[Jorg]

I've recently ended up with a 1998 Ruger Red Label 12g with 26"barrels and a 1989 Browning A-500R 12g with a 32" barrel.

Aside from the usual BA/UU/R, is there anything special I should know about shooting/maintaining these two? The Ruger seems pretty straight forward, but what about the Browning? The manual claims that it will eat damn near everything, even mixing different lengths and magnum/light loads. Does this bear out in practice? Should I expect any problems with loads on the light/heavy side of things?

Any surprises I should expect in the operation of the automatic? Any gotchas to look out for while disassembling/reassembling either of them? Or, if the answer is "Shut up and dive in, Jorg!" I'll take that too. :)

[Oldnamvet]

I had a A500R for a few years. Yes, it shot everything I fed it, in some cases mixed. Maintenance was nothing special. I cleaned it every 1000 rounds whether it needed it or not.:D Traded it in on a SxS. On some days I wish I hadn't.

[Jorg]

Thanks Oldnamvet. I was just hoping to avoid some of my "learning experiences" when disassembling unfamiliar guns, for example the, "Hm, this FN Mauser clone just made a clicking sound while I had the bolt out and now it won't go back in the receiver... ut oh..." moment I had last year. :) While there is plenty of Mauser info out there, not so much on the Browning.

As far as trading it in, that's not appropriate under the circumstances, so I'll have it for years to come. I guess I'll take it for a spin when the weather gets a tad warmer.

I guess I'll have to search for chokes for the two guns now.

Thanks again!