Bren Ten
Encyclopedia
The Bren Ten was a semi-automatic pistol designed to advance the state of the art in sidearms, combining the then-new, powerful 10mm Auto round with a weapon of greater strength and accuracy than previous designs. While the Bren Ten's design has an appearance similar to the 9x19mm Parabellum CZ-75, it was larger and stronger with several unique design elements that made it a distinctly separate firearm. The design was produced only in small numbers before the company went bankrupt. A subsequent attempt to resurrect it by Peregrine Industries (as the Falcon and the Phoenix) was equally unsuccessful, as that company succumbed to financial pressures and dropped production of the pistol. Most recently, Vltor Weapons Systems established the Fortis Pistol Project to reintroduce the pistol as the Vltor Bren Ten. As of June 3, 2010, the project was experiencing production delays attributed to a shift of resources to delivering on Vltor's urgent military contracts.
The Bren Ten remains a weapon of some controversy. Many enthusiasts consider it to be one of the best pistols of its era, and the 10mm Auto is one of the most powerful semi-automatic pistol rounds. Quality control, however, was poor; many of the guns were delivered with missing or inoperable magazines for instance. The magazines were very hard to find and cost over $100 each. Although Norma
Ammunition Company's 10mm Auto ammo was made in large quantities in Sweden, after the demise of the Bren Ten the only other pistol chambered for the round was the Colt Delta Elite
, a 10mm version of the M1911 pistol, which was launched in 1987.
On December 15, 1979, Thomas Dornaus and Michael Dixon decided to start the development of a new semi-automatic pistol to address the gap between revolvers and automatics. What was needed, they believed, was a semiautomatic pistol with its greater ammunition capacity and faster reloads, but one that would deliver power exceeding both the .45 ACP and the .357 Magnum. They hoped the new design would become as popular as the then-aged Colt 1911.
On January 15, 1980, they went seeking advice from the most knowledgeable sources available. This effort led to Jeff Cooper. Upon seeking his advice, the two discovered that he had already been working on such a pistol. The trio combined their efforts: Dornaus and Dixon provided the engineering, development, manufacturing, and marketing, while Cooper provided conceptual design criteria and technical advice. The company was formally incorporated as Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc. on July 15, 1981 in California
, and a new factory was set up in Huntington Beach.
After some experimentation with wildcat loads
like the .40 GA and "centimeter" cartridge, they worked with ammunition manufacturer Norma
to standardize the cartridge and design the pistol to fire it. The pistol, meanwhile, was adapted from the CZ-75 but heavily modified, including a stainless steel
frame, easily visible sights, and various other features that would normally only be found on heavily customized arms.
Production of the Bren Ten ran from 1983 to 1986, with a production run of fewer than 1,500 total pistols according to some sources. They had started taking orders in 1982, forcing them to ship out examples as soon as possible, before any sort of in-depth testing could be done. The first batch of pistols was sent out to the customers with one magazine from a pre-serial batch. The much needed magazines could not be available on the US market for two years because Italy prohibited their export and customs seized them as war material. Customers cancelled their orders and in 1986 Dornaus & Dixon Inc. was forced to file for bankruptcy
.
The Bren Ten was offered in several variants in full sized and compact pistol frame sizes, made out of stainless steel. The slides were made out of carbon steel and had a blued or hard chromed finish. A .45 ACP
conversion kit and an ambidextrous competition thumb safety were available for all Bren Ten variants. A .22 Long Rifle
conversion kit was offered for the full size variants. All full sized models contain a dual screw driver set that fits all screws used in the pistol as an emergency tool for performing field repairs.
The Bren Ten is a short recoil operated, locked breech
semi-automatic pistol that uses a Browning Hi-Power
style linkless system. The pistol has the capability of being fired single- or double action and feature an ambidextrous frame-mounted combat "switch" style manual safety
that locks the sear so the trigger cannot be moved rearward as well as an internal firing pin block safety which stops the firing pin from traveling forward. The manual safety allows the pistol to be carried with the hammer back, ready for use just by switching the safety off, a configuration known as condition one. The Bren Ten has adjustable iron sights
with three dots for increased visibility. The Bren Ten standard grips are made by Hogue from black textured nylon.
s of the Bren Ten pistols varies from chambering to chambering and the exact Bren Ten variant. Technically the length of the magazine well in the handgrip dictates the shortest possible magazine length and accompanying minimum ammunition capacity.
The manufacturer offered the following default factory magazine capacities:
The magazines of all full size Bren Tens handle both 10mm Auto cartridges and .45 ACP cartridges.
