We Fired the Deadliest UK Weapons of WW2

[@HistoryHit]

We do hope you enjoyed this fourth instalment in our 'Weapons of WW2' series with Luke and Jonathan. We have plenty more videos in the works filmed at the Royal Armouries for you all to look forward to in 2025. Thanks again for all the support and comments! 💥

[@krisarthurs942]

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[@Caesarean736]

Hard not to enjoy. Jonathan has such a natural manner about him when he’s presenting. He is absolute gold dust. Clearly enjoys doing these and I hope he continues for a long time. Always appreciate getting access to the experts, along with the exhibits. No celebrity presenters, no fluff. Jonathan and the rest of the guys are absolutely nailing it, KZbin done right 🫡

[@seantoon01]

Fired both the SMG and LMG in the early 90s whilst in BAOR, quality weapons 👍

[@nervouspenguins9982]

They pair up well. Great commentary and a natural interaction with sensible questions and a huge knowledge bank

[@Bane2TuffAtBall]

Do Japanese and Italian weapons next, maybe even French and Chinese too!

[@____________________67]

Is that Jonathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms and artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history?

[@HistoryHit]

You bet!

[@nzgunnie]

No, it's the other one.

[@relentlessaddict98jm]

I can't quite explain why but Jonathan Ferguson would make a great wallace and gromit cameo character.

[@samuelgarrod8327]

JFC 😖

[@timbirch4999]

​@@samuelgarrod8327 He's not wrong though! 😂

[@kingofcapp]

You absolutely called that. True facts.

[@painunending4610]

"We forgot the sturmgewehr Gromit!"

[@gedmcloughlin866]

Hahahaha amazing. I know what you mean 😂

[@gilmour6754]

I always find it so jarring and funny that it looks like they're shooting in an employee lounge with all the furniture pushed to one side.

[@captainhindsight8779]

It was, the neighbouring business lost 3 staff members that day. RIP

[@alganhar1]

@@captainhindsight8779 Hehe. Though to be more serious, its an indoor range, with proper backstopping and the like. Otherwise they would not be shooting there. They are in the UK, not the States. The UK authorities tend to frown on people shooting in places that are not fully safe for the pastime.... Very stern frowns, generally involving prison time....

[@quinnmclaughlin7537]

they probably outfitted/modified a storage room to be a proper range lane

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

​@@alganhar1Very true. I had a crazy friend that was shooting at a range in a warehouse district. He had bought surplus AP without realizing it. The poor guys in the neighboring car repair place were not happy because they had to dodge bullets. That poor range almost got shut down.

[@GrumpyGenXGramps]

Are there NO outdoor ranges that have actual proper distances to fire anything aside of a pistol?? Shooting a Bren at a 10 yd target just seems ridiculous. Any firearm outside of handguns actually.

[@faeembrugh]

We had a Bren gun in Army Cadets and our instructor trained us in the rapid-reload method where, as the gunner removes the magazine and places it under the gun, the assistant will already have inserted a new magazine in place ready to go. The assistant will then give the empty magazine to another soldier to be reloaded.

[@_Saracen_]

I was part of the last generation to be trained on the Bren in the Reserves here in Ireland, we had it in service up until the late 2000's believe it or not! We just to joke about how badly funded we were, that we were still using ww2 weapons. Until we got to fire the Bren, then the jokes stopped, loved that thing.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

@@_Saracen_ Apparently there was major flaw in it, it was too damn accurrate....unlike most squad machine guns that sort of sprayed bullets all around, the Bren was so stable it basically fired its rounds in a straight line with little to no spread. Made it a good light AA gun tho......

[@_Saracen_]

@@gumpyoldbugger6944 Oh yeah it was super accurate for an LMG! you could really do a lot with it.

[@jhnshep]

@@_Saracen_ Yea, in shooting competitions, you were deducted points if you fired single shots. 2005 is when I left and there was still plenty of .303 rounds to be used up.

[@Charlie-m8i]

@@gumpyoldbugger6944 I remember target shooting with a Bren in the cadets and it is up there with the number 4 for accuracy. I remember a competition where you shot in pairs with one Bren. You start at 500 yards with the bren disassembled then you put it together and shot 5 rounds each. The second part was a run down from the 500 firing point to 200 and then fire five rounds each. Both stages were time limit. Great fun.

[@rhettwilliams8697]

carried a 7.62 conversion Bren in 1980's in the South African - Cuban - Angola - Namibia conflict, unbelievably accurate and deadly weapon

[@sebastiangorka200]

why are u still alive?

[@carterjones8126]

​@@sebastiangorka200 - because he carried the Bren, and the enemy did not.

[@Chiller11]

He’s Roland The Headless Bren Gunner!

[@therealjamesmarchant]

I was told that it was actually engineered to be less accurate to create a spread of fire. Today I learned the truth.

[@badcornflakes6374]

AR-15 woulda been good

[@Tadicuslegion78]

Churchill: I need guns! Turpin and Shepherd: *looks at the plumbing supplies in their sheds* One moment.

[@GLYDR]

I heard the makers said to the govt, "you can have it quick, you can have it good, or you can have it cheap, pick two".

[@pexxajohannes1506]

Churchill: I need guns! A: Why the hell you as minister of interior decided to disarm your populi? Bit Late now when tyrant is on your peoples Doors!

[@Treblaine]

"toob, innit." - Enfield 1940, probably, IDK.

[@timbirch4999]

​@@GLYDR I don't know if that story is true, because the design brief for the Sten was always cheap, simple mass production on a massive scale. That phrase though is/was something they said a lot in NASA. And it really is a good rule of thumb for everything in life - cheap, fast, quality, pick which two.

[@however-yh2jy]

"Quantity has a quality of its own" as Stalin (may have) said.

[@andrewcomerford9411]

There's a rumour that , with the Webley, ammunition was optional - it was reckoned to be an exceptional club.

[@mortallious1234]

I was reliably informed that the ammunition was to be used to, deafen and scare the opposition until you came in clubbing range.

