Browning Auto 5

beefyz said:

Thanks for all the great & timely replies. Ironically the first week end in Dec there was to be a local show and remembered always running across at least 1-2 that i could now look at a bit more seriously. The night before the show got real sick and it turned out to be covid pneumonia. i 'm still on my ass & this is something you don't want.....
Merry Christmas to all....

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your bout with Covid. I hope you get over it soon.

My 90-year-old Dad had pneumonia with Covid and was pretty clearly on track to death. Regeneron (monoclonal antibodies) turned him around in 36 hours. Within a couple of weeks he was back to working every day (farming). Regeneron had the same result for my older brother who was also on track to death, but didn't have ANY respiratory symptoms. The day of the Regeneron treatment he had called in his lawyer to arrange to wrap up any loose ends in his will because he didn't think he'd make it more than another day or so. Both of them had the Delta variant, but had quite different symptoms. My Mom went to the hospital with the same variant and was given the "federally-approved" treatment of Dexamethasone and associated medicines that the hospitals were providing. We tried to get them to give her one of the successful treatments like Regeneron or Remdesivir. They wouldn't. They said, even with her not responding to the treatments they were giving her, "those treatments are hit-or-miss." She died. (My own doctor has since told me the feds and AMA are constantly threatening them that they'll lose their license, face stiff fines, or will otherwise be "punished" if they give any un-approved treatments, or pass out any information that they don't approve. An absolute shame.)

About 25 people in my family and my sister-in-law's family had the Delta variant at the same time. Some were vaccinated, some were not. They took wide range of treatments, depending upon what their various doctors/hospitals provided, or in some cases, what they insisted on and brow-beat the health care providers into providing. Every single one who took Regeneron, Ivermectin, or Hydroxychloroquine pulled out of it quickly. The ones who got very sick and took the "federally approved/promoted" treatments ranged from a long (months in some cases), drawn-out recovery, to death.

We know that we have very effective therapeutics, so be sure to take advantage of them as soon as you know that you have the disease.

Virginian said:

For those of you who do not try to stay current, or accurate, there is the Auto 5 and the A5. They are NOT the same, at all, and the name(s) are not interchangeable..

Click to expand...

Not sure what the difference is here. I call my Auto 5 A5 all the time. Why? Because to me the only Auto 5 or A5 is what JMB designed and had built in Belgium or Japan. IMHO The new A5/Auto 5 should be called the new model Auto 5 or A5.

Appalachiannative said:

Only wusses are concerned with the recoil.

Click to expand...

Or people who shoot thousands of shells a year, and often 2-500 a day. Which is why the Auto-5 was never a popular Trap and Skeet gun.

entropy said:

Or people who shoot thousands of shells a year, and often 2-500 a day. Which is why the Auto-5 was never a popular Trap and Skeet gun.

Click to expand...

That is a valid point I suppose. All I ever used my Savage clone for was hunting

I shot about 3500 last year, down from the 4000 the year before due to component scarcity.

Shot an A5 for years. Bought an 1100 about 30 years ago and used it bird hunting until 2 years ago. I’m trying to get the hang of the humpback again but it’s coming slow. There is definitely an adjustment switching back and forth between the two. I have a Japan Light 12 and Belgium 16. Bought the 12 when I was 16 when I got my first job. Bought the 16 for a $100 from a friend that was in a bind for cash 35 years ago.

The 12 I bought new in 1976, The 16 according to the serial# was made in 1929. Neither gun has given me any problems whatsoever. I keep the friction rings set for heavy loads and shoot my reloads which are pretty stout. I keep them clean and lube so no troubles.

LOLBELL said:

The 16 according to the serial# was made in 1929. Neither gun has given me any problems whatsoever. I keep the friction rings set for heavy loads and shoot my reloads which are pretty stout. I keep them clean and lube so no troubles.

Click to expand...

Many people mistake the year of manufacture of their 16 gauge Auto-5’s because they ignore the letter prefix to the serial number. For example, a 16 with a serial number of 66,000 would have been produced in 1929. But X66,000 was made in 1952, and an S or an R prefix would make it 1956.

All 16 gauge Auto-5’s made before WWII had short chambers, and the barrels are marked 16-65, or, if really early, D=65/19.0.

Rudolph31 said:

Many people mistake the year of manufacture of their 16 gauge Auto-5’s because they ignore the letter prefix to the serial number. For example, a 16 with a serial number of 66,000 would have been produced in 1929. But X66,000 was made in 1952, and an S or an R prefix would make it 1956.

