Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Browning a-5

Honda-Man
I have a Belgium Browning A-5 with serial number 7xxx. According to the Browning site this gun was part of the ORIGINAL 10,000 ordered by Browning in 1903. I can believe it. I have never seen one even close to it. Unfortunately time and various owners have not been good to the old girl. The wood is NOT original and some of the internal parts are missing. I have 30 yrs experience restoring doubles but "0" with the Autos. Where can I find early era parts for this piece of history? Failing in that where can I get the spec. drawings for the parts so I can make them in my shop. Any ideas will help. Even pictures of the prewar, World War I models would help. The upper and lower tang appear to have been on a straight grip stock!! I'll make the stock if I can see what one looks like. Some of you collectors PLEASE HELP me.
0

Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Honda-Man
    Can anyone tell me more about this 12ga?
    Top of the barrel marked Bbowning Automatic Arms Co Ogden Utah USA.
    Receiver marked Fabrique-Nationale-Herstal-Liege.Belgium-Browning's-Patents. Oct9 1900- Dec17 1901-Sept30 1902-June 16 1903
    4 digit SN# 23xx
    0
  • Der Gebirgsjager
    Judging by the serial no. you have and old one and it is almost certainly something less than 2 3/4". However, this situation can be easily remedied by any gunsmith with a 16 ga. long forcing cone reamer or 2 3/4" chambering reamer.
    0
  • Honda-Man
    I think this barrel is a 1956 date.A 2-3/4 shell slides in flush.Chad
    0
  • Der Gebirgsjager
    That may well be, Mr. Honda; but if you measure a loaded 2 3/4" shell you will find that it is only about 2 1/4" long. So, naturally it will fit flush in any chamber longer than 2 1/4" and that proves nothing. The problem arises when you fire that shell. If the chamber is shorter than 2 3/4" the mouth (crimp) of the shell fails to open fully and a large number of shot bounce off the walls of the bore instead of proceeding straight out, which causes them to be of irregular shape and inaccurate. Therefore, to be sure, you must measure the chamber with (preferably) a chamber depth gauge; which is nothing more than a smooth steel rod of the appropriate diameter with various depth marks on it. It is inserted into the open breech and the mark that fits flush with the mouth of the chamber indicates the depth. Your gunsmith should have such a device, or you can purchase one from Brownells.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?