February 28th, 2020
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THE BREN TEN: Features, Models, And Modifications |
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A Better Mousetrap
The Bren Ten is a heavy-duty combat service pistol designed to fire the 10mm Auto pistol cartridge. Both the Bren Ten and the 10mm Auto cartridge have been designed and developed from the ground up. The Bren Ten represents a breakthrough in production pistols. It has all of the custom features of the most refined combat pistols available, without these features costing extra. It is truly ready-to-go, right out of the box.
While the Bren Ten came in a number of variations in size, caliber and finishes, all the Brens had basically the same features. These included the following: *Selective double or single action trigger where the first shot can either be fired double action with the hammer in the down position, or single action with the hammer cocked and the manual safety engaged (cocked-and-locked). In addition to these features all Bren Tens include such factory work as a "custom trigger job, throated chamber, polished feed ramp, enlarged ejection port, beveled magazine well, non-reflective sighting surfaces, and all corners and edges rounded for no-snag operation." |
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Bren Models
While there are numerous version of the Bren Ten pistol, all share the same basic features. When looking through the Dornaus & Dixon catalog you basically have one gun with two different barrel lengths and a number of finish options. You can't even really count the .45 ACP as a caliber choice as the Marksman Special Match was a special run and not a cataloged pistol. There were of course .45 ACP conversion kits available, and plans for a .22LR kit as well, but the only true .45 advertised would have been the Dual-Master with it's two slides. The one standout in the catalog would have been the Pocket Model. With it's slightly recontured trigger guard and single stack 8-round magazine the Pocket Model stands out from the rest of the pack (though it's a bit tough imagining this gun stuffed into a pocket!).
Full-Sized Models
| Model | Caliber(s): | Barrel Length: | Capacity: | Notes: |
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| Standard Model | 10mm Auto | 5" | 10 rounds | "Flagship" of the Bren Ten line. |
| Military/Police | 10mm Auto | 5" | 10 rounds | For potential military/police sales. |
| Dual-Master Presentation Model | 10mm Auto | 5" | 10 rounds | Included two complete slide assemblies. |
| Jeff Cooper Commemorative | 10mm Auto | 5" | 10 rounds | $2,000 pre-order gun. |
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STANDARD MODEL |
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MILITARY/POLICE |
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DUAL-MASTER |
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JEFF COOPER INITIAL ISSUE COMMEMORATIVE
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Special Forces Models (midsize)
| Model | Caliber(s): | Barrel Length: | Capacity: | Notes: |
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| Special Forces Light | 10mm Auto | 4" | 10 rounds | Introduced at 1984 SHOT Show. |
| Special Forces Dark | 10mm Auto | 4" | 10 rounds | Introduced at 1984 SHOT Show. |
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SPECIAL FORCES (LIGHT/DARK) |
Pocket Model (compact)
| Model | Caliber(s): | Barrel Length: | Capacity: | Notes: |
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| Pocket Model | 10mm Auto | 4" | 8 rounds | Only three prototypes produced. |
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POCKET MODEL |
Other Unique Models
| Model | Caliber(s): | Barrel Length: | Capacity: | Notes: |
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| Marksman Special Match | .45 ACP | 5" | 8 rounds | 250 built for The Marksman Shop (non-cataloged). |
| Bren Ten Prototype | 10mm Auto | 5" | 10 rounds | Custom built by Tom Dornaus. |
| American Pistol Institute | 10mm | 5" | 10 rounds | Three A.P.I. guns built for Gunsite. |
| XM-9 | 9mm Parabellum | 4" | 14 rounds | Purportedly for military trials. |
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MARKSMAN SPECIAL MATCH |
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PROTOTYPE (COMBAT SERVICE PISTOL 1980) |
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AMERICAN PISTOL INSTITUTE |
The Infamous Magazines
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Originally the planned capacity of the magazines would be eleven rounds for the 10mm and nine for the .45 ACP. Getting that last round in proved to be exceeding difficult though, and so capacity was left at ten rounds and eight rounds respectively. Additionally both Dixon and Cooper felt that the guns should ship with two magazines a piece, but this turned out to economically prohibitive. |
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I spoke with Bruce Orlowski about the magazines and he related the following information:
One of the clever features of the original Bren Ten design was that both 10mm and .45 ACP models utilized the same magazine. The original dual caliber Bren Ten magazines were manufactured by MEC-GAR of Italy with the first lots arriving at the Huntington Beach facility in early 1984. The feed lip dimensions for both rounds overlapped, allowing functional reliability in the prototype. The feeding problems encountered with the 10mm ammunition in early production guns proved to be insurmountable however. Additionally, after about 400 rounds of the original Norma 10mm ammunition was fired from each magazine, the magazine tubes, which were not heat treated, would become distorted. Many were bent to the point that they no longer could be inserted into the guns magazine well. Because of this, Dornaus & Dixon refused payment to the vendor. This necessitated a redesign of the magazines and the 2nd generation 10mm magazines were born.
