Browning Auto 5

[blacksmithden]

I don't normally frequent the shotgun forum, but time is of the essence and I need a little help from some of the more experienced guys here.

I've got a chance to pick one of these up for whatever I want to pay for it. I'm helping to liquidate an estate and I want to be fair to the person. The fellow who owned it put some kind of a protective rubber boot over the stock, and that's started to melt into the finish. There's actually a decent sized chunk of it that's started to harden. It'll have to be completely stripped and re-done. Other than that, the gun looks to be in pretty nice shape.

What should I offer them??? I've never even fired a semi-auto shotgun before, much less bought one.

 

[straightshooter]

A5's are nice. A John Moses Browning design, of course they're nice.

Depending on grade and condition, you can pay anywhere from $150 to thousands. Sadly the one you describe is in need of obvious repairs and perhaps some not so obvious. Original condition (or as close as possible) is important for retaining value with a model such as this where millions were sold. This one will have to be refinished. Mind you, if there are cracks and so forth, you can kill two "birds" with one refinish.

I'm sure the action is salvagable, if not fine just the way it is. But it's not really a gun you'd be buying, it's a project. You should pay what it's worth to you as a project. (somewhere close to the bottom of that range I mentioned before methinks).

 

[Jeff Mulliken]

blacksmithden,

The more likely price range is between $150 and $800....

But before you can even start to estimate the price there are things that we need to know.

First, what gauge and chamber length?

Age? post the serial number and where it is located...is it on the bottom of the receiver in front of the loading port or on the lower left side of the receiver?

Model? is there engraving on the receiver? Is the trigger gold plated?

Stock? is it a round knob pistol grip or a flat knob?

Buttplate? under that rubber boot, is there an original Browning hard buttplate or a recoil pad.

Condition? we know the wood needs refinishing but how is the blue on the metal? Any signs of corrosion or wear?

 

[blacksmithden]

Thanks for the responses guys. I know my question was pretty vague with a lot of open holes. If a working one that's in really rough shape is worth $150, then I think I'll give them $250. It's not totally scrap by any means but she's definitely not new in the box. There's nothing fancy about it either. There's a bit of engraving on the receiver. No gold trigger. Original butt plate has been replaced with some kind of an adjustable one. She'll never win best in show again, but it would make a perfectly fine gun for shooting skeets or banging around the bush.

Thanks again.

 

[StonedAssassin]

I think $250 is too much for a gun in such rough shape. As an A5 owner myself, based on the descriptions you have given I would offer him $50. Without a serial number and pictures to help to judge the value I would not pay much more since you will probably have to take it to a gunsmith to have it properly restored. Maybe give him $100 if it can be put into action with just a simple cleaning.

 

[Jeff Mulliken]

The barrel by it's self is worth $150.

Pay $250, it won't be a bad deal and no one will be able to question your integrity.

Jeff