All 16 gauge Auto-5’s made before WWII had short chambers, and the barrels are marked 16-65, or, if really early, D=65/19.0.

Click to expand...

No letter, It’s a 29 model. I picked up a barrel off of a late model at a pawn shop years ago. The oldie wears the newer barrel for hunting purposes but I still have the unaltered barrel to keep it original.

Interesting. If you shoot 2 3/4” shells they should jam if the gun hasn’t been modified. Here’s how to tell:
https://www.shotgunworld.com/thread...if-a-2-9-16-gun-was-converted-to-2-3-4.79647/

The original IS the Auto 5.
The newer one IS the A5.
Since Browning makes it, they get to name it. Get with the program.

View attachment 1047012 In a few weeks I'll be 72 and I purchased my 2 3/4" 12 ga. Humpback brand new 43 years ago (1978) and I've never had a bit of trouble out of it and I've taken a lot of game with it.....I've been using it again this year on several duck hunting trips.

I can't see me ever shouldering anything but an A5.

As a long recoil design, the barrel essentially has no buffer except for the forearm, so it is subjected to a lot of battering if the friction rings are not set correctly for the loads someone is shooting. The hairline cracks in the forearm are pretty common as a result.

Replacement forearms are out there, and many cracks can be repaired if you are so inclined.

Also recommend (for many reasons related to overall functioning as well as forearm wood protection) you replace both the action spring and recoil spring, should you buy an Auto 5, Savage 720, Remington 11, or similar.

beefyz said:

Hi
Need some advice from some of you "oldtimers", like myself.
At this time of my life i should be looking to dispose of some of my stuff rather than add to it. The Browning has always intrigued me, yet, after 45 yrs in the field never ran across anyone using one.
Before i check out, I feel the need to own one off these humpbacks now, but i'm not sure what to be looking for, as i want one of the older versions, between say 1945- 65. Another reason i got interested in one now is i walked into the local gun shop and he had one in 16ga which is what i want. I needed some work done on my Marlin 32-20 and after he fixed it he offered me $850. While looking at some of his used guns for sale, he had a Auto 5 in 16ga listed for $650 (?) Fit & finish was quite good, but from what i think i know about these Brownings, 650 sounded too low. He got busy with others and i didn't make any inquiries. Now i'm thinking i should go back and consider a trade. What should I be looking at/for? I know a little about the "friction ring(s)"; they are part of the gun right? Didn't some of these come in a different chamber, 2 9/16 i think. The one i was looking at was not a "sweet", no sweet engraving or gold trigger. You tube video talked about the sweet being just a lighter version of the regular 16 with the added engraving and as being more desirable to a collector. I'm not collecting so looking for an upland that will be used on pheasant hunts with either a modified or IC barrel. I'd be curious on what if any type of guarantee the dealer could give me and even with one, what would parts availability be like?
Any hints on what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

My Dad Had One of the 16s. I hunted with it and loved the gun. Not a lot of diference in 16 gauge ammo anyway as most people use them for hunting.

Appalachiannative said:

All I know is the simple recoil operated barrel actuated design with the big ol spring that fits over the mag tube beats the brakes off of gas operated as far as reliability. Only wusses are concerned with the recoil. Any automatic will kick less than a single double or pump

Click to expand...

I never Noticed that much hard recoil when I shot my Dads 16. Loved that gun.

Here is my substitute. A Franchi 48AL. Same action right down to the friction rings. No hump. 20 Gauge 2 3/4", and it weighs 5 1/4 lbs. You can carry it forever and it handles like lightning.

View attachment 1048263 View attachment 1048264

HowieG said:

Here is my substitute. A Franchi 48AL. Same action right down to the friction rings. No hump. 20 Gauge 2 3/4", and it weighs 5 1/4 lbs. You can carry it forever and it handles like lightning.

View attachment 1048263 View attachment 1048264

Click to expand...

Love It

I am very partial to the 48AL as a field gun. No surprise, however, that their light weight means that they don’t handle large volumes of shooting as well as the original Browning.

For example - the action tube on the Browning is a silver soldered replaceable steel tube, whereas on the 48AL it is part of the aluminum receiver assembly. When it breaks, and the 48AL is more likely to break due to overtorque on the stock bolt, there’s no way to fix the Franchi.

rbernie said:

I
For example - the action tube on the Browning is a silver soldered replaceable steel tube, whereas on the 48AL it is part of the aluminum receiver assembly. When it breaks, and the 48AL is more likely to break due to overtorque on the stock bolt, there’s no way to fix the Franchi.

Click to expand...

