Browning A-5

H

hydroholic

New member
I'm sure some of you have already seen or heard but, I saw where Browning has re-introduced the A-5 Humpback. Made some changes on it from the old ones. Not sure how the changes will affect it but I am glad to see they started making them again. I was dissapointed when the stopped making the older ones. Was one of my favorite autos made. The new ones look sharp but a little pricey at $1399 suggested retail. Will be interesting to see the reviews on them and how the recoil operation works. Hope its a positive review. Wouldn't mind having one in the hunter model if all is well with them.
Hydro
 
Sadly, about all that's unchanged is the name. The new A5 may or may not be a good shotgun,too soon to tell.

But, it's certainly not the old A5.....
 
The old gunny was shooting one on lock n load. :D He didnt
much care for the recoil, and man, they do kick! He said it
would be ok if it JUST HAD TO BE SHOT!
 
yes, I see they're supposed to be available in spring of 2012 ....

They're still Inertia Operated ...and if what Browning is saying ...they will be a lot more reliable than the older guns ( that were real finnicky in my experience )and were slow to cycle.../ so if they can improve on that - there may be a place for them in today's market. At $ 1,399 list - $ 1599 list price - probably $ 1,200 - $ 1,400 or so on the street ...they're competitive....

http://www.browning.com/library/infonews/detail.asp?id=372

There is an article of this new verion on Brownings website.../ interesting article - if you guys have not seen it.
 
Good article. Lets hope it as good as they make it out to be. Browning has made some fine firearms throughout history. So I will not be quick to find anything wrong with the new A-5 untill I see some reviews from experienced shooters and shoot one a bit for myself. No they are not the same as old, but change is eminent and sometimes great. I still think they are a sharp looking gun. The receiver is definately different but still has the overall look of the old which is what I have always found attractive about the A-5. Hope it turns out well.
 
As lon as the..

barrels will interchange. I'll be happy. Especially if they made 16ga barrels!

If recoil was heavy, the friction rings and spring need to be replaced.
 
I'm a big Browning fan ..mostly Citori's ...and I have a dozen or so ...(in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) ...

...and while the Auto 5 is the semi-auto of my youth .../... its just not a gun I've ever liked or wanted to add to my inventory - the old ones cycle very slowly and were very finnicky in my opinion.

I do like the Inertia systems in the Benelli Super Sport - and I have a pair of them in 12ga and 20ga ...and I'll stick with those for semi-autos for the forseeable future ...although I am intrigued by the Beretta UGB too ../ so while I wish the best to Browning on this reintroduction ...I'm not a buyer - just an observer. But I do hope it gives you guys another good choice if you're looking for a new semi-auto.
 
Here is some more info, and Browning posted some Hi-Res pictures that showed a 2 3/4" - 3 1/2" chamber.

New Browning A5

This is the A5 field stripped. The A5 is a recoil-driven gun, meaning the force caused by the shell firing is what works the gun's action. All recoil guns work off the same principle of physics: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Browning calls its version the Kinematic Drive System. Benelli calls its version the In-Line Inertia Driven System.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520breakdown.jpg


This is the A5 bolt. When any gun is fired, the force from the shell pushes the entire gun backward. In the A5, the bolt stays locked in place as the gun moves back. As the gun ends its rearward motion (the point where it stops against the shooter's shoulder), an internal mechanism causes the bolt head to rotate and unlock.

Then the bolt moves backward and ejects the spent shell. When the bolt reaches the end of its rearward motion, it springs forward and cycles another round from the magazine. All of this happens in milliseconds.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520bolt.jpg


The gun can handle everything from 3-inch magnum shells to 1-ounce target loads without making any adjustments. One of the typical criticisms of recoil autoloaders is that they don't cycle light shells well. I personally shot more than 12 boxes of shells through the A5, many of them light target shells, and only had one jammed shell.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520bolt%252520b.jpg


An issue with inertia-driven autoloaders is that they have stiffer recoil compared to gas-operated guns. To soften the blow, Browning fitted its new A5 with an Inflex II buttpad. Browning says that the pad deflects the recoil down and moves the comb away from your cheek. The pad also comes with spacers that allows for 3/4 inches of adjustment in length of pull. There were no bruised shoulders or cheeks in my hunting group, but we didn't have a chance to shoot 3-inch heavy loads.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520recoil%252520pad.jpg


From an ergonomic standpoint, one of the nicest features on the new A5 is its safety. It has an oversized teardrop safety that is impossible to miss. It felt totally natural the very first time I shouldered the gun, slipped off the safety and tracked down a clay bird. Another great thing about the safety is that it can be adjusted for left-handed shooters.

