Can the M249 Mk46 be converted to WW2

Hmm... would need someone with more knowledge than I to say if any WWII gun bears a resemblence...

lets hope that person comes online

And here I am

At D-Day +2 a couple of guys had mocked up brens and I'm fairly sure they were based on wooden stocked 249's, basically they attached a bren mag to the top and added a conical flashhider, one of them used the box mag and the other was using short M16 mags I think.

Here's some links to pic'c from D-Day +2, they're not that clear but they give you the general idea;

http://gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gallery/v/dd ... 4.JPG.html
http://gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gallery/v/dd ... 4.JPG.html
http://gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gallery/v/dd ... 2.JPG.html

Yup, the brens there were just converted M249s. the stocks were home made by attaching two sheets of ply to either side of the Mk1 "wire frame" style stock. The tops of the stock were joined at the topand finished off with profiled wodden battoning, or built up with layers of cut matchsticks! A real steel bren mag was screwed to the top cover after the rear sight had been removed and the conical base of a plastic/disposable champagne flute (glass) was painted and attached to the muzzel. The front foregrip could also be removed to make it look more realistic but makes it a sod to carry.

Hi, can you state what make the M249 is as the pictures show an odd bottom feed. I have an A&K M249 and I think it is the best one to go for especially for a cheap ww2 support gun as it is all metal and more importantly, takes standard stanag mags. Oh, it also actually works.

I got the para version and started making a wooden stock to wrap around the para stock (screwed in place) but I ran out of time and just wrapped lots of sandbag around it (tied up with string... sandbage are one of my favourite things ) which looked OK. I used a G36 outer barrel front end as it has the usual left hand 14mm thread and a bizon flash hider (too small). Next time out it will have a bigger outer barrel and a bigger cone to get it more accurate. The bren mag is a real one from Warren at Shoot and Scoot. You just need to file a smalll trianglular nick in the edge of the feed lips and with the mag spring out, slide it on the ris rail the reassampble the mag. No screws needed.

Garnish the finished Bren liberally with sandbag and serve to the Germans. Done (thank you Gorndon Ramsay for the recipe ).

Any way, sights are a problem so you will need to fab up something as there is not really anything available that would do.

I prefer the mag feed as it is more realistic. I did DDay2 carrying 2000 rounds in 100 round and 200 round short stanag mags and I needed the auxiliary pouches to carry that. Strangely, nobody wanted to be a number 2 and help carry the ammo!

I was chatting to some of the germans at the end and though I coldn't really aim just sight along the barrel and fire, they said it was a nightmare for them and held them back at two important assaults, so it is worth doing if the firepower balance is kept and encourages proper squad tactics.

On that note, one other gun I have thought about doing a disguise kit for would be the FJ42 automatic rifle. The mag feed is horizontally straight and above the pistol grip on the real one (not angled down like the M249), but in the absence of anything else, a barrel shroud and fabbed up front end with home made bipod might look good enough and provides the Bosch with another support gun option.

Good luck with this and lets all hope the Chinese make am MG42 and Bren like the A&K M249 as I think they would sell loads even at the £400 mark!

Well the make of the M249 is STAR, and they usually have plenty of jamming problems, but my one has been sorted.

I would be nice to have a bren, not sure where I will find to time though.

This ones is pretty much metal aswell just like the A&K one, its just not a chineese clone.

Star, OK then your only option is to use the para mag like Bleeder did. All you need to do is get a few dress up bits and a real mag to attach, it should slide on the top RIS rail with a bit of filing, but use some tape to keep the scratching to a minimum.

Bit of sandbag and/ or knock up a wooden stock and you're done! It doesn't take very long to stick the mag on and sandbag it up. The flash eliminator cone could be done later.

The STAR M249s are meant to shoot well so it would be worth keeping if you want to do the ww2 Bren thing and you can use it for other games un-Bren'd. You could also play German with it as we left loads at Dunkirk and the Czech's "donated" their similar ones to the Germans.

Good luck with this as, bar a few notable exceptions, the ww2 guns seems to be custom made so it is either pay out lots to get what you want or do it yourself on a suitable donor. I think dressing up the M249 is pretty easy, it is not very like a real one but the profile isnt too bad, and most people say it's a Bren when they see it!