Canadian 8mm “Sterile” Bren Gun

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  • Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2024
  • The John Inglis company in Toronto first opened in 1859 as a metalworking shop, and grew steadily over the decades under first John Inglis, and then later his sons. Inglis did substantial amounts of military work during World War One, but the Great Depression hit it hard, and both William and Alexander Inglis died in 1935 and 1936 respectively. The company went into receivership but was purchased by one Major James Hahn (DSO) and a group of business partners in November of 1936. Hahn and his associates saw an opportunity to use this large manufacturing facility to make machine guns for the military, and they were successful - in October 1938 they were awarded a contract to make 5000 MkI Bren guns.More contracts would follow, and by the height of World War Two the company had some 15,000 employees and more than a million square feet of floor space.
    Among many other projects, Inglis was contracted to make small arms for sale to the Nationalist Chinese government under Chiang Kai Shek - both High Power pistols and Bren guns in 8mm Mauser (to fit the Chinese standardization on that cartridge). A batch of 8mm ZB-30 light machine guns were brought in from the Far East to use as a pattern, and Inglis engineers were able to successfully redesign the Bren to use that cartridge and magazine.
    Where the story gets hazy is in trying to determine how many were made and for whom. The Chinese guns are marked in Mandarin on the receivers, and have “CH” prefix serial numbers, like the Chinese contract High Power pistols. However, two additional variations exist without those Chinese markings. Some are marked “7.92 Bren MkI” and “Inglis 1943” (or 44 or 45), and others - like this one - are just marked “7.92 Bren MkI”. The dated ones are typically referred to as Resistance guns, intended to be supplied to European resistance units for whom 7.92mm ammunition was more readily available than .303 - although information on how many guns were supplied in this way (if any) is difficult to find. The last group is generally called “sterile”, and it is not clear what their purpose is. This particular example is one of 23 that were registered in the US in the early 1960s to Interarms, and it does appear that they were associated with some clandestine US military activities. The serial numbers of those 23 Interarms guns range from 1-5343 to 2-8045, suggesting a production of 13,000 or perhaps as many as 28,000 guns - that is quite a lot to be undocumented and missing.
    Hopefully, more information will turn up in the future to shed light on the purpose and use of these 8mm Brens. We do know for sure that many thousands did go to Chinese forces, and some were brought into the UK, where in the 1960s they were used in the development of the 7.62mm NATO L4 version of the Bren.
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Комментарии •

  • @trevorkuehn4084
    @trevorkuehn4084 5 лет назад +1033

    Today in my chemistry class my teacher complained about her husband “sitting there loudly watching videos of some guy with a ponytail talking about old guns and the entire history of them for half an hour” you’re getting more famous Ian!

    • @mastathrash5609
      @mastathrash5609 5 лет назад +105

      Blessings upon your chem teacher's hubby.

    • @robgoodsight6216
      @robgoodsight6216 5 лет назад +13

      Hahahahahahah

    • @ChrisB.C.
      @ChrisB.C. 5 лет назад +87

      You absolutely should've stood up, shaking your hands above your head, and shouted,
      "ALL HAIL GUN JESUS!!! ALL HAIL GUN JESUS!!!"
      Then just sat back down like nothing happened. I wouldn't have been able to stop my self if I'd been there. I'm not even kidding.
      Thanks for sharing that. It made my night.

    • @yeahsteeeve
      @yeahsteeeve 5 лет назад +79

      God forbid her husband enjoy something for a half an hour...

    • @yeahsteeeve
      @yeahsteeeve 5 лет назад +58

      @just a channel and you're defending an anecdote from a woman you've never known or met. Thats some master level white knighting.

  • @eolaspellor1718
    @eolaspellor1718 5 лет назад +225

    Canada’s wartime poster-girl was “Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl”; a sultry brunette, munitions worker, smoking a cigarette and caressing a Bren. She was a real worker at Inglis’ Longbranch works. This was a couple of years before America came up with Rosie the Riveter.

    • @jayuu8380
      @jayuu8380 4 года назад +9

      It was the original sonic oc

    • @ESmyth-nu7ug
      @ESmyth-nu7ug 4 года назад +7

      ve explored the old factory grounds many times... shooting range is still intact... I also remember remember the large blue INGLIS billboard on the side of the Gardiner expressway

    • @Brent-jj6qi
      @Brent-jj6qi 4 года назад +1

      E. Smyth oh damn, where on the gardener?

    • @ESmyth-nu7ug
      @ESmyth-nu7ug 4 года назад +3

      Brent 13377331 just north of the gardener, on the current grounds of “Liberty Village” condos... the old small arms factory in Longbranch made Sten and Lee Enfields and is located at Lakeshore + Dixie rd. The water tower still remains, dated 1942 if remember correctly

    • @davidlowry8765
      @davidlowry8765 4 года назад +2

      Longbranch was Small Arms Limited, not Inglis. SAL made Lee Enfields. SAL later became Canadian Arsenal Limited which made FN C1 A1 Rifles (FAL) during the 50s and 60s. Inglis was where Liberty Village is now. They made Brens, Stens and Hi Powers. Note the Canadian Army is now looking for replacement of the Inglis Hi Power which they are still using.

