[cajun47]

http://www.shootersexchange.com/detail.cfm?recordID=71859

it looks like that but a bit more used/scratched. some blue is wore off, not too much. its made in belgium. 22" barrel with the big fat choke thing. i can go from improved to mod., to full on the fly. i know many dont like this but i do.

questions:

on the barrel it says "special steel", can i shoot steel shot?

do they make brownings that look like that any more? i love the hump.

it holds three 2 3/4 in the mag. can i order a plug so only 2 shells fit in there? if not what would be the best way to rig something up?

i shot 50 rounds of remington low brass and had 1 jam. it was a stove pipe and i easily cleared it. is this normal or should i be concerned? i was thinking of keeping loaded with buckshot for home defense but im not so sure.

i always loved the look of this type of browning, i had to buy it. bought it off a private dealer at the gunshow for $300 cash, no tax.

[VARifleman]

300 dollars for an A5 with an adjustable choke...damn...I don't know too much about shotguns but that sounds like a smoking deal. adjustable chokes seem to run starting at 90 bucks, although I don't know if they work worth a hoot, I'm stuck with reminton flush for now.

I don't know what special steel means, but I have a feeling that if it's on an old gun, it's akin to forged steel or "smokeless" steel like I see on my grandpa's old LC Smith and my great grandmother's ithaca. Check with a gunsmith that specializes in collectible guns.

I don't know about if any of the brownings continue to have the hump.

You can make a plug. You can take a 3/8" dowel, cut to 6" shorter than the length of the mag tube and attach a tube, or wrap it in cut soda can strips held together with epoxy so that it stays stuck between the end cap and the spring.

Test it with buckshot after you give the thing a nice clean/lube. It could be dirty, I don't know, or it could have been underpowered loads. Any ammo you wish to use for defense should be tested. Use it as an excuse to shoot some more, you know you want to.

[RNB65]

An Auto-5 is always a good choice.

on the barrel it says "special steel", can i shoot steel shot?

Probably not. Many Browning barrels on different models of shotgun are stamped "special steel" as a marketing gimmick. The steel in older Browning barrels is too soft for steel shot and will weaken around the end of the barrel as the steel shot forces its way out of the muzzle. Steel shot doesn't deform like lead shot and the end of the barrel absorbs a lot of energy as steel shot forces it's way thru the choke constriction. Call Browning and ask them to make sure.

do they make brownings that look like that any more? i love the hump.

Not that I know of. Browning stopped making the A5 a decade ago. There are plenty of used 12 gauges to be found in most any gunstore that deals in used guns, but they tend to be a bit pricey.

[Big Az Al]

$250 to $350 is reasonable for all there a little beet up.

The A5 is a long recoil action, Clean the mag tube with a light oil, wipe with a clean rag, make sure the friction ring is set up for the loads you are shooting. Make sure the but stock is tight into your shoulder and see what happens.

Most common jams are dirty/gummy mag tube, and soft shouldering the gun, soft shouldering may be not pulling the stock in tight to your shoulder or inticapating the shot and moving back before the gun pushs you.

My A5 is a champion by the way!

[Dave McCracken]

Good deal, even with the Dial a Duck choke.

Forget steel in this. Browning states none of the Belgian guns can handle steel but the Jap versions can.

Besides a good cleaning and lube, invest in a new set of rings and springs, keeping the old ones as spares.

Enjoy....

[cajun47]

about that mag tube and spring, should i put gun grease on there? someone told me to lube it up with crysco shortning.

and is it alright to shoot buckshot and slugs through that dial choke?

[RNB65]

about that mag tube and spring, should i put gun grease on there? someone told me to lube it up with crysco shortning.

Rem Oil or Break Free CLP will do nicely. No need to raid the kitchen.

Buckshot and slugs shouldn't be a problem. Use minimal choke constriction (cyl or IC) with slugs.

[10X]

A Browning A5 is a good choice and worth keeping. They do require cleaning and keeping lub on the mag tube. Look in the internet to get a picture how to change the friction ring on the mag tube for light loads versus full loads.
The friction ring needs to be near the receiver for light loads and at the front of the mag tube for heavy loads. Think of it as low brass means the friction ring goes low, high brass shells means the friction ring goes high on the mag tube. That is really the only nuisance with the A5.

Other than replacing the recoil spring, I don't know how you wear out anything on them.

Otherwise a timeless classic.

[silverlance]

I bought a remington model 11 about a week ago for 200 OTD. It is very similiar to the A5 and I like it. I ahven't gotten it yet but i love the gun. =)

and yes I hate the dial a duck.

does anyone know how to remove the stupid polychoke?

