Lee Loader

I have been working on a Browning A5 to use in 3 gun comps and for shotgun classes at Front Sight.

There are many choices for shotguns for these disciplines and I looked at Beretta's, Benneli's, Mossbergs, but I went with a Browning A5 because it was different and it is very reliable and I already had one.

The main Mods to the gun after refinishing the wood and metal was a Briley Extended Mag tube giving the gun 7+1 capability shortening the stock to a 13.25 LOP and adding a substantial Limbsaver Recoil Pad, and two different barrels.

A Browning Miroku Buck Special Smoothbore Slug barrel with rifle sights and a Hastings Rifled Slug barrel with rifle sights were found on Ebay.

I had a 1950 gun but it had the one piece lifter in it and wouldn't allow loading in any kind of a speedy fashion so I traded it strait across for a 1963 model gun that has the two piece lifter and "Speed Feed" feature.

I also added some sling mounts so I can sling the gun is several different ways depending on the usage.

I might get to go pig hunting here in CA as well so I had to cover that too.

I am off to Front Sight this week and will be wringing this gun out really well. 300+ rounds in 2 days, so we'll see if it runs right or has problems. The small amount of shooting I've done with it so far indicates it might be a winner.

Here's some pics of the gun. I think it came out looking nice.

Randy

Great guns.

Nice! And the A5 is one of the best for 3 gun, I am told, as it is the fastest cycling gun.

Wow, that is a nice gun! Good luck and have fun at FS.

It came out nice. The wood was very cooperative and I finished it with Minwax Helmsman which is a Clear Polyurethane that sprays so nice it is criminal. Most of my friends who are doing stock work are using this stuff unless the owner specifies an Oil finish which takes 10 times longer and generally doesn't look as good, and costs a lot more to do..

I just touched up the bluing with cold blue as this is a working gun, and I wasn't going to spend a bunch to have someone hot blue it.

The entire innards got disassembled cleaned, deburred and polished before reassembly. The gun is well broken in and runs smoooothly. Used Amsoil 20-50 racing oil for Internal Lube, super slippery and stays on the job well.

For those who don't already know, these guns are not really built like guns, they are built more like machinery and designed to last!

The Briley Mag Extension worked perfect right out of the box and has a rotating sling swivel attachment so I can re-configure the sling any way I want it.

Really looking forward to this week as I'll get to shoot it a bunch at close range steel targets, which give instant feedback, and when we move back to 50 yards the slugs come out and that is really gratifying to hear them hit the steel targets.

Randy

Nice gun!

But the title is misleading. The vintage gun is the Auto 5. Browning started making the A5 some years ago. It looks just like the Auto 5 from the outside, but is working on a completely different principle. The Auto 5 is a long recoil action, the A5 has a modern recoil system without moving barrel.

I'm also looking for a buck special barrel. But they are absolutely nowhere to find over here. The Auto 5 has not been as popular in Europa as it was in the US.

What cartridge do you use? I need at least 28 grams (1 ounze) of lead and some hot loads to get it working reliably. And the magazine tube needs to be clean and dry, otherwise I get double feeds.

Fyodor: where are you in Europe? I got both my barrels off Ebay, but up to seller if he would ship to Europe. Many will and I guess there is "European Ebay" as well? Maybe? I have bought a bunch of stuff off Ebay shipped from Italy and Russia.

Hastings Rifled Barrels are made in France, so that would be an option?

Most people over here know the gun as the "A5" as nobody really ever acknowledged the existence of the new gun. It was not very popular, where as the Auto 5 was made by several different outfits and was produced for nearly 100 years, and is still very popular.

AS far as running,,, any factory 1 or 1 1/8 oz. load should run fine. what I found with mine is that if it is really dirty it doesn't want to cycle. Mine was filthy when I got it and it literally took me an Hour to extract all the crud from the inside of the receiver after complete disassembly. After that and some good lubricant It cycles anything and runs perfectly. Clean Mag Tube inside and out is a must, like you said.

