Last Sunday I took the M96 Expeditionary in Bren configuration to the shoot we had up near Reading, PA.  I had done the initial break-in the previous Thursday, firing 310 rounds through the rifle without any problems. I did not clean it after the break-in. Just tossed it back in its case.

On Sunday we put an additional 700 rounds or so through it, a mix of Barnaul 62gr and SA 55gr.  No FTF or FTE problems were encountered. Function was reliable all day long.

Observations:

It is possible to fire the M96 significantly faster than an AR-15. I was able to shoot an entire 30 round magazine as fast as I could pull the trigger; literally 4-5 seconds for 30 rounds. It sounded like it was full-auto. No doubling, no feed problems. It ran perfectly smoothly.

The porting at the end of the bren barrel seems to have some value; combined with the heavy barrel it was possible to rapid fire as mentioned above and hold the rounds in an 18" target at 100 yards

The barrel is heavily fluted, and didn't seem to get excessively hot after 120 round strings.

Just about everyone at the shoot decided they needed a new M96

It's not me in the picture.

Stop doing this to me!!! Construction on my house starts in about a week or so. Cant spend that kind of money for a few months!!!!  

Just to make it worse for Hawkeye1:

www.biggerhammer.net/m96/wwwboard/index.cgi?read=3759

An M96 with bren, carbine, and rifle setups for $1500. If I hadn't just spent $800 dollars on ammo for the BRC I would buy it myself

Thanks for the report on the bren variant, it is good to hear positive comments about the M96.  Over at the biggerhammer forum we seem to get a horses ass badmouthing the M96 at least once a week.  I suspect that most of these badmouthers have never even fired an M96.

    Regarding that $1500.00 package sale, I agree 100%!  I would have bought that deal in an instant if I weren't getting married next month.  Our wedding and reception is coming out of our own pocket, so I won't be making any major firearms purchases for a while. I can just imagine what my better half would say if I bought another M96 with all the bills we are facing.

David -

Does the bren config  have a functional purpose beyond getting a 30+ rounder out from under the gun, or is it a preference item to you??

Claims are made the Bren config helps ammo feeding issues (somewhat gravity fed)

It's certainly easier to shoot prone than with the magazine sticking out the bottom. And in the orignal bren design, gravity aiding the feed was a consideration.  For me, it's just another cool gun to play with. Frankly, I was amazed at how well it works like this.

I have the rifle kit, too, and the Recon Carbine ordered.

Quoted: Claims are made the Bren config helps ammo feeding issues (somewhat gravity fed)

I don't think you should have a problem with 5.56 and ammo feeding. It's just to light.
There was an article in SAR about the Seals in Vietnam and the Bren fed Stoners. It seems the Seals hated this configuration. Loose dirt easily found its way into the chamber from the enviroment and the mags. That was Vietnam mind you not you local firing range.

Quoted: Just to make it worse for Hawkeye1: www.biggerhammer.net/m96/wwwboard/index.cgi?read=3759 An M96 with bren, carbine, and rifle setups for $1500. If I hadn't just spent $800 dollars on ammo for the BRC I would buy it myself

Thanks! What a guy.

What I really want is a Recon version with black furniture. If I can only hold out until around the end of August when the house is finished..............

It's a shame that you have to buy a whole second barrel for the Bren configuration.  It seems it would be easy to develop an offset front sight that would replace the dovetailed front sight.

ken_mays espoused: It's a shame that you have to buy a whole second barrel for the Bren configuration. It seems it would be easy to develop an offset front sight that would replace the dovetailed front sight.

It's barrel and gas tube/op rod. The receiver actually get flipped over, so that the gas system is under the barrel, as opposed to over the barrel in any rifle or carbine config.

And I wish they made the Bren barrel for the carbine setup/ It's deeply fluted, cools quickly, and looks better than the other barrels