was told by a member of the NZ Army that in the eighties they had the 7.62 Bren. He went on to add, there was no BFA for it but a blank firing barrel. They are still in use with the Irish Defence Forces. Out.