There is an excellent video on Youtube by "Art's Gun Shop" on complete disassembly and reassembly of this gun and it needs to be done every so often to clean them thoroughly. It is easy to follow and I was successful on the first try. Plus that if you have a problem you can refer to the video and fix it quickly.

JMB recommended 30 wt. Motor Oil for lubrication so I used Amsoil 20-50 "Racing Oil," and it is really slick.

For my class I will be using the cheap Winchester #8 shot loads @ $21.75 US per 100 from Walmart. Federal Low Recoil Buckshot and Federal 1 oz. Low Recoil Slugs. which were shipped into CA from Target Sports in Connecticut @ $3.50 a box for each. These all run just fine.

Mind you I am taking my Mossberg 500 with me as a backup if the A5 has a problem I can't fix in the field.

Randy.

Just realized I never followed up on this thread.

So: I got back last Tuesday night after shooting all day and a 6 hour drive home from Pahrump NV.

The gun worked great and I can now say without reservation it is faster to both load and shoot than any of the new wonder Autos. IE Beretta's and Benelli's. Mossberg 930's had no chance at all, and I shot next to one for 2 days.

This gun has the two piece lifter with the speed feed feature and is much faster to load than a conventional SA. With an empty gun and open bolt, You stuff a round into the mag tube and let go and it cycles into the chamber automatically. Right NOW!!! You can also port load the first round and drop the bolt manually but it is pointless, because the other way is twice as fast.

We do a Port Loading Drill, which is designed to keep the gun running after you exhaust all the rounds in the gun. You start with an empty gun, load one thru the ejection port, fire at a target, load another one, fire at a second target, load another and you're done. Time to beat is 4.2 seconds. I can complete it nearly every time before anyone on the line got their second shot off. IE; @2.5-3 seconds.

It's all about "Economy of Motion." and using the speed feed all I do is reach down grab a shell stuff it in the mag and then point in, Fire, do it again with the gun still on my shoulder, fire,,, and then load it again, Don't shoot,,, down to the ready.

Shooting multiple targets is a joke. literally bang, bang, bang, bang. Just as fast as you can say it. With the pump M500 I could make the time up to 3 targets but was late on the 4th. it's 1.6 seconds for 2, 2.1 for 3, and 2.6 for 4. with this gun I can make all 4 in 2.6 seconds easy. and every time. I get a little muzzle rise which slows things down a bit but I'll port the barrel and that will go away.

The gun ran perfectly with no shooting induced malfunctions. Clearing set up malfunctions is nothing more than cycling the bolt which is faster than a pump.

This was my 4th Shotgun Class at Front Sight, so I had a pretty good idea of what was needed. But this gun took me to the next level, bing bang boom. It was quick to transition to and I was fully into it by the end of the first day.

Will be going to a 4 day class soon so I can DG the test, which should be easy with this gun.

Had a great time!

Randy

W.R.Buchanan wrote:Fyodor: where are you in Europe? I got both my barrels off Ebay, but up to seller if he would ship to Europe. Many will and I guess there is "European Ebay" as well? Maybe? I have bought a bunch of stuff off Ebay shipped from Italy and Russia.
Randy.

Sadly shotgun barrels can not be shipped out of the US except with an export permit issued by the US Department of Commerce. Not sure how complicated that is to get. Getting one into Canada is not too bad; we require an import permit from the relevant Canadian authority. We also have bilateral agreements between the two countries but sending to Europe might be more of a challenge. Rifle/handgun parts are covered by another US department. I wanted to get a 9.3x.62 barrel for a Santa Barbara Mauser action and the hassle and cost to import from the US just put it out of reach. I have located one here in Canada made by Zastava that is about 25% of the cost of bringing one in from the US. It will be interesting if President Trumps pulling out of the the UN Arms Trade Treaty will impact on US restrictions under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

I really enjoyed the report, Randy. Do you attend any of the other classes?