The trigger on the gun I shot was set at just a shade over 4 pounds.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520safety.jpg


The A5 also comes with Browning's Invector DS choke system. The "DS" stands for double seal. To prevent gases from slipping between the choke tube and barrel, the choke has a brass seal that compresses against the barrel wall when tightened. Browning says this system keeps the tube threads cleaner and makes installation and removal easier.

Each gun comes with a full, modified and improved choke.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520choke.jpg
 
When the slide lock (pictured here just in front of the trigger guard) is pressed it locks the bolt in the rearward position. The button also activates the A5's speed loading option. When this button is pressed and the bolt is open, you can feed a round into the magazine and the gun will automatically cycle it into the chamber, allowing you to pop two more rounds into the magazine.
Click to expand...

New%252520A5%252520slide%252520lock.jpg


I will still buy one, regardless if anyone else does, if nothing else it can be a monument to a big fail or a huge success in my gun safe
 
I will probably buy one as well. I think it will be a great gun. Looks as if Browning put a lot of thought into this one. As far as building on a classic, this one may even be better!Only time will tell.
 
I'm debating on it, I really like the looks and some of the features, but I already have 3 benellis that honestly might have a little edge IMHO. After I shoot one, then I'll decide.
 
the original A5, although a JMB classic will never match up with the new inertia action gun. The original was a beauty from an aesthetic point of view. I would never own one though. End of story...
 
Give me the old hand made A-5 over the so called new one anytime. I've heard and read some say that the old A-5 cycled slow, the ones I have will cycle faster than the Remington model 1100 gas guns I've got and others I've shot against. Those screw in choke tubes on the so called new one are the real deal killer for me. If a shotgun doesn't have a fixed choke barrel, it doesn't spend one night at my farm. I think as much of the screw in choke tubes as I do the old poly chokes.....useless in my book. The old fixed choked barrels were back when they made real shotguns and took pride in doing it.
 
Sorry...

Having owned two original A5's back a few years ago, I can only say, they were the most unpleasant shotguns too shoot. Beautiful appearance, quality build, but nothing more than an over the hill antiquated and oversized paperweight. Comparing one to an 1100 is like comparing a Ford Focus to a Shelby Mustang GT-500...
 
Sluggo, can you then explain..

why at Cabelas the used rack has more 1100 on it than A%'s? :D

Just seems to me that more newfangled shotguns are on it that the A5,

Have 2 and love them, getting the 12 ready for deer season.
 
I hate the old A5.. my best friend has one and its nothing but problems...not to mention it never...ever...ejects anything but high brass
 
Most all my relatives that hunt own at least one of the old A-5's and I use to own one as well untill it was stolen. I never had any problems with mine whether it was high or low brass ejection issues or any other problems for that matter. As far as I know none of my relatives that own them have any problems neither or have not spoken of any. As far as cycling speed, they are not as fast as some other guns, but I think some people greatly exaggerate on how slow they think they actually are. I think mine cycled as fast as my 1100 does and not that much slower than my buddies Benneli. I have no complaints as for the build quality and they are a fine looking gun.So I will respectfully disagree with the comparing a Focus to a GT500 statement. I would give the A-5 a better overall score than the 1100 anyday. Just wish the Bastard who stole mine would have gotten the 1100 instead if he was going to get anything, it was in the cabinet right beside the A-5!

Hydro
 
A5s have lots of happy owners. They do have to know how to set the friction pieces and do PM, but most of us can learn those simple tasks.

I've never been able to shoot A5s and 11s well. But, others can, and should.
 
If you have had an unpleasant experience with an Auto-5, then it wasn't properly set up, over oiled or had worn springs. I have one in 2 3/4" that is one of my favorite sporting Clays guns.
 
I used to do a lot of host hunting (guiding, of a sort), and the first auto I had was an 1100. Believe it or not, I finally wore it out and it would double feed and even spit a few parts. I had it fixed a couple of times, but then decided to get rid of it, on the advice of the gunsmith. Based on reliability info I had from some Cajun goose guides and others, I bought a used Remington Model 11 and had it worked on by Briley in Houston, with the screw in chokes. Later bought an A5. The Model 11, by then, was my favorite so I resold the A5. You guys that complain about the reliability and cycle speed of the old Humpback shotguns are wrong. I shot my old gun in the rain and the snow and the mud and the dust of south Texas and it ate every shell I put in it. It wasn't pretty, but lord it would shoot. I still have it. And another thing...the old humpback is so easy to clean, having no gas system, that I will never again buy a gas operated shotgun. Just thinking about that 1100 piece of gas operated junk that I once owned gives me indigestion. My shotgun ownership experience is a direct comparison of a once new 1100 versus a 50 year old Model 11 and my choice is the humpback. Yes it kicks like a mule.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top