  • @firepower7017
    @firepower7017 5 лет назад +795

    Poor gun, it won't be able to have children anymore.

    • @Mick824
      @Mick824 5 лет назад +59

      It is truly a sad day when a firearm cannot bring it's own offspring into the world.

    • @johntheexplainer
      @johntheexplainer 5 лет назад +134

      You mean... it's shooting blanks?

    • @johnofnz
      @johnofnz 5 лет назад +18

      I think Ian may have been referring to cleanliness - like if you washed the weapon with anti bacterial soap.

    • @williammiao8862
      @williammiao8862 5 лет назад +7

      It should be pretty "clean" in theory

    • @ФилиппЛыков-д8е
      @ФилиппЛыков-д8е 5 лет назад +11

      "Son of a gun!"

  • @mo45327
    @mo45327 5 лет назад +389

    There definitely were some Bren guns in 7,92 dropped to resistance units in occupied Europe. Here in former Yugoslavia we have a few surviving examples that were used by Tito's partisans.

    • @turczech
      @turczech 5 лет назад +20

      But also Germans were using the leftovers from Brno after they took over so they could've been those, then it depends on the sights, Germans would be using the original drum on the side. Partisans were mostly, not exclusively though, using captured weaponry, aside from what they had left from before the war.

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 5 лет назад +8

      Maybe you could find one of each and take some pictures of them?

    • @420JackG
      @420JackG 5 лет назад +1

      The OSS was modifying all sorts of weapons to drop to partisans and resistance fighters, I'm sure the SAS was too.

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 5 лет назад +8

      @@420JackG I think you mean the SOE rather than SAS. SOE were working with resistance movements across Europe to sabotage the germans. While the SAS were destroying german and italian aircraft hands on in North Africa.

    • @mo45327
      @mo45327 5 лет назад +17

      @@turczech In Yugoslavia you could find all sorts of ZB derived machine guns. Original ZB-26 were bought by Kingdom of Yugoslavia before WW2, ZB-30J (in Yugoslavia known as M37) that were made to Yugoslav specifications in Brno and domestically by VTZ (later Zastava). Germans used captured Czech ZBs and Bulgarians used ZB-39 in 8x56mmR. Bren guns (Mk I and Mk II) were supplied by the Allies first to Chetnicks and later to Tito's partisans in significant numbers. Most of them were regular .303 caliber guns, but a few were Canadian Inglis manufactured guns in 7,92x57mm. They can be identified in photos (they were painted with red stripes by the British to distinguish them from .303 Brens) and a few examples survive in museums, notably the Military musem in Belgrade.

  • @chlebowg
    @chlebowg 5 лет назад +121

    Thanks Ian, found a vz26 in Iraq back in 08' and had a .303 Bren MkII here in Astan 3 months ago. Solid and reliable machine guns.

    • @dankdark974
      @dankdark974 5 лет назад +23

      Too bad you couldnt bring those back. Damn laws.

    • @meurigdavies8080
      @meurigdavies8080 5 лет назад +5

      chlebowg .303 Bren 'finest Light Machine gun in the world' as I was taught in the UK Army Cadet Force in 70s,already replaced in the regular army by GPMG.

    • @mastathrash5609
      @mastathrash5609 5 лет назад +2

      Dude, that's a pretty cool one to come across.

    • @dfwai7589
      @dfwai7589 5 лет назад +1

      @@dankdark974 it's called "Don't ask, don't tell"

    • @markchatman9583
      @markchatman9583 5 лет назад +1

      You should pump out videos of that stuff

  • @denisvermeirre1024
    @denisvermeirre1024 5 лет назад +98

    7:04 One of the Chinese contract Brens (with Chinese characters on the side) is on display at the Canadian War museum.

  • @michaelemberley2767
    @michaelemberley2767 5 лет назад +178

    Some of the Chinese marked guns stayed in Canada and were used by the Canadian Army. I worked with a chap who remarked on what good guns the Chinese made. He then explained that he had used Chinese made Brens when he was in the army. I had a hard time convincing him they were made in Canada FOR the Chinese.

    • @thetriode
      @thetriode 5 лет назад +8

      @@williamkeith8944I'm surprised they're not making and exporting them still tbh.

    • @pebo8306
      @pebo8306 5 лет назад +11

      @just a channel SERIOUSLY????A country that can send satellites to the moon does not have the capacity????

    • @f.h.9606
      @f.h.9606 5 лет назад +9

      @just a channel Are you from the US? Keep telling that to yourself while you import goods for another 500 000 000 000 USD every year. And it's not longer plastic buckets and toys. It's mobile phones, computers, all kinds of electronics, instruments, car parts, kitchen equipment and let's not forget Trumps promotional items.

    • @brianargo4595
      @brianargo4595 5 лет назад +17

      Chinese manufacturers all build to a price. If you want cheap, they'll make you cheap. If you want quality, they'll make you quality, whatever quality and tolerances you're willing to pay for, just like anywhere else, gotta find the right company. Some will make a whole bunch of whozits and whatsits and just send you the ones that match your specs, selling the rest to whoever wants them. Others will tool up to only produce your exact specs. Obviously you're gonna pay the most and have to work the most with the latter.

    • @michaelemberley2767
      @michaelemberley2767 5 лет назад +1

      What ever does that have to do with with my comment? @@brianargo4595

  • @TheAlexagius
    @TheAlexagius 5 лет назад +196

    Well its already exceeded the estimate "Current Bid: $42,500.00"

    • @wolflegion_
      @wolflegion_ 5 лет назад +18

      the kansas italian guess I need to sell my wife and kids

    • @Chaosrain112
      @Chaosrain112 5 лет назад +12

      "An excellent firearms auction."

    • @josiahgibson6373
      @josiahgibson6373 5 лет назад +12

      Joke's on you, this gun can't have kids.

    • @modusoperandi00
      @modusoperandi00 5 лет назад +1

      Sure, Canadian.

  • @bobsenior9218
    @bobsenior9218 5 лет назад +5

    Just have to mention the way we were taught to strip a bren here in Australia. Piston, barrel, lower, receiver then bipod. You slide back the lower then pull back the charge handle lift out the piston then undo the barrel slide off the lower then remove bipod from body of gun. The instructor taught us this little gem, piss on the barrel and butt the bloody bipod. Love your videos Ian.

  • @Dr.D00p
    @Dr.D00p 5 лет назад +203

    Better weapon than the BAR.
    .....runs for cover.

    • @Doinkus98
      @Doinkus98 5 лет назад +26

      As an LMG, absolutely. As an automatic rifle? I'd take the BAR.

    • @vitoscaletta7151
      @vitoscaletta7151 5 лет назад +42

      @@Doinkus98 The BAR was never meant to be an LMG anyways.
      The Bren was built for that purpose

    • @fuzzydunlop7928
      @fuzzydunlop7928 5 лет назад +50

      Don't run for cover, you're absolutely correct. For the Second World War the BAR is a big ole' piece of shit. That said, it wasn't even a good automatic rifle by that time period. There were better alternatives. WWII was a numbers war and thus a good quality firearm isn't as good as a decent one that's still in stock and that factories are already tooled up to churn out. I mean the US pattern BAR, specifically, the other countries that adopted the BAR did much better with it.

    • @kyleschafer6275
      @kyleschafer6275 5 лет назад +6

      I mean the bren's internals are the basis of the 249 and 240B, both of which are still going in the armies of Nato members.

    • @HBK-6S
      @HBK-6S 5 лет назад +21

      @@kyleschafer6275 240B uses the BAR operational system flipped upside down, 249 uses a multilug rotating bolt while the Bren uses a ZB26 tilting bolt. If anything, the Bren shares more with the MP44 than the FN MAG/240B and FN Minimi/249

  • @thechongwolla
    @thechongwolla 5 лет назад +74

    If anyone doubts the Bren Gun look up British Victoria Cross citations from world war two. They start with
    "[name] picked up a Bren Gun and..."
    almost always.

    • @hauptmanndosman
      @hauptmanndosman 5 лет назад +19

      Or "(insert name) pickup up a PIAT"

    • @duncanbrown1864
      @duncanbrown1864 5 лет назад +3

      @@hauptmanndosman Oh boy...the PIAT..... :(

    • @meurigdavies8080
      @meurigdavies8080 5 лет назад +6

      Thomas Dosman One or two VCs were won at Arnhem with the Piat.

    • @kgchrome
      @kgchrome 5 лет назад +2

      @@meurigdavies8080 italy too... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Smith

    • @dogsnads5634
      @dogsnads5634 5 лет назад +11

      @@duncanbrown1864 The PIAT gets a lot of unfair criticism. It was heavy sure, but cheap. It actually fired a far more powerful HEAT round than the Bazooka, could fire 3 inch mortar shells either in direct fire or in mortar config. It's effective range was also similar to the Bazooka which couldn't hit much beyond 100 yards. Add in it could be fired inside a confined space and a fast reload and rate of fire (if held correctly) then it wasn't half as bad as people think.
      The Panzerschreck stood out from the pack because of its 88mm round, but the 2.75 inch Bazooka and PIAT both have their own strengths and weaknesses. Certainly better than a Faustpatrone or Panzerfaust...

  • @astridvallati4762
    @astridvallati4762 2 года назад +1

    Not only did Inglis make 7,92 Brens and HP35s for China, they made Boys AT rifles, and Sten MkII as well.
    For once, the Boys were a Match for Japanese Tanks ( 1930s KMT still used T18 Mausers against Japanese Armoured Cars!).
    The No4 rifles came from LongBranch.
    The Stens were converted to 7,62x25 after the Revolution..
    The other big production was Browning .303 Aircraft Guns for Commonwealth countries.
    They certainly a massive enterprise during WWII.
    Doc AV

  • @spudgunn8695
    @spudgunn8695 5 лет назад +158

    A "sterile" Bren? You mean it was specifically designed to fire blanks?!😂🤣

  • @tinfoilhat38
    @tinfoilhat38 5 лет назад +40

    My Great-Grandmother actually worked at Inglis during WWII. I’m not 100% sure on what she did but I know that it had something to do with the sights for Bren guns.

  • @braedengriffiths4249
    @braedengriffiths4249 5 лет назад +24

    Goddamn Ian, an early upload and a Canadian one at that! Made my day and it ain’t even 10:30am for me, cheers!

