How come you hardly hear Browning A-5's mentioned here at the fire? I think they are one of the coolest guns ever.

Well...I suppose I've found my "weird niche".

i shot one when i was in high school, wish i still had it.

I have several. Think they're bitchin.

Folks are too attached to plastic Benelli garbage these days.

Brian.

Don't know lt, but I have two belgian sweet 16's and a jap, a solid rib 12 ga and 2 M11 with solid ribs sorta like them myself. Magnum Man

Maybe it's a regional thing. Back in the day, here in the swamps it was the gun to have.

Couldn't agree more, Brian. I'd take an old A-5 any day. Wish I still had the one I let get away. Benelli? I'll never own one. 'Sounds more like a company that makes sausage grinders than shotguns.

Good, I was beginning to think I was special.

agreed

They were very popular on the west coast too. All the old duck and brant hunters I know all owned at least one A5. The duck hunters I run into these days don't even know what an A5 is. They all shoot Benelli's or an 870 Express.

Brian.

killed alot of bobwhites with the one i had.

the A5 was my only shotgun for over a decade.

Great grouse gun.

Spot

When Benelli first put wood on the M1 Super 90 I traded a 24" barreled Montefeltro and some cash for that 26" M1 S90 and never looked back. Shot a lot of birds and fowl with that Benelli it was nice and still is.But I sure like the old A-5. Magnum Man

that's what I shoot for ducks, unless I'm shooting a double.


I have one beater 12 Ga. with a swapped out Jap barrel to shoot steel shot.....and a mint round knob with a four barrel set that I'm keeping pristine, in case I manage to somehow break my beater.

also have a mint 20 ga. magnum that is my son's.

have used a ton of 1100s and an 11-87 for ducks, but got tired of breakdowns. A-5s just keep on ticking.

When I was a kid I shot my dad's A5. When I became a man I found I could not afford an A5 so I got a used Rem M11 or two or three.

Alan

My problem with the Benelli's is that they don't have any personality. They're all pretty much the same, whereas A5's and even 870 Wingmasters all have their own individual vibe.

I'm certain that the Benelli is an awesome tool though. My taste in guns is pretty weird by most standards anyway, so take what I say with a grain of salt. On second thought, take everything I say with a grain of salt.

Brian.

They were especially popular here in Oklahoma for quail. No plug required for quail and five rounds as fast as you could pull the trigger.

I don't bird hunt much anymore, but when I do I've had to give the nod to my Gold Hunter. (Though I still enjoy shooting my Light 20 on occasion.) The Auto 5 and its Savage, Remington, and Franchi derivatives were good, but the Benelli and Browning Gold iterations really are an improvement, as much as people don't want to admit. (Fewer moving parts, more versatile.)

I have a Sweet Sixteen myself. It's a safe queen now because it was my dad's that he bought in the early 60's. We both killed a lot of pheasants in Michigan with that thing.

I envy your son. I've wanted one of those for as long as I can remember. Whenever I had money in my pocket, I always ran into the Light 20's, which for some reason never appealed to me. All the Mag 20's I have run into were wayyyyyy out of my price range.

Brian.

I agree that they are more modern, more effective tools. I can't get jonesed up to hunt with one though. I also refuse to own a 30/06 or a 270. I'm a weird dude when it comes to guns.

Brian.

I've owned a lot of shotguns. All types, including many Benelli's and Browning Golds. Still have many. They all have their niches. Benelli's are fast and Golds are light kickers. Other than cracks in their stocks, I have never witnessed an A-5 failure. I like them all, but think that few match the cool factor of the ole humpback.

What I've always liked about them is that when you pick one up, it just feels like a quality gun. They also feel pretty cool to shoot.

I do the majority of my scattergun hunting these days with combo guns, but I'll always be a fan of the A5.

Brian.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I've shot quite a few winged and furry things with an A-5, but quite a bit more with a 30" Remington 11.

Yes, very great guns, bit pretty darn heavy too!

I have several Remington 11's, the poor mans auto-5. I have two in 20 gauge, one 16 gauge and two in 12 gauge. I like the solid rib guns the best, but can't seem to let the plain barrel ones go either. Around here I can pick up a Remington 11 in the pawn shops for $150-$175. Clean em up and they are ready to roll.

The A-5 I shot had the ol' Poly Choke on it too!

