BESAL (Gun, Light, Machine, Faulkner, .303-inch)

History

During the critical early days of World War II (1939-1945), German troops took control of key areas in northern France and Belgium, placing much of southern England within range of enemy bombers. Unfortunately for the British, their famous BREN LMGs and other small arms came from the equally famous Royal Small Arms Factory (RSA) in Enfield Lock. Thus, a decisive strike by Axis bombers could render manufacturing facilities unusable for British causes, with few alternatives. This is the basis for a similar light automatic weapon in the form of the BREN, which will be produced through a simplified production process.

The resulting work produced "BESAL" by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), the manufacturer of the famous BESA 7.92mm vehicle-mounted machine gun described elsewhere on this site.

The BESAL prototype inherits most of the form and features of the original BREN gun, including a top-mounted, spring-loaded, 30-round curved magazine case and 0.303-inch cartridge. The cylinder is still under the barrel and the receiver is still very clear. There is no built-in flash suppressor, and the style of the iron sight is simple. The butt is a hybrid solid/wireframe approach, using far less war material in the manufacturing process. Both the receiver and the cylinder are single pressure.

A folding bipod is attached, but not adjustable. The end result was a very functional weapon, presented to the authorities in March 1942. Modifications over the summer months culminated in a design with a solid wood stock, as well as handguards on most gas components and a muzzle flash suppressor on the barrel.

The carrying handle makes barrel replacement easier, and the cocking process has been modified to incorporate some of the features found in the BESA range. The rate of fire reaches 600 rounds per minute.

Testing continued until late 1942, proving the gun was largely intact, and the gun was officially accepted for mass production sometime in early 1943. By this time, the gun was renamed "Gun, Light, Machine, Faulkner, 0.303" (or rather, "Fawkner Gun") after its designer, Henry Faulkner . However, the threat to BREN production from German bombers has largely subsided, as several British factories are now producing the required quantities of guns, and the Faulkner guns no longer have any real battlefield demand.

As a result, the production contract was cancelled in June 1943, and several prototypes of the design were never produced.

Specification

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Performance

Changes