  • @dadovitchnic
    @dadovitchnic 5 лет назад +3

    We were still using the 7.62mm Bren guns in Australia in some non front line combat units into the late 1980's. I carried and fired them myself, really nice gun to fire.

  • @chillcatking9866
    @chillcatking9866 5 лет назад +75

    Hey dude, just because we use a lighter cartridge dont mean we're sterile, its how you use it that matters

  • @SecondShiloh
    @SecondShiloh 5 лет назад +1

    my grandfather was part of a bren gun carrier crew so its very possible he was using this gun, very cool!

    • @ptonpc
      @ptonpc 5 лет назад +1

      More likely he would have been using the 303 caliber version (Unless he fought with the Chinese).

  • @piobmhor8529
    @piobmhor8529 5 лет назад +3

    I had a great-Aunt who worked in the Inglis plant in Toronto. She made Bren guns during WW2. She always downplayed her contributions saying it was “ just a job”. I beg to differ, she did her bit to make sure we can enjoy the freedoms we take for granted today. All those third wave feminists pale in comparison to the work she did. Well done Aunt Frances, RIP.

  • @stonegiant4
    @stonegiant4 5 лет назад +26

    After watching project lightening I want to see this in action compared to the other bren.

    • @spudgunn8695
      @spudgunn8695 5 лет назад +1

      @@TheRealColBosch Chatellerault 24/28, I should imagine.

    • @ptonpc
      @ptonpc 5 лет назад

      Ian has (used to have?) a Bren modified to use the AK magazines. There is a video of him on a shoot where it failed a couple of times (I don't remember what the issue was).

  • @minuteman4199
    @minuteman4199 5 лет назад +75

    Inglis made home appliances in the same factory up until the 1980's before they finally closed. During my Canadian army service I saw pistols that had Chinese characters on the slide, as we were using Chinese contract parts to maintain them.

    • @marclaplante5679
      @marclaplante5679 5 лет назад +14

      Minute Man what? Replacement parts? Pffft! The 9mm Browning pistols are only 75 years old! Barely broken in!

    • @Mr9Guns
      @Mr9Guns 5 лет назад +10

      They are still around but got bought out by Whirlpool Canada.

    • @hauptmanndosman
      @hauptmanndosman 5 лет назад +9

      Yup. My washing machine (mid 2000's) is an Inglis.
      My how the mighty have fallen.

    • @polygondwanaland8390
      @polygondwanaland8390 5 лет назад +12

      @@hauptmanndosman Almost every arms company goes back to making civilian consumables and appliances after wars. Remember, a big chunk of M1 Carbines were made in a lamp factory.

    • @ragabara1031
      @ragabara1031 5 лет назад +2

      My dad used a Hi-Power during his mandatory military service in the 80s. That being said he was a ROCN reserve officer, so he wouldn't have gotten the latest and greatest... they were still using M1 carbines in his time, rather than the newly-developed T65 or even the M14. Active front line troops probably had much more modern equipment.

  • @thomasrosenthal1738
    @thomasrosenthal1738 5 лет назад +4

    Not mentioned, there was "sterile" Canadian-produced 8X57 ammunition available cheaply in the US back in the 60s of 70s. I still have a few rounds of it somewhere.

  • @herculanoguimaraes4605
    @herculanoguimaraes4605 5 лет назад +2

    bren guns are still used today, that just show how amazing the design of this gun is

  • @Observer31
    @Observer31 5 лет назад +2

    My father had a bit of training with the Bren gun (99% sure it was .303, 90% sure it was an Inglis), and was very impressed with it. I remember him saying something like "a good shooter could cause *some damage* with that gun...".

  • @stantheheadhumongous9402
    @stantheheadhumongous9402 5 лет назад +28

    Probably a good opportunity to sit down with Binh Sinh again and discuss ww2 support weapons used by chinese!

  • @meurigdavies8080
    @meurigdavies8080 5 лет назад +1

    The correct procedure for gas regulation is to set it on the smallest hole until it stops ( about 2 mags) then turn to the next largest hole until it stops then the next until it stops + the next until it stops then change the barrel. With ref to your other (303) vid. In the UK the 'bolt' is referred to as the breech block, the parts are referred to as groups, piston group barrel group, Bipod + body groups the butt is part of the piston group.

  • @breakneckmilk9324
    @breakneckmilk9324 5 лет назад +6

    Ian likes to get mornings started early.

    • @michaelathens953
      @michaelathens953 5 лет назад

      A-yup, coffee and Forgotten Weapons is my morning ritual. Has been for years now.

  • @SH-gr1bc
    @SH-gr1bc 4 года назад +2

    Greece and Cyprus had some Brens too. Not sure if they were resistance models or simply surplus from the British empire.
    There's a picture of my father, handling a Bren in the 70s, mounted on a tall tripod.

  • @steamboatmodel
    @steamboatmodel 5 лет назад +14

    John Inglis and Company (now Whirlpool Canada) "Inglis" is now a brand of household appliances from Whirlpool marketed primarily in Canada. In the United States, Inglis appliances are sold at Best Buy stores.

    • @foamer443
      @foamer443 3 года назад +1

      Inglis used to be the supplier of appliances to Eatons under the Viking brand, way before Whirlpool.

