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First Year Browning A5 #9340423 11/16/14
Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland A Augie OP Campfire Member
OP Augie Campfire Member A Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland	Found this gem at a small local gun show, first year 1903 Browning A5 in wonderful condition for it's age. First year only available in 12 gauge and 2 grades, this one being the higher grade. First guns ordered from FN by John Browning himself. [img]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c314/jorau/IMG_2805_zps9230a839.jpg[/img]

GB1

Re: First Year Browning A5 Augie #9340551 11/16/14
Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 6,284 Downeast NC Odessa Campfire Tracker
Odessa Campfire Tracker Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 6,284 Downeast NC	What a splendid shotgun - congratulations on your find. One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others. Archibald Rutledge

Re: First Year Browning A5 Odessa #9340835 11/16/14
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 23,059 Annapolis, Md. G gnoahhh Campfire Ranger
gnoahhh Campfire Ranger G Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 23,059 Annapolis, Md.	Like I told you before, Augie, that is a sweetheart! (P.S. We're overdue to get together again!) "You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty

Re: First Year Browning A5 gnoahhh #9341285 11/16/14
Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland A Augie OP Campfire Member
OP Augie Campfire Member A Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland	No doubt gnoahhh, as soon as you are able, hope the recovery is going well.

Re: First Year Browning A5 Augie #9342300 11/16/14
Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 11,668 MOGC Campfire Outfitter
MOGC Campfire Outfitter Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 11,668	Love the A5 shotgun. That's a beaut, congrats! Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

IC B2

Re: First Year Browning A5 MOGC #9342666 11/16/14
Joined: Apr 2010 Posts: 8,152 T TheKid Campfire Outfitter
TheKid Campfire Outfitter T Joined: Apr 2010 Posts: 8,152	Have it's near twin back home. Dad bought it at a garage sale ages ago, metal was in great shape but the wood was broken at both ends with carriage bolts through the wrist. He had a gunsmith rebuild the stocks and rechecker them when I was just a little kid, don't know who the guy was but he did a fantastic job of it, from 5 feet you can't tell it was ever broken. One difference is that ours has factory swivels, I've never seen another set like them and the one on the mag cap is a perfect match to both the rear swivel and the magazine cap, if they aren't factory they are at least period and very nice. I have shot it some on doves as a kid, works flawlessly. Kills with gusto but I found out later it was because it's choked tighter than spandex! Neat old shotguns for sure. I like the straight grip and the fine point pattern checkering.

Re: First Year Browning A5 TheKid #9350789 11/19/14
Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 11,240 North Carolina W wilkeshunter Campfire Outfitter
wilkeshunter Campfire Outfitter W Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 11,240 North Carolina	Very nice! Congrats on the find.

Re: First Year Browning A5 wilkeshunter #9353596 11/20/14
Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 427 R rick35 Campfire Member
rick35 Campfire Member R Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 427	That is an unbelievably cool shotgun. Nice find.

Re: First Year Browning A5 rick35 #9370642 11/27/14
Joined: Jun 2012 Posts: 10,068 High Desert SockPuppet Campfire Outfitter
SockPuppet Campfire Outfitter Joined: Jun 2012 Posts: 10,068 High Desert	What a fantastic find! Beautiful! Mercy ceases to be a virtue when it enables further injustice. -Brent Weeks ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~

Re: First Year Browning A5 SockPuppet #9371588 11/27/14
Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,867 Farmboy1 Campfire Regular
Farmboy1 Campfire Regular Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,867	That is a great find, great of you to post. Did you verify the ser. # for what year? They started at Ser. #1, and approx. 228,000 were made from 1902-1939. Browning has a nice website to help date guns to ser.#. I just purchased a 1960 Auto 5, 12 ga. Light 12 this past summer. I really like it, used it this fall on pheasants, and will continue this winter.

IC B3

Re: First Year Browning A5 Farmboy1 #9373727 11/28/14
Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland A Augie OP Campfire Member
OP Augie Campfire Member A Joined: Apr 2014 Posts: 129 Maryland	Tried to get a letter from Browning but they have no records before 1923, only thing known is roughly 4600 were made first year 1903.

Re: First Year Browning A5 Farmboy1 #9374670 11/29/14
Joined: Oct 2011 Posts: 8,573 Northwest corner of Louisiana W websterparish47 Campfire Outfitter
websterparish47 Campfire Outfitter W Joined: Oct 2011 Posts: 8,573 Northwest corner of Louisiana	Originally Posted by Farmboy1 That is a great find, great of you to post. Did you verify the ser. # for what year? They started at Ser. #1, and approx. 228,000 were made from 1902-1939. Browning has a nice website to help date guns to ser.#. I just purchased a 1960 Auto 5, 12 ga. Light 12 this past summer. I really like it, used it this fall on pheasants, and will continue this winter. Interesting. My granddad's old A5 has a five digit SN.

Re: First Year Browning A5 websterparish47 #9374978 11/29/14
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 10,090 Rockford, MI passport Campfire Outfitter
passport Campfire Outfitter Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 10,090 Rockford, MI	SCORE!! Very cool, love the straight grip, don't see that much. It�s a magazine not a clip...... Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it the most, like it the least.� - Lord Chesterfield. 1750

Re: First Year Browning A5 Augie #9399133 12/06/14
Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 613 Missouri bgold Campfire Regular
bgold Campfire Regular Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 613 Missouri	Love those straight stocked A5s...very nice find!

Re: First Year Browning A5 bgold #9438210 12/19/14
Joined: Dec 2014 Posts: 3 H HP870 New Member
HP870 New Member H Joined: Dec 2014 Posts: 3	nice! i have a 16 gauge 4 shot model with the straight stock. from what ive found it is a 1910 vintage. this link was very helpful for me in nailing down production date. http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=216472

Re: First Year Browning A5 HP870 #9461185 12/28/14
Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,867 Farmboy1 Campfire Regular
Farmboy1 Campfire Regular Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,867	Originally Posted by HP870 nice! i have a 16 gauge 4 shot model with the straight stock. from what ive found it is a 1910 vintage. this link was very helpful for me in nailing down production date. http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=216472 Thanks for that link, that has to be one of the most detailed online Browning Auto 5 discussions available.

Re: First Year Browning A5 Augie #9462723 12/29/14
Joined: Mar 2013 Posts: 56 1 1886nut Campfire Greenhorn
1886nut Campfire Greenhorn 1 Joined: Mar 2013 Posts: 56	What an incredible find. As a lover of A5 shotguns, I've been wanting a straight grip early gun forever. Congratulations.

Re: First Year Browning A5 1886nut #9489705 01/06/15
Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,523 Mequon, WI G gzig5 Campfire Regular
gzig5 Campfire Regular G Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,523 Mequon, WI	Congratulations on the find. That is in a lot better shape than my 1903 vintage. Mine needs some serious TLC, but it has a three digit serial number which makes it pretty early. I'd like to find an original butt plate for it.

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