I have my grandad's 16 gauge, short chamber bump safety A5 with a solid rib. I have my dad's light 12 with 28" rib and just last week I picked up an A5 Magnum with VR and 32 inch barrel.
I'm thinking that will be my late season pheasant gun unless someone talks me out of it before I become attached. One of those deals that I really didn't need it but the price was right. So if anyone just HAS to have a Mag with 32 inch barrel, I might listen

I happen to like the polychokes. My first Ithaca 37 had one on it and I learned they work pretty good. They make the shotgun a bit more versatile. No more hitting a dove at 20 yards with a full choke. My uncle can't stand any of them, calls them donkey dicks. He doesn't mind the polychokes as much as the old Cutts Compensator.

I had a bad experience with my Dad's 20 gauge A-5 when I was a kid. I didn't know how to operate the gun correctly and managed to get my thumb slammed in the action when I pressed the bolt release to load the magazine. The extractor punctured my thumb.

That ended my dove shooting for the day and I haven't touched an A-5 since. I also had an 1100 and wore it out in three seasons of hard use. I lost interest in semi-auto shotguns long ago. I much prefer 870's and good over/under double shotguns.

They've got these things now called "INTERCHANGEABLE CHOKES." They're threaded and fit flush in the barrel. They're really cool. You should check them out sometime.

First shotgun I got to shoot was A-5. Was 12 years old, shotgun belonged to a friend's father. Always thought the (A-5) was cool, still do, just have never owned one. Have always owned sxs or o/u"s.

Yes, they (the Poly Chokes) were quite functional.

Full choke on a rabbit had about the same effect, so it was nice on the Browning. The 11 you just had to be good with the lead...

My best friend's grandfather was an old duck hunter. He left us cases of paper hulls filled with 4's and 6's; they literally lasted us from 5th grade through high school.

Good times, and yes, I don't recall a failure from those two guns either.

Thank you Bricktop for enlightening me, I had no idea. I thought I was stuck in the 50's and that was my only choice.

It was obvious. There are color televisions now, too.

Hawk1, my dad and I were hunting one of those hunting clubs with the pen raised birds one year as a primer for going up to South Dakota. They put out some Chukars and I had one blow at my feet. I came up on him just as he leveled out and forgot I was shooting the fixed full choke 12 gauge and hit him at about 7 yards. It was more a reaction then conscious thought. There was a poof of feathers and all I found of him was legs attached to wing bones and a head. Everything in the center of him was gone....Not pretty and waste of meat.

my little benelli 20 has personality. when i get lined up on the third shot it missfires. saves me a lot of ammo, but i have to spend the savings on b/p meds. wish i had the money back. i could have 2 lightweight auto 5 20 ga in imp. cyl. one for quail and 1 for dove. i train bird dogs and ur not gonna believe me when i say i kill blue quail with it with low base rem. #6. two #6 will get a blue to 45 yards. you should see my buddies running, cussing, and kicking trying to get a broke wing blue they shot with a high base 12ga 71/2. i usually beat them. i used to be a 12man till i moved here 35 yrs ago and a guy took me for blues. his wife was rolling jacks at 40-50 yards with high base 20ga 6's. you like a 12? chase blues all day in desert sand.

Belgian A-5 full choke 12 here. Rode hard and put away wet by my brother from whom I inherited at his death. Cleaned up and reblued, it's only a mildly pitted workin' gun- fits right in with all the rest of my beaters.

Used it not at all in the 10-15 years I've had it- in fact, the last time I test-shot it was after reassembling it after running it thru the hot tanks.... Keep thinking I ought to get a multi-choke bbl for it so I can use steel ifn' I ever get back into waterfowling.

my problem is it seems the auto benellis need high brass shells. also, it is not nearly as fast (clocked) as my finger, browning golds or the new auto winchesters.

ducks, geese get the mod 12.

When my Dad passed away he left me his A-5 and several boxes of shells. It is a 16ga with a 2 9/16" chamber and plain barrel. He bought it used in the mid-1960's when he was stationed in Germany.

I have never shot it, it was always HIS shotgun.

I guess it's time...

Ed

Believe it or not, the only gun that I regret selling is an 870 Express 20 guage with a little 21 inch barrel. I thought the thing was a pile of garbage, but I did some great shooting with it in the field and it was incredibly handy. Made the mistake of showing it to my cousin, and he decided he just had to have it. I regretted selling it immediatley, as it was a gift from my old man and I shouldn't have sold it in the first place. Tried to trade my cousin back out of it, but he likes it too much. At least it went to a good home.