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The 2nd generation magazines design addressed a number of issues in addition to the feeding and durability problems encountered with the 10mm ammunition. While the dual caliber magazines were shipped to Dornaus & Dixon as complete assemblies, 2nd generation magazines came as components that were then assembled at the factory. |
The new magazine tubes were heat-treated, which negated the durability problems encountered with the MEC-GAR magazines. The original receiver castings were too short in the grip frame area due to a vendor error. The resulting loose magazine fit contributed to the feeding problems and cause excessive wear to the magazine catch which, in turn, could allow a charged magazine to drop from the gun during recoil. Two pins were added at the factory to the magazine floor plates. They did not come this way from the vendor. This provided a temporary solution to the loose fit of the original magazines until the existing supply of receiver castings was exhausted and a new lot could be ordered. This never happened for obvious reasons. All 10mm magazines issued by the factory have these pins. It should be noted that the 2nd generation magazines and dual caliber magazines utilize different springs and followers. These parts are not interchangeable!
The sheet metal parts were sent out for black oxide (bluing), then shipped back and assembled at the plant. The factory issued no hard chromed 10mm magazines according to Mike Dixon in a Bren Ten Update. The given reason for this was that the heat-treated magazines would not take the hard chrome evenly. I believe that the real reason was that delivery considerations precluded the luxury of providing two different finishes.
Early production guns of all models were originally shipped with the dual caliber magazines. My Special Forces Light came with two from the factory. The MEC-GAR magazines function flawlessly in all .45 ACP Bren Ten variations and were issued only with these guns and .45 ACP Conversion Kits after the 2nd generation magazines became available. One of each type of magazine was issued with the later Dual Masters.
After production ceased, large numbers of the dual caliber magazines were left in the factory and these are available to this date. Additionally, enough components for the 2nd generation magazines were left over at the closing to assemble a large number of these magazines although much of this inventory was deemed defective at the time. Finally, substantial numbers of 2nd generation components were in the hands of the vendors after the shut down either as returned defective parts or new production awaiting payment prior to shipment. This probably accounts for most of the so-called counterfeit, or after market magazines often seen. At one time, Wolff made a small run of replacement springs for the dual caliber magazines but none for the 2nd generation magazines. Some shooters claim a Browning Hi Power magazine spring can be used as a substitute but I cannot confirm this.
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As you can imagine, all these issues with what should be a relatively simple component created ongoing problems for the company. While the issues were slowly but surely being sorted out it was still a huge public relations disaster and another blow to Dornaus & Dixon's reputation as a reputable firearm manufacturer. Not only were the new magazines a long time in coming, but the magazine well of the delivered guns had not yet been broached and would require gun owners who had opted to take their guns sans magazine to return them to the factory to be broached. With as much trouble as Dornaus & Dixon was having delivering backordered guns numerous owners were justifiably leery of returning their Brens for this work fearing it would be a long time (if ever) for them to get their guns back! Interestingly, when author Chuck Taylor lambasted the Bren in the December '84 issue of "Survival Weapons & Tactics" the gun he was sent for evaluation apparently didn't have a magazine and so his testing was done one round at a time. The rumor is that the poor review was due to an ongoing dispute between Taylor and Cooper (which Mike Dixon addressed in his second update letter), but it seems somewhat foolish to send a product out for review that doesn't have all it's parts! |
Manufacturing Variations
With the Bren being so rare most individuals will have very little contact with an actual pistol. Those who are fortunate enough to own one, most likely only have a single example. Because of this it is obviously difficult to compare different guns. Even with only a limited number of Brens being produced there were numerous minor changes made during the gun's short run. Some addressed problems that were being discovered as production ramped up and guns were getting into the hands of actual shooters, which is a process that happens in all areas of manufacturing. As pressure built on Dornaus & Dixon to fulfill orders, and financial troubles grew, the need to streamline production and cut costs became increasingly important. Evidence of this can be seen in some of the machining and other manufacturing steps during the assembly of pistols. The exact timeline of what happened when is rather confusing, however. To begin with, the way that Dornaus & Dixon assigned serial numbers to guns makes it very difficult to tell whether a gun was an early or late production example. Also, some earlier guns may have recieved a modification made to later guns because it was returned to Dornaus & Dixon for service. Because of this, it is entirely possible to have a mishmash of machining features on a single pistol.
