Date your Browning Auto 5

duke1

duke1

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I have owned Browning A5 shotguns for many years and never paid attention to their vintage until today when I came across the following link:

http://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=13

This might be of interest to some of the many owners of this very historic Browning Semi-Auto shotgun.

If this has been posted here before, my apologies.

Duke1
 
Duke, posting this was a noble thing to do and I applaud you for doing it, however I have a problem with the half hearted effort made by Browning to create this site.

The site will help some of you but it is full of gaps and errors. Here are some examples:

Browning states that records are not available from 1903 up to the start of WW2 and that is absolutely false....

It is useless on 12 ga guns up to 1939.

It is useless on all 16's from thier introduction in 1909 right up to 1976

It is useless on 20 ga and 12 ga 3" Magnums from thier introduction in 1958 up to 1976

There are stupid statements like FN took over production of the Auto-5 in 1952....where the hell did that come from? They were the only people that made them until 1976 when the production was moved to Japan....if they were trying to refer to post war production that resumed as soon as they could after the Nazis were out...there were guns being sold to Allied soldiers by 1946, they are off by 6 years.

Anyway this site is or should be an embarrasment to Browning.....I cant believe they dont fix it. Not that I get worked up over this stuff. If you have a Belgian made A5 that you want dated send me a PM. I'll give you an accurate answer.

Jeff
 
Thanks for the very useful comments/information.

In addition to the information related to the vintage based on serial numbers, I found very useful the availability of the manuals for the A5 light weight and the magnum (separate manuals).

Based on the information from this site, my three A5s are:

Ser # 400XX pre 1939

Ser # 2955XX - 1950

Ser # 5G911XX - 1965/Light Weight ??

If you have more information, please get back to me by PM or just included it here in the thread. Some other A5 owners might be interested.

Thanks again,

Duke1
 
Ser # 400XX, assuming it is a 12 ga it was completed in the spring of 1913

As this gun was made when Browning was not importing Auto-5's the the US this gun will not be marked Browning Arms. It will be marked Fabrique Nationale, Armes du Guerre, Browning's Patent Depose and Acier Special on the barrel. Remington had exclucivity on the Browning patent from 1904 to 1923.

It was probably originally sold in Europe or one of the colonies. It is not unlikely that this gun came to the West in a returning soldiers duffle bag after WW2....lots of them did.

If perchance it is a 16 ga then it was made in 1925

Ser # 2955XX - This gun was completed in the spring of 1950, it is bracketed by 288550 completed on 12/31/49 and 306650 completed on 6/31/50.

Ser # 5G911XX - This is a Light 12 made in 1965

Jeff
 
Canuck,

The "bible" on Auto-5's is "Browning Auto-5 Shotguns, The Belgian Production", written by Shirley and Vanderlinden

Post your numbers and I'll tell you what I can.

Browningold, thanks for the kind words.

Jeff
 
I have a couple of them laying around. They are more fun per dollar than any other shotgun I know. There are enough of them to keep them cheap and there is always one more you need to round out a collection...

Daves1913Grade3.jpg
 
Norton,

The 68V indicates that it is a Magnum model 12 ga. with 3" chamber.

If it was a 68M then it would have been a Standard 12 made in 1968

If it was a 68G it would have been a Light 12 made in 1968

Now for extra credit....

If it was 8V, 8G or 8M the year of manufacture would have been 1958.

They changed things around a lot....

Jeff

ps, Norton as in Norton Commando?
 
Hi Jeff,

I have a Belgian Browning Auto5 12 ga with the following numbers on the bottom of the receiver. 59449. Can you please tell me what year this shotgun was made?

Thanks,
Joe
 
First, the dates I'll give are assuming you gave me the complete number and did not leave out any letter prefixes......if letter prefixes are left off the info that follows has nothing to do with these guns:

Joe, 59499 was made in the spring of 1923. That was the year that Browning resumed importing of the Auto-5. It may say Browning Arms or Browning Brothers on the barrel or it may not....post the complete barrel address and let me know if it says "special steel" or "acier special' on the barrel.

Sniper,

Your gun was built in the spring of 1904. Most of these guns have straight stocks, a few were made with pistol grips (it was an option in 1904)

It should look like this:

main.php


The original Browning order was for 10,000 guns. Before that order was completed Browning closed a deal with Remington to license the design for sales in the US and leaving FN the rest of the world. (until 1923) Your gun might be marked Browning on the barrel or not...it is also probably marked Cockerill Steel. Cockerill was a high grade of steel used in the earliest guns.

Let me know the barrrel address...

Jeff
 
Hi jeff , i have an auto 5 #2023XX and special steel . also after shooting it a few times no it seems stuck. cant pull it back chamber it when i get it back it wont release with the button ? . what is the diff on the special steel and the other
 
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