Browning A5 Light Twelve Mystery
It's a mystery to me, anyway. I need help -- I bought a Browning A5 Light Twelve, and the Browning website serial number info doesn't help me. The barrel is marked Made in Belgium (so far so good). Anyway, the S/N is L 90068. The Browning website shows an L1 - L83000 run, and then the light weights shift to G prefix and L is never heard from again. Anyone know what I have? Except that the gold has worn off the trigger, it looks new and is very tight, clean, and shiny. How could it be Belgian (i.e., at least 30 yrs old) in this condition?
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Sibir,
I bought my A5 Light 12 in 1966 NIB. The receiver has a 6G prefix for the serial #. The barrel has aa L prefix. The owner of the gunshop told me that the guns were shipped with whatever barrels FN had at the time. This guy was a very big Browning dealer at the time. No reason for him to lie. I have checked out many A5's at gunshows and to tell the truth I have not found one with a matching receiver and barrel number.
Jeff0 -
Browning started using letters in their serial numbers in the mid 60s on some of the models, anway. Regarding the Auto 5s; I have an older Light 12- made in the early 50s, serial # 410xxx. The number is on the cocave portion of the frame bottom, in front of the loading gate. In front (toward the muzzle) of the number is FN with a circle around it. The barrel is numbered on the portion joining the barrel with the operating ring. A newer 20 has the serial # in the same spot on the frame but has a letter included: 6Z8xxx; the barrel has only proofers stamps on the operating ring; what looks to be a serial number is near the breech and it's M21xxx. this gun was purchased new in 1966, so the barrel, though appearing to be mismatched, did come from the factory so numbered. I'd guess you have one of these newer guns that wa after they changed from keeping the same number with the components. 0
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