Browning Auto 5 question

J

jmoo1201

Inactive
I need some assistance. I was given a Auto 5 about 20 years ago and I would like to know what year the gun was made. I have listed below the information from the gun.

Stamped on the vented rib barrel
Browning Arms & Company St. Louis MO & Montreal PQ
Special Steel 12 ga shell 2 3/4 E74742

In front of the trigger guard is
OM
6781

If anyone has information on this please let me know. I have looked on the Browning site and it leads me to believe made until 1939 based on the S/N #.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer. Please either post a reply of send me a PM.

J Moo
 
Greetings jmoo1201, and welcome aboard

The Browning date codes can be confusing. Remember, the marking on the barrel refer to the barrel. The gun's date code is based on what's on the receiver. Your 0M67xx fits in with the 1958-67 date scheme. 0M is a 1960 standard weight A-5. Does you Auto-5 seem about 50-years old?
 
It does appear to be that old. If anyone else has further on this I would like to know as I am looking to insure this gun so an estimated price range would be great. I am thinking it is about 80 % as the engraving on the receiver is still very good and crisp.

Thanks again as this is helping answer some questions.
 
It's hard to estimate a gun's value without some pics. You can check out local gun shops and/or do a web search to see how other similar A-5s are priced.
 
I was under the impression that Remington manufactured "The American Browning" (aka the A-5) in St. Louis during WWII, and for a year or two after WWII. I thought Fabrique Nationale manufactured them in Leige, Belgium before and after WWII. Am I wrong? Did Browning buy the St. Louis plant and continue to manufacture these guns in St. Louis under the Browning name after WWII?
 
Did Browning buy the St. Louis plant and continue to manufacture these guns in St. Louis under the Browning name after WWII?
Click to expand...
No, their offices were in St Louis, MO until the 1980s, then they moved to Ogden UT. Browning is an import/export company, they do not manufacture arms.
 
DG45,
It's not uncommon for guns to bear the name and city of the importer. Brownings may bear "Ogden" on the barrel, but are obviously Japanese or FN made. I've seen Perazzis with New York and California addresses on their barrels; but, they were all made in Italy.

I suspect the recent contradictory info from Scorch and Lance may be a matter of semantic interpretation. How about info on where and when Browning owned and operated a domestic gun works.
 
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