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Balder

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Posts posted by Balder

  1. Teaser...

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted

    Am I correct in assuming its pretty easy and inexpensive to get a Machine Gun in Norway? I cant imagine risking putting ammo like that in a registered Bren here in the states.

     

    bigbore,

     

    Not at all. Machineguns have always been difficult to obtain a license for, today it is pretty much impossible. They're not inexpensive although probably less expensive than in the US. I fired this ammo because I wanted to see the effects of 40+ years in a lake. I was surprised to see how many actually worked. As for the risk to the gun I was not too concerned since I have experienced cases splitting before; both in the Bren and in my Vickers. They're both sturdy pieces of machinery and can take a beating, but the rest of this particular batch will be dumped in the ocean as soon as I have made an inert display belt for the Vickers. It's about time I start reloading .303 since it is getting harder to find over here.

     

    Balder

     

  3. Teaser...

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by Balder

    Range Report

     

    As expected there were quite a few duds, about 10-15 %. The ammo had been parachuted into Norway in 1943 and then stayed at the bottom of a lake until the early 80's.

     

    The British WW2 brass was inferior to the Winchester 1942-43, something I have experienced before. Even with good British cartridges that have been properly stored, the brass is thin and brittle and spilts/cracks easily. Probably due to the rather limited supply of brass in the UK during WW2. On the other hand the British primers all went off, this was not the case with the W.R.A. (Winchester) ammo. I had a great day at the range with my son-in-law who never had fired a Bren before. I will dump the rest of this batch of ammo in the ocean. The pictures should speak for themselves.

     

    Balder

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/BREN/P1100527.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/BREN/P1100533.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/BREN/P1100531.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/BREN/P1100530.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/BREN/P1060069.jpg

     

    Molten brass seems to have fused with the bolt face.

  4. Teaser...

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted

    Gentlemen,

     

    Tomorrow I am taking my 1942 Enfield Mk I to the range to try out some WW2 ammo that was recovered from a lake a few years ago. I dismantled about 40 rounds to make a display belt, the powder was still good. I set the powder off in a steel wheelbarrow, much to my and my daughter's pleasure - not sure how the hedge-trimming neighbour felt about it though. There were also a few British WW2 rounds in there, with the spaghetti-looking cordite strands. It all burned pretty well. I'll post a range report tomorrow.

     

    Balder

  6. Norwegian Ww2 Operating Manual

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by Balder

    TD & David,

     

    These manuals are few and far between here in Norway, I am actually surprised that David has no less than two different versions of it. The Norwegian WW2 use of the Thompson was, as far as I know, limited to personal sidearms for some SOE/Linge Company agents sent into Norway. The exiled Royal Norwegian Navy also received a number of them. Of course, Norwegian individuals serving in British units were equipped with whatever weapons that particular unit was issued with. A good example is the Norwegians serving with the Red Devils, there are some pictures showing them carrying M1928s during the fighting on the island of Walcheren in the Netherlands.

    Balder

     

    http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/d/5349-3/5%20troop_No10_IA_Cdo.jpg

  7. Norwegian Ww2 Operating Manual

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted

    Gentlemen,

     

    I thought I'd show you the Norwegian Bren operating manual dated 1943, approved by the exiled Norwegian military command in London.

     

    David, feel free to use this and the other ones I posted in the reference section. Let me know if you want the original pictures by email.

     

    Balder

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/Publications/manualBrenNO.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/Balder_/Publications/manualBrenNO0001.jpg

  10. Who Are We?

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted

    Gentlemen (please excuse my politically incorrect assumption that there are no ladies in this crowd either),

     

    I appreciated David setting up this forum but it has been surprisingly quiet in here. To get things going maybe we should introduce ourselves. I have no clue how many members this board has, but it seems as if the few posts present have been read a few times.

     

    I am a gun collector in Norway, focusing on WW2 in general and the Norwegian Resistance in particular. I have also taken a fascination towards Luger pistols, currently I have 11 of these contagious little things sitting in my gun vault.

     

    The reason why I am on this particular board is that I also have a 1942 Enfield-made BREN MK I. It is a real pleasure to shoot, although I had to permanently turn it into semi-auto only. My Vickers machinegun and my 1928 Thompson submachinegun I can legally own in full-auto. Go figure. The rest of my collection, totally counting some 60+ pieces, is made up of odds and ends mostly from WW2.

     

    Maybe others will chime in?

     

    Balder

     

     

     

     

  12. Thompsons In Movies Part X

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted · Edited by Balder

    .... . I started my Army career in Armor - M60A1s which much like Thompsons are museum pieces now.

     

    Heck, what should I say - I started my tanker career on the original V-12 gasoline engine M48 tank. If the M60A1 is a museum piece, then I guess the M48 is pre-historic. Even more scary is the thought of what that makes me...

     

    Balder

  16. Bren Mk I

    in Bren Light Machine Gun & Lewis Gun Message Board

    Posted

    Do you mind if I use the photo of your Bren in the FAQ section at the top of the page? I would credit your screen name below it.

     

    Thanks!

     

    David Albert

    dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

     

     

    David,

     

    I'd be honored, go for it.

     

     

     

    Bob,

     

    It's a Mk I, the Mk I* was only made by Inglis in Canada and didn't have a telescoping bipod. There were also other differences.

     

    Balder

     

     

  21. We Are Closing The Boards

    in Thompson Submachine Gun Message Board

    Posted

    I'm not at all surprised. I stopped participating on this board a long time ago, exactly because of all the flaming, arrogance and know-it-all attitudes being exposed. Running a board requires attention to what is going on, to me it seems like the admins haven't been doing their job. Too bad, because this board is also frequented by a lot of nice and knowledgeable people. I set up a Thompson board a year ago but out of respect for the Iannamicos I won't post the address here.

     

    Balder

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