  • @shugo541
    @shugo541 5 лет назад +1

    Ian, getting me through the work day with a smile

  • @Tesserae
    @Tesserae 5 лет назад +1

    Now I know the significance of the Inglis sign (now torn down) next to Exhibition Place in Toronto (I was only aware of Inglis as manufacturing kitchen appliances and their famous dishwasher). The gun manufacturing district (aka the Liberty district) was across the tracks from Exhibition, which is next to the Fort York Armoury (where the guns were stored before being shipped to Europe).

  • @rokball4892
    @rokball4892 5 лет назад +12

    British and Czech design+German cartridge+Canadian Steel= Inglis Bren gun.

  • @oskarfabian5200
    @oskarfabian5200 4 года назад +1

    FYI "This light machine gun in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the LK vz. 26 ("LK" means "lehký kulomet", light machine gun; "vz." stands for "vzor", Model in Czech). ZB vz. 26 is incorrect marking because "ZB-26" is a factory designation (Československá zbrojovka v Brně), while "vzor 26" or "vz. 26" is an army designation."

  • @ringowunderlich2241
    @ringowunderlich2241 5 лет назад

    The BREN machine gun is one of those timeless designs. If it wasn't for the missing polymer parts, these guns would still hold up against modern designs in army trials today.

  • @farmerbrown84
    @farmerbrown84 5 лет назад +2

    I have a friend here in Switzerland who has 2 copies of the 7.62x39 version with Chinese characters. Great firearm.

  • @MrRogsmart
    @MrRogsmart 5 лет назад

    Thanks Ian. It is in stories like this that your extensive knowledge of firearms history comes into play. Nicely done.

  • @svtirefire
    @svtirefire 5 лет назад +55

    So it's a Chen Bren.

  • @stang3787
    @stang3787 3 года назад +2

    In 1970-71 I was stationed at Fort Hood Texas. I was friends with the assistant curator of the 2nd Armored Division Museum. They had a Chinese 8mm Bren captured in Korea. Excellent condition and after the museum was "closed" he would pull items like the Bren out of the case so the two of us "gun nuts" could check them out.

  • @NotOneOfUs
    @NotOneOfUs 5 лет назад +29

    Am I the only one who, when Ian starts to punch a pin, thinks "is it captive? IS IT CAPTIVE?!" and when it turns out to be captive audibly yells out "YES!!" ?

    • @Emdee5632
      @Emdee5632 5 лет назад +2

      you are far from alone …. :-)

    • @lucasduque8289
      @lucasduque8289 5 лет назад +1

      I salivate when I see a captive pin

  • @dezeekat
    @dezeekat 5 лет назад +9

    Thank you GunJesus, very cool

  • @linksbro1
    @linksbro1 5 лет назад +4

    I really like how you used the flag of the time for the thumbnail. It's the flag my grandfather and great uncles served under. Grandpa wanted to be a pilot but scored too high on the tests, and was assigned to be a navigator instead because of his talent for math, but it didn't really matter because the war ended when he was almost done training. My great uncle was an engineer, and would help construct bridges for allied vehicles. He was awarded a medal for running out into the middle of a bridge during an attack, carrying back a wounded soldier.

  • @MauriceTarantulas
    @MauriceTarantulas 5 лет назад +15

    Solid gun! That and the Enfield did something at least to equal the playing field against the Germans. The Sten albeit fugly wasn't as bad as it looked either.
    One gun I dream of firing. Must save some bucks n go visit a cousin in Arizona. He says he is ten mins from the range.

    • @Rabahsaurus
      @Rabahsaurus 5 лет назад

      if you happen to be in Ohio, towersarmory.com

  • @Napalmnate
    @Napalmnate 5 лет назад +1

    Brens are the coolest.

  • @paladro
    @paladro 5 лет назад +34

    who remembers this from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"?

    • @JackIsMe1993
      @JackIsMe1993 5 лет назад +18

      "What the fuck is that? It's me Bren gun"
      It's up there with with Spaz 12 scene in Snatch "what is that?" "This is a shotgun Sol" "it's a fucking anti aircraft gun Vincent" And now I have to go watch Lock Stock for the seventy third time cheers.

    • @jimelliot4904
      @jimelliot4904 5 лет назад +5

      “Protection from wot? Zee Germans?”

    • @Kyp031
      @Kyp031 5 лет назад +2

      And that she hits no body with it haha

    • @JackIsMe1993
      @JackIsMe1993 5 лет назад +2

      @@jimelliot4904 It's even more amusing because the guy who played Tommy (Stephen Graham) was in Band Of Brothers straight after Snatch if Im not mistaken he was killed by a german mid way throught the series.

    • @jimelliot4904
      @jimelliot4904 5 лет назад +1

      jackisme 1993 I think so yeah. I loved his role as Al Capone in boardwalk empire too

  • @danielmattera4298
    @danielmattera4298 4 года назад +2

    I just found some live rounds for this model in a box of random rounds I had from an auction. I was so confused by the head stamps and bullet dimensions. Its really cool to see what It goes too.

  • @catchen0422
    @catchen0422 5 лет назад +1

    Just traveled to Taiwan and saw one of these 8mm Bren in the small arms collection of Military History Museum in Taipei !

