Inherited an old Browning Auto 5 - tell me about it

[roscoe]

For Christmas I was given an old Browning Auto 5 that my grandfather owned. It was supposed to have gone duck hunting with Ernest Hemingway (in the hands of my grandfather) on the Missouri a looong time ago.

It is a serial number 56xxx and has a 28" barrel. I know that the steel in those old barrels cannot take modern steel shot, and it can only take only 2 3/4" shells. Are there other limitations? Can I shoot slugs safely? And can I get another barrel to use if I am worried about tearing up this one?

Any other advice? I love the thing for its history and do not plan to refinish the stock or metal, and would never sell it. It shoots fine and I would like to shoot it regularly, but will defer to more experienced folk if it will damage the gun.

Thanks!!

[Dave McCracken]

A-5s last forever if maintained. Get a manual and read it a couple times.

Forster style slugs wil not hurt your barrel, regardless of choke.

Extra barrels are available, including steel shot capable ones.

Sounds like your Grandad would like you shooting his shotgun. Enjoy...

[EVIL5LITER]

Post pics of it. Go to Browing's website and look up the serial number so you know what year it was manufactured. What model is it?

[roscoe]

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=33135&d=1135741514

The Browning site only says that it was manufactured between 1903 and 1939 (as were all A5s under 228,000).

I misremembered the ser. #: it is 69xxx. Along the barrel reads: "Made in Belgium" and on the other side it says "Full Special 12 Steel".

The bottom of the barrel says choke 18.3 - which is Greek to me - I am not much of a shotgun guy. Are there implications for slug shooting?

Anyway, if anyone has more information on this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

[EVIL5LITER]

It's a full choke 12 gauge, if I'm reading what you've written down correctly.

Cherish the gun, and learn how to clean it inside and out and keep it that way. The gun will never fail you and will always be there for you.

If for some unknown reason you do decide to get rid of it though, by all means please let me know.

[SShooterZ]

Biggest thing to keep an eye on is the friction rings on the magazine inside the forearm. Make sure it is set correctly for the loads you are shooting and make sure there is a very light coat of oil on the magazine itself. The one thing I would warn you about with A5s is that they are notorious for cracking the forearms, but, with the friction ring set correctly, it greatly reduces the chance of damage.

Good luck with it! You will soon realize what a great gun it is. :)

[Kingcreek]

Biggest thing to keep an eye on is the friction rings on the magazine inside the forearm.
I agree, make sure they are all in place. I have seen A5s missing the "heavy load" ring.
I leave mine set up for heavy unless it won't cycle.

[JohnBT]

The list in the Blue Book says 1924 for 62601 up to 69300.

The 18.3 is the inside diameter of the muzzle in millimeters. The 12 ga. bore is 18.5mm IIRC - don't quote me on this. (Let's see, 18.5/25.4(mm to an inch) = .728, and 18.3/25.4 = .720) Okay, I quit, that's my arithmetic exercise for the day.

JT

[LowFlyer]

I have one just like it my grandfather gave me. It was manufactured in 1934. I looked around to find out what it was worth and found that it would bring $250 to $500 depending on condition. I'm told that the slide type safety is undesirable to collectors which explaines the low price. Good old shotgun though. I shoot mine often.

[roscoe]

Yeah - I would never sell it, irrespctive of value - after all, it went hunting with Hemingway! All I lack to prove it is living eyewitnesses, photographs, or hard evidence of any kind!

[meh92]

Feed it... clean it... love it... keep it!

The book "Gunsmithing Shotguns, by Patrick Sweeney" has some excellent reference materials for the A5. I have a Remington model 11, which is nearly an exact copy of the A5. It was a little intimidating to detail-strip and clean the first time, but now that I know what's going on, it isn't a hassle at all. Sweeney says you will need special screwdrivers since Browning used very narrow slits. He recommends filing a special set just for your A5, to keep from buggering up the heads.

Replacement springs and rings are available so giving it an overhaul shouldn't be any problems. Replacement kits including a recoil spring, action spring, and recoil rings are commonly sold on e-bay for about $50. They may be cheaper elsewhere.

I liked my Remington so much I went out and bought a Franchi 48 Heavyweight just for kicks! The Franchi is a slightly "updated" version of the A5. Now all I need is a real honest-to-goodness A5. I looked at one in a pawn shop the other day and it hasn't stopped calling me yet.

Enjoy your heirloom.