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  #1  
Old 03-25-2020, 09:35 PM
Patrick L Patrick L is offline
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Default Any Browning A5 fans?

Well why not?

I have 2 of these mechanical marvels too



Top gun is my 1966 Sweet 16. I bought that as my "third 50th birthday present to myself" back in 2016. I didn't know at the time that it was a birth year gun for me! I had after market screw ins put in.

Underneath is my 20 gauge Magnum 20 (1971 I believe?) This gun has an amazing story. I inherited it from a childhood neighbor. I posted a long thread on it

After 30 years, I inherit a Browning A5

I hope I pasted that link correctly!

Last edited by Patrick L; 06-23-2020 at 11:37 PM.
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  #2  
Old 03-25-2020, 09:40 PM
Drm50 Drm50 is online now
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I only have two at present. I had three but melted one down to make 3 dozen 1100s.
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Old 03-25-2020, 09:42 PM
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I have a 16 Ga Browning that my great-grandfather purchased for my Grandfather when he came back from Europe after WWII. It’s one of the ones that Remington mfg’d for Browning (it’s not a Remington Model 11) in 1940-41 during the Nazi occupation of Belgium.

Had it refinished a few years back as it needed it and it still sees the dove fields occasionally in September.
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Old 03-25-2020, 10:04 PM
Patrick L Patrick L is offline
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Thwackada! Thwackada!

If you have to ask...

Drm50, you aren't kidding! An awful lot of machined steel in these babies. An 1100 is another awesome gun, but they seem downright FLIMSY compared to an A5.

Last edited by Patrick L; 03-25-2020 at 10:08 PM.
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  #5  
Old 03-25-2020, 10:14 PM
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Justin T Justin T is offline
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I love auto 5’s and all of their cousins!
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Old 03-25-2020, 10:19 PM
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colt_saa colt_saa is offline
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A Belgium Light 12 was my very first shotgun back in the 70s. It was bought at Sears. Dad and I went in to get it. He already owned a Light 12

I still own that one. It is sitting in the corner in my loading room

I also still have a Mag 12. It is still packaged from the move to the new house

The Sweet 16 was sold off many years ago
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Old 03-25-2020, 11:03 PM
Tubbsy Tubbsy is offline
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I've got a Belgian 12 from 1931, grandma paid $50 for it as a gift to my grandpa in the 70s. I grab it every time I decide to shoot Clays along with whatever else suits my mood that day. Still take a few dove with it now and then also. Would love to have a sweet sixteen as well....

Last edited by Tubbsy; 03-25-2020 at 11:06 PM.
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Old 03-25-2020, 11:27 PM
Mike, SC Hunter Mike, SC Hunter is offline
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I have 2. A 12 and a 20. All steel and walnut. properly cared for they will last forever. A lot of venison has hit the dirt from the 12 with buckshot.
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  #9  
Old 03-25-2020, 11:39 PM
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Pretty much my favorite semi auto shotgun! There are many many Pheasants upset with it - lol.
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Old 03-25-2020, 11:56 PM
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I inherited my grandfathers 1952 vintage A-5 that was sold with 2 barrels...don't remember the chokes on them however.

Didn't know that Browning sold the A-5 in a 2 barrel set.

Randy
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  #11  
Old 03-26-2020, 06:58 AM
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I owned a light 20 and a standard 12. the 12 gauge ws heavy and was used exclusively for deer hunting in New York where approximately half the state is limited to shotguns and slugs. I was 16 years old in 1961, my first deer season. All the great white hunters in my group, who I thought could walk on water, used Browning A-5s so naturally I wanted one also.
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Old 03-26-2020, 07:18 AM
MetalMan MetalMan is online now
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I have a Japan-made A5 12ga. 3" Magnum.

Fantastic duck and field bird gun.

Also have a Silver Hunter 12ga. 3" magnum.

Heirloom shotguns..........
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Old 03-26-2020, 09:29 AM
misswired misswired is offline
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Two lite 20's (Grandads and Dads) and a lite 12gauge.

