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There are 2 types of recoil drive springs used in BREN's.
The early one was just a single long coil spring.
The later type was two coil springs, one inside the other.
I have seen the later type offered still new in the wrap.

Richard

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What makes you think the springs require replacing? They rarely need replacing unless the guns been left cocked (original open bolt design rather than semi auto closed bolt).

 

A 44 Mk3 is quite early, is it marked MkIII or Mk3? Does it have a LB prefix or a 7xxx style number?

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So what you have is an early MkIII, one of the first 8000 made. The serial number is an Indian serial number found on their DP guns. Have you checked for DP markings? They marked nearly every part with DP! I have 7092 DP in the collection and I know of the following in private hands

 

7038DP

7046DP

7047DP

7055DP

7068DP

7069DP

7084DP

7092DP

7115DP

7120DP

7283DP

7363DP

7366DP

7380DP

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Yes, I have fired it. Used some of that surplus ammo from Germany. Still getting use to the offset sights because of the magazine placement. Next time that I am at the shop, Ill look for other notable markings and take some photos.
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Is it a semi built from a kit?

 

Just be wary that it was once Drill Purpose.

 

The barrel is actually a gauge barrel so likely never fired or even proof fired as it was used for purely gauging. Quite a scarce item to find, I know of only 3!

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Not a Kit. Its a select fire LMG. Imported from England, point of entry was NY..

 

I have another barrel.

 

Were the DP Brens sent to the Indian armed forces? What does it stand for?

 

I understand that the D on the receiver denotes it as an Enfield.

 

Am I to understand that as correct?

Edited by fifthmdec
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If you have another barrel Id keep the Gauge barrel as a non firing barrel. Its a gauge barrel because of its exact dimensions, selected as a gauge because of how dimensionally accurate it is.

 

The Indian DP guns are ex Indian service guns. They were very early Enfield guns that they used for decades along side their own production guns. But as the Enfield guns were the oldest, they were converted to DP as they wore out. Unfortunately DP (Drill Purpose) guns shouldnt normally be fired as they are worn beyond limits. No one can tell after this long why a gun was DP which is why its a minefield subject. For example, there was a warehouse fire decades ago in which many British service arms were stored. These arms although complete and passed gauging, were deemed Drill Purpose because the temperature of the fire had effected the heat treatment of the steel. When theyd been shot blasted, phosphated and repainted with DP markings, no one would ever know why it was a DP, it just was.

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Oh and the large D on the left of the body near the year is the Logo for Enfield, its an E, F and D over each other but obviously you dont really see the F and only see the centre of the E. Any other Large Ds are likely to be the Drill Purpose markings.
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The spare you show is a Lithgow Mk2 barrel but they were made for their Mk1 guns (they didn’t make Mk2 guns). It is also likely new so won’t have a gun serial number marked on the left side of the section between breech and carry handle. It will have a unique 5 digit barrel serial number and a manufacture date in the format 5’54 or similar. I’d guess that this is a 50s dated barrel from the FTR programme that was put into war reserve.
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