The Bren Ten Marksman Special pistols were made for the Marksman Police Company in Chicago, IL. They were part of an initial trial order and chambered in .45 ACP because of the aversion of some shooters to using the more powerful and sharper recoiling 10mm cartridge. The initial order of 250 pistols was filled, but the project was discontinued as the manufacturing company began to fail. Of the 250 pistols received by the Marksman Police Company, an unspecified number were returned to the manufacturer because the fit tolerances of some parts were found unsatisfactory. It was not known by the Marksman Police Company what became of these returned pistols.
The full size models were made in the following variations:
.
of the early nineteen nineties and saw their loans dry up. Consequently, while many Falcon and Phoenix prototypes were produced, none ever hit the market.
On February 1, 2008, Vltor Weapon Systems of Tucson, AZ announced that they would be resurrecting the Bren Ten with the launch of their Vltor Fortis
pistol project. The blog hinted that the project would involve a more modern version of the Bren Ten design, but offered little other information. On July 27, 2009, Vltor announced they obtained the rights to use the Bren Ten name and logo for the production version of the Fortis project and intend to release the pistol as the Vltor Bren Ten in May 2010. The first run pistols was to be priced between $1100 and $1200, depending on model (approximately three times the price of the Italian made EAA Witness in 10mm Auto but on par with the Colt Delta Elite
and the Smith & Wesson 1006). This was going to be a limited run of approximately 1200 but the latest information indicates that greater first-year production will be pursued to reach a sustainable price point. Rumors of 'private collectors' buying the guns were largely based on speculation and poor marketing undertaken by a third party which misrepresented the manufacturing and motivation behind the project. VLTOR weapon systems currently aims to deliver the weapons to market by Summer 2012.
(the polymer frame version of the T95 Combat/Standard), both chambered in 10mm Auto, as the "natural" heirs of the Bren Ten pistol. Like the Bren Ten, these handguns are based on a modified CZ-75 platform and are close in appearance and size to the Bren Ten.
's pistols in the television series Miami Vice
. Excepting the pilot episode
, he wore the pistol during the first and second seasons of the show.
The Bren Ten remains a weapon of some controversy. Many enthusiasts consider it to be one of the best pistols of its era, and the 10mm Auto is one of the most powerful semi-automatic pistol rounds. Quality control, however, was poor; many of the guns were delivered with missing or inoperable magazines for instance. The magazines were very hard to find and cost over $100 each. Although Norma
Norma (company)
Norma Precision is a Swedish manufacturer of ammunition located in Åmotfors, in the province of Värmland, just 20 km of the Norwegian border. It is commonly referred to as simply Norma.- History :...
Ammunition Company's 10mm Auto ammo was made in large quantities in Sweden, after the demise of the Bren Ten the only other pistol chambered for the round was the Colt Delta Elite
Colt Delta Elite
-See also:*Bren Ten, the first pistol chambered for 10mm Auto*Glock 20, another relatively successful pistol chambered for 10mm Auto*M1911A1, the design from which the Delta Elite was created*Kimber Eclipse, another 1911-style handgun chambered in 10mm Auto...
, a 10mm version of the M1911 pistol, which was launched in 1987.
History
In the 1970s the police and some military forces used a mix of semi-automatic designs and revolvers. Automatics offered high rates of fire and quick reloading, but generally used small rounds that would neither overstress the mechanism nor the shooter. Revolvers were generally more accurate due to the availability of longer barrels, and were offered in calibers with considerably more power than the automatics, but held only a small number of rounds and were fairly slow to reload. Neither could be considered ideal.On December 15, 1979, Thomas Dornaus and Michael Dixon decided to start the development of a new semi-automatic pistol to address the gap between revolvers and automatics. What was needed, they believed, was a semiautomatic pistol with its greater ammunition capacity and faster reloads, but one that would deliver power exceeding both the .45 ACP and the .357 Magnum. They hoped the new design would become as popular as the then-aged Colt 1911.
On January 15, 1980, they went seeking advice from the most knowledgeable sources available. This effort led to Jeff Cooper. Upon seeking his advice, the two discovered that he had already been working on such a pistol. The trio combined their efforts: Dornaus and Dixon provided the engineering, development, manufacturing, and marketing, while Cooper provided conceptual design criteria and technical advice. The company was formally incorporated as Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc. on July 15, 1981 in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and a new factory was set up in Huntington Beach.
After some experimentation with wildcat loads
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
like the .40 GA and "centimeter" cartridge, they worked with ammunition manufacturer Norma
Norma (company)
Norma Precision is a Swedish manufacturer of ammunition located in Åmotfors, in the province of Värmland, just 20 km of the Norwegian border. It is commonly referred to as simply Norma.- History :...
to standardize the cartridge and design the pistol to fire it. The pistol, meanwhile, was adapted from the CZ-75 but heavily modified, including a stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
frame, easily visible sights, and various other features that would normally only be found on heavily customized arms.