Doesn't change the fact that I think they're garbage compared to a Wingmaster though.

Brian.

unless you want a gun that looks like a donkey dick. i thought they were wwuugly in the 50's when i shot a m.ward 16 ga one shot.

I've always considered people who shoot shotguns with a poly choke on them to be white trash. No offense.



I find your uncle's views fascinating, and would like to subscribe to his newsletter.



I refuse to own a gun with a polychoke. I would probably consider a gun with a Cutts Compensator on it if it was a Winchester 42 and nothing else. Those and gigantic, ugly muzzle brakes always bug the crap out of me.

Brian.

You're talking to someone who thinks a 2 3/4 inch 20 guage is over kill for quail.

Brian.

It is so easy to have thin walled tubes retrofitted, forcing cones recut, and back-boring done, I've just got to ask why bother with a Polychoke? They are the absolute scourge of firearms accessories, right next to stock compasses and see-through rings.

its time to experience true quality with life betting reliability from an auto. try an auto 12 some time also.

sorry, i meant pump mod 12.

Couldn't ever like an A-5, below is as close as I ever got:



Now, a Beretta 302/303 on the other hand makes me mighty happy, in particular the 20ga.

Should there ever be a 28ga 391 Beretta I'll kick, fight, scratch, and bribe to get to the front of that list.

When I moved up from my 870 Wingmaster LW 20 I started shooting dad's A5 he bought new in '72.

When my brother graduated high school dad bought him a new A5.

That was the plan for me as well but when he heard they weren't making them anymore I got mine a year early.

I also had an 870 express 12 I used in the marshes down by Pat and my dad later traded my buddy straight up for an A5 that had all the bluing worn off and the stock was kinda rough looking. He refinished the stock, reblued the metal, cut the stock and added a recoil pad.....it's his go to gun now.

He also picked up Light 20 a few years ago....I'm hoping my 3 month old son ends up with it.

There's Berettas, Benellis and Remingtons in the family too but we like our A5s.

What are your thoughts on the Polychoke II?

http://www.poly-choke.com/choke2.htm

The only thing I can think of is that people have sentimental attachments to them - a lot of folks grew up shooting a shotgun with a polychoke on it. Thankfully my old man never saddled me with one, mainly because he thought they were pretty awful as well.

And every time I see see-through rings, I think "oh look, a died in wool redneck".

Gigantic carvings of animals and crap on the stock is right up there as well.

Brian.

It's made in the U.S.A. and they're nice people, but that is one ass-ugly device.

Mine is a pre-war model in 12 ga, that I picked up fairly cheap ($150 in 2002). The buttstock was cut for a crappy recoil pad, which is now hard as a rock, and the forend was badly cracked. It also kicked surprisingly hard.



I found another forend, that was a passable match to the buttstock, and added one of the tune up kits that replaces the recoil spring and friction collar. It is now tolerable to shoot, even with turkey loads, and the mod barrel basically patterns like a full choke with modern shotshells. I've carried it for turkeys; haven't got a shot but it should do a real number on them. One of these days it will get a new pad, and maybe I'll look for a barrel with more open choke for dove.

I like them and will someday get a couple more. They definitely exemplify the phrase, "old-fashioned, handcrafted fit & finish". I like modern Beretta shotguns for autoloaders, but a Belgian A5 is indeed a classic.

The A5 has always been my favorite shotgun. I have only one now though.
This one was a gift from one of my Wife's brothers. He asked in a phone conversation many years back, if I would like an old shotgun. Without asking about it, I said 'sure'. Week later, it showed up in the mail. A5 Magnum 12 GA, with the most beautiful wood ever. He bought two of these from a Canadian company, when he was going to the Culinary Institute in New York.
Special gun evidently. When FN computerized their inventory, they found enough parts to make about 50 more A5s in Belgium. The manufacture had already been going on in Japan for several years.
The gun as I received it, had a 30 inch full choke vent rib barrel. Since I could not shoot steel shot with that barrel, I ordered a Hastings 26 inch barrel with choke tubes. That is what I use now for all my water fowl hunting, and most of my Turkey hunting.

I don't shoot plastic shotguns. I've got a belgian 16, and a 12-gauge Remington Model 11. Combined with various Model 37's, I'm a happy camper.

