Was the Bren Gun TOO Accurate? Machine Gun Myth Debunked by Firearms Expert Jonathan Ferguson

Was the Bren gun really too accurate? It's a claim that has circulated for decades. In this episode of Myths & Misconceptions, Jonathan Ferguson examines the evidence behind one of the strangest claims ever made about the Bren gun. Looking at wartime trials, official accuracy requirements, training manuals and contemporary accounts, he investigates where the myth came from and whether there is any truth behind it. Sources/Reading 'Know Your Weapons' No.5 on the Sten and Bren by Nicholson & Watson (scan on SAR site) https://archive.smallarmsreview.com/archive/detail.arc.entry.cfm?arcid=15259 Gale & Polden armourer’s handbook p.12 https://archive.smallarmsreview.com/archive/detail.arc.entry.cfm?arcid=14361 John D Salt. ‘WW2 Weapon Effectiveness’ (1998) https://web.archive.org/web/20180920150859/http://mr-home.staff.shef.ac.uk/hobbies/ww2eff2.pdf Stephen Bull. ‘Churchill's Army: 1939–1945 The Men, Machines and Organisation’ (2016, Bloomsbury), p.175. Gerald Kersh. ‘They Die With Their Boots Clean’ (1941, Heinemann), p.146. British Muzzleloaders. ‘The Bren Light Machine Gun: A Chat with Rich Fisher of the VMGCRA’ (2025). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp7JTpj5wvU #BrenGun #MilitaryHistory #WorldWar2 #RoyalArmouries #MachineGun #FirearmsHistory #MythsAndMisconceptions Subscribe to our channel for more videos about arms and armour Help us bring history to life by supporting us here: https://royalarmouries.org/support-us/donations/ Sign up to our museum membership scheme here: https://royalarmouries.org/support-us/membership/ ⚔Website: https://royalarmouries.org/home ⚔Blog: https://royalarmouries.org/stories/ ⚔Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalArmouriesMuseum/ ⚔Twitter: https://twitter.com/Royal_Armouries ⚔ Instagram: http://instagram.com/royalarmouriesmuseum We are the Royal Armouries, the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Discover what goes on behind the scenes and watch our collection come to life. See combat demonstrations, experience jousting and meet our experts. Have a question about arms and armour? Feel free to leave us a comment and we'll do our best to answer it.