Is A500 Gold the same as A5?

[doccray]

Hi, I'm new to THR. Is a Browning A500 gold the same gun as a Browning A5? I am looking for an A5 to shoot skeet/clays with at a local gun club. I will need to shoot steel and I use 2 3/4 inch shells. I have found an A500 Gold in very good condition and well priced. I want the A5 because of its recoil system. Is this A500 Gold the same gun? Thank you

 

[rbernie]

No, the A500 and the Auto5 are completely different beasts. The Auto5 is a long-recoil action shotgun, the A500R is a short-recoil action shotgun, and the A500G is a gas-operated shotgun. The A500 Gold was a later variant of the A500G.

 

[rcmodel]

You will need to find one of the later A-5's made in Japan in order to shoot steel shot.
They all had Invector choke tubes and were steel shot rated.

None of the fixed choke Belgium A-5's were.

rc

 

[rbernie]

^^^^^
True statements.

It is not uncommon, tho, to find Belgium receivers (pre-1976) mated to Japanese barrels. I have one Japanese/Invector barrel that I share among my A5 receivers whenever steel shot comes into play.

 

[rcmodel]

I wish I did!

It seems Japenese A5 barrels, when you can even find one, sell for almost as much as complete guns around here.

rc