Browning Auto-5 (A-5)

CO_Weimar

CO_Weimar

New member
Anyone have any experience with a Browning A-5 and pheasant loads? My dad passed away last year and I inherited all of his shotguns, rifles and pistols. His most coveted shotgun was "the Browning" - a Belgian made A-5. It hasn't been fired in over 20 years. I am planning to take it to Chuck at Kiowa Creek to have him give it a good cleaning, then take it along on my pheasant hunting trip to Montana this fall. For those with experience with the A-5, any advice on shells/loads? Shooting a lighter load in the A-5 will sometimes cause the spent shell to not be fully ejected and I would hate to have to tell you guys that I missed a double because my shotgun jammed. ;)

:cheers:
 
Make sure you have the recoil bushing set the proper way for light loads. I think it shows a diagram under the forearm.
 
recoil springs a must. If it is still hanging put a drop of oil on the magazine tube. That will do the trick. The A5 is my go to gun.
 
Can't wait to take dad's Browning out in the field. When I was a youngster, I was always intimidated by it ... it kicked like a mule ... especially at 10 years old! It was probably the first shotgun that I ever fired.

It's about to get sappy here ...

I am sure that my dad is looking down with a smile on his face, knowing that "the Browning" is going to be going hunting again. I was a "rebellious teenager" (didn't drink beer, did well in school, went to college, etc.) and wasn't into hunting back then. My dad was never more proud of me when I told him that I had taken up bird dogs, pheasant hunting and shotguns. My dad suffered from Parkinson's and dementia in his last 10 years. My mom and dad moved out to Colorado to be closer to my wife and I so that we could help them out. By the time they moved, my dad was pretty far along into the middle stages of Parkinson's and dementia. He wasn't able to go along on hunting trips or watch dog training. I took a lot of pictures and put them onto DVD, then would play the DVD for him. One time he was having a really bad day ... couldn't talk and could barely sit upright in his wheelchair. I put him in front of the TV, played the DVD and talked about our hunting trip with him, all while he was completely unresponsive. A few days later, when he was having a good day he said "Son, I really appreciate you showing me those pictures of your puppies". :) Anyhow, I know my dad will be proud of the fact that his Browning will be going out again.
 
Make sure the friction rings are set for the proper loads. You may consider getting new friction rings and a new recoil spring. I did this when I bought a 1960 Sweet Sixteen and it made a big difference. Make sure she is clean it should work fine. The only issue with the 12 ga. A5's is that they are quite heavy and a load to lug around in the field all day. Hope you get many years of enjoyment out of your dad's A5.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Make sure the friction rings are set for the proper loads. You may consider getting new friction rings and a new recoil spring. I did this when I bought a 1960 Sweet Sixteen and it made a big difference. Make sure she is clean it should work fine. The only issue with the 12 ga. A5's is that they are quite heavy and a load to lug around in the field all day. Hope you get many years of enjoyment out of your dad's A5.
Click to expand...


Thanks!

RE: Quite heavy
No doubt about that. I have a Winchester 101 Field Edition O/U which is great for lugging around all day after getting 2 birds by 9:00 and going for "just one more" until sunset. :D

:cheers:
 
Pretty cool CO-W to honor your Dad by taking his A5 out. I still take some of my Dad's guns out for walks in the pheasant fields, too. You didn't mention whether you got 20GA, standard or magnum, or a 12GA, light or standard. I've still got a 20GA magnum from my youth that I take out (no recoil pad). You've already read some good advice about the rings. Mis-positioning the rings is the number one mistake a lot of folks make. Find a manual on-line and read up about them-make a reduced copy to glue into the inside of your forearm if the one there is unreadable. That way, it will always be with you.

The A5 was certainly an "iconic" shotgun!!

Tom
 
My Browning A-5 is circa 1940 and still shooting...

Suggest installing a special recoil pad - Kick-ezz or similar, makes a big difference in the felt recoil.

If you use magnum shells vs regular loads you'll notice a difference in the kick; however, because the A5 is heavier, it absorbs the energy vs a lighter gun.

I shoot the A5 for sporting clays and use #8's - 1oz. and have little effect on my shoulkder after two boxes. Shoot 6's and 7.5's for pheasants.

There's a wealth of information about this gun on line...

Safe shooting!
 
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