Production of the Bren Ten ran from 1983 to 1986, with a production run of fewer than 1,500 total pistols according to some sources. They had started taking orders in 1982, forcing them to ship out examples as soon as possible, before any sort of in-depth testing could be done. The first batch of pistols was sent out to the customers with one magazine from a pre-serial batch. The much needed magazines could not be available on the US market for two years because Italy prohibited their export and customs seized them as war material. Customers cancelled their orders and in 1986 Dornaus & Dixon Inc. was forced to file for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
Design details
The Bren Ten models borrow some traits from the famous CZ-75 pistol design, however the "ten" was designed from scratch for the 10mm round and is not an offshoot of the CZ line of firearms.The Bren Ten was offered in several variants in full sized and compact pistol frame sizes, made out of stainless steel. The slides were made out of carbon steel and had a blued or hard chromed finish. A .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
conversion kit and an ambidextrous competition thumb safety were available for all Bren Ten variants. A .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
conversion kit was offered for the full size variants. All full sized models contain a dual screw driver set that fits all screws used in the pistol as an emergency tool for performing field repairs.
The Bren Ten is a short recoil operated, locked breech
Recoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech, autoloading firearms. As the name implies, these actions use the force of recoil to provide energy to cycle the action...
semi-automatic pistol that uses a Browning Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
style linkless system. The pistol has the capability of being fired single- or double action and feature an ambidextrous frame-mounted combat "switch" style manual safety
Safety (firearms)
In firearms, a safety or safety catch is a mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to ensure safer handling....
that locks the sear so the trigger cannot be moved rearward as well as an internal firing pin block safety which stops the firing pin from traveling forward. The manual safety allows the pistol to be carried with the hammer back, ready for use just by switching the safety off, a configuration known as condition one. The Bren Ten has adjustable iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
with three dots for increased visibility. The Bren Ten standard grips are made by Hogue from black textured nylon.
Magazines
The capacity of the detachable box magazineMagazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
s of the Bren Ten pistols varies from chambering to chambering and the exact Bren Ten variant. Technically the length of the magazine well in the handgrip dictates the shortest possible magazine length and accompanying minimum ammunition capacity.
The manufacturer offered the following default factory magazine capacities:
| Model / Chambering | 10mm Auto | .45 ACP | .22 Long Rifle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full size and compact models magazine capacity (in rounds) | 11 | 10 | 13 |
| Pocket model magazine capacity (in rounds) | 8 | - | - |
The magazines of all full size Bren Tens handle both 10mm Auto cartridges and .45 ACP cartridges.
Standard Models
The Bren Ten Standard Model is the basis for the entire line of Bren Ten pistols. Basically, the only differences between the Standard Model and the rest of the Bren Ten line deal with finish, barrel length and chambering. In the case of the Dual-Master and Initial Issue/Jeff Cooper Commemorative other extras include special engraving, a special wooden case and, for the Dual-Master, an extra slide and barrel. Basically, these guns were Standard Models with added window dressing. The Bren Ten Standard Models could combine a stainless steel frame and a blued carbon steel slide, though some collectors/owners opted for aftermarket hard chroming factory blued slides to make the pistols look like the Miami Vice Bren Tens.The Bren Ten Marksman Special pistols were made for the Marksman Police Company in Chicago, IL. They were part of an initial trial order and chambered in .45 ACP because of the aversion of some shooters to using the more powerful and sharper recoiling 10mm cartridge. The initial order of 250 pistols was filled, but the project was discontinued as the manufacturing company began to fail. Of the 250 pistols received by the Marksman Police Company, an unspecified number were returned to the manufacturer because the fit tolerances of some parts were found unsatisfactory. It was not known by the Marksman Police Company what became of these returned pistols.
The full size models were made in the following variations:
- Bren Ten Standard Model (SM) - the basis for the entire line of Bren Ten pistols.
- Bren Ten Military/Police (MP) - targeted law enforcement and military contracts.
- Bren Ten Dual-Master Presentation Model - 10mm Auto and .45 ACP included two upper assemblies.
- Bren Ten Initial Issue/Jeff Cooper Commemorative – listed at $ 2,000 in the 1984 wholesale price list.
- Bren Ten Marksman Special Match - .45 ACP non-catalogued item (250 pistols made).
- Bren Ten API - made for the American Pistol InstituteGunsite Training CenterGunsite is a privately-run firearms training facility based in Yavapai County, Arizona, just north of Paulden in the United States. It offers tuition-funded instruction in handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooting, as well as other specialty firearms. Located on a facility, Gunsite has...
