looking at the one on GB now..... asking $399... it has initials scratched in both sides of the receiver, but I am kinda tempted on this one,
any thoughts about value of a defaced Belgian A5 in 20 ga? I have asked about choke, and bore condition, no word back yet.

I would consider $400 to be at the very top end of that gun- even though it is a 20 ga.$350 would be closer to the mark in my eyes and it would have to be even less for me to raise any interest. Besides the initials, I am not interested in a plain barrel as well as the odds of it being a Full choke are fairly high which is not a deal breaker but it does limit the utility to me. I would also want to know the condition of the fore end as it is not uncommon to find them cracked due to either not having tightened the magazine nut properly or using the improper setting for heavier loads.

If I were interested I would offer something between $300-$330 and go to $350, maybe $375 if I absolutely had to have one. I went through my A-5 phase quite a while back and kept what I wanted and sold the rest. Now, it has to be an under priced killer deal to tempt me and this is not it.

Yes, I agree on the full choke not being ideal. I have a couple of full choke 20's now. Pricing too, it is just above what I want to pay. If it cycles through several times, I may respectfully offer less using their 'ask seller a question'. There is a 16 ga on now that is $349, also tempting but again not quote there.

I found a pre-war A-5 in 16 ga for a buddy in the last month. It had been altered to take 2 3/4" she'll, had a vent rib, and was in better shape (as I recall) for $450. That was a bit lower than typical but not greatly so. The only negatives are it had Full choke and the trigger guard safety but the price and condition were decent. The choke is not difficult to He wanted a back up to his 16 ga SxS and this one fit the bill for cost.

I love the mechanics and feel of the old Belgian guns. The 20 I was watching got snagged by a guy just now, at the minimum.

I love the Belgian Auto Five. There are tons of them around, most of them beat to hell. A good solid gun at 60% - 70% finish with no major issues around here will start around $850 and go up. Most are 12's, the 16 & 20 gauge bring more money.

Those are crazy prices, I coild be tempted to buy some A-5s locally and sell there if those were sale prices and not asking prices. Here, a gun would have to be in 90% or better condition to even ask those prices if a 12 ga- even so you are unlikely to sell it for that. Gander Mountain and Cabela's have guns such as mentioned above, they have been sitting on the used racks for months. Gander has turned over a couple of theirs lately but that was with a 25% discount and even then lonely the top one or two headed out the door.

I am probably a little high in that first post. A 65% Belgian Light Twelve is probably $650-ish. The Belgian Twenty and Sweet Sixteen would go higher. Especially so in improved cylinder or modified choke. A full choke and long barrel is less desirable here and brings less money generally speaking. A 90%+ Belgian Light Twelve here would go $1,000 - $1,200. A Light Twenty more than that and a Belgian Sweet Sixteen could go $1,800+.

If in decent condition the barrel alone is worth nearly that much. If you just want a shooter go for it. The dog nor the birds will care. On the other hand you can probably get a pretty decent Remington model 11 for that price too. Love the hump backs.

If you buy it, I've got a barrel with a modified choke that will fit it that I'll make you a sweet deal on. That way, you'd have a full and modified for it. Let me know,.

Whoops, just noticed your post that someone else snagged it.

I have two Belgium A-5 20 gauge 3" magnums with 28" vent rib barrels. One has a modified choke and the other has a full choke.

The modified is the better gun .. by far.

They both have been rode hard and put up wet ... but they've killed lots of birds.

I keep hoping for one to show up at a pawn shop for under $400. I don't need a museum piece, I only have shooter guns around the stable now.