I may very well be wrong, but it was my understanding that the A5 was never built in Japan. They were origanally built in Belgium, and then when Browning started trying to cut costs they were made in Belgium but assembled in Portugal. I do recall the story about them finding the parts and building a small batch of A5's with them though.

BTW, that's a goregous gun.

Brian.

Hope I'm not breaking any rules or unsaid tabboos, but I own the exact same A5 as the one seen below. It's *much* too nice for anywhere I hunt, so it's never been outside. Mine has never been fired. Totally NIB mint. Almost 25 years now it has sat cased. The wood on mine is noticeably nicer than the one pictured (though that is obviously a personal opinion).

Has original DU case (albeit cheapo plastic hard side) and original manual. I've seen them--the exact shotgun I have-- sold for as much as $2300 on GB and GA. I'm sure you can find a value somewhere that's legit (anyone?), but I've never bothered, honestly.

To anyone on the 'fire who wants it, and *buys intending to use and not sell to make money flipping it immediately*, I'll sell for $1500 shipped. To anyone who sends me something good to eat from their locale with payment--and it arrives unspoiled--I'll knock off a c-note and do it for $1400 shipped. To anyone on the good guy list, I'll send it over to inspect *before* payment.

Again, if this is bad form, please lemme' know and I'll delete. I don't have any pics handy, but can take them, of course. I wish I had the balls to hunt it, but it'd be the kiss of death for a salty marsh stomper like myself to kill this thing so cruelly.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/90904108...ary_Ducks_Unlimited_A_5_Light_12_NIC.htm

Brian,
Later A5s were built in Japan. I believe you're thinking of some of the others....BAR for example.

And yes, Sam, beautiful gun.

Love to see pics Kamo!

Mannlicher, that's a beautiful gun.

I grew up hunting a magnum 20 Belgian A-5. Still have it, but dont hunt it much anymore. It's in pretty nice shape, but still, I should take it out more.

Kilt my first grouse and squirrel with it!

I brought one home once. The six Model 12s and the two 870s in the safe all ganged up on it and deported the ugly bastard out to the dog kennel. The dog peed on it.

I have always had problems with semi auto guns. They cycle so slow I wind up taking it down from my shoulder and looking at the all that crap moving by itself. The A5 with the whole barrel moving too is just that mush worse. I don't see how anyone shoots them, and that doesn't begin to address being seen with something that ugly in your hand.

I have only two both Belgiums..12+20 3"..ugly?? Maybe,but they have always been damn dependable for me...Made like old cars lots of metal and no plastic!!!

Benelli SBE's and 90's (12ga) (M1,M2,M3) use inertia actions, unlike gas or recoil, and are designed to function with shells 1 1/8oz shot or heavier. You almost never have to clean them, and that is why they are popular with military and LE, as well as hunters. They are the "Glock" of shotguns, and I like them, but A-5's are the "1911's" of shotguns IMHO.

I have my Grandfather Belgian A-5 12 gauge that my Grandmother gave to him as a first wedding anniversary present in 1948 and shooting ducks down there in South Texas was what it was used for. It has one of the old polychokes on so it's not factory anymore.

When I started duck hunting out west I used it for a season but then started hunting salt water a lot so bought an 870 SPS more suited for the task and the A-5 sits in back of the safe.

I bought a A5 20 gauge magnum in 1974 for $225.00 new. It was a good price even then. After shooting an 870 for 10 years, it was hard to hit with. I'd bring it up and see a wall of blue steel. Sold it sometime later. Never wanted for one since.

I have two round knobs with ventilated ribs. A 12 and a 20, but I am looking for a 16 to complete the set. Use them exclusively for bird hunting. How the hell anyone could [bleep] up such classic lines with a polychoke or recoil pad is beyond me.

Nothing sounds as sweet as the chamber closing on a nice old humpback when the dog is on point.

Pat....if you're happy,I'm happy!

I have a 1932 or 33 vintage 16 ga. that is the smoothest mechanical device I've ever owned.
It has been used but not abused - handled so much there is almost no bluing left but not a single ding anywhere.
Chamber lengthened to 2.75. Improved cylinder 26" barrel.
I try to take it out dove shooting at least 1x/yr.
It cries for a quail hunt but they are a rare commodity these days.