. - Bren Ten Original Prototype - made from billet steel.
- Miami Vice Bren Tens - .45 ACP blanks firing pistols with hard chromed slides for better lowlight television scenes visibility (2 pistols made).
Compact Models
The Bren Ten Special Forces Models are basically short barreled versions of the full sized Bren Ten. The Special Forces Bren Ten Model was offered in two variants; L (Light) with a hard chromed slide and D (Dark) with a blued slide, both where introduced at the 1984 SHOT ShowSHOT Show
The ' is an annual tradeshow for the shooting, hunting, and firearms industry. It is the biggest event of this type in the world together with IWA & OutdoorClassics , also taking place annually. "SHOT", besides being a general reference to shooting, is an acronym for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor...
.
Pocket Model
The Bren Ten Pocket Model is a true subcompact short barreled Bren Ten variant with a special compact frame that deviates from the Standard and Compact models. Further it retained all the features of the Bren Ten Standard Model. Reportedly only two pistols were made.Bren Ten resurrection attempts
In 1986 after Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc. closed their doors, entrepreneur Richard Voit purchased the rights and other materials from the bankruptcy courts and established Peregrine Industries. In addition to this, Thomas Dornaus and Michael Dixon were hired to help remedy some of the Bren Ten's flaws and "update" its design and features. Steve Blair had a minor participation in the redesign and Shanna Everaert-Robb was hired as office manager. Peter Agocs was hired as QA Manager and helped solve many of the quality problems that plagued the earlier weapons. The result was the Peregrine Falcon and Phoenix. Peregrine Industries, however, fell victim to the Savings and Loan scandalsSavings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
of the early nineteen nineties and saw their loans dry up. Consequently, while many Falcon and Phoenix prototypes were produced, none ever hit the market.
On February 1, 2008, Vltor Weapon Systems of Tucson, AZ announced that they would be resurrecting the Bren Ten with the launch of their Vltor Fortis
Vltor Fortis
The Vltor Bren Ten is an updated version of the original Bren Ten pistol, which itself was a derivative of the CZ 75 series of pistols. The Bren Ten is being developed and manufactured by Vltor Weapon Systems of Tucson, Arizona and is completely made in the United States...
pistol project. The blog hinted that the project would involve a more modern version of the Bren Ten design, but offered little other information. On July 27, 2009, Vltor announced they obtained the rights to use the Bren Ten name and logo for the production version of the Fortis project and intend to release the pistol as the Vltor Bren Ten in May 2010. The first run pistols was to be priced between $1100 and $1200, depending on model (approximately three times the price of the Italian made EAA Witness in 10mm Auto but on par with the Colt Delta Elite
Colt Delta Elite
-See also:*Bren Ten, the first pistol chambered for 10mm Auto*Glock 20, another relatively successful pistol chambered for 10mm Auto*M1911A1, the design from which the Delta Elite was created*Kimber Eclipse, another 1911-style handgun chambered in 10mm Auto...
and the Smith & Wesson 1006). This was going to be a limited run of approximately 1200 but the latest information indicates that greater first-year production will be pursued to reach a sustainable price point. Rumors of 'private collectors' buying the guns were largely based on speculation and poor marketing undertaken by a third party which misrepresented the manufacturing and motivation behind the project. VLTOR weapon systems currently aims to deliver the weapons to market by Summer 2012.
Bren Ten/CZ-75 inspired semi-automatic pistols
Some firearms enthusiasts consider the Tanfoglio T95 Combat/Standard pistol (EAA Witness) and Tanfoglio TZ-75 ForceTanfoglio Force
The Tanfoglio Force, also known as Force 99, Force 2002, EAA Witness Polymer or EAA Witness P-Carry, is a modified clone of the Czech CZ-75/CZ-85 semi-automatic pistol...
(the polymer frame version of the T95 Combat/Standard), both chambered in 10mm Auto, as the "natural" heirs of the Bren Ten pistol. Like the Bren Ten, these handguns are based on a modified CZ-75 platform and are close in appearance and size to the Bren Ten.
In film and television
The Bren Ten is notable for having been one of Sonny CrockettJames "Sonny" Crockett
James "Sonny" Crockett is a fictional character from the Miami Vice television series and film of the same name. The character is portrayed by Don Johnson in the television series, and Colin Farrell in the movie version of the show. He was introduced in the Miami Vice pilot in 1984 and appeared in...
's pistols in the television series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. Excepting the pilot episode
Brother's Keeper (Miami Vice)
"Brother's Keeper" is the pilot episode of Miami Vice's first season. The episode premiered on September 16, 1984 with a two hour season premiere...
, he wore the pistol during the first and second seasons of the show.