Does the Browning A5 kick more than normal?

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Put me down on the list of a properly set up Auto-5 / Remington 11 is an absolute pussycat to shoot even with a hard plastic buttplate. Not only should the friction rings, spacers and springs be set properly for the load you are shooting but the magazine tube must have ONLY enough oil on it to prevent rust not be too wet or the friction rings will not grip properly.
 
cdb1 said:
The OP’s shotgun is not inertia operated. It is recoil operated. The new A5’s that came out within the past few years are inertia operated and totally different than the original Browning and Remington’s.
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Aren’t the inertia And recoil systems basically the same thing. My point was it’s a function of mechanical vs gas operation.
 
I would think it would recoil more than a gas-operated semi, but not more than a pump (given equivalent recoil pads). Seems like with the pump the entire energy from the round is being dumped into your shoulder - nothing is going into cycling the action.

Then again my dad always said his 11-48 (which operates on the same type of recoil-operated system) recoiled harder than his 870 so who knows.
 
Without sufficient friction, the barrel and bolt recoil at such a high speed that when they slam into the back of the receiver felt recoil is greater than that of a fixed breech gun. With the proper friction, much of the energy is turned to heat, and the remaining recoil sensation is spread out over time.
 
Blkhrt13 said:
Aren’t the inertia And recoil systems basically the same thing. My point was it’s a function of mechanical vs gas operation.
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They are quite a bit different mechanically. The recoil also feels very different. Shoot a long recoil A5 and an inertia shotgun and you’ll notice the difference right away.
 
jmr40 said:
Recoil is recoil. It is determined by:

Weight of projectile
Weight of powder charge
Weight of the firearm
Velocity of the projectile.

If all of the above are equal the recoil will be equal.

Fixed action guns hit you with all of the recoil at once. Gas operated guns spread the recoil over a longer period of time. Recoil operated guns are somewhere in between. It is only a tiny fraction of a second, but it creates the illusion of less recoil and most people do find it to be more comfortable. A recoil pad does the same thing.

Guns with more surface area on the butt plate spread the recoil out over more of your shoulder than guns with skinny butt plates which concentrate the recoil into a smaller area of your shoulder.

The shape of the stock determines recoil direction. If recoil comes straight back most people find it more comfortable. Some stock designs create more muzzle flip causing the comb to hit the shooters face.

There are many reasons why one gun may appear to recoil worse than another. But the laws of physics don't change. The only way to reduce recoil is to alter one of the 4 items above. Heavier guns kick less. Lighter powder charges and projectile weights at slower speeds kick less.
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^^^ This right here.

The various A5s and the Model 11 I've shot quite a bit weren't/aren't bad recoiling guns at all, IME. They feel different than a fixed breech gun, but I perceive the recoil as less than other shotguns of the same weight, not more. The "worst" one I've ever shot is my own A5, pictured below, and that's because I have a hard butt plate on it for quick handling. After a box or so of shells in a short period of time, that hard plate isn't very kind to a shoulder protected only by a T-shirt. I sometimes use a Limbsaver pad when I'm going to be shooting quite a bit and it makes a dramatic difference, turning the gun back into the "pussycat" that others have mentioned above. But even without the pad I will shoot the gun as many times in an outing as I want - recoil just isn't bad IMO.
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A lot of great info has been said. I love the light twelve so much so that I currently own 5, all Belgian and one gas operated. I personally notice a difference in recoil vs say a standard pump. I don't think it's harder but it almost feels longer, if that makes any sense. Kinda like a big ka-chunk.
 
Mn Fats said:
A lot of great info has been said. I love the light twelve so much so that I currently own 5, all Belgian and one gas operated. I personally notice a difference in recoil vs say a standard pump. I don't think it's harder but it almost feels longer, if that makes any sense. Kinda like a big ka-chunk.
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Gas operated A5?
 
Trey Veston said:
Is there something about the design that increases recoil?
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I don't think so. I think my 50+ year old Remington 1100 kicks harder than the old A-5 my brother-in-law gave me when he lost his eyesight due to macular degeneration.
However, the old A-5 had a broken stock when my brother-in-law gave it to me. So I replaced the stock with a synthetic one; I think that synthetic stock kind of absorbs some of the recoil, and it has a nice pad. That old A-5 is my favorite shotgun now, and it's my "go to" shotgun for pheasants, sharp-tails and chuckers.
Edited to add: Three years ago, I used that A-5 as a sort of "walking staff" (after unloading it of course) to get back to my truck after falling and breaking my right ankle in 2 places, and putting a spiral break up my right fibula while out pheasant hunting by myself on Thanksgiving morning. After cleaning the mud off the shotgun, it was none-the-worse for wear. My ankle on the other hand, now alerts me to approaching storms.:eek:
 
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Cdb1- it reads Browning A-500G. My mix up. To be honest Its one of my only "safe queens" so It doesn't get looked at much.
 
There are apparently some parts in them that can wear/age or get out of proper setting. When that happens, they kick like a mule! We have an old A5 20 gauge in my family and it is a brute to shoot... we need to get it looked at, honestly.
 
I inherited one from my dad . Was my grandfathers . 1925 Browning A5 . Best I could find out with serial # search. 3 generations shot the hell out of it . Never did anything but clean and lube .I always thought recoil was unusually mild for a 12 ga.. You can hear the mechanism working when you shoot it. Very cool to keep it in the family. Congrats .
 
Harder, no...Different, yes. The impulse of a pump or single is almost instantaneous. The impulse of a long recoil action gun is longer therefore the gun pushes you around for a longer period of time. Feels different, and takes some getting used to.
 
Since there have been so many other tangential discussions, +1000 to getting the gun checked out. A5s that recoil a lot are out of tune and at risk of being damaged or destroyed.

They are very, very cool guns I think, but must be tuned to the load you want, and wear out over time very seriously. And old A5 first and foremost needs new rings and springs; I'd just assume they are worn/wrong and start from scratch or tell a good gunsmith what to tune it for. While it's apart, look for all the other bits (recoil pad is also likely, as mentioned above) that may be worn and need replacement
 
Kaeto said:
Does that diagram also apply to Remington Model 11s?
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That diagram is for the Remington Model 11. No Browning literature says to set up like that when a Cutts is installed. I have 2 Auto-5’s with Cutts Compensators and they work like any other. Set your rings for the most friction your loads will cycle with.
 
No. My new stoeger m3k kicks a lot more even with a mercury pack. Inertia drive kicks with any shotgun even a 2 thousand dollar benelli.
 
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