“Only” since 1958. Prior to that they were threaded in and tended to break. But they were still made of steel and still replaceable.

I have a 1930 12 gauge that had a broken action tube. I took it to Art’s hoping they could thread a new part, but no such luck. And they told me that silver soldering the new one would destroy the nice rust-blue finish. However, Art the master craftsman was able to do the work with no damage to the bluing. And they’ve since found a bunch of the old, threaded tubes.

I used a Remington 11 for many years, thought it kicked way less that the double I used before that. Thought it was a great gun on partridges and quail.

Rudolph31 said:

Only” since 1958. Prior to that they were threaded in and tended to break.

Click to expand...

I did not know that - thanks! I only had one pre-war 12ga (1936) and a few 54-58 models that I never took down that far.

rbernie said:

I am very partial to the 48AL as a field gun. No surprise, however, that their light weight means that they don’t handle large volumes of shooting as well as the original Browning.

For example - the action tube on the Browning is a silver soldered replaceable steel tube, whereas on the 48AL it is part of the aluminum receiver assembly. When it breaks, and the 48AL is more likely to break due to overtorque on the stock bolt, there’s no way to fix the Franchi.

Click to expand...

I'm sure I don't know what part you are referring to. The ACTION SPRING tube? And why would you over torque a stock bolt? Or any bolt for that matter? Anyway, the action spring tube is replaceable on both. The Franchi one costs about 17 bucks. Let me know the item number on the Browning parts schematic that you are referring to. I see nothing on the diagram called an "ACTION TUBE". As far endurance goes, I have been hunting and practicing with my Franchi for 25 years or so and have had no problems so far.

Using the Numrich schematic:



The action tube is the tube sticking out the back of the receiver, which houses the action spring against which the bolt pushes and which the stock bolt threads into to retain the stock.

I am literally holding a 20 gauge 48AL receiver in my hand staring at the action tube, broken into three pieces, which is clearly part of the receiver and not replaceable. I bought this shotgun used, and discovered the broken action tube when I disassembled the shotgun for cleaning. Since the tube is shielded from side loads within the stock itself, the only way that I can see for the tube to have been snapped was for the stock bolt to have been overtorqued at some point prior in its life.

The 48AL is a terrific shotgun. None of my comments are meant to be derogatory in any way. I’m exceptionally fond of them. My only point was that the design has its limitations. If the shotgun is going to be subjected to significant hard use over decades, than a lightweight 48AL might not be the best choice and a proper humpback (for example) may be better.

In the end, I put my Auto5 20 gauge and my 48AL 20 gauge aside, and mostly use a Benelli M2 field 20 gauge as my walkabout field gun. I would rather use a shotgun that I know that I can get fixed, if and when I break it during use. YMMV.

The will be parts available for post 1958 Auto-5’s for years to come. Since the 20 gauge debuted in 1958, there’s no reason not to enjoy shooting yours.

rbernie said:

Using the Numrich schematic:

View attachment 1049213

The action tube is the tube sticking out the back of the receiver, which houses the action spring against which the bolt pushes and which the stock bolt threads into to retain the stock.

I am literally holding a 20 gauge 48AL receiver in my hand staring at the action tube, broken into three pieces, which is clearly part of the receiver and not replaceable. I bought this shotgun used, and discovered the broken action tube when I disassembled the shotgun for cleaning. Since the tube is shielded from side loads within the stock itself, the only way that I can see for the tube to have been snapped was for the stock bolt to have been overtorqued at some point prior in its life.

The 48AL is a terrific shotgun. None of my comments are meant to be derogatory in any way. I’m exceptionally fond of them. My only point was that the design has its limitations. If the shotgun is going to be subjected to significant hard use over decades, than a lightweight 48AL might not be the best choice and a proper humpback (for example) may be better.

In the end, I put my Auto5 20 gauge and my 48AL 20 gauge aside, and mostly use a Benelli M2 field 20 gauge as my walkabout field gun. I would rather use a shotgun that I know that I can get fixed, if and when I break it during use. YMMV.

Click to expand...

I suggest you look a bit more. The stock bolt screws into the steel threaded insert 134 which is in the back of the steel Action Spring Tube 133. That steel Action Spring Tube is threaded into the back of the action extension, which is indeed part of the receiver. So, if somebody, by whatever extraordinary means managed to fracture the back of the receiver, they were indeed extraordinarily clumsy and extremely strong. I have no idea how they managed that trick, but I have seen very stupid people go out of their way to destroy things. Anyway, I suspect it could be fixed by a good machinist to mill a new extension tube and a talented guy with a MIG welder.