[@donradkos6655]

@@mortallious1234 This is literally the Ork Slugga Boy mentality in Warhammer 40k. The hilariously high caliber handgun is there mostly to make loud booms as the Ork closes in to clobber with it or whatever choppy/stabby thing he's holding in the other hand.

[@captainhindsight8779]

I carried a browning hi power in Afghan in 2012, I can’t remember the date stamp but I remember laughing at how the pistol I had was from the era of national service. It was an alright pistol tbf, preferred it to the sig as there was at least a safety catch, heavy though when you have a full mag and you certainly felt it on a leg holster if running.

[@tarmaque]

I have a Hungarian Hi-Power inherited from my Dad. It's very ammunition sensitive for some reason. Ammunition that runs fine in my Glock or other 9mm pistols just jams in it. I have no idea why. I also really hate the safety on it. If it were more reliable I'd replace it with an extended one, but that seems unlikely. I'll probably sell it off some day.

[@1982rrose]

​@@tarmaquetrouble with hollow points?

[@1982rrose]

I'm a big fan of the HP but would prefer the Sig P226. I had the HP in Afghan too.

[@tarmaque]

@@1982rrose No, round nose. I could be my reloads, but it also could be this particular pistol. The same ammo runs fine in my Glock and my Grand Power, as well as my Star Model B. But I haven't even tried much other ammo in the Hi-Power. It doesn't do much for me. I've shot thousands of rounds through the Glock, and the Star is one of my favorite pistols. A 1911 in 9mm with a better trigger.

[@Davros-vi4qg]

May have been the same one in carried in Bosnian peacekeeping role 10 years before 😆

[@jackthebassman1]

As kids in the fifties, our dad drove a truck for scrap metal merchants who were taking ww2 weapons be melted down and brought us home a disabled sten gun. We painted a bit of wood black for a magazine and we were stars to all the local lads.

[@matthewoconnell4700]

Can confirm the bren was used in hip fire, my granddad was a Chindit in Burma and though he spoke very rarely about his time he did once speak of how his position was being overrun and he had his back to a tree mowing down incoming Japanese soldiers with his bren

[@michaelkean5969]

The Lee Enfield one of my favourite Bolt action rifles.

[@Adelina-293]

I love the mad minute ability it has. The ammo prices, not so much.

[@alganhar1]

@@Adelina-293 Meh, the mad minute has been overblown over the years. The actual 'mad minute' was the rapid fire exercise. 15 rounds, four in the magazine, nine loose, fired from prone at a specific size target at 300 yards in 45 seconds. Every infantry and cavalry soldier had to pass the exercise, it was one of the basic musketry drills they all had to do. What we 'know' as the mad minute actually stems from musketry demonstrations put on the by instructors at the Infantry Musketry school to convince incoming troops that the rifle was actually capable of more than the instructors would be demanding from the incoming students. Its worth bearing in mind that those instructors were men who lived, breathed and taught rapid, accurate musketry, and they were VERY good at it. It was not however something that was army wide beyond the standard rapid fire drill, which equated to around 20 aimed rounds in a minute rather than the thirty plus you see quoted for the mad minute. EDIT: A minor error, it was 4 rounds in the magazine, and 11 for reload, 10 in 2 five round clips, and one loose. All rounds had to be fired, and hit the target in the 45 seconds to pass.

[@LANDYMAN090]

Best marksman’s rifle. I shot the No4 as a cadet, the SLR when I first joined up and then handed in for the L115A1. Also shot the L85A1…less said about that, the better.

[@Treblaine]

Bolt action rifles peaked in the 1904 with the SMLE. No military rifle would surpass it until the 1940s.

[@NedTalbert]

Its everyone's favourite

[@photoplanet]

Jonathan - STEN on full auto - Nice group !

[@chapmasi]

I've been an IT contractor for 26years now.... and no job will ever compare to spending 2+yrs at the Armouries. I was on that range with Jonathan and the other guys any opportunity I got. Bucket list stuff

[@MrDamz]

I only live a few miles away from the armouries. Watching this video I could sit and chat with Jonathan for hours. Never knew they had a range on site.

[@notgoodyet8842]

@@MrDamz I grew up less than a mile from the Enfield factory in the 60s. If I was off school during the week I could hear them test firing the GPMG, short bursts of deep echoing shots. Wish I'd gone to work there as an apprentice which was my dream, rather than becoming a school teacher like my dad wanted.

[@mpersad]

Great collaboration - terrific historical analysis of the weapons, and lovely range firing! Top video.

[@HistoryHit]

Thank you very much for the support! More videos to come in 2025!

[@lcpltpow5870]

My grandfather was gifted his No4 service rifle after winning international competitions, as it was being replaced by the SLR. Paperwork was a hassle, but I still have it. My personal record was a 1200 yard shot on a silhouette target. I think I'd still prefer going into combat with the L85 I was issued though

[@nigelpocock9538]

My father shot for the RAF. in competition with the army and Navy in the mid 60s He was still using the no4 whilst the army had the FN. For competition shooting the No4 ws much better

[@themice42]

Re- the bren, the assault on '' the Bou'', (part of longstop) in April 1943 when Pat Kinnealy got a VC for counter-attacking the Germans virtually single-handedly with a bren, firing from the hip ... Twice! (my Dad was badly wounded in that particular battle)

[@whitewittock]

Great video I get the sense that Jonathan has been briefed to not look like he's enjoying himself too much when shooting weapons

[@ken0272]

My father became an officer (2nd Lieuftenant)in the Canadian Army in 1950 (or 49 not sure) he told me what it was like to fire three of these weapons-his pistol was a Browning so no comment on the pistols here. He said he didn't like the Enfield rifle-as it hurt his shoulder (not sure what Mark he had but it was old)- most of his firing range practise was with the rifle, with pretty intense training on it as they were getting rushed to Korea; he said the sten was 'wild' with the bullets going 'all over the place' very little training on that-but he said the Bren was amazing, easy to hit the target and he felt it to be a 'very powerful weapon' compared to the other two. In Korea but never had to fire his weapon, although he came under fire. he also said that the American air force and tanks were a great relief to have around, that they didn't trust the American infantry, but loved the Aussies and NewZealanders.