  • @c.b.816
    @c.b.816 4 года назад

    1x is probably 1 star, and reflects a design improvement.

  • @calamusgladiofortior2814
    @calamusgladiofortior2814 5 лет назад +3

    I wonder if Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl (Canada's version of Rosie the Riveter) helped make this one. She was a real factory worker at the John Inglis factory.

    • @Hobojoe4464
      @Hobojoe4464 5 лет назад +2

      It's not Canada's "version" of Rosie the Riveter, but it's the equivalent to Rosie in popular images of "Women War Workers"
      It predates Rosie, as the series of Ronnie the Bren gun girl photos were taken in early May 1941.

    • @calamusgladiofortior2814
      @calamusgladiofortior2814 5 лет назад +2

      Jordan Williams Yup, but most people don’t know any of that, but do know about Rosie the Riveter. Hence, it made a convenient shorthand for the idea I was expressing. Cheers.

  • @badmutherfunster
    @badmutherfunster 5 лет назад +10

    And lo, gun jesus did lay his hands upon the bren and it was no longer sterile, praise be to gun jesus

  • @JohnDoe-pv2iu
    @JohnDoe-pv2iu 5 лет назад +4

    Good video on the 8mm! The Communist 7.62x39 conversion is very interesting. A fellow told me about coming across a Bren that took AK mags in Vietnam. I figured it was either a VC conversion or he had misidentified it in the heat of the fighting. Take Care!

  • @TheAngrySaxon1
    @TheAngrySaxon1 5 лет назад

    A very interesting addition to the Bren family. Thanks for the video!

  • @brentfellers9632
    @brentfellers9632 3 года назад +1

    I have an Inglis....refrigerator

  • @djgraph404
    @djgraph404 5 лет назад +4

    Long Branch represent.

  • @normskvarca
    @normskvarca 5 лет назад +2

    I enjoyed your video but when I checked the Morphy's page I got sad...Keep up the great work!

  • @matthayward7889
    @matthayward7889 5 лет назад +4

    Bren gun? With a clandestine history? Yes please!

  • @F1ghteR41
    @F1ghteR41 5 лет назад +4

    10:23 Isn't it 7.92 I*? Star was quite commonly used in the British marking system of the day.

  • @kjamison5951
    @kjamison5951 3 года назад

    Bren is the portmanteau of the first two letters of Brno and Enfield. Brno being in the Czech Republic and Enfield, the home of the Royal Small Arms Factory.

  • @wendyvoye3110
    @wendyvoye3110 5 лет назад

    You have a profound respect for the weapons and also knowledge.. keep up the great work.

  • @lib556
    @lib556 5 лет назад +2

    Ian M: one of the few people in the world that seems to know what the pre-1965 Canadian Flag looked like (in the thumbnail pic).

  • @DeviantOllam
    @DeviantOllam 5 лет назад +1

    Some such Bren guns were converted to use 7.62 Soviet and feed from AK magazines, you say with a smile?
    That'd be a sight I imagine. How cool it would be to even possibly own one, eh?! ;-)

    • @ptonpc
      @ptonpc 5 лет назад

      Ian had one (I don't know if he still owns it)

  • @Rebd88
    @Rebd88 5 лет назад +1

    I really like the ZB 26 family of LMGs
    Got to shoot one in 7.65 while in the army and was my favorite gun after the SIG 510-4

  • @jakedee4117
    @jakedee4117 5 лет назад

    Thanks for that Ian. It is interesting to see how the flow of weapons and weapons technology matches the flow of nations and empires.

  • @ccdrums5312
    @ccdrums5312 5 лет назад +3

    Love that Canadian ensing

    • @rpm1796
      @rpm1796 3 года назад

      No.1🩸.

  • @StPaul76
    @StPaul76 5 лет назад

    From an 8x57IS into a 7,62x51 sounds logical.. The two otherwise very different cartridges in size and shape share the same case head just like a .30-06, 7x57, 6,5x55.. A very educating video this one since pretty much everybody who's into WWII has seen pics of Chinese troops armed with these Brens but how they got them has been at least for me a mystery even though I knew the 8x57 was the Chinese service caliber.

  • @turczech
    @turczech 5 лет назад +22

    My father was calling BREN the AK of WWII as almost everyone was using it almost everywhere.

    • @duncanbrown1864
      @duncanbrown1864 5 лет назад +1

      It is kinda like a battle rifle...in a way....

    • @jayeshdube8448
      @jayeshdube8448 5 лет назад +1

      The Indian army and paramilitary still have this in service as standard LMG

    • @Arbiter099
      @Arbiter099 5 лет назад +1

      wiki says they stopped using it in 2012

  • @couchbear6108
    @couchbear6108 5 лет назад +17

    Traditionally mounted on shoulders of polar bears

    • @calamusgladiofortior2814
      @calamusgladiofortior2814 5 лет назад +4

      That's an urban legend, eh? We actually mounted them on moose, because the antlers made a more stable mounting platform, eh? My dad was a Bren gunner in the Royal Saskatchewan Mounted Moosemen after the war.
      (My dad actually was a Bren gunner in the reserves after the war, but no moose were involved).

