Hairline Crack Browning A-5
I bought a Browning A-5 on line from a dealer. He warranted it as "near pefect" but when I found a hairline crack in the forend, but not penatrating through the stock, he refused to accept a return. So, I am stuck with the a 1/2 inch hairline crack on the lower forend. It is so tiny as one has to carefully examine the gun to see it. There is some crazing surrounding it as well. I won't shoot the gun because I am concerned the crack may become worse.
Questions:
1) How does this affect the value of the gun?
2) Should I look for a forend from another gun from same year and replace the forend ?
3) Am I making a big deal out of nothing, since it is a very tiny crack, not penetrating all the way through the stock ?
4) Will this affect the future accumulating value of the gun?
Questions:
1) How does this affect the value of the gun?
2) Should I look for a forend from another gun from same year and replace the forend ?
3) Am I making a big deal out of nothing, since it is a very tiny crack, not penetrating all the way through the stock ?
4) Will this affect the future accumulating value of the gun?
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It's rare to see an a5 without crack in the forend. 0 -
File an issue with the Good Capt. 0 -
You say he warranted it as "near perfect" and as you say "one has to carefully examine the gun to see it" I then say it meets the discription of as "near perfect" [;)]. Maybe with your expectations you need to buy/shop "hands on" over the counter and not on-line. I know that does'nt sound sympathic toward you but I do feel for you AND the dealer, you both are caught up in a bad situation [:(] 0 -
As stated this is a common problem. Repaired mine with thin supergue for wood as I recall and it has not gotten worse. If I were concerned with my ability to fix it there are people who can repair it properly. With what they are bringing I would not hesitate to spend a few bucks to have it properly repaired. 0 -
As everyone has mentioned, a crack in the forearm of an A5 is very common. Browning has done several things over the years, and it has been several years since I spoke with a Browing representative, so I am not certain of their current policies and practices. So with that disclaimer out of the way, let's start with the age and condition of your A5. You meantion that it is "near perfect," so we have an idea of condition, but what about age. How old is it? If it is one of the very, very old--as in a collector's item--a crack will have some impact since the rest of it is "near perfect." On the other hand, if it is new--so new that one would not expect a crack--a crack will also reduce the resale value. However, if it's somewhere in between very, very old and spanking new, as other folks have said, a crack is not going to reduce value in any significant way. Now to your options. In the past, Browning used to fix the crack free of charge, often by replacing the forearm. However, that was more than twenty years ago and it often created more problems because the wood of the butt stock and the forearm seldom matched after one was replaced. The next thing I remember Browning trying was fixing the cracks. Folks sent in the forearm and Browing routed out some of the wood on the inside and put in a fiber mesh and epoxy resin that was not seen from the outside. Just like the current production models. The crack was still there and if it was visible before, it would still be visible but it was as strong as a brand new forearm. As I said, I don't know the current policy at Browning, but you could give them a call to find out and go from there. See if there is a charge, how much and then decide. You could do the fiber/epoxy fix yourself if you want. So there are lots of options. Just don't tighten down that feed tube cap too much. Let us know what Browning says and what you decide to do. 0 -
I choose # 3 . 0 -
# 3 also 0 -
Currently my A5 forend does not have a crack but I was concerned it might someday, so I purchased one online. It took awhile to find a Belgium made one where the wood matched the rest of the gun, but the ones for Japanese A5's are common and can be found for around $25. Since I shoot my A5 fairly often, it didn't seem like a bad investment to have a spare sitting around. 0
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