browning auto 5...

idigg · April 20, 2016, 10:48 AM

hey guys. im about to take ownership of my grandfathers auto5.. all of his guns were family hand me downs, or bought by himself, new, