doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Belgian Browning Auto-5 3" Magnum

Well, so much for that never fire the gun without the bronze friction piece. I was told the same thing at a good gunsmith store. I wanted to fire 3/4oz loads in it and was told they're too light. Well, no friction piece or spacer/washer, just the spring, and it works great. The forearm hasn't cracked. Same with my buddies auto-5. Just a spring. It all depends on how much recoil there is.

The guns should never be fired without the friction piece.

It acts as a velocity damper on the return to battery stroke.

Without it, it's a matter of time before the stock will crack.

I've got a 32" Mag that I shoot SC's with for grins.
I Installed a standard spring and friction ring kit from Midwest Gun Works and it works like a dream with target loads.
The Xtra Full turkey choke I use is fun for goofing around. The only gun I've ever smoked half a target with. I had to install a stick on comb riser, otherwise too low for me.

Good answers- any concerns about salt wood on the pre-Jap made A-5's-- The lightweight A-5 (yeah, like a M-1 Garand is a "lightweight" weapon- has the older reddish stained wood and rounded bottom pg== the 3' Mag has the later blonde stained wood and still a round grip knob. Both have Ventilated ribs, about 85% wood and blue on the lightweight, 90% on the 3-incher..

Love to visit Gun Broker in the A-5 sections- over half of the sellers listing the A-5's misspell it as Belgain-- proper spelling is Belgium, this-yields Belgian-- Reminds me of the great movie "Murder By Death" where James Cocoa tells Peter Falk- "I'm a Belgie, not a Frenchie". RWTF

Hello Gentlemen:

I hope the virus are not affecting (too much) your lifes!
I also hope and pray that an end of the pandemia is near.

I wrote because I have an advise for long recoil operating shotgun owners: to avoid damage to the forend due to the slam the barrel produces when it return to the normal position, I put a hard rubber gasket (the type used for water conections) once you install the barrel and prior to instal the forend. This rubber gasket dampens the knok at the end of the cycle, seems that enough to avoid craks in the forend, a common problem in this type of shotguns. The gasket can not be too thick or the mechanism will not "close". After some use, replace with a new one.

Best,

Mil gracias, amigo del Sur in Mexico. Palabras de veritas para las escopetas hechan de Sr. Juan Browning. Usted es un cazador, si como mio? Muy buena suerta-- Sr. Zorro

I'm not saying they didn't exist but i've never owned - nor seen - an auto-5 with salt wood. but, every A5 i ever had was stocked in French walnut and it was the CA Claro that was cured in salt.

The only 3" mag i had was a very early gun with the dual recoil springs, one wound inside the other- essentially screwed together. that one, i removed one of the springs in spite of all the internet experts who've probably never even seen one telling me it was a bad idea. that one with just the one spring worked flawless with 2-3/4" shells and the rings set just like for a 2-3/4" gun, although it worked very slowly on the return stroke. But recoil was incredibly gentle. I know i ran some 1oz reloads that i'd put together for old British doubles. it was really slow, but worked.

the later guns with the single recoil spring, i don't know. My dad's had a magnum 20 since '69 or '70 and with the rings set per instructions for 2-3/4 inch shells it's likewise never malfunctioned. never. I'd assume Browning made 12's just as good as they did 20's.

BTW, on the old dual spring 12's, anybody who can't separate and re-join the springs doesn't need to be handling things like shotguns.

Roger

I actually remember being with him the day my dad bought that. he went to a big gun shop in either college park or, i think, east point GA. the sales guy there told him you couldn't shoot anything but 3" mag's in one and he didn't want that. we ended up later at the old Barnes Hardware in Mableton - back when hardware stores could sell Brownings and be competitive - and the guy there said that was bull and showed him how to set the rings so he just bought it there.

I think i was with him when he bought nearly every gun he ever owned, excepting the ones i gave him.

Roger

Those are good memories, Roger.

SRH

Jose, thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try. Paul