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Classic Weapons of World War II

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Heavy weapons

Bren (UK)

Length 116cm / 45.5in
Weight 10kg / 22.1lb
Muzzle velocity 744m / 2,440ft per second
Cartridge .303in
Magazine 20 rounds
Rate of fire 500 rounds per minute

The .303 calibre Bren gun is fed from a curved top magazine which holds 20 rounds. Based on an earlier Czech design (the ZB26) the Bren proved to be reliable and possibly the best-performing light machine gun of World War II. Apart from being robust, the Bren proved to be easy to handle and also highly accurate.

Though the Mark 2 version witnessed some revisions to aid rapid wartime production, the gun has not really changed noticeably over many years of service with all commonwealth armies. In the constant struggle to make a machine gun which is both light enough for one person to use, yet heavy enough to provide sustained fire, the Bren gun hit the mark and appears to have been consistently highly rated by its users.

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