Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Can anyone help date my browning A5

I searched the web and can’t figure out how to decode my 20ga Automatic 5. Figured someone here could probably answer it off the top of their head. I think the Z is for “light 20 gauge” not sure the significance of the 1 in front of the Z.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

What is it choked and how much do you want for it? Mb

Has a poly choke on it. Not sure yet trying to figure out what it is first. So I know what to ask for it.

Not trying to put it down but it looks to have been reblued. Nice shotgun tho.

1=1961
Z=LT A5 20ga

I'm thinking there is an age look up page on the Browning website.

Poly choke not a plus. Original barrel?.

pm Win7 on here he can tell you in a hurry. He helped me with one.

A5 Codes are a pain Z could be '91 but poly choke says older.

Appreciate ya my friend!

All original as I know who bought it new.

Much older. I know where it came from when new he just couldnt remember which decade.

No Problem. Enjoy a great gun. Got Dad's 58' A5 LT12 that's how I knew your date code immediately. FN Belgium took over manufacture in 57.

As an aside I bought a Jap Barrel w/chokes for it in 85' when everything went steel shot for waterfowl and stored the original barrel.

Nice gun👍

It comes up really nice. Weighs 6lbs 12oz on my scale. I like my guns light as I have a can’t sit still problem. Always gotta see what’s in that field or over in the next hollow.

Consider synthetic stock to protect the original furniture.

I had one bought from a widow just like that. Poly choke and all. Lots of those had Poly chokes, because that was the technology back then.

I really thought it was hideous, so I sent the barrel off to Carlson's and they took that Poly off and threaded the inside of the barrel and sent it back with like 4 screw in flush chokes.

It was much nicer to handle, shoot, and look at after that.

I am not 100% positive without putting hands on the shotgun in question, but judging from the photos, the engraving and even the Browning name is VERY light, like the receiver was stripped of blue and rust, heavily polished, and re-blued.

It has a Poly choke as well, so I consider it a shooter shotgun instead of a "collector", so I doubt the wood finish makes a whole lot of difference in what it's worth.

It’s definitely not a collector grade gun. This one I would have no problem carrying afield the way she is.

I'd say it's a reblue as well. A lot of that beautiful engraving has been wiped out.

Didn't consider any collector value when I bought them for Dad's A5 when they first came available decades ago. Just wanted to protect what I had as I already cracked the original forearm like a dumbass. Same as buying the Jap Barrel with invector chokes to save the original unchoked barrel as I was throwing lots a steel at ducks at the time.

Gotcha!

BTW, I think our fearless leader here, RickBin, is an A5 guy as well.

Would'nt doubt it. A better all around shotgun has never been made IMO.

You are correct.

There was a light 12 and a 20 at the LGS last week. The 20 was a round knob.