    • @pebo8306
      @pebo8306 5 лет назад +1

      @@calamusgladiofortior2814 Any pictures available???(or was this Canadas secret mode of mass destruction)LOL

    • @Alex_Mitchell
      @Alex_Mitchell 5 лет назад

      The only bear-based Bren Gun carrier I ever saw was designed for use on Grizzlies.

  • @dannythehonestgamer6051
    @dannythehonestgamer6051 5 лет назад +10

    A sterile Bren gun... So it will only fire blanks?

  • @royperkins3851
    @royperkins3851 5 лет назад +5

    The Chinese nationalist on Taiwan also made them in 30/06 they were known as the m41,I don't know if they used Canadian-made parts or if they made it all in house . Ironically the suggestion that the US manufacturer this gun inww2 was vetoed as it didn't use the standard cartridge! One of the great what ifs,US marines with brens?But we all know about US ordanace.

  • @Mongo63a
    @Mongo63a 5 лет назад +2

    That's one clean gun for its age. I bet it goes for a pretty penny.

    • @Chester200100
      @Chester200100 5 лет назад +6

      Of course it's clean, it's sterile.

  • @TheLoxxxton
    @TheLoxxxton 5 лет назад

    I love the auction links. It's always a treat to try and guess the price before looking. This one? I was waaay off😀

  • @jamesosullivan1545
    @jamesosullivan1545 3 года назад

    Used Berns in Australian cadets - pleasure to shoot & remarkably accurate.

  • @nuttyjawa
    @nuttyjawa 5 лет назад +1

    Not just any Bren Gun "It's me Bren Gun" total missed opportunity :D

  • @M.M.83-U
    @M.M.83-U 5 лет назад

    A very nice history class today!

  • @demonprinces17
    @demonprinces17 3 года назад

    He just did another Bren gun video so it's bren gun day

  • @cbsboyer
    @cbsboyer 5 лет назад +1

    If only our laws would allow collectors to bring this back to Canada, but "Ooh, it's scary!" rules the day in the North.

  • @pre_ban_andy
    @pre_ban_andy 5 лет назад +3

    Anyone else find the I target pro ad extremely annoying?

    • @shawnr771
      @shawnr771 5 лет назад

      I find most ads annoying at least it is something related to firearms, and not the Are you the guy with the gun.
      I also do not skip ads while watching. I do mute.
      I know that You tube pays content creators more if we watch the whole ad rather than skipping.

  • @johnfisk811
    @johnfisk811 5 лет назад

    I have heard it said that post war 7.92mm Brens in the UK were intended for the armoured regiments. They carried Brens in the tanks for use dismounted on piquets and they used 7.92mm for their tank mounted BESA machine guns so 7.92mm Brens could use the same ammunition as the tank mounted guns thus simplifying ammunition supply.
    7.92mm Brens dropped to the French resistance were sometimes intercepted by the Germans and they were passed to the Vichy Milice (militia) to use as the Germans could supply 7.92mm ammunition to suit. The French Milice using them to counter the French Resistance.

    • @kevinoliver3083
      @kevinoliver3083 Год назад

      It's unlikely that the British would have acquired 7.92mm Brens for the tank regiments post war. They were already phasing out the Besa and 7.92x57mm in favour of Brownings in 30-06.

  • @theacme3
    @theacme3 5 лет назад +1

    I would be super interested in seeing a machinegun / cannon working with the Gast principle (wwI invented now in use by some Russian airplane cannons). Its an alternative to a Gatling and very interesting mechanically. Maybe you can get your hands on of those at some point?

  • @Revy_1995
    @Revy_1995 5 лет назад +1

    I wish a notable history youtuber would make a video about the Canadians at war. I.E 1812, Boer war, verdun, vimy, Hong Kong Juno beach, that time Croatia attacked us unprovoked. Etc. Most people don't realise how import Canada was and is in international conflicts

    • @Hobojoe4464
      @Hobojoe4464 5 лет назад +1

      Look up Norm Christie he has done plenty of Canadian War series that aired on TVO and such for lots stuff on WW1, WW2, Korea. In some he visits actual battle fields and brings Canadian veterans of the battle with him. (Spanish civil war, WW2 and Korea)

    • @stevestruthers6180
      @stevestruthers6180 5 лет назад +1

      Canada has always punched well above her weight, despite having a military that is perennially under-equipped and undermanned.
      If you consider that Canada supplied 1,000,000 troops during the Second World War out of a total national population of 11,000,000, that is an absolutely huge accomplishment for such a small country to pull off.
      The performance of the Canadian Army during the First World War and particularly at Vimy Ridge was so good that it earned Canada a seat during the surrender proceedings at Versailles - Canada was one of the signatory parties of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War. Again, this too is a huge accomplishment for a small country.

  • @zidan1hao917
    @zidan1hao917 5 лет назад +1

    The Nationalist China bought huge amount of them, and like every other firearm owned by the Nationalist, they ended up in the PLA's hand. Some of the most famous picture about PLA in the civil war included a 8mm Bren gun. And also, they are called 七九勃然 in China

  • @sickofhobos
    @sickofhobos 5 лет назад +3

    Anyone else sick of hearing that guy talk about "I-TOOKA PRO"

  • @ragabara1031
    @ragabara1031 5 лет назад +1

    800 out of 30000 LS-26 8mm Mauser MGs delivered... One big reason why the Chinese Nationalists and local area armies couldn't hold ground (and thus constantly had to retreat in the face of numerically inferior Japanese units) was due to lack of firepower and ammunition.