When I was a kid starting out duck hunting is the late 60's all of the serious old dudes shot A5's. All I had to use was dads old L.C. Smith hammer gun...
Same for the quail hunters, too. Though I must admit that the old hammer gun with 32" barrels was not the best for quial....

I love me an old A5 and would pick another one up if the price was right - in a heart beat.
I've seen friends of my son who have never seen an A5 in their life brighten up and say "cool" when they handle that old dog of mine.

Not the gun that I grab for everyday shooting and hunting, but certainly on my list of favorites.

I have a 1920's vintage Belgian 12bore A5 with 29" barrel; it's my favorite trap gun, because it's the only one where I've shot more than 50 straight.

I also have a 1930's vintage Remington Sportsman 11 in 20bore for the kids.

The A5 was an amazing technological achievement and can do things that modern auto loaders just can't do. The A5 is the invention that Browning was most proud of; rightfully so if you ask me.

I don't see the point in lopping it off and then backboring at this point. It's functional and I don't mind it that much. They are functional and a part of the time period, so I let it be. I do not like stock compasses or see thru rings. Don't care for the Polychoke II's. If I have removable chokes in a gun, see no use in adding a polychoke, just don't mind them if they are already there.

My cousin hunted with a Model 11 for several years, until it got completely worn out, and started doubling and going full-auto sometimes. It wasn't his, but a family friend who left it with them to use as they liked. Yeah, it had a Poly Choke on it, too.

And my step-nephews great grandad left each of them Auto5s, with solid ribs, about 15 years ago, they still have them, but use other guns. And yes, they're Poly-Choked as well, probably factory done. The Poly-Chokes were popular in rural Missouri, I suppose. No choke tubes or wrenches to keep track of, that sort of thing.

Been lugging my 12ga around the desert for quail and up the hills for chucker since i get mine from my dad for my 17th birthday. Have shot many others but always come back to it cause it never has let me down. Bought my son a mag 20 for his 13th birthday, knowing he would want a 12ga soon i knew i would get that 20 back. He will get to trade me that 20 back this fall for a new 12 silver hunter, bad trade on his part but he wont figure that out till its to late, i love it when a plan comes together! I thought i would never find anything i liked shooting birds with better than my a-5 12ga. Turns out i was wrong that a-5 20ga is sweet.

Back in the early 80's I wrote an article for Soldier of Fortune Magazine(I was younger and stupid) about a guy that was running personal protection classes. He had been in the Marine Corps in Viet Nam and was Elsworth Bunker's body guard for awhile. After the Corps he went to Rhodesia and eventually became a Selous Scout and shot on the Springbok team in the IPSC World shoot--it was all a matter of public record, not a mall-ninja--he was the real deal.

He mentioned during this personal protection class that if he could only have one gun it would be a Browning A-5 which surprised the entire class. He said that in one day he had killed a duck a dik-dik and a Charlie Tango (phonetics for Communist Terrorist--read black, tribal insurgent) with his A-5. I don't know why, but his comment always stuck with me, "there aren't too many guns that you can do THAT with!"

Another close friend from the Corps was older than I and had been one of the early advisors sent to Viet Nam. He said that his weapon of choice was a cut down A-5 that he bought from the fellow that he replaced--worked everytime and he carried it on every patrol during his tour--sold it to his incoming replacement--according to him, it probably was sold off/handed down during the entire Viet Nam war and is still there.

Shot my Belgium 16 in sporting clays just a few weeks back.... there are 3 of the A5s in the safe....

I've a 1964? Light Twelve. I have two barrels for it, and I do really well with it at trap and skeet. It has slain more than it's fair share of ducks as well. And that speed-feeding feature helped me shoot four singles out of a flock of mallards one beautiful morning a few years back . . .

Great guns. Built like a Swiss bank vault.

I really like the A-5s made in Belgium.

Back in the early 80's a friend of mine joined a club in S. Ga. and the pushed deer through pulpwood land with dogs. If you didn't have an A5 and a Ford truck you couldn't join.

Interesting the comments on poly chokes. Seems like they would be the best of all worlds, without having to pack around a tool and various choke tubes.

I wish I had one on a couple of guns, as some mornings in the blind the birds refuse to decoy and there you sit pulling one choke out and putting a long range one in, when instead you could just give it a twist.

Its evident, just as with cars and other items, some folks become vain on what they want, looks is more important than performance, and then there are others that the only important thing is how it works. Which is what I fall into.