 Picture from "Peko's Gun Box Picture from "Peko's Gun Box |
One of the most obvious and commonly mentioned cosmetic differences deals with profile of the top of the slide (upper left picture). When reading listings on such sites as Gunbroker you might see a Bren described as being a 'round top' refering to the lack of the milled flat on top of the pistol's slide. There were also changes made to the adjustable rear sight involving the screws and the way in which the notch was cut (upper right picture). In this same view of the top, rear portion of the slide you will also note that the flats on the slides are of different widths. The angled cuts to the beavertail area of the frame (bottom right picture) are yet another area for seemingly random variations. It could be that in the company's rush to ship as many guns as possible frames with cosmetic blemishes were used requiring more material to be removed to make them useable, or possibly changes were made to the milling machines. The magazines (which were discussed in depth above) were another item with multiple different versions adding to more confusion. |
 Picture from "Peko's Gun Box Picture from "Peko's Gun Box |
Bren collectors will also note differences in the trigger stop, with holes being drilled through the bottom of the trigger guard in slightly different positions and angles. The first Brens did not have this feature. This was actually part of Dornaus & Dixon's first recall which included other modifications such an upgrade to the rear sight, broaching the mag well for those pistols that were shipped without magazines, and in improvement to the cross bolt safety. This work began towards the end of 1985, but again not every Bren owner was willing to ship back their pistol resulting in only some guns having the work done.
Another rather odd variation is the 2-dot versus 3-dot safety markings on the pistol's frame. Actually the reason for this change is simple enough. It was found that the small amount of red paint added to the hole in which the safety's detent would pop into actually filled in the hole just enough to keep the safety from positively 'snapping' into position. I would think that simply drilling the hole a touch deeper would rectify this, but maybe this was difficult to do with consistent results. Also, since this was the gun's primary 'safety' mechanism it may be that for legal protection it was best to just avoid the problem altogether by drilling the third hole?
'Viced' Bren Tens
Probably the most famous and sought after Bren Ten was never actually made, that is as a production gun available from the factory. This would be the 'Viced' Bren Ten as used by the character Detective Sonny Crockett in the 80s television crime drama "Miami Vice." While the Special Forces Light model has the same finish, it is of course a 4" model and was not available when the Bren was chosen as Crockett's sidearm. The reasoning for the hard chrome treatment to the slide was that as there would be quite a bit of filming at night it was felt that an all-silver pistol would show up better than the two-tone Standard Model.
Understandably those who's first introduction to the Bren was via television (including myself) were disappointed that the gun they wanted wasn't actually being made. I have no doubt that had Dornaus & Dixon survived they would have eventually offered this version, but as they went out of business so quickly they never had the opportunity to capitalize on this. This problem, however, didn't stop Bren owners with a Miami Vice fetish from taking things into their own hands. Numerous individuals have 'Viced' their Bren Tens by sending in the slide to be hard chromed. I have seen this done on not only Standard Models, but also .45 caliber Marksman Special Match pistols. I have even seen at least one M&P had it's blackened frame finish removed along with its slide hard chromed to achieve this look!
It is certainly a beautiful gun, and it's not surprising that when Vltor was planning to reintroduce the Bren Ten they had an all-silver model actually sporting the serial number prefix "MV."
How Many Brens?
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Probably one of the most hotly contested questions is, "How many Brens were made?" Well the honest, though unpopular answer is that nobody seems to know and that it is extremely unlikely that a definitive number will ever be determined. You will usually hear most people say that there were around 1,500 guns produced, but in truth it is most likely less (maybe around 1,350 or so?). There were of course the 250 Marksman Special Match pistols chambered in .45 ACP built for the Marksman Shop in Glenview, Illinois, but other than these guns the serial numbers were not necessarily assigned sequentially as one would naturally assume. One of the services Dornaus & Dixon offered was to take custom serial number requests. Because of this it was more than possible to have a late-manufacture gun with a low serial number, or an early gun sporting a high digit serial number. Not only this, but when the company closed shop there were quite a few frames that either hadn't been built into guns, or were rejected due to flaws but still bore serial numbers. Years ago when I spoke with Richard Voit (who tried to resurrect the Bren Ten as the Peregrin Falcon and Phoenix) he stated that when Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises closed up shop all their records were sent to the A.T.F., but then when I contacted the agency in hopes of possibly getting a concrete production number they informed me that they had no such records and that therefore the current owner of the rights to the Bren Ten must have them. At the time this would have put them back with Voit and Peregrin Industries. According to the law these books are supposed to be maintained, so they must be somewhere. |
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I just recently started searching for pictures of Bren Tens on the internet. Trying to keep things as verifiable as possible I only recorded guns from pictures where the serial number is plainly visible. This method seems to be providing more numbers, but of course it doesn't provide any help in establishing the going price for a particular model of Bren Ten. I have put this information into an Excel spreadsheet. If it was an auction I have included the final price and the date sold, as well as any accesories or other noteable information about the gun. If it was simply a picture I found I included the website URL and the date it was added to the database. You can download the most recent version of the Excel spreadsheet by clicking on the link to the right. If you have a Bren and would like to add it to the database I will require a picture that shows the serial number. I will NOT include any personal information in order to protect your identity. |
as of 2/25/20 |