Browning A5

[johnbeaver]

Just looked at a 16ga. A5 that has a safety on the front of the trigger guard. Slides through forward and back.
Anyone know anything about these? Never saw one like that.
Also, not a gold trigger. Worn off, maybe.

 

[dave1918a2]

Very early gun.

 

[s&wchad]

I believe that type of safety was used before 1951.

Be sure to check the chamber length. Some pre-war guns had short chambers (2-9/16”) and are dangerous to shoot with current 2-3/4” shells. A 2-9/16” chamber would be marked 65mm. If it has a short chamber, a gunsmith could lengthen it, or you could just buy short shells. The shells are fairly expensive, so chamber lengthening is the way to go if you plan on shooting it a lot.

Overall condition is important. It’s probably a plain barrel, but solid ribs were available. Look for cracks on the bottom of the forearm and through the wrist. Even in excellent condition, these early guns only bring a fraction of what a later Sweet Sixteen will.

 

[nicky4968]

RST provides 1 1/2” shells for your 16 gauge.

 

[bulletslap]

It maybe an early enough A5 to be a 2 9/16 chambering, although may of these were converted to accept 2 3/4 inch shells. If it is a later gun that came from the factory as a 2 3/4 Inch gun the barrel should be stamped as such.

If it is converted the the ejector will move backwards and forwards, and the hand guard will be inletted so that the barrel and chamber ring will protrude slightly from the receiver as compared to an un modified A5.

They are great old guns, I really like mine.

Some get worked up about the safety being inside the trigger guard, I don’t. Millions of young adults did OK with a M1 Garand with that style of safety.

 

[Daniel Howe]

I have my GrandFathers A5, it was made in the late 30's. Found a 12 round magazine and its fun to shot.

 

[LDM]

My 1950 vintage Light 12 also has the "suicide" safety. So named by people who don't understand its operation. I find it to be quick and easy to operate. Like anything else, there's a bit of a learning curve and paying attention to what you're doing.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Old Browning A5 Shooter- Me
Says walk and keep looking.

 

[alwslate]

I have an A5 in 12 ga that has that type of safety. It's no big deal, just
an earlier type of safety. If you like the gun you're looking at and it has
a 2 3/4" chamber there's no reason to worry about buying it.

 

[Porkie]

We used to call those A5s Arkansas Purdys. A Purdy being a ‘bespoke’ British shotgun which now can cost more than a house. The two A5s I had were magnum 12s with 32 inch ribbed barrel. One of my grandsons still has the second one.

As to the 16 you are looking at, black trigger means standard weight; gold trigger is featherweight. However, they are all heavy by modern standards. The sweet sixteen is a featherweight and is a delightful bird gun then or now.

Additionally there’s a lot of monkey motion going on in a Browning: a lot of people didn’t like all that clattering going on.



I was NOT one of those, but I suggest you shoot one before you buy it.

Regards, Porkie

 

[fiasconva]

Give Shotguns and more Shotguns! ShotgunWorld.com is your best source for Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg Shotgun information a try. Go to the "I love my"....section and search Browning threads. Lots of great info there about your A5. The threads on 16's should tell you when it was manufactured, etc.