Browning A5

[Pitchy]

Dug up this old video of shooting my Auto 5 .
Cool old gun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3l0XuiJOY


Another cool shotgun i got out of the safe is my1897 Win , don`t have a video might have to make one.
I see their making a repo of it with the bayonet lug and heat shield now.

[2ndovc]

I used to hunt on an older cousin's farm when I was a kid. He and I would spend just about every opening day for rabbits chasing bunnies out of the brush. He an an old Auto 5 that I'd swear ad a million rounds through it and would jamb after every first shot, but he would rarely need it. He had other shotguns, but he bought that Browning new decades earlier and wouldn't even consider hunting with anything else. I guess I'm kind of the same way, I wouldn't go rabbit hunting without my Model 12, 20 ga either.

I have a '97 Riot that I bought 20 plus years ago, but always wanted a real trench gun!

jb

[.45colt]

I have two A-5's Pitchy . I Love the way they shoot and the recoil too. . many people don't know that an A-5 has two springs that control recoil. one at the back of the bolt and one under the barrel. many of the Old guns get a bad rap for recoil.... when the springs needed to be changed out after 20,30,40,or50 years of service. the springs take a "set" and need to be changed every 20-50 years depending on use. John Browning had it figured out around 1901................

[Drawdown]

Best SG ever made as far as I'm concerned Pitchy. I hunted with a Belgium made Light 12 in 70's-80's. My all time favorite and I've had some great SG,s. I had Japan 3" 12ga but I traded it about 4 years ago to a Kimber 45acp.
The bad raps of the Brownings jamming or excessive recoil is from lack of the friction rings not being set right for a given load. JMB made it so it could handle any load from the lightest low brass to a max full brass load. My 3" could handle those plus 3" magnums. The friction rings ride on the end of the action spring and for perfect performance they got to bet set right, according to which model, and you sometimes leave a ring out for low brass field loads. That's also why you'll see many the old Belgium with a cracked forestock because it probably was shooting heavy loads with the rings adjusted for light loads.
Of all the guns JMB invented, including the military, he considered his A5 his Masterpiece! I agree.

[Pitchy]

Thanks guys, yep it`s all in the ring settings to make them work proper.
Had a gunsmith tell me they arn`t no good for home defense that ya had to shoot them from the shoulder, this one will shoot from the hip and never jam if set up right.

[Drawdown]

My brother still got a Sweet 16 bought new in 66. It's k8lled a train load of squirrels, has never jammed or cracked! Don't get used much in recent years but it done more than one guns duty in its time!
As far as that gunsmith comment, I ain't saying he's wrong, but I sure doubt him. Knowing what he said, I'm sure you could set the rings for a lighter load and it would never jam, IMO! It's not good for them but you're not gonna shoot in defense very often. And if cleaned decently, adjusted right, the action spring and entire gun will last several lifetimes in my opinion!

[KWK]

My son acquired a lightweight A5 recently. He's waiting for his double to be restocked and wanted to keep shooting skeet, etc when he came across a nice example at a local gun store. He likes it, other than the trigger kicks back hard and batters his finger, apparently a complaint not uncommon.

[Bill in Oregon]

Lenn, no shotgun comes up to my eye better than an Auto 5. I killed my only turkey -- a Merriam's -- with a Remington Model 11 Sportsman in 16 gauge. Always wanted one in 20 gauge.

[Sarge]

Belgian A5's are great old shotguns.

https://youtu.be/jM6jNh7FoEQ

[6pt-sika]

Been down the A-5 route several times . At present I e got a pair of Belgian A-5’s a 12 MAG and a 20 MAG . Both guns have extra barrels . More into the Remington Model 11 at present as I have five of them . A pair of 12’s , pair of 20’s and a 16 with a couple extra barrels thrown in .

[Pitchy]

Good video, thanks for the replies guys.

[buckeyeshooter]

Dug up this old video of shooting my Auto 5 .
Cool old gun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3l0XuiJOY


Another cool shotgun i got out of the safe is my1897 Win , don`t have a video might have to make one.
I see their making a repo of it with the bayonet lug and heat shield now.

The Auto 5 is a great design. I have a Sweet 16. I also use a mid 60's Remington 11-48 which is the same the same recoil design, I got it for Christmas in 1968. I shoot an 1897 Winchester for cowboy action often. This one has an interesting history. The gun belonged to my fathers best friend and hunting buddy. When he died in the 1960's his wife gave it to dad. When dad died, it came to me. It is a 32 inch full choke and although a lot longer than the chopped down 97's other guys use, I will keep it as it was passed on and use it with pride for those no longer with us. I enjoy the classics of yesterday and am not a fan of plastic and rails.

[Pitchy]

This one hung over a bar in a old hang out and bought it for a 100 bucks, i seem to really like it.

[Bridger]

Since somebody mentioned a 16ga Remington Model 11 Sportsman, here’s mine….I’ve only shot it a few times, all with buckshot and set for heavy loads, but I think it’s a very light kicking gun. BUT, before I ever shot it I had Arts gun shop in Missouri put a new spring kit in it. They specialize in A5’s and Remington Mod 11’s.

I really like it but honestly I do wish it were the regular 5 shot version. Oh well…still very cool I think!

[6pt-sika]

Since somebody mentioned a 16ga Remington Model 11 Sportsman, here’s mine….I’ve only shot it a few times, all with buckshot and set for heavy loads, but I think it’s a very light kicking gun. BUT, before I ever shot it I had Arts gun shop in Missouri put a new spring kit in it. They specialize in A5’s and Remington Mod 11’s.

I really like it but honestly I do wish it were the regular 5 shot version. Oh well…still very cool I think!

One of my 20’s is the short tube Sportsman version . Yesi prefer the Model 11’s with the full length tubes . My 16 is the regular but it’s got a doggie dick Polychoke so I bought a 30” full choke barrel before I realized the Sportsman and regular barrels are not interchangeable . I’ve got my eye on an E grade Sportsman 16 gauge that the barrel could be used on .

[piller]

My Dad had an A5 12 Gauge he bought at a PX in Germany in the 1950s. He still had the receipt for (I think) $89. A ridiculously low price now. His only failed one time ever. Back in the 1980s it fired when he pulled the cutoff lever to let it put one in the chamber. We were out hunting pheasant, and he had it pointing at the dirt away from everyone else. He unloaded the rest of the shells and put it away. At home, he took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Some old grease had gotten gummy, and with the near zero degree temperature that day, the firing pin was stuck out enough to make that one shell go off without the trigger being pulled. It was not the gun's fault. If it had been deep cleaned after one of the 30 plus years of use, the grease or oil wouldn't have gummed up. Just a minor situation since the barrel was in a safe direction, and that Kansas desert sand absorbed the lead without a single pellet coming back at anyone. If it had been dirt like the Eastern half of the State, frozen ground might have caused a ricochet.