Bren Ten - Marushin

The Bren Ten was the first 10mm Automatic pistol and has a slightly mythical status amongst gun aficionados.

Marushin modelled the Bren as an 8mm NBB and, although I was disappointed by the Automag's appearance, I was intrigued by glowing reports of the Bren Ten's performance and overall finish.

In the Box

The box art graphics are very 'Miami Vice' (The Bren Ten achieved some general fame when Sonny Crockett carried one in the TV series), combined with a photograph of the gun.

In the box is the gun, an Allen key to adjust the Hop-Up, a small bag of 8mm BBs and lots of paperwork, including a target, a Marushin catalogue and a manual, all in Japanese, of course.

First Impressions

My Bren Ten is probably one of a small number in the UK. To my knowledge, it is the ONLY one, as the person I bought it from is the only person to report on the forums on it.

He sold the gun, as his local skirmish site had banned 8mms and I was more than happy to snap it up and extremely impressed by the almost pristine condition the gun arrived in, which cannot be said of some airsoft guns I have bought second-hand.

I was slightly surprised by the size of the gun. As I'd only seen the 8mm Marushin Raging Bull and Automag, unconsciously, I expected the Bren to be big, but it's not bigger than, say, a Beretta M9 or a 5" double stacker 1911.

The black finish is very nicely done and, as usual with Marushin, the original trade marks are deep and clear, whilst Marushin's are subtle.

External metal parts include the hammer, safety, trigger, magazine release, sights and slide lock.

Closer Look

The Bren Ten feel solid and well made in the hand, with only the trademark Marushin magazine rattle to detract from the quality feel.

The grips feel comfortable with a textured finish which suggest they would mate well with gloves to provide a secure grip and there is lanyard ring on the bottom of the grip.

The gun reproduced most closely approximates to a "Military full size" Bren Ten, with the all black finish. Interestingly, Marushin's brochure shows a silver frame/ black slide combination, which is the finish of the standard Bren Ten, but this is not offered (although an all silver version is).

The (left side only) thumb safety falls easily to (a right) hand and the serrated spur, ring hammer is easy to cock, with a light action.

The gun's sights are clear, but lack any markings on the dots.

Markings are up to Marushin's usual high standards, with the original markings being much more prominent than the Marushin ones.

On the left hand side of the slide is the legend BREN TEN, whilst the slide bears the Raven mark over the trigger (ahead of the slide stop) and a serial number on the abbreviated dust cover.

On the right hand side of the gun, the slide, again, is marked BREN TEN with "Cal. 10mm AUTO" just ahead of the breech. The frame is marked "MADE IN JAPAN" below the breech, with "MANUAL AVAILABLE FROM MARUSHIN INDUSTRY Co., LTD. KAWAGUCHI, SAITAMA" over the top of the right side grip. These latter markings 'mimic' the originals, whilst referring to Japan and Marushin.

The top of the slide is marked "CAUTION - READ MANUAL" and the top of the chamber is marked "Cal 10mm AUTO". A small hole in the chamber top allows a hex key to adjust the Hop-Up.

The outer barrel is silver (which carries on through to the visible chamber cover, providing the only relief of the totally black gun.

Unlike many NBBs, the Bren Ten strips down like the real thing and the quality is very high, with a brass inner barrel and well made internals.

The overall look and feel is very similar to the S&W M4506 and it is said that Smith & Wesson borrowed extensively from the Bren Ten when they launched their early Double Action automatics.

Shooting Impressions

The previous owner had commented that this was 'the most accurate pistol' he had owned and, after the Automag, I had high expectations.

Click on image for bigger version in separate window.

Carrying out my standard 5m/6 round, off hand test, all 6 rounds fell in a 2" (5 CM radius) and 5 of the 6 were within 1.5" (4 CM), with the 6th a notable outlier.

Interestingly, all my testing (around 40 shots) put the rounds slightly off to the right of the aim point, but with sights adjustable for windage and elevation, whether that was my shooting or the sites, it is easily corrected.

The gun is also seems very loud for a NBB. I don't have any other 8mms in my possession at the moment, but the dB figure was no louder than a 6mm NBB, so I suspect the 'loudness' is from the impact of the larger BBs.

I bought a Chrono and the Bren Ten was the first gas gun I tested.

With the provided .34g 8mm BBs and AE Winter gas, the gun produced the following results :

This gave an average of 341 fps or 1.8J! (indoors, admittedly)

Conclusions

Overall, the Bren Ten is a truly excellent NBB. It's beautifully made (The best Marushin I have seen), extremely powerful (which might be an issue even outside on 134a on a warm day) and accurate.

It is no bigger than a Beretta or 1911, but the big BBs mean you only get 12 shots.

If you want an 8mm NBB, look no further - THIS is the one to buy.

Weight : 660g (A 880g HW version also exists).

Realism : ****
Quality : ****
Power : ****** (Too powerful for skirmishing?)
Accuracy : *****

Real Steel link at World Guns
Excellent Bren Ten enthusiasts site