[@thecurlew7403]

The Enfield 303 you said hurt his shoulder but he liked the bren both weapons fire 303 such nonsense what did he want firing a rifle no recoil did they post the daily papers to him in case he had to require them by effort.😅😅

[@notgoodyet8842]

@@thecurlew7403 So you don't think there is any difference between the recoil of a lightweight infantry rifle and a LMG? Especially since the Bren was generally fired from bipod prone position further adding to the weight and transferring recoil into the ground. Another keyboard warrior.

[@thecurlew7403]

@@notgoodyet8842 So the 303 hurt his shoulder yet every other soldier loved the Enfield 303 .🤣🇬🇧

[@garymoore2535]

The Bren was famous for it's low recoil enabling staying on target 😃👍

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

I was genuinely surprised by how good the STEN actually is :O

[@tomdavis5878]

Not too shabby considering it was made by a toy manufacturer using tube and a bed spring 😅

[@davidjones5416]

I can remember a 14 year old me in the late 60's running around on battle field exercise and firing live ammo on the ranges the No4 Mk1, Bren and Sten but not the revolvers but fired a browning Hi-Power. I am nearly 70 now it was good to see them being fired again Great video the both of you keep up your good work

[@TukikoTroy]

I actually remember these weapons from my childhood in the 60s. There were still lots of them around, brought back as mementos or just stolen at the end of the war. My dad was a knife and bayonet fan though and he had loads of them, I still have one or two. He also had a hand grenade that he promised didn't work but that ended up buried in my grandad's garden. Mum's button jar didn't just contain buttons, there were a lot of 9mm pistol rounds in there too. Biggest arse-tanning I ever got was when my friend and I put a round in the bolt on the garage door and then hit the bolt with a hammer. Same friend's dad had a couple of shotguns and a Lee Enfield (not sure what mk it was) in the corner behind an armchair. At Junior School, another boy, I think we were about 8 years old at the time, brought in a Webley revolver to show everyone, fortunately not loaded. At Secondary School, though, a disgruntled 14 year old tossed a clip of .303 rounds into the forge in the metalwork shop. Never saw him again. In the next street was a corner second-hand shop and on hot days you could see the guy who owned it sitting in his garage cleaning his Bren. Interesting time being a preteen in the 1960s.

[@manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069]

Sounds very similar to my youth

[@Colinpark]

The most dangerous British weapon was the Wireless Set #21 allowing FOO to call in the very efficient Royal Artillery.

[@UsuallyTrolling]

Efficient at dropping short

[@Colinpark]

@@UsuallyTrolling That would be the USAF

[@dotdashdotdash]

USAF joined the war well over two years late.

[@Chiller11]

Those are some beautiful examples. Something about wood and blued steel that just turns my crank. As a Canadian I’m lucky to have 3 Lee Enfield rifles, an SMLE, a No.4 MkI* and a No.4 Mk2. I really enjoy all 3.

[@shanedonnelly9794]

I have an SMLE No.1 MKIII with a 1916 Royal Logistics corps ID plate, and a 1907 sanderson bayonet, its my pride of place. My guess was it was lost in the Somme, not to be fired, its a relic to be cared for now.

[@ceeb2275]

There is a great scene in "The Longest Day" where Richard Todd reloads his STEN, you can tell its Muscle Memory and a great scene.

[@AuthorAndrewBird]

One of my favorite scenes of that movie, because Todd was playing the commanding officer he actually served under during the real Pegasus Bridge assault.

[@RubberToeYT]

sten being called an angry tube is so accurate

[@joe125ful]

It it:)

[@roygardiner2229]

That was a smashing video. Thank you! The Sten was formidably impressive. Talk about "bang for your buck"! What differentiated the Bren for me was its lower recoil and greater accuracy. At a time of existential crisis I think Great Britain was very fortunate to have this happy group of weapons.

[@Rawkus105]

The Bren gun would have been frightening to come up against; it's accuracy is amazing.

[@andrewwesley3079]

I remember when I was a kid I asked my grandad "what was the best gun he used in ww2" he said "the Bren gun" 😂 love you grandad and still miss you to this day and thank you for everything you did for me 😢

[@DelaV3]

I was able to shoot a suppressed Sten…I am still in love.

[@tasman006]

Love this series. I hope you do the Italian, Japanese Finish and more. Keep it coming please.

[@TheSgtsMess]

I was teaching Army Cadets the Bren Gun in the late 1980s and the Lee Enfield. The cadet version of the SA 80 was just coming in.

[@BulldogMack700rs]

I was a cadet in the mid 90s with the terrible straight pull GP/SA80. However we paraded at a TA barracks with a .22 range where we used Enfield's. I always thought it was funny we were trained to use SA80 straight pulls and LSW autos but shot more with Enfield's. Did wonders for accuracy fundamentals though. Plus we got to shoot a lot more than other units.

[@Bosspigeon230]

I got to fire the Bren & the Lee Enfield with the Cadets, Royal Green Jackets at the time. Brilliant experience, wouldn't let you leave the range until you were pretty good 'as a point of principle' for the RGJ. The amount of time & care spent with us young folk for professional soldiers was amazing. Our badge is your badge attitude!

[@JakeyBaby6]

Cadet in the late 2000's early 2010's and started on No.8 and then went to L98A2 (semi auto) although I knew cadets that shot the L98A1. Never shot the 7.62 target rifle.

[@CJ4S147]

It could just be my ears, but the Sten and the Bren certainly seemed to have a distinctive sound. Happy new year to you to all of you involved with this production. Thanks for giving us some secondhand experience with these weapons.

[@HistoryHit]

You're welcome, happy new year!

[@51WCDodge]

Letters from J M Browning imply that the his new design , what became the Browning GP (Grande Puissance) - Great Power- was intended to fix all the mistakes in his design of the Colt 1911. The SMLE and No4 has a detachable magazine, but only for cleaning. The loading was charger loads of five rounds. As for self loading rifles, the .303 Mk7 round has a rim. Rimmed rounds , not ideal for self loading. BREN had a tripod mount available, which also provided an elevated AA mount, as shown, so could be used in a sustain fire role.

[@AuthorAndrewBird]

My dad was at the Dieppe Raid, a Sgt in the Essex Scottish. I never got to talk to him about his war experiences before he died when I was 15 in 1973. I believe STEN's inaugural combat was at Dieppe. I believe they used Canadian-produced MkII. In one of the books I read about Dieppe, it said when the Canadian troops were training for the raid, the brand new STENS they were issued were notoriously problematic. The Canadians had to make several tweaks to the weapon in order to get it to fire consistently. One of these tweaks was filing down the firing pin. Over a period of weeks they finally got the STENS serviceable enough to use in combat. The Dieppe Raid was initially planned for June 1942, but after the raiding force had boarded their ships and was prepared to depart from the Solent, it was discovered by a flight of German FW 190s. Montgomery canceled the raid, figuring the surprise was blown. After Churchill sent Montgomery to North Africa to deal with Rommel after the fall of Tobruk, Mountbatten's Combined Operations decided to remount the Dieppe Raid. To maintain secrecy, they didn't tell the Canadian troops the Dieppe Raid was on again. The regiments involved were just told to report to the docks on the day before the raid, the troops figured it was a training exercise. The troops were not told they were going to Dieppe until they were all onboard. They were issued new STENs on the ships, not the STENS they had broken in during their training. These new weapons were packed in their factory crates still covered in grease. There was not sufficient time during the crossing, and I don't think they had the tools they needed, to tweak the STENS into proper working condition. Therefore when they landed with these STENS, many of them wouldn't fire and were useless. The MkII STENS were notorious for jamming. The one Jozef Gabčík used in the Heydrich assassination in May 1942 wouldn't fire.

[@moneypans7451]

nice vid, do finland ww2 guns, suomi kp 31 etc.

[@ROCKETRICKYH]

With regard to carrying/running with/aiming these weapons: I understand that the fitness of the British soldier was quite high. A neighbour of mine was a Grendier Guard in the Second World War in Italy. He was a professional footballer before the war; he said he was MUCH fitter during it. Reference supporting a Lee-Enfield on-aim for snap shoots from the standing position: my experience in DCCT with an L98A2 Cadet rifle (at age 61!) - yes it takes some muscle. I could see this in sharp focus against my colleagues who were 'less broad-shouldered' than me, shall we say, and couldn't hit much. Superb video!

[@mirandahotspring4019]

The Brits didn't need a semi auto pistol for the war. Only officers were issued pistols and when an officer has to start shooting you know you've already lost!

[@alexhubble]

Saw a great video on the chieftains channel, talking about small arms carried in tanks. He was very much of the opinion that they were to make a noise while the crew than away....

[@drxym]

I used to shoot Lee Enfields as a kid in the CCF and they really kicked into the shoulder. They didn't have rubber pads, you had a brass butt plug smashing into your shoulder with each shot.

[@culloden1745]

Butt plugs these days smash into diffeent areas.

[@cameronhermann9400]

It’s already next Year! 😊 amazing video by the way, can’t wait to see what’s next

[@HistoryHit]

scheduling.... tut tut tut. Glad you enjoyed!

[@dannykrauskopf7404]

Excellent episode as always!!! 😁

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks!

[@George-rz8iu]

So lucky you got to fire these incredible guns

[@steeljawX]

Jonathan: "I'm not a big guy, so I'd still go with the Bren." Me: But Jonathan, that's the trope of it all. The smallest soldier is carrying the biggest heat and vice versa. Like you have your walking meat fridges lumbering around with hand cannons, sure. But then you got the little guy bringing up the rear with the 20mm auto cannon on their back. They get in place and fire and the battle's decided. Who get's the .50 cal anti-material rifle? Not the guy on the squad that can actually take the recoil of it and can haul it easily. Nah, it goes to the little guy who is some how always a better shot than anyone else, will carry that 15 lbs sucker farther and faster than any other trooper, and can some how shoot a fly's head off and use it to de-wing a mosquito mid flight. That's the little guy trope. So whatever is the largest gun there, that's what you're taking and for some reason, you're the glass cannon. I didn't write the rules, that's just how it is.

[@andrewcombe8907]

Don’t care what the haters say, the Brits had some of the best weapons of WW2 1. Lee Enfield bolt action rifle 2. Bren LMG 3. PIAT anti tank weapon 4. Lancaster heavy bomber 5. Browning Hi Power automatic pistol 6. Tea served hot preferably with milk and a bit of sugar.

[@Lagstudio12345-K]

1-No, the M1 Garand exist and makes all bolt actions irrelevant. 2-Yeah, I’m a sucker for the Bren. While the MG34 and MG42 were more polyvalent, the Bren was a better light machine gun. 3-No, the Panzerfaust and M1 Bazooka exist and are lighter and more effective. 4-Debatable, the B17 had a few advantages. 5-Yeah, that gun is great. 6-You got my respect😊

[@cornellkirk8946]

@EtienneMorin-ot1hrb17 was shite!

[@whatdothlife4660]

Milk and sugar are only traditional because of low-quality tea.

[@jaybot303functionerror4]

@EtienneMorin-ot1hrthe Pait had no back-flash so was ideal for the para’s and S.A.S. Its shaped explosive round could knock out a panther if you could get close enough. The idea was to Tank hunt with them in cover then get back to safety. The M1 Garlands ping was an issue as was Garland thumb, an experience Rifle man with Lee Enfield could match its rate of fire. But for new troops the M1 was a superior weapon. It’s insane how little the Brits & U.S. actually shared weapons technology. Other than the Thompson & the 50 cal Brits hardly used U.S. weapons in the field. I suppose that led to NATO sharing the same rounds. As a Brit we always go for accuracy over suppressing fire. Other the machine gun units lugging WW1 era weapons with them.

[@Lagstudio12345-K]

@@jaybot303functionerror4 1-Garand ping a mostly a myth. 2-With a lot of respect, you need to be the best rifleman ever to match the rate of fire of a semi automatic rifle with a bolt action. The famous mad minute of the enfield is about 15 to 30 accurate shot a minute, the M1 could do 60 without difficulty. Plus you don’t have to regain your sight picture after each shot with a semi a automatic rifle. 3-About the Piat vs bazooka thing, there’s not even a contest, you have to get closer with the piat than with a bazooka and the piat weight 15 kg against the 7 kg of a loaded bazooka. I agree on the muzzle flash though, but I wouldn’t want to be the guy who has to carry it.

[@canadian_investor7979]

We used the BREN (7.62 version) into the mid-1980s, including Northern Ireland and the Falklands War.

[@LANDYMAN090]

Never shot the 7.62 version, does it still drag you forward still or did the sort it out?

[@oml81mm]

It did pull forward and as a result of that, as it pivoted on the bipod legs, the butt tended to go down and the muzzle rise. The secret was two or three round bursts.

[@russthebiker]

Excellent video and very informative

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bramscheDave]

My German brother-in-law is a geologist and does tours of the Silbersee mine near Melle in Lower Saxony. I went on one of the tours with him and they have the remains of a British BUC (Universal Carrier or Bren Gun Carrier). The first time we went there, he pointed to the remains and started explaining in German to the group what it was and I said, "oh, a BREN Gun Carrier." He was quite shocked that I knew what it was, based on the couple of pieces of mangled metal. The carrier was dropped from the top of the cliff into the pit before the mine entrance towards the end of the war. I was always fascinated by the STEN and BREN growing up. Too many Commando comics from my mates or sitting in piles in holiday homes we rented when I was a kid, probably.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

I was an MP in the CAF during the 80's and we were still using the Browning Hi Power 9MM back then, it was my personal weapon when on Garrison Patrol/Policing duty. We also used the successor to the Sten gun, the Sterling 9MM SMG which also had left side magazine feed. But our Bren gun equivalent was the FN C2A1, a fully automatic version of the FN C1A1 or what the Brits called the FN SLR. Like the Bren, it used a 30 round box magazine but unlike the Bren, it was a bottom loader, not a top loaded. I actually preferred carrying the C2 into the field and never found the magazine placement any issue when laying prone.

[@JacksonKillroy]

"what the f*ck is that?" "its me bren gun"

[@wookie-zh7go]

"Would everyone stop getting shot"

[@benjaminmack7567]

Jesus plank, couldn't you have got smokeless cartridges?

[@SeniorChief9]

I really love this series! Please, if possible, can you make a episode about Japanese firearms of WW2? It would be amazing!

[@frenchfan3368]

I could be wrong but I think these guys will most likely cover the major rifles and handguns of each of the major military powers. They have already covered the major American, British and Russian small arms already in separate episodes. I would imagine that they will eventually cover Japanese and Italian small arms eventually.

[@SeniorChief9]

@frenchfan3368 And I'm looking foward to it!

[@frenchfan3368]

@@SeniorChief9 Me as well!

[@HistoryHit]

Unfortunately the Armouries only has limited numbers of Japanese WW2 firearms (certainly one's that can be fired). This is why we have yet to film an episode yet.

[@72mossy]

We were the last group in the Irish reserves to trained and fire the Lee Enfield when it went out in 1990. My dad trained with it in 59 in the Irish army. He served with the UN in the Congo with a Bren Gun. He fired both in combat situations.

[@Harryhas26]

These videos are always great

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks for watching and commenting. More to come this year!

[@Slayer_of_Bacon]

Great work , nice to see an expert explain and use . Skill and training over lead down the range.....

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Centurion101B3C]

Hm, As an infantry man I fired a lot with the FN MAG and I was pretty pleased with the way it worked.....until I got my hands on a .303 Bren. I absolute loved the way it handled and carried, The accuracy is phenominal and I fully understand why it was on occasion used as a sniper-weapon. The difference between the BREN and its German counterparts, the MG34 and MG42 was that the German weapons were (by design) vastly less accurate. This had to do with the difference in organisation and fighting doctrine between the German and Allied infantry units. With the German units, the whole unit essentially was there to serve the MG and the emphasis lay on delivery of mass of fire in a roughly cigar-shaped area with a wide lateral dispersion. The German MGs were most effective in defense, where its higher and longer rates of fire could cover a larger frontage. All German weapons had significant upwards creep due to their higher firing rates, whereas the BREN had the nearly perfect cadence to keep it accurately on target on full-auto. With Allied infantry doctrine there was a much more focused task on the MG serving the unit and a high degree of accuracy in straight lines of fire and more used on enfilading fire where that accuracy could be brought to effect in aggressive fire and movement. The quick barrel-swap made the weapon very reliable, effective and accurate, even during prolonged actions. The BREN would still be a very suitable weapon for special operations, specifically since it is box magazine fed and be significantly less prone to loading issues when compared with belt fed weapons. With the FN-MAG, one gets a bit of both worlds, so to speak. With its 1200rpm its is twice as rapid firing as the BREN, but it does have the upward creep when firing longer bursts, which works a bit like the German WW2 MGs. Nothing that a well trained gunner can't deal with, but it takes some practice to get the hang of it.

[@dogsnads5634]

Think you're mistaken on FN MAG rate of fire. It was specifically designed to have a more controllable rate of fire than MG34 or, the far too high, MG42. It's ROF is 650-1000 rounds per minute adjusted by the gas valve. Most armies train for it to be used at 650.

[@Centurion101B3C]

@@dogsnads5634 Re.: ROF FN-MAG and its behaviour, the distinction is in the nuance, which is not always what you are looking for with a squad MG.

[@ianfoster4164]

I found that a red hot empty case down your shirt wasn’t brilliant 😂😂😂

[@Centurion101B3C]

@@dogsnads5634 Except when used as a coaxially turret mounted MG or on an AA pintle or otherwise somewhat stable mounting. These are applications where high ROF are desirable. Btw, that's why our esteemed colleagues at the Bundeswehr use the MG34/42 derived MGs for this purpose.

