Bren 7.62 mm L4A2 light machine gun, 1960, converted from a .303 in Mk III Bren gun, 1945

The Bren was undoubtedly one of the finest light machine guns ever made and when the decision was taken to adopt the 7.62 mm round in 1957 many Brens were converted. The main .303 inch model used was the Mark III which was a simplified, lightened version suitable for wartime mass production. One distinctive feature of the Bren was lost in the conversion: the characteristic curved magazine became straight as the 7.62 mm cartridge is rimless and can be loaded into a vertical magazine.