  • @tonyktx44
    @tonyktx44 5 лет назад +7

    I believe some of the Chinese brens were used by the VC during the Vietnam conflict.

    • @greenmagic8ball198
      @greenmagic8ball198 5 лет назад

      The VC used anything they could get their hands on. It wouldn't surprise me that they would be used.

  • @cscscs7979
    @cscscs7979 5 лет назад +1

    Indian army still produces and uses it and it's production is done from government ordinance factory in Gujarat

  • @monkeylee4818
    @monkeylee4818 5 лет назад

    I heard during the war back than we used to call it 七九勃然 with means “seven nine Bren”, because it is a 7.92mm Bren light machine gun.

  • @paulbutikofer4284
    @paulbutikofer4284 5 лет назад +1

    Idk if it's the same company, but inglis makes household appliances now

  • @christopherzarcone1363
    @christopherzarcone1363 5 лет назад

    That’s a really clean gun

  • @drummaghua2687
    @drummaghua2687 5 лет назад +2

    I think some of them got captured by the Communist and they were used in the Korean War, but being replaced by Type-56 LMG (which is an RPD copy, not the Type-56 'SMG' which is an AK47 copy) in the 50s.

  • @Longslide7
    @Longslide7 5 лет назад

    The Chines Nationalist (ChiNat)manufactured some .30 Cal US (.30-'06) Bren once they got set up on Formosa (Taiwan) Some of them ended up as part of the SOG Teams arsenal when going into Laos, north Vietnam or the PRC

  • @interstellarlapisthecccp4946
    @interstellarlapisthecccp4946 4 года назад

    20 rounds magazines for a machine gun seem kind of small... I'm guessing the logic behind it was that anything larger would be too heavy to shoot effectively from a shoulder or hipfire position, especially if the weight of the magazine is on top of the gun. Machine gun crews in the German army consisted of two people; one gunner and another guy responsible for carrying around the ammunition, helping with reloads, switching out the barrel etc. I don't know if American and British machine-gunners also had someone helping them out since the BREN and BAR are capable of filling a combat role similar to an Assault Rifle as well as suppressive fire, but it would definitely be useful.

    • @kevinoliver3083
      @kevinoliver3083 Год назад

      British Commonwealth troops routinely Brens with 30 round magazines from the hip.
      The ZB 26 was widely used in China and it was convenient for the 7.92mm Bren to use the same magazines.

  • @jacksonlewis4365
    @jacksonlewis4365 5 лет назад +1

    then inglis went on to manufacture the most important military item after the war washing machines, eventually even front loading ones! have one at work if you wanna look at that Ian.

    • @foamer443
      @foamer443 3 года назад +1

      AS LONG AS HE DOES A VIDEO.

    • @rpm1796
      @rpm1796 3 года назад +1

      ''Forgotten Washing Machines''....500 RPM.💨

  • @ironwolfF1
    @ironwolfF1 5 лет назад

    I think the word you're looking for is "acknowledged", Ian.

  • @Mrgunsngear
    @Mrgunsngear 5 лет назад +2

    Very cool

  • @thrashsis5412
    @thrashsis5412 5 лет назад +1

    In my country, we call every machine gun is "brem" starting from this gun (bren). We have difficult how to pronounce foreign language, so we take easy way to adjust our tongue

    • @Rhynome
      @Rhynome 5 лет назад +1

      What country is this?

    • @rpm1796
      @rpm1796 3 года назад

      @@Rhynome
      SCOTLAND..🥃🥃

    • @Rhynome
      @Rhynome 3 года назад

      @@rpm1796 close, but I think it's probably Indonesia (maybe Malaysia).

  • @comettoPL
    @comettoPL 5 лет назад

    I think this "x" after "I" on the bolt should be considered as asterisk. Adding asterisk after mark number was common practice to distinguish a minor alteration in design.

  • @hukama6911
    @hukama6911 5 лет назад

    oh my, a video on bren... better get a cup of tea

  • @Zajuts149
    @Zajuts149 5 лет назад +1

    Oh, Just thinking of the "what-ifs" one can ponder if the Canadians made a .30-06 Bren, and issued it to the troops joining the First Special Service Force...

  • @ravenmaster2007
    @ravenmaster2007 5 лет назад +1

    For which resistance movements did Inglis made weapons? I know that 303 Bren where sent to the French, Belgian and Dutch resistance. Do you have any idea why the Brits or the Nazis never manufactured 30 round or 25 round magazines for the 8 mm Bren or ZB-30/26 guns?

  • @edrooney9580
    @edrooney9580 5 лет назад +1

    Watch a classic British film called "Lock, stock and two smoking barrels" to see this gun in action :-)

  • @presbyterosBassI
    @presbyterosBassI 5 лет назад +1

    I'm surprised that some of them didn't wind up in Israel for the '48 war. They were using a lot of 8mm Mausers.