[@kodor1146]

"The difference between the BREN and its German counterparts, the MG34 and MG42 was that the German weapons were (by design) vastly less accurate. " The difference is that the German way (GPMG) was the way of the future, whereas the Brit way (LMG) was a dead end. Whereas the LMG got only a niche role or even vanished completely everybody uses GPMGs. The entire concept of the MG34 and MG42 was vastly superior to the Bren.

[@The_Crozius]

Well, it is now personal head canon that if Jonathan Ferguson was an action hero his signature side arm would be Webley 6. But with an infinite amount of speed loaders of course.

[@drjamespotter]

I used to compete for my school CCF with an L4 (7.62 mm BREN) in "run down" competitions. I was the no.2 so had to also carry the spare barrel in a 58 webbing pouch and an L98 rifle (strapped on to me in a way that I could not even touch it never mind use it). We had to fire bursts (penalised for single shots unless the last in the mag), so perfected the art of the 2 round burst. Falling plate for the first rounds, then all rounds to score with whatever you had left (hence minimise shots to put the plates down).

[@Moredread25]

I would think the deadliest weapon of the UK in WW2 would have been artillery. Shooting a 17 pounder or something like that with Johnathan would be awesome.

[@willprentice]

I wonder why top feeding designs like the Bren were phased out. Clearly not impeding accuracy, and being able fire and reload from prone makes perfect sense. Did belt fed designs just improve?

[@kellyshistory306]

Belt feed has two quite important advantages over the magazine system: 1) Cost: You don't want to cheap out on magazines for your LMGs since they are such important weapons and you want the weapon to feed reliably (see the Chauchat for how cheap magazines cause problems). As a result of making the magazines strong and reliable the magazines for the Bren were actually quite expensive, and though technically reusable many were often lost after just one use due to the chaos of the battlefields. The Brits during WWII actually put a lot of effort into trying to make cheaper & disposable magazines for the Bren because they were spending a ridiculous amount of money on magazines for the weapon, but it never came to fruition. This may not be as true today, but at least during WWII and for many years after good quality magazines were expensive to make. Metallic belts, especially disintegrating belts, are just cheaper to make and function fairly reliably. From an economics perspective they're a good investment for heavy use guns as they cost less overall. 2) Weight: Again this ties into cost. That high quality magazine for your gun also tends to use a lot of material to make it robust, so it weighs quite a bit. I don't remember the exact weight of a bren magazine, but it is something like half or more the weight of the ammunition it is carrying, so a soldier carrying 30 rounds in a Bren magazine is like carrying 45 of lose ammunition. Since soldiers can only carry so much weight, and since you want to carry as much ammunition as possible, the Bren magazines are not the most economical use of weight for a given amount of ammunition. Sure mechanization helps but at some point the soldier is walking into battle on his feet. Belts tend to be lighter as they are less complex, so your dead weight to carry a given amount of bullets is less with belts than with a magazine. Again I can't recall the exact amount (but you can look online and do the math yourself), but they weight for a 50 round metallic belt for a German MG34 or 42 was was a pretty minor addition next to the 50 bullets it was carrying. Even with the ammunition boxes you're getting a pretty good weight to bullet ratio. Also I'd say its worth keeping in mind that modern SAW's and such, the belts tend to be in some kind of fabric or plastic container, which gives it many of the advantages of a magazine. The ammunition is kept out of the dirt so reliability of the belt fed guns are kept reasonably high, and you get a relatively portability vs having a loose hanging belt. In terms of sustained fire, I think for a LMG a magazine fed gun can keep up with belt fed weapons so long as you have a loader and top loading system. The training videos for Bren's show like a 2 second reload, its only a bit longer than the normal pause in between firing off bursts. But cost and weight are big factors that don't make magazines as appealing, plus the fact the fabric and plastic boxes for belts on SAWs give the belt feed system many of the perks magazines gave LMGs (reliability and portability).

[@MrSpeekerv1.0]

I've shot quite a lot of guns and the Bren is a good bit heavier than it looks, never fired one, only held it and that never had a full mag on it. One of my mates got his hands on one in the 80's at an auction.

[@nikkirazelli3250]

Reference battle sights, the SUSAT on the SA80 had a battle sight on the top, generally zeroed at 300 yards, as average engagement range

[@kpnut59]

That Bren seemed to be more accurate in auto mode, firing slightly low & right as opposed to being slightly left & high in single shot mode. That said, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it. My late father was trained on the Bren during his national service in the RAF Regiment & said that at 100yds (it might have been more or less) you could cover a doorway & nothing could get in or out. 😮

[@derekmills1080]

If I may be permitted to make an observation on the .455 Webley. My late father saw front line action in his Sherman tank, in Italy (after action in N. Africa). Several times his tank was disabled* and he and the crew baled out and fought on foot. Although the Browning ought to have been issued, and American Sherman crews did use them, the British crews (it was a Scottish yeomanry regiment) each had the .455 Webley and were trained to use both hands for some level of stability. The other weapon, standard to Shermans, was the deadly Thompson machine gun, usually with the 20 round magazine and, if they could scrounge any, the 100 round drum. Like all tank crew members, he didn’t talk much about the war, but did say that, apart from the 76mm/3” high velocity anti tank rounds (he commanded a Sherman with the American competitor to the British 17pdr), and some HE rounds, there were substantial rounds for the 0.50 calibre on the turret (over 500) and the two 0.30 calibre inside (over 6,000). So whether inside or outside the tank, they were a formidable force to be reckoned with. * In one instance an ‘88’ pierced the hull near the right hand rear sprocket wheel and ignited the engine compartment, in another, his tank rolled off a cliff edge in the Apennines and landed upside down.

[@adamir-magnumCZ]

Wow, that's some wild experiences your father went through How they even get out of a tank thats upside down, was there a hatch at the bottom?

