How are Old Ugly Browning A-5's

I just don't see the Auto 5's as a great gun .
Click to expand...

On this you are simply dead wrong BigJimP.

The Browning Auto-5 is one of the greatest guns in history. John M. Browning himself has been quoted as saying that he felt that it was his greatest achievement as a gunmaker. The Auto-5 was the reason for Browning's split with Winchester, because he felt that the gun was so very revolutionary, that he deserved to be paid well for it.

It was the first successful Autoloading shotgun. And it was a tremendous sales success, and sold well for a very long time. Remington alone sold 850,000 of their Model 11 shotguns, which was an Auto-5 variant they were licensed to make.

So the Auto-5 not a great shotgun? People will still be talking about what a great gun it was long after the Benelli Super Sport has been totally forgotten.

.
 
My best trap score was with a borrowed A-5... The owner won't part with it, so now I need to find one for myself.. I find the A-5 to be a wonderful shotgun...
 
I have an A-5 made in 1958. I bought it used in the early 80s for $400, and I thought it a good buy then. I've used it a ton since then for upland game, and it still works flawlessly. Of course I keep it up, and I will never part with it willingly.

Your not just buying a shotgun, you're buying history which you can use even to this day. Two months ago I bought a new Browning SA-22 ATD. Yes that one is made in Japan but you can't argue with the design.

I own 9 shotguns, use them all for hunting only. I have no desire for anything made in Italy, I'm sure they are fine guns but I just have no need. You can do much worse than a Belgium Browning A-5.
 
The Auto 5 is a classic loved by some hated by others:rolleyes: I am getting a bad condition 33' and replacing springs and putting a synthetic stock on the beast:D then getting it done in either matte black or nice bluing probably black because no shine.:cool:
 
Someone then explain, when i go to....

Cabela's and look (drool) at the used rack. Why I see more of the recent manufactures Benilli's, WinX's etc and the A5 are few and WELL used??

Have two A5's, one a 1954 16ga Std., second a 1970 12MAG.

like them both.
 
I own several A5s, and an FN aluminum receiver version of the A5. Love 'em or hate 'em, the A5 is a super reliable shotgun, rugged, almost idiot resistant, and very tolerant of gunge and goo that would lock up many other "fine modern autoloaders". I used to work as a smith, and the A5 owners would bring their guns in once a year for strip and clean. Some of these shooters shot ducks and geese almost daily. Open it up, clean it out, scrub it clean, put it all back together, and it works. Every time. Sure they cycle slow, but they cycle a lot faster than the average hunter can recover from recoil and aim at the next bird. They are the one shotgun to take if you are going to odd places around the world to hunt birds. They will cycle when full of mud, powder fouling, sand, rain, snow, you name it. The closest you can come with newer shotguns is the Benelli Inertia System, and it was developed almost 100 years after the A5.
 
I have to pile on here. I own a number of Browning guns; two Citoris, a Superposed, the 22 auto rifle and two A-5's. I have an A-5 Magnum 20 purchased in 1969 when I was a 16 yr old kid and a Japanese made A-5 Magnum 12 I bought just recently so that I could use steel shot and retire my grade VII Citori 12 gauge. I looked very hard at the modern autos....Benelli, Beretta, Browning, Winchester offerings, but they they were a collection of alloy receivers with stamped parts. The modern autos may have some advanced features, such as light weight, but I say if you cannot carry an additional 2 or 3 pounds around for awhile, then the problem is not the gun it is you. I believe the Superposed was J. Browning's almost greatest invention, since he passed before it achieved perfection. However, his A-5 was well designed, durable and will long outlive the today's auto shotgun offerings. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
js
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top