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Website Exclusive • September, 2014

A 1958 "Light Twelve" Browning Auto-v, with a 28″ Improved Cylinder butt and 'Speedfeed' loading. It weighs less than 7½ pounds, balances nicely, and the stock dimensions adapt many people well.

I'm a double-barrel kind of shotgun guy, simply there's one autoloader that strikes my fancy: the Browning Auto-5. Named because it holds iv rounds in the magazine plus one in the bedroom, it's a well-made, rugged, true classic from the days of milled steel and hand-checkered walnut. No stampings, no aluminum, no plastic. Different many more modern guns built in the Historic period of Lawyers, it tends to accept a decent trigger. It was designed by the Michelangelo of firearms, John Moses Browning — who called it his "best achievement" — in 1898. That's the year the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor and the Spanish-American State of war began. William McKinley was President and Teddy Roosevelt led the Rough Riders up San Juan Loma. An automobile speed tape of 39 g.p.h. was set, and Will Kellogg invented Corn Flakes.

The Car-v remained in product for the next century. There's a bewildering assortment of models, non to mention copies similar the Remington Model 11, Brutal 720, Franchi AL48, and a variety of Japanese knock-offs. In that location was even a Russian counterfeit. Merely at that place's no need to bother with clones. A couple million of the existent things were made.

Yous tin can purchase a used Auto-5 for a fraction of the price of the latest-and-greatest, alloy-and-plastic autos that are introduced every year. And information technology'll however be chugging along after most of those are lost in the mist of history. With minimal care, yous tin utilize it hard then pass it down for several more than generations of hard use. "Planned obsolescence" was not part of the Auto-five's design philosophy. They take the life expectancy of redwood trees.

This article will narrowly focus on what I think is both the meridian and the deal of the lot: lightweight Belgian-fabricated 12-estimate guns with two¾" chambers, crossbolt safeties and "Speedfeed" loading. As of this writing (April 2014), they can consistently be found in very skilful working lodge in the $400 to $600 range. (Expect prices to increase as aggrandizement continues to devalue our currency. Unlike our dollar, however, the Auto-v will retain its value.) Parts are readily available, and volition be for a long time.

Pictured higher up is my nigh recent score, an unmodified 1958 in great shape from a local shop for $425. It functions flawlessly. At that place is some handling vesture as you'd expect after 56 years, but it appears to have been carried more than it was fired. A firearm deserves to be thoroughly cleaned every half century, so a consummate disassembly was the project of a recent weekend. At that place were some remarkable accumulations of gunk hither and there inside the receiver — I even found a pine needle — but not much wear at all. Everything was lightly lubricated before reassembly. The Car-5 is not one of those firearms that likes to run "wet," and oil-soaked wood is the cause of a lot of problems. Besides, modern lubricants are and then superior to what was available a century ago that a footling goes a long mode. Retrieve, this is a gun that hit the market place years before Ford'due south Model A.

There were some areas where the bluing was worn, and some surface freckles of rust. I scrubbed these with fine steel wool and touched upward with Brownell's Oxpho-Blue.

The stock was stripped with Citristrip. The walnut underneath the onetime, yellowed, and peeling high-gloss varnish was dense, straight-grained, and workmanlike. The forend had a pocket-sized crack where it butted up against the receiver. I soaked it in acetone to remove all the oil from the wood, and filled the crack with expanding urethane mucilage. All the wood was then refinished with tung oil. The inside of the stock was as well completely sealed. I of these days when I remember where I put my checkering tools I'll become around to recutting the checkering.

The buttstock before refinishing.

The buttstock later refinishing.

The buffalo horn buttplate had some worm holes, as they oft do. My wife is appalled, merely I similar the added character. I soaked it in mineral oil for a few hours and was pleasantly surprised at how it came back to life.

The Machine-five uses the force of recoil to bicycle the action. When a shot is fired, both the barrel and bolt are pushed to the rear of the receiver, and so returned to the firing position by springs — retrieve "Pogo stick." The mechanism is optimized for specific ammunition past appropriately arranging a bronze "friction slice" and a steel "friction band" in conjunction with the recoil spring. If you unscrew the mag cap and slide the forend off the mag tube of a used gun to look at these pieces, they are very probable to be set upward incorrectly. This has given the Auto-five an undeserved reputation for existence a "hard kicker." In reality, it's simply the reverse. Just follow the directions in the manual, and information technology'll work fine and be a pleasance to shoot. Manuals are available from Browning for gratis download on their website. (www.browning.com)

The Auto-5 was produced by the Belgian firm Fabrique Nationale (FN) beginning in 1902. Browning introduced the "Light Twelve" variation, with additional milling of barrel and receiver to reduce weight, in 1946. The left side of their receivers are engraved with the words "Light Twelve." The original then-chosen "suicide condom" inside the trigger baby-sit was changed to a conventional "crossbolt" push at the rear of the trigger guard in the early 1950s.

"Speedfeed" was introduced in the mid 1950s. It's a useful feature that automatically chambers the first circular inserted into the magazine if the bolt is locked to the rear. You'll appreciate information technology when you lot've run the mag dry and ducks are nonetheless dropping into the decoys. There was a change in the design of the carrier spring in 1957. It doesn't matter much, simply just to keep all mine consistent for disassembly and reassembly, I stick to 1958s and later on.

The trigger group is representative of the quality of Motorcar-5s: nothing merely milled steel. No stampings, no plastic, no aluminum. Firearms like this are simply no longer economically feasible to produce.

Production of the Auto-five was moved to Japan in 1976. The Japanese iterations are stiff and well-made. Many are rated for employ with steel shot. But they lack such refinements every bit hand checkering and engraving. Their bluing is more than blackness than blue. Worse, they weigh considerably more than the Belgians. And then much so that the lightweight Japanese models are heavier than the standard weight Belgians.

So, the bottom line is to await for guns made from the belatedly '50s through 1975. The lightweights volition have a "Thousand" in the series number. If there are one or two numbers preceding the G, that'south the year of manufacture. due east.g., 8Gxxxx is a lightweight manufactured in 1958. 73Gxxxx is a lightweight manufactured in 1973.

Equally you prowl the gunshops, you'll see a disheartening number of guns damaged past neglect (i.e. rust), by firing steel shot (look for a slight ring before the choke constriction), and "abode gunsmithing." Yous'll see shortened butts, aftermarket recoil pads, oil-soaked forest, drilled and tapped holes, etc. You lot'll meet missing screws and "gorilla'd" screws. I in one case saw one with a very amateurish hawkeye carved into the stock, and recently one with an unfitted recoil pad attached with drywall screws. You'll also run across a lot of forends with cracks towards the rear. Oft these tin be — or have been — repaired. Worst of all are the barrels with adjustable choke devices installed. Those abominations were all the rage a few decades agone. They don't piece of work well, and to add insult to injury, they wait like someone stuck a plum on the muzzle. The "compensator" types with integral ports purported to reduce recoil are ear-splittingly loud.

If y'all peruse online auction sites similar Gunbroker, you lot'll observe scores of Auto-5s. Pay attending to what they're really selling for, non just what some people are asking. In the past few days, a couple all-original guns in decent condition accept sold for about $500. At the other end of the spectrum is a listing for a gun with a poorly refinished stock, a pitted receiver, and an adjustable choke device with a starting price of $850. There'south another in nice condition but with a shortened stock and a starting price of $900. Caveat emptor. Watch the listings and be patient.

The recoil mechanism is optimized for specific shotshell loads by the arrangement of these parts: recoil spring, steel friction ring, and bronze friction slice. If recoil feels more severe than it should, or if the activeness fails to bike properly, then the friction band, friction piece, and recoil spring are almost certainly ready incorrect. Be sure to follow the directions in the operating manual. The mechanism on acme is set upward for heavy loads, and the machinery on the bottom is set up for light loads. Either manner, the beveled edge of the bronze friction piece e'er goes towards the cage, and the flat border of the steel friction ring always goes against the recoil leap.

Once you've found a Light Twelve made in Belgium with a crossbolt condom and the Speedfeed feature, status is everything. Don't be tempted by the faux economy of "bargains" with unsalvageable stocks and ruined barrels. Of class, both of those things tin be easily replaced, but not inexpensively. Be prepared for sticker shock. A factory replacement buttstock and forend set with plain-figured wood is $350, nigh the toll of a good used gun. A replacement barrel will probably exist more, if you can even detect one. So many barrels have been ruined over the decades that fifty-fifty if someone were to give you a squeamish complete action, bringing information technology back to life with forest and a barrel would probably ready yous back at to the lowest degree $700, not to mention your time.

If an aftermarket recoil pad has been installed, the value of the gun is decreased by about a tertiary. Possibly you won't mind a pad if you lot but want a shooter and the gun is otherwise in great condition. If the barrel has been cut or modified with i of the aforementioned adjustable asphyxiate devices, it's a half-toll gun, even if the dealer pretends he doesn't know information technology. Skilful luck putting it back to rights if y'all decide to buy it anyhow.

Ventilated ribs on barrels increase prices by $100-$200, although the Auto v's geometry obviates whatsoever need for them. In one case you raise the stock to your cheek, you lot can't encounter anything merely the bead over that distinctive square-stern receiver anyway. A raised rib on an Auto-5 barrel is a giddy affectation. Ventilated ribs only add unwanted weight (about four ounces) and collect droppings. They're susceptible to damage, too. Solid ribs just add weight. I've sold my barrels with raised ribs, and kept only plain and "matte rib" barrels. "Matte rib" is what Browning called a craven-scratch pattern engraved on the top of a plain butt, ostensibly to reduce glare. Information technology probably doesn't actually do much, but it'southward an attractive touch that shows the attention to detail that went into the manufacture of even workmanlike guns once upon a time.

Chokes are indicated by symbols stamped into the butt, equally follows:

• Full *
• Improved Modified *-
• Modified **
• Improved Cylinder **-
• Skeet **S-
• Cylinder ***

Total chokes seem to exist most mutual. Modernistic ammunition patterns far amend than the paper-hulled shells of the Auto-5's glory days, then unfortunately you'll probably be overchoked for most applications with 1.

24″ smooth-bore slug barrels with cylinder chokes and rifle sights are likewise relatively common. They work well with Foster-type slugs. The Hastings company used to make good quality 24″ rifled barrels for saboted slugs, and those occasionally come up up for sale, too. The Automobile-five isn't at its all-time as a slug gun, though. Since there is no solid connection between the receiver and the barrel, but barrel-mounted open sights are practical. If you desire peep sights or optics, other guns are improve options.

Short barrels are fine for turkey guns, which are aimed and fired like rifles, and for riot guns, which are made for close-quarters gainsay, but they don't swing well on bird guns. You'll be meliorate served by a 28″ or longer barrel rather than a 26″. If you lot come across such a butt in good condition with an improved cylinder or modified choke, don't remember twice about snapping it upwardly. More than once I've bought guns just because I wanted the barrel. If you cease upwardly with more barrels than you need, the extras are easy to resell on Ebay or Gunbroker.

Later model crossbolt rubber

The Auto-5's operating system requires a certain minimum mass for the barrel, so the shortest manufactory barrel made was the 24″ "Cadet Special" slug barrel. It's a scrap more than unwieldy than the usual 18-twenty″ barrels on modern "riot guns," merely an Motorcar-five would still be an awesome abode defense force weapon. Magazine extensions are available, but if you can't solve your problem with 5 rock-common cold reliable rounds of buckshot, it's probably not going to get solved with two or 3 more, either. I stopped using after-market place magazine extensions later one came apart under recoil and launched itself, all my ammo, and the spring and follower downrange.

Do non employ steel shot in Belgian-fabricated barrels. Different the later (and heavier) Japanese barrels, they weren't engineered for it. There are alternative ammunition choices when lead shot isn't appropriate. Bismuth and tungsten won't damage your butt and are more constructive than steel, to boot. They're expensive, just not as expensive as ruining an irreplaceable classic. Prices are coming down every bit economies of scale kick in, too.

If you need work done on an Auto-five, the all-time in the business organisation is Art's Gun Shop in Hillsboro, Missouri. Art has been kind enough to postal service helpful videos about the Auto-v on his website, too. (www.artsgunshop.com)

If you want to practise your ain work beyond basic field stripping for cleaning, brainwash yourself and brand certain you're up to information technology. The guns are not engineered to be hands disassembled. Their screws take very narrow slots that most screwdrivers won't fit specifically to discourage it. Don't even think about touching them without a screwdriver fleck kit from Brownells. Buggered screws make John Moses Browning cry.

Auto-5s are functional art. Savor the search for the correct i, and enjoy caring for it and using it until y'all pass it downwardly.

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Source: https://www.backwoodshome.com/a-used-shotgun-bargain-the-browning-auto-5/