[@derekmills1080]

@ Thanks. Yes, there’s a hatch at the bottom of the tank. If you saw Brad Pitt in ‘Fury’, I think towards the end, the young trooper (that’s another thing, my dad never called himself a ‘tanker’ or ‘tankie’ - only ‘trooper’ or ‘crew’) back to ‘Fury’ - the young trooper escapes the Sherman through the floor hatch. Yes, my dad never talked much about his experiences, just that by the time peace in Europe was declared, he reckoned he lost nearly 90% of his comrades who trained with him at Bovington. Incidentally, the two main tanks used in the film ‘Fury’ are part of the Tank Museum collection at Bovington. My father’s tank was just like Brad Pitt’s Sherman with the American 76mm (nearly 3”), but without the attenuator or blast deflector fitted. The other, is of course, the MkVI, Tiger, captured after the allied victory in N. Africa. (The only working tiger tank in the world).

[@JNF590]

You're father got the Rarest Sherman Variant on British service Brit's only had 5 of the M4A2E8 the majority of those variants was sent to the USSR. While only the Americans used the M4A3E8 HVSS 76.

[@derekmills1080]

@ I have a photograph of him stood smartly in front of his tank with ‘Arezzo’ written in pencil on the back (its long 52cal barrel is noticeable). A few weeks before my dad passed away, I took him to see a good friend who was his troop commander during the war. His tank was the 17pdr ‘Firefly’. The troop also had some 75mm Shermans - dad’s friend said that dad’s tank was simply called the 3” one over the radio (even though it wasn’t exactly 3”cal) if called to ‘deal with’ a specific target. This meeting was nearly 25 years ago, I just wish I had recorded more details.

[@iainburgess8577]

that larger bullet difference... several factors come to mind. we think of pain as one signal per injury, but that isn't true: your pain sense is directly related to your tactile senses (we literally test for nerve function w touch and pain) and touch sensitivity is based in your skin. there Are other senses that use muscle, tendon, bone, cartelidge and joint feedback, but that's harder to try and parse. the number of pain and touch sense cells is measured per square cm: around 10 units (i Don't understand the measure) for chest and below, around 18 for arms and head. but that MEANS that the impact of the signal sent to the brain partly depends on how big the wound is. and circular geometry means area of a larger circle is 3 times that of a smaller one (area =Radius times Pi) and Then you add the very different but far more intense/urgent musculoskeletal pain of the entire internal body volume. YES, a bigger bullet has a bigger mental impact. a small bullet slaps you with a big distraction. a big bullet jams and overloads part of your brain.

[@alanprior7650]

My favorite part of "Carry On Sargeant" when Bob Monkhouse's character re-assembles a stripped down Bren.

[@russthebiker]

my old man could do that, with all of these weapons, but then he was an armourer and a marksman, took him to a museum many years ago and he stunned a young fella demonstrating the weapon by doing just that, hes 92 now, so probably best to keep him away from it !!

[@pauldresch3050]

In an earlier life I fired a lot of WW2 rifles and rifles made later. The No. 4 Lee-Enfield was by far my favourite. Obviously the Garand M.1 puts a round in the breech faster. But, whatever Paton may have, said it’s a lumpy, ill-balanced rifle. The No. 4 is beautifully balanced, the short draw-length of the bolt means you don’t have to move your head as you reload, and as the snout comes down from recoil and the next round goes in you are already lined up on target. At 200-300 yards I could hit things quicker than I could with a Garand. I suspect I was better at 300-400 yards than I was with the FN or the G3.

[@markanderson3376]

Very interesting video.

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks for watching!

[@nikkirazelli3250]

kudos on the 1925 Webley.. it looks immaculate.... and now... 100 years old too

[@charlesplante]

I'm just over the moon to see Jonathan still doing content in 2025. I dont think I've ever actually seen him fire an arm before this. 🤔❤️

[@joe125ful]

And you need say big thank to Czech hands who develop legendary Bren. Sten is good that wobly magazine is just soo bad design but can be fixed very easy. I have non working copy of Sten what you have on table and it have that wobly magazine too:):) Very historical accuraci!!

[@hex1c]

I hope you continue this series with Japanese, Italian weapons etc.

[@mrross69]

I had the opportunity to train with the Bren rechambered in 7.62mm, very accurate, beautifully balanced, easy to carry compared to a MAG48

[@alanhopgood1888]

My Dad told me a tale of when he was serving in the Suez Canal Zone in the late '40s, a corporal was giving a lecture on the Sten, then dropped it and it went off spraying bullets all around the room. Fortunately nobody was hit!

[@ianbarkham5080]

Disappointed at the lack of a PIAT

[@will-i-am-not]

Maybe in another program

[@randallwong7196]

Testing it would be......destructive.

[@el52]

"Bring up the PIAT!"

[@jordanhooper1527]

​@@el52"we haven't the proper facilities to take you all prisoner, sorry!"

[@lawrencemartin1113]

😂

[@michaelhill6451]

The most important thing about being in the U.K. military is to never ever be left handed/left eye dominant.

[@HarryFenton6124]

It didn`t trouble me with the SLR or even the Lee Enfield MK4 in the cadets beforehand. But now, it`s a pain shooting my Colt 1911 that has the safety and mag release on the left. And the empty cases often hit me in the head.

[@philiprice7875]

i was a merchant seaman during the falklands war the army took some of us to a range where we got to fire the weapons me right handed left eyed dominate firing the SLR 1st round kick out bounced back and hit me on the tip of the nose. next day a blister formed that grew to 3/4 inch and i still have the scar (perfect circle)

[@michaelhill6451]

@@philiprice7875 That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. Imagine trying to shoot the Bren left-handed with the sights on the side of the gun…

[@TigerT72]

As a left hander, this is a question I was going to ask! I don’t suppose it matters so much on the rifles, but I was wondering if the sights on the BREN could be mounted on the opposite side. Also, could the ammo entry/exit on the STEN be reversed?

[@HarryFenton6124]

@@TigerT72 I can buy a modern bolt action rifle built for lefties. Here in France they are sold. Most popular manufacturers make them. The British Army never bothered making sure the 10% of their soldiers had the correct rifle. Too much trouble, and the blokes doing the ordering weren`t firing them. Remember, they were the guys who gave us the Shirt KF.

[@DeaconBlu]

Great vid! Thx!

[@Bosspigeon230]

The Sten is more effective then we were allowed to believe me thinks'...

[@joe125ful]

I still want use MP40 much better ergonomy and i think more accurate too.

[@markgrehan3726]

I've heard the magazine was pretty bad and led to many issues and then of course people hold it wrong, stressing the magazine even further.

[@joe125ful]

@@markgrehan3726 Because there is not much space for hold gun. Mag insert space needs be longer and that fix whole problem.

[@markgrehan3726]

@@joe125ful Fair enough but holding the magazine does mess things up so just do it the way it was taught honestly. The Sterling SMG seems to have sorted out most of the issues.

[@joe125ful]

@@markgrehan3726 This is why mag insert thingy needs be wide for hand and problem solved.

[@mikesetc406]

Lovely video as always lads

[@Tazza81]

The grouping achieved on the Lee Enfield by a novice shooter just goes to show how much of a brilliant rifle it was in regards to accuracy

[@nikkirazelli3250]

Mosin had the sights forward on the barrel for accurately, it was understood both sights needed to be on the barrel, the Enfield pushed the sights back to the action, as they assumed the rest was well aligned.. and being British. at the time, they were

[@astralchimp]

Won the bull pool( won half a weeks wages) and only missed 3 targets all weekend at Strensall with the Enfield, my favourite rifle ever

[@johnridley1038]

While in the cadets, I fired the Bren gun, After shooting the Lee enfield and a fal slr, I was shocked by the power of the bren, It simply ripped apart the targets.

[@gregorymcnally9257]

Hi there. Great video. Was the BREN gun used also for Low Level Air Defence. I saw one photo that seemed to show it aiming high on a tripod, possibly for LLAD? Thanks.

[@jonward5357]

In answer to Jonathan's comment that it probably wasn't necessary to leave out the last 1 or 2 of the 30 that could fit in a Bren magazine: In cadets we fired some brens, but the magazines had definitely had it - the springs were weak. So we could only load 17 or 18 rounds. If you put in more, it wouldn't chamber a round. I don't know what was going on mechanically, but the failure was completely repeatable. The solution, as applied by the highly-experienced NCO supervising us kids, was to take off the magazine and give it a few deft flicks so that some rounds came out. It would then fire perfectly.

[@HYUKLDER1]

You need to remember when considering how well these weapons worked in WW2, that there would be a real person at the other end 'catching' the projectile and likely being injured (25,000,000) or killed (15,000,000). So many families devastated.

[@zalromir]

School ACF/CCF in the fifties. We had Lee-Enfields (Mark 3 star}. Ours were dated 1917 and working beautifully.

[@kaiser-of-history]

Man this is a dream of mine.

[@steveford4498]

These weapons have become more lucrative in fashion to the disappearances in the MOD and the black market. I admire the craftsmanship and desire to dominate the battlefield.

[@timothyashley3767]

Your Mk.2 is an Enfield assembled Mk.2. two tabs per side to weld the trigger mech. to the action body tube and un welded foresight that can be zeroed. The Sten was brilliant. Don't listen to "veterans" who more than often served in the Aldershot Cement Factory.

[@Spartacus45]

I am surprised that you didn't cover the Lanchester SMG as lots were issued to The Royal Navy in WW2.

[@nervouspenguins9982]

Great video. Noticed the sten jonathan fired was a different model to the one he looked at with his gloves on. (Skeleton stock) I assume some of the firearms they have arent fired so as to keep them in good condition and others are demo ones for use on the range?....or perhaps he just changed the stock before firing. Had a great day at the armouries. Would love to visit again

[@oteliogarcia1562]

IIRC, the British Indian Army did not adopt the No. 4 rifle. The Australians did not adopt the No. 4 rifle. So the SMLE still served in a lot of Allied hands in WW2 and even Korea

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

The deep whack of that BREN, what a firearm!

[@lordmetzgermeister]

Regarding the mention about the name BREN being used by CZ today, they're talking about the CZ BREN 805 assault rifle and its newer variants BREN 2 and BREN 3.

[@charlesmoss8119]

Did the Bren become the GPMG with belt fire? The one thing I remember is the 7.62 Bren magazine fitted the SLR with blanks - I have no idea if it was ever used with live rounds but the extra 10 rounds were useful fro making extra noise. I used a Lee Enfield at school and the SLR later and there felt like a continuity somehow.

[@zalromir]

Sten - Dad used to say they often jammed ("but what do you expect for 7s6d?""). He said they weren't well-loved or reliable. Probably early versions?

[@chasdart7298]

Please tell if the BREN was ever belt-fed, or if a straight barrel was available. Great vid as always.

[@evanmiller2529]

Hope you do one on Commonweath weapons i.e. some of the weapons Australia, India, Caneda used that were not in British service.

[@mikethompson2650]

My birthday is due in 2 weeks and the local gun range has a Sten available for rental. It is on my bucket list.

[@LANDYMAN090]

If you’re in the States, I envy you. If you’re here in the U.K. you won’t be shooting fully automatic or even semi automatic sadly

[@timbirch4999]

The Bren was the best light machine gun of the war, bar none. Superb weapon. The BAR is 20lbs loaded, the original Bren was 25lbs but the later models were only 21lbs fully loaded - with 50% more ammo. In service with the British army into the 1990s, the Irish used it until 2006, and the Indian army until 2012.

[@joe125ful]

BAR was soo bad from start no bipod,20 rounds mag and hit something on 50-60 meters is not that easy..

[@spaceageGecko]

@@joe125ful Just not true, at all.

[@joe125ful]

@@spaceageGecko It is if have 30 rounds mag,bipod yes can be usable..

[@spaceageGecko]

@@joe125ful My bad, I read BAR as Bren for some reason, carry on o7

[@joe125ful]

@@spaceageGecko :):):) It happends.

[@vonsauerkraut]

The mg 42 Was the best machine gun of all time it is still used today