[Big Az Al]

The Friction ring should always be at the front of the mag tube, this buffers the recoil of the barrel and slows it down so it does not slam to stop breaking things. (assembly: concave, spring, friction ring, barrel) OR (spring, concave, friction ring, barrel)

The friction ring is brass,

groved inside with a tensioning spring around the outside, a long bevel on one end and some what flat on the other. The bevelled end goes forward the flat rides on the spring.

Having the bevel facing back, can result in the recoil spring getting outside the friction ring, jamming it tight, causing somone to learn or practice languge skills that others deen unfit.

The concave ring is what makes the A5 versitle,

by having it up agianst the frame the action will handle light loads, for target or dove hunting,

by having it in front of the recoil spring (the Assembly is concave, friction ring, barrel) with the concave facing front, the extra friction allows the assembly to handle 2 3/4" high base/magmun loads,

or in the case of those of us foolish enough to think the A5 is a TRAP gun, shoot a really pleasent setup that does not throw empties on other shooters or the ground, for trap shooting, being a belt and suspenders type of guy I have extra friction parts.

The oldtime methd of cleaning the A5 is: take the wood off, slosh it around in a bucket or small barrel of KEROSENE, Hang it up until it stops dripping, wipe off the parts of the gun you will handle while shooting put the wood back on, and your ready to shoot!

This is the right weight of oil for the friction assembly, at just about the right amount applied! I take a swipe with a clean coton cloth here.

[Kimber1911_06238]

don't shoot steel, you will probably ruin the barrel. It is a decent deal as longa s you have a use for it.

[cajun47]

wow what a kicker. i shot some 2 3/4" slugs at a chest size iron target at 25 yards. dead center. those slugs almost went through! my target is now bent! i shot that target over 1,000 times with my beretta 9mm which would only scratch the rust off.

i see why they recommend 12 ga slugs to stop grizzlys.

where would i find a recoil pad for the browning a-5?

its really ashame they stopped making brownings with the hump, thats the best looking shotgun imo.

[Dave McCracken]

Any major dealer and/or mail order company will have grind to fit pads that will help you greatly,47.

Good brands include Pachmyer, KickEez, and Sims AKA Limbsaver.

A smith can fit a pad for less than $50.

HTH....

[zinj]

The friction ring is brass,

The concave ring is what makes the A5 versatile

Actually, the friction ring is the name for the little bevelled steel ring. The wide brass piece is actually a friction brake, and the thin steel surrounding it is a compression ring.

[Browning]

I think that you got a great deal, the wood and finish look really good.

Try getting that quality on a modern shotgun without spending a thousand bucks.

[Superreverb]

Congrats on your purchase!!! Seems like great find for a great price. She should serve you well for many years to come!!!





Dial a Duck choke.




http://photos.imageevent.com/wiley/1919a4/spittake.gif



ROFLMAO!!!!

[Dave McCracken]

Never heard that ,Ed? Old joke....

[sm]

cajun47,
Congrats! Great Gun. A Classic. A REAL Shotgun!

Not something with a name made in some country one cannot spell, pronounce, and have to look up on a map to see where the gun was made from beer cans by child labor.

Big Az Al,
Excellent post sharing information.

hehehe, about that "thing" on the end:

We called them "turds" Polychokes and Cutts were called "turds" and they do have some really good uses.

Mental Game on a Skeet Field and hustling for money.
Turds will distract the compound daylights out of folks and they miss targets.
Cutts especially, especially when the sound resonates off the High and Low houses .

Oh yeah, bring on the Low Spark of High Heeled Boys , dressed like they just walked out of Abercombie & Fitch and let us at some of daddy's money!
:evil:

Now camo clothing is about as useful as teats on a boar hog...
Natural, Neutral colors work and when a "turd" is poking up through Cat-Tails ...waterfowl fall down when the gun goes 'boom'.

Just slather some Johnson's Paste Wax on the barrel, don't polish it, and it dulls any glare (like it really matters if'n you know how to pop ducks if the barrel is nice shiny blue...).

Now when Skiff, Biff and Chaalllss IV, dre$$ed in Gortex which will rip, and cannot be sewn, flare them ducks because the 10# 4.5" shells guns hurt, and they make all that racket whining...

Like I said, mount smoothly and quickly that A5 with 2 3/4" Bismuth in #5 shot and when the butt gets into the pocket of your Filson /Barbour/ Woolrich wax cotton coat (which can be sewn and re-waxed) just slap trigger.

You had enough sense to know the yardages of the dekes , and therefore knew from patterning the gun with loads, what it will do.


Father, I need an advance on my allowance, some low class took all my money shooting a gun with a turd on the end... - Skiff, Biff and Chaalllss IV

:innocent dumb southern boy smilie here: