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Have my eye on a vintage 1960's Browning A5, it will be used on NW Montana grouse & possibly non competition/fun trap shooting..

Thoughts?

41

Light Twelve, Sweet Sixteen, Twenty?

Fine guns. I just sold my Light Twelve after buying an O/U and realizing I’d never tote it afield again. Prices on them go up and down, but $800-$1000 should get you a really nice one.

For about $300 Briley will put tubes in it, greatly increasing its utility.

It will work for those uses as well today as it did 6 decades ago. I've owned more than a couple dozen of them over the years though I am currently down to just two. Some think the guns heavy but I haven't found them to be onerous yet.

A nice feature of the A-5 for trap singles is you can set the friction rings for heavy loads and it will run the gamut from not ejecting the hull at all to ejecting the fired round at your feet depending on the load being used. That keeps squad mates happy as empties aren't bouncing off or around them.

There are those who feel the rear of the receiver distracting or the clacking and pogo stick sound of the action bothersome but I grew up with the A-5 being the Holy Grail of shotguns so I don't notice it. I find the spring noise of an AR-15 to be more of an issue which isn't much.

One thing to remember is to keep the forend cap tight. If it loosens even a little you will crack the forend which may mean a new one. Look over the forend carefully to see if it is cracking and pay accordingly.

Buy it... I have a bunch and love them. They don't make a gun like that anymore...

I have a Remington Model 11 (basically the same gun) in 16 gauge that I love to hunt with. It has proven to be a superb dove gun. It came with a full choke and I had it opened to modified. I’d love to try it with some Non Toxic shot for ducks. The more I hunt with it, the more I like it.

Shot my A-5 light 12 with a 26" vr ic choked barrel on dove opener. I could easily use it all fall. As the ranges of flushes increase just go to premium buffered loads. A-5's all ways been overchoked back in the 60's Browning didn't adjust constriction with the advent of 1 pc plastic wads...mb

Have three of them. My 1963 light twenty was my weapon of choice on a Kansas pheasant hunt a few years ago. Easy to carry, shells are lighter, and I killed as many or more ringnecks as anyone else. Oh, and it's a 26" improved cyl. with a vent rib.
You will not be sorry.
I think I have read that the A5 was one of JMB proudest accomplishments. And he had plenty.

As an aside, on the topic of Browning A5 20 gauge guns, and “Twenty” vs. “Light Twenty” markings: there is/was only one 20 gauge A5 model - the light Twenty.

All 20 gauge A5s with 2 3/4” chambers are light Twentys because they all have the receiver lightening cuts (visible on the bottom of the receiver, on both sides of the shell lifter) and holes in the barrel ring.

They were all marked “Twenty” in the receiver until 1973, when (apparently because of the confusion of two distinct models in 12 and 16 gauge) they changed the marking to “Light Twenty”.

So no matter if your gun says “Twenty” or “Light Twenty,” it is a light Twenty.

A Light 20 mag, or Light 20 Belgium is one heck of a shotgun.

Very very light - 5 shots…

If you shoot a flat rib field gun, it’s hard to improve on it.

I shoot high rib because I am Omni-ocular so my dominant eye can shift and using a high rib helps counter that…
Plus I like my pattern high because I like watching the bird above the bead so I can adjust to dives and dips fast so for me I use a Benelli M2 because it has a high rib, and shims to let me adjust the stock drop to pattern where I like it…

But if I shot standard flat surface ribs (the rib on a A5 matches the Height of the receiver humpback) I’d be using a light 20 mag…

Art’s Gunshop is your huckleberry if you want a restored one….

Down to just three now, a 12, 16 and 20. The 16 is my favorite, A true all round gun. If you decide to purchase please watch this video on how to properly set up the friction rings. Also note Art's trick to use a few drops of synthetic motor oil to help the gun cycle with low brass shells. Well worth your time.

You might broaden your search a bit and include the Browning B-2000. It is a streamlined Auto-5, smoother and lighter. It is gas operated and has some real great features that make it an under-appreciated shotgun.

They were made from 1973-1980 and I had heard they were expensive to make and that’s what ended production. I don’t know if that is true, but they are a sweet semi auto..

I’d also add that another terrific gas gun is the Browning B80, essentially a Beretta 302/3. These guns have a cult following, for good reason.

On the A5 discussion, as some have already suggested, the Sweet Sixteen is indeed a darling. It shares a frame size with the Twenty, weighs even less. My pick of the A5 litter.

Like the Double Auto, it was discontinued due to poor sales. Cost may have been a factor but it could have been ameliorated if sales would have been good. It was Browning's first attempt at a gas operated semiauto and it flopped. The side loading seemed to be the biggest turn off and it had pretty stiff competition from Remington's 1100 which had a chokehold on the market at the time.

I knew 3 people who had them, two were guides for geese. The guns seemed pretty reliable but the two guides traded them for Mossberg 835s as soon as they came out and the last on an 11-87 a couple years after that model came out. I might be tempted to buy one if the price was right but it would have to be "throw away" cheap as parts may be difficult to find. It is not a gun I would want as my only for this reason.

I would take the B-2000 over either version of the A-500, now those were losers!!

My Mag Twenty is a fave. Grouse, phez , quail, clays….

It runs like a champ on nearly any 2 3/4 load I run through it. Rarely shoot 3” shells.

So that’s what you call it. I’m the same way. It’s very disconcerting to find myself suddenly looking down the left side of the barrel when tracking a clay. Staying focused on the bird is how I try to deal with it. It’s unlikely I’ll be buying another gun at this point in life.

OTOH, it’s very useful at times to be able to shoot a rifle from either shoulder with both eyes open. That’s helped me kill a few deer.

It's a 1958 model with a 26" barrel that's been professionally opened to modified choke. Nice walnut stock with clean bluing. He's asking $375.

IN this day and age that is a very decent price for a shooter. I paid that and then some 25-35 years ago for vent ribbed Belgian models in lightly used shape. If I ran across a deal like that today, I would have a hard time passing it up.

I am in Boulder Wy right now.

Local young man has his grandpa's A5 16 for sale.


If you are interested let me know and I will get you in touch with him.

Sad. I can’t conceive of selling an heirloom like that.