Sure glad though that everyone doesn't like the same thing, the world would be boring at that point.

Bet those that dislike the looks of the polychoke don't care at all for muzzle breaks and or that browning tuning device on teh end of barrels. Or even flash hiders or some guns.

Of course if I had a really nice gun, deeply blued with great wood and all, I"d be like Leighton, it would stay in the safe and as such, thats a useless gun to me. I have one commemorative 94 in the safe but its not worth enough to worry about, when Win was doing that kind of thing to sell guns I was a young sucker... soon enough it'll get out and shoot some deer and I ain't gonna worry about it much at that point.

Jeff

I've owned and used a lot of new stuff.


Nothing matches an A-5...

Mine is kind of odd. It is a Browning but it was made by Remington. 1946 production. The buttstock has been cut and it has a poly choke. I got it for free when a friend's uncle died. The uncle bought it right after WW 2 when he returned from the Pacific.

Ernie

We always called polychokes a "dial-a-duck".

I hunt upland birds exclusively, so while I love the A-5, the Browning Twelvette is my idea of perfection. My Twelvette is semi-retired due to steel shot issues and the only shotgun that comes close to the handling characteristics is the Benelli Ultralight.

The "American Browning" seems to be popping up quite a bit lately.

Bit more like a M11 than an A-5 IMO.. but I really like my Model 11s as well.

my dads (rip) auto-5, is still in the fam-damly with the receit(1962 369.00 $) engraved vent rib.....he gave me the "rem 11" he was using.....when i was 11. at the time- ducks in the back waters of the "Chippewa flowage" fear/ed me . bty my "11" has a poly choke...shoot in close over decoys, turn the choke and wack high flyin geese on the way back to the truck...

I kinda like 'em. Make mine Belgian.

When I was a kid most of the hunters had either an A5 or a model 12. A few doubles sprinkled in there as well.

My A5 was stolen from the house years ago and I now regret not having replaced it.

Nice work Rick, I would say the gun fits you nicely

I've never shot an actual Browning A5, but last summer grandpa traded me a bucket of tomatoes for a Savage copy that he got as payment for auctioning an estate sale. Took it home and shot 5 clays off the back porch. The damned ported poly-choke liked to have deafened me, but I hit the clays.

On the poly-choke side of this debate, dad has one on his 20 guage 870 Wingmaster. I was probably 12 or 13 years old before I knew that shotguns came any other way. Hard telling how many quail he has killed with that gun. I would never add a polychoke to a new gun, but on that old 20 guage, it fits.

I think that when mine was made in 1946 it might have been hard to get FN to make A5s. Remington was up and running and could produce sporting arms again right after the war.

Ernie

Interestingly enough Dad learned to hunt quail with a guy that was a bit better off than he was as a kid. Had a 12 in 12, and an A5 in 16. When that guy died suddenly he could not afford the 16, but could the model 12. Thats what I have from Dad. Later in life we each bought an A5, japan, but in 12 instead. And then found a super friend that had a belgian one in 16 that I used once.. and he gave it to me with a plaque on it, in memory of my father. That gun gets a bit wet at times when I use it though....

Guess I got 2 of the popular ones from Dad's era.

Jeff

A long time ago, I was traveling back from a doctor's appointment in San Francisco. I stopped into a little pawn shop in a small town that occasionaly had guns. I walked in and something on the gun rack caught my eye, so I asked to see it. It turned out to be a Savage version of the A5........fully factory engraved with game scenes and really beautiful wood. The gun wasn't in the greatest shape ever (it had been hunted with a lot), but it was still a beautiful gun. It had a polychoke though, and needed to be reblued and refinished. I thought, "I've already got plenty of shotguns that I hardly shoot." So I handed it back to the owner and resumed my trip home. A day or two later, I thought "Damn, I should have bought that." A month or two later, I was down in that area again, and I stopped in specificly to buy the gun. Turns out the shop owners had retired and closed down the shop.

They were asking $75 for the gun, and said they'd take $50 as it had been there for years. Not one of my brightest moments, that's for certain.

Brian.

Have one in 12 Ga. 2 3/4 that I duck hunt with and one in 20 Ga. 3" that I dove and squirrel hunt with.

I never held a shotgun that pointed better until I put a Benelli Super BlackEagle in my hands.

The old A-5 is still the 2nd best handling shotgun around today IMO.

