Bren Gun pintle for Brass Mount

[Ralph Volkert]

Ok I now have 4 great looking brass Bren LMG pintle mounts, and a Bren gun on the way. Now I need the actual pintle and bracket to join the 2 together

The attachment is the only picture I can find. Any other pics available showing other views? Dimensions would be great!

Thanks in advance

[rob love]

Ralph
I have never seen that style a Bren pintle used with the Canadian carriers. The brass mount is correct for the mk1 carriers though.

The pintle you want is the pogo stick style which was for anti aircraft use. I believe there is a photo of it in the parts manual, and it stores on top of the engine cover.

[horsa]

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...?t=9136&page=5

Link above is from my T-16 restoration thread and we got side-tracked on weapons mounts after I got one from a friend in OZ for a Bren gun. Message #150 has measurements of my example since others asked about it. And there are photos of the examples that Lynn in NZ owns as well.

[Ralph Volkert]

David Thanks! I have been doing searches on "Pintle, mount, Bren" and wasnt getting too far. I have also searched Pogo but that is too short of a search word.

Rob, I know I saw some good pictures of the tall pogo mounts and that a member made some reproductions but darned if I can find the thread.
Has anyone posted or have dimensions for that?

So are the brass Pintle mounts ONLY for AA pogo style Bren clamps/mount?

The pintles remind me of a Morse Taper with a locking grove cut in it.

Were shell casing catchers used on the Bren guns? I have seen canvas ones and a steel catcher as part of a mount in a post war version.

(for every answer I get, it only leads to more questions!) Gotta love it!

[Lynn Eades]

The photo you posted is mine. The Bren Carrier used one of these in the gunners slot, however the Universal carrier had a rubber rest in the front slot. As you would know, there are about 4 of the brass mounts amongst the various rubber / wooden rests on the engine cover as well as on the div. plate, rear plate, and right side. This mount could be used directly into the brass mounts, or the Bren gun could be used against directly on the rests. The "pogo" stick is an aerial mount, for anti aircraft fire. If you search Nigel Wards posts you should find info about repro ones, as it was him who did them.
As a note, I believe a fully kitted carrier had more than 1 Bren gun on board. If I recall correctly, some carried as many as 4. (please dont ask me to substantiate this)
The various rests and mounts gave the crew some options.
I doubt the aerial mount was used at all in ground fighting.
I have the other version of this mount assembly that fits the Bren into the Australian LP2 front mount. It has a bigger spigot.

[rob love]

I would definitely concur on the pogo mount not being used for ground fighting. it would have put the gunner in a very vulnerable position.

Perhaps the confusion comes in with the term Bren carrier vice Universal carrier. The information below is the jist of whats in the manual on the carrier platoon in the infantry battalion.

On the Canadian Universal carrier, mk1, the AA mount (pogo stick) was the only mount provided. There was only one Bren issued per carrier, with a second one provided if available. The Boys anti tank rifle was only provided as only one per carrier platoon (and not one per carrier).

The bren was not a tank, but rather a lightly armoured vehicle whose purpose was to get the Bren or anti tank rifle into it's ground position, with necessary ammunition, and then the bren would retreat to nearby cover.

It was not designed to be an offensive vehicle driving towards the enemy with guns a-blazing.

The above info is by the book. Of course, the troops in war adapted the carrier to what they needed, and the stowage of kit along with variations in the weapons would have occurred.

Even the AA stick would have likely been rendered obsolete. Stories of attracting a stuka with it's 20mm guns against a .303 LMG rarely worked out in the bren gunners favour. The aircraft's gun range was well beyond what the Bren could achieve.

[Ben]

Nigels repro pogo sticks are very good, you would do well to get one if he has any left.

If anybody has one of the Bren mounts shown above that needs a new home I'd happily help them out :-)

Ben

[nigel ward]

Hi All

I still do have some repro pogo sticks available.

$220.00 Australian dollars each.
Air mail to the UK and Europe is $95.75
Air mail to the USA and Canada is $67.75