Building a Bren Ten Like Combat pistol for less than $1000

Of all combat pistols, the Bren Ten Stands alongside the 1911, yet little is known about it. It's design features, intricacies and advantages are known to a loyal few. Those who know the weapon are convinced it is a upgrade to the 1911 .45 ACP, a telling boast since now every major pistol maker seems to carry a copy of Browning's venerable design. Three men are most noted for its conception, but the most recognizable name is Jeff Cooper, who insisted on several features and pronounced it a better weapon than the 1911.

To get a better understanding of the Bren Ten, I would recommend the website BREN-TEN.com as well as the forum pages for history of the weapon. In this entry I am merely going to show how a relatively good weapon can become a fantastic weapon with a few changes. Getting close (But not Quite passing!) the Bren-Ten itself. To be brief it is a hi-cap, 10mm pistol with armored sights, DA/SA, outside extractor, Browning Drop link barrel with integral ramp, replaceable front sight, magazine ejector brake with a beautiful trigger pull and utterly reliable. Sadly, these were only made for a few years and only 1500 or so examples are known to exist. However, the EAA Witness pistol, with a few judicious mods, can be modified to be a close second.

The base weapon I am starting with is a EAA Witness Match, a pretty good weapon for a start, well balanced and with a Browning Hi-Power like frame that fits the hand much better than the 1911 frame, but sadly is set up for competition and target duty. The weapon is modular, so parts can be swapped with little difficulty and with full backing from the factory.

Now here is the weapon before mods:

So to begin we need to know where to go. First on the base weapon it is important to get a weapon WITHOUT a rail to get the balance correct. The owner needs the ability to control the weapon with either hand, so ambidextrous safeties should be added, NOT the huge flippers used in competition, but small safeties for carry. Two, it should be modified for DA/SA so that Cocked and Locked carry is not necessary. The safeties are for the range, the weapon is carried live with hammer down. Three, the tiny factory sights should be changed for really good sights, Bo-Mars or equivalent. Four, the weapon should hold at least 15 cartridges. Five, a full guide rod should be installed.

The weapon can be obtained for less than $600 from many places (GunBroker for example). It is important to get a large frame, so you want the base weapon in 38 Super, 40 S&W, 10mm, or 45 ACP.

Now from the factory order the following:

Blue Slide with Super Sight 4 3/4" in 10mm
10mm barrel 4 3/4"
DA Trigger (Chrome w/overtravel set)
Interrupter
DA Hammer
Small Ambidextrous Safety
Walnut Grips

From other suppliers you will get:

20lbs Wolff Recoil Spring
Magazine

Here are some of the parts in picture:

After these parts are added, you have a weapon that has a close look, balance and feel of the Bren Ten, 15 rounds of full power 10mm ammo and many of the exceptional features of the Bren Ten for a lot less money than a custom 45. A fuller description of this conversion is at Bren-Ten.com. I stress this weapon is not for a beginner, it is an experts pure combat weapon, not the weapon for a newbie to learn on. It has everything it needs and nothing more.

Below is a picture of the completed pistol. Note sights, trigger, hammer, magazine. No frills, just reliable power.