Those two 20's have taken a lot of birds afield back in the day.
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Old 03-26-2020, 09:51 AM
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CAJUNLAWYER CAJUNLAWYER is offline
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I absolutely LOVE the A-5 and own a Jap lite 12. But they DO kick the snot out of you compared to ....say a SBEII. Just a magnificent piece of machinery that would be impossibly expensive to produce today. Before the advent of steel, the best duck gun ever for shooting over decoys was the 3" magnum 20 ga
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Old 03-26-2020, 10:01 AM
hyena hyena is offline
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I've got a Belgian Light 12 I bought new in high school. Probably 1972 - too lazy to go look for the receipt. I have always thought the sound of the bolt closing is mechanical perfection. Like the door of a bank vault closing. I haven't shot it in many years, but get it out of the gun safe once in a while just to check it over.
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Old 03-26-2020, 11:59 AM
storyman storyman is offline
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Two Saturdays ago there was 8 Auto 5's in a local estate auction sale. All were Belgian made, 12 gauges. The virus threat kept me home. Probably saved me money!
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  #17  
Old 03-26-2020, 12:21 PM
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I don't own a Browning Auto 5 but I do have the Remington copy a model #11. I remember when I was a kid all the old-timers carried one pheasant hunting. I can't imagine carrying something that heavy today walking 8-10 miles bird hunting today.
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Old 03-26-2020, 02:09 PM
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Do the Savages count?
I have two. A military marked from WWII and a civilian model. I made spare short barrels for both.
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  #19  
Old 03-26-2020, 05:24 PM
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For those of you that have the older 16 gauges with the 2 9/16" chambers, RST is now making 2 1/2" shells for them that will cycle the A5's. Some of the other vintage shells don't have enough oomph to cycle them.
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Old 03-26-2020, 07:04 PM
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My brother had a sweat 16 , I got older and picked up the light 20, I love the auto 5.
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  #21  
Old 03-26-2020, 09:01 PM
Mr. K Mr. K is online now
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I have 3. My oldest is a Sweet Sixteen, then I have a light twenty and a regular 20. I shoot them all great. I hate to take them in the field so, I use a Franchi Affinity in 20.
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Old 06-23-2020, 10:21 PM
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My first shotgun was a 20 ga model 11 I received from my maternal grandfather - I couldn’t miss with that beauty. I still have it and shoot it better than any of the myriad shotguns I’ve had since. I still have it. I just inherited my dad’s 1957 A5 standard weight, with a 28” modified barrel that was given to him by his mother. It needs a little TLC after sitting in a closet for 20+ years. Can’t wait to shoot it.
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  #23  
Old 06-24-2020, 02:03 AM
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My REM 11 has several Browning parts in it. Still at the gunsmiths., getting the barrel cut & recoil buffer pad replaced. What always perplexed me was why Remington put in the recoil buffer but Browning never though it was necessary...
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Old 06-24-2020, 07:05 AM
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The Browning A5 Lightning is my favorite Auto loading SG! I've been hunting with it and using it for Trap and Sporting Clays over the last 36 years. Sometimes I mix it up and use my Browning Superposed, other auto loaders or what ever, but my A5 has always been my fav Auto Loader.
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Old 06-24-2020, 07:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chino74 View Post
My REM 11 has several Browning parts in it. Still at the gunsmiths., getting the barrel cut & recoil buffer pad replaced. What always perplexed me was why Remington put in the recoil buffer but Browning never though it was necessary...
I can tell you why. In general, the way the shotguns are designed requires some way to keep the breech bolt and its rear-most protruding part (the firing pin) from slamming into the back of the receiver. Without this provision the breech bolt will crack from the impact, and possibly the inside of the rear receiver wall will too. I have a breech bolt that shows evidence of this sort of impact.

Browning chose to solve this by machining a generous groove into the back wall of the reciever to allow clearance for the breech bolt and firing pin. Savage and the other licensors chose to run with that approach too. As far as I know Remington is the only company that chose a different approach. I cannot tell you why they chose to go the way they did. I only understand the root cause for the solution.
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Old 06-24-2020, 08:27 AM
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Have 3...my Dad`s standard weight 12 which was the deer slayer of the time as buckshot was required where we live(d) in VA. Then I got a Mag 12 and a Light 20. Got a Jap Invector barrel for the Mag when steel shot became the law. I have other shotguns but always seem to shoot the old "humpbacks" best of all.
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Old 06-24-2020, 09:04 PM
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When I was in college, I hunted pheasants with my father's partner's Sweet 16, Both of my uncles carried Light 12's. I have particular fondness for Belgian Auto-5's, Superposed, Hi-Power Mauser Safari grades, and Hi-Power 9mm Parabellums. Browning ... It must be flawless. Alas, days gone by.
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Old 06-24-2020, 09:26 PM
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I kick myself in the buttocks for selling mine.
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Old 06-24-2020, 09:40 PM
Baggy Wrinkle Baggy Wrinkle is offline
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I was given a mid-60’s vintage A-5 from my wife’s grandfather’s estate over forty years ago. It was well used. Had a straight bore, but was used for shooting clay pigeons over the iced up river in the winter. I refinished the stock to matte from glossy and bought a Miroku barrel with interchangeable chokes for bird hunting. My buddies with their O/U double barrels teased me about my gun sounding like a threshing machine at each shot. Got the job done. Never failed to fire no matter the ammo. Haven’t shot it in a while. But, it’s on standby ready to go.
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