JM

Rick, should walked up oin that moutain behiend you in the second pic. If that is where i think it is i have shot quite a few chuckar on it.

I like double guns, be it O/U or SxS but the A-5 is the only autoloader that I like. They are a classic.

Mart

I have several different Benellis and still always go back to my old reliable A5 12 magnum. It might be heavy to pack around, but it has never let me down. It may not look that great any more but it shoots great. I also have 2 sweet 16's a light 20 and light 12. I guess I kind of of like them.

JM...just curious. SBE I or II? I'm in the hunt and frankly leaning towards SBE I.

David

David, look at the Super 90's, unless you just have to shoot 3.5"'s. Same Montefeltro action and I actually prefer them.

Rick, that A-5 of yours is a killin machine! I have recently acquired a standard A-5 in 16 gauge and have been looking at a Sweet Sixteen at a local pawn shop, but not sure if I want to invest in a second 16 gauge.

damn your greedy- you got them in round and flat knob. i want some more too. you wanna benelli. i love that blonde. really hot. is she sweet?

David, My son shoots a I. That gun is awesome buddy.

JM

There is not much better than a round knob blonde!

wouldn't you like something cold and modern with a plastic junk handle

i have a real nice little slim trim black biotch but if you don't feed her just what she wants she sometimes fails to put out.

I always wanted an A-5 when I was growing up. Dad was a strict sxs man so that is what he got me for Christmas when I was 12 or so. Shot the heck out of it on everything with our doubles. Dad even shot a 12 point buck with a slug using his double.
I finally got to shoot several A-5's over the years. Never could get used to the "hump" and the recoiling barrel.
Closest I came was a Franchi 3" auto that I got for ducks and geese. Loved that gun. And I actually hit what I aimed at!
Sold it when steel shot became mandatory. Duck and goose hunting was expensive enough and that was just too much for a poor school teacher.
By the way, my dad was a police officer. His favorite shotgun for police work? He ususally road with a Rem 11.

The A-5 was one the few auto's that would cycle in the January goose pits of Maryland eastern shore.

Doc

Seriously contemplating a shooter-grade, two-barrel Light Twelve set in a local shop....

It's always funny watching the face of somebody who has never seen one, when you push down on the barrel like a pogo stick.

Ive got a set up like You describe, a light twelve w/a 26" IC and 30" FC both vented ribs in a nice FN-Herstal leather case. fantastic craftsmanship. All my buds give me crap about my old shotgun, but Ive caught 'em lookin, alot LOL

Gunner

Magnum 20, with a decent stick of wood.

Before non-toxic shot became mandatory, my 20 ga Browning A5 was my go-to waterfowl gun. Winchester XX buffered copper plated #4 shot in that shotgun was pure magic. When non-toxic (steel) shot became mandatory, I bought a Japanese A5 in 3" Magnum. What a complete disappointment. Everything I loved about the A5 in the 20 went missing in the 12. After killing a limit of Snows on its first hunt, the 12 A5 went into the safe and stayed there for the next 23 years. Although pretty with it's round knob and figured wood, I hardly ever wanted to even pick it up again. Sold for what was paid and good riddance. The 20ga A5 still gets slid into the old green flannel and canvas Boyt.

I think the A5 is still the best autoloader shotgun but the Beretta 390 comes pretty close.

Too bad that Ruger didn't come out with an A5 to go with their 1911.

I'd love to run across an A5 20ga at a reasonable price.

Best shotgun ever made.

Went out to the back yard and took a decent picture of mine - really a joy to carry.

here's my little flock....on top a minty light 12, in the middle my beater with Jap barrel for steel shot...and no finish on the receiver, and at bottom my son's magnum 20, which has some nice figure.

This thread is reminding me I want to get another one...

I have used an A-5 since the early 1970's when I got a 12 gauge 3" Magnum with a 30" full choke for ducks and deer. I later added another 3" 12 gauge with a 28" modified barrel, a 3" Magnum 20 gauge, and a Japan-made Light 12. They are my go-to shotguns for everything from doves to deer even though I used several other shotguns at times. I did get a new barrel with choke tubes for a 3" 12 so I could use steel shot.

Here's my latest, that inspired the thread. An old Belgium model with 31.5" full choke. What the hell am I gonna do with it 'cept squirrel hunt? Don't matter...I can't pass them up.