#Bren

Looking for the best AR-15 alternatives in 2024? From the rugged AK-47 to the high-tech Sig MCX, we cover five incredible rifles that rival the AR-15's dominance. The AR-15 may be a solid choice for many, but each of these platforms brings unique strengths and quirks, giving Gene Stoner's classic design a serious run for its money. Join us as we explore the CZ Bren, Steyr AUG, Ruger Mini-14, and more to find out why they deserve a spot in your collection. Whether it’s reliability, modularity, or sheer fun on the range, these top 5 alternatives offer something for everyone.

Photo Of The Day and we take a look at the Szép M1. To my knowledge, it’s the first time we have this rifle in any of our POTDs. The Szép is used by the Hungarian Army in caliber 7.62x51mm NATO.

Photo Of The Day and today we go full auto in a rare rare caliber and firearm. Rare is of course a relative term, as over 43,000 units of this light machine gun were produced. For practical reasons, I think I’d prefer my BREN in 7.62×51mm NATO, how about you?

If you’ll recall my article The Irish Guns Of ‘The Siege Of Jadotville’ Movie , I questioned a curious Bren sniper scene in which an Irish sniper makes a decisive move from his No 4. Lee Enfield scoped sniper rifle to the Bren light machine gun in order to make a precise shot on a man directing the opposing force. The Bren gun does have the reputation of being one of the most accurate machine guns but was not issued as a sniper variant. Thus, the scene, visually appealing as it was, drew scepticism from readers and authors alike. One of TFB’s Managing Editors, Matt Moss, who also runs The Armourer’s Bench blog and YouTube channel, set out to test the plausibility of this choice of weaponry. Let’s take a look at what Matt and friends discovered.

“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.”
– Sally Mann

The Bren light machine gun was one of the more robust and successful light machine gun designs to see service in the Second World War among the Allied forces. During the war, it was even produced full scale not only in Britain but also in Canada and Australia where it saw extensive service with the forces of those countries. Derived from the ZB26 and ZB30 linage, it served at the “section” level within the British infantry. Even after the war was over, the Bren remained in service with numerous countries, rebarrelled to 7.62x51mm NATO (UK, Pakistan, India, etc…)

There were several new news items to keep track of while at the CZ-USA booth this year during SHOT 2019. First off the bat were some modifications to the new Bren pistol. The Bren 2MS now has a modular forend where owners can swap out forends to change the length of the handguards. This includes the ability to go over a mounted suppressor. Other than that the Bren has really been modified from its service rifle form in the Bren 805 to a more viable platform for the United States, such as a non-reciprocating charging handle.

Česká zbrojovka, the Czech parent company of CZ USA, have introduced the civilian semi-automatic version of the BREN 2. The BREN 2 MS joins the 805 Bren S1. Sadly the new rifles are only currently available in Europe and have not reached the US market yet.

The Czech ZB30 was probably one of the better light machine gun designs that saw extensive use during the Second World War. Nations such as Japan and Britain copied aspects of it in the Bren and Japanese Type 99 LMG. It was also license-produced in some other countries as well. It was a top mounted magazine-fed, gas operated, light machine gun that incorporated a bolt hold open catch when rounds ran out. A variant of the ZB26, the light machine gun had a number of unique features that came to be standard on light machines of the time.

After World War II, the UK sought to modernize its small arms, many of which were based on designs originating from before the First World War. For its medium machine gun, the British were still using the reliable but increasingly obsolete Vickers water cooled gun in .303 caliber. With the adoption of the 7.62 NATO by the UK, trials were held to select a new air-cooled general purpose machine gun, which resulted in the adoption of the excellent Belgian MAG. In these trials, however, was tested a belt-fed variant of the magazine-fed Bren gun, called the X11E4. This gun is the subject of an article over at The Armourer’s Bench, as well as an accompanying TAB video, embedded below:

One of the drawbacks of owning a non-mainstream firearm is the lack or scarcity of aftermarket parts.  CZ 805 Bren is an example of such a firearm. The good news is that Manticore Arms has joined the short list of companies who make parts for these rifles and came up with a couple of enhanced parts.

The CZ 805 Bren rifle has officially replace the VZ58 in Czech military service, and this handy 5.56 rifle is certainly turning heads elsewhere as well. Using a short stroke piston and an AR15 style rotating bolt, the 805 is an accurate and reliable rifle suitable for the 21st century.

Earlier this week, we reported about the Pakistani Army seeking a new rifle to replace its aging license-produced Heckler & Koch G3 and Chinese Type 56 rifles, and now new details – and most excitingly, new images – have come to light.

The most consistent request I received in the comments of my Weight Omnibus posts (if you didn’t catch them, here are Part I, Part II, and Part III) was to continue to expand the content of this series, both in the guns measured and the analysis of them. Further analysis will have to wait until another day, but earlier this week I received the chance to weigh six more firearms to add to the 58 I weighed for my original three posts. So, here is the TFB Weight Omnibus Part 3.1: Stragglers!

Last year, at the 2015 SHOT Show, Polish gun manufacturer Fabryka Broni told us that they would be working to bring the MSBS modular rifle to the United States civilian market. Speaking with them at the 2016 SHOT Show, I learned that this effort is ongoing. In 2015, the company submitted 10 weapons – rifles and pistols – for approval to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, but only one – a .22 rifle – was approved for importation. The MSBS pistols that were submitted were apparently rejected on the grounds that a removable vertical foregrip was mounted to a Picatinny rail section on the handguard. Fabryka Broni’s representatives told me that they are continuing to work with the ATF to get approval for the importation of their weapons, including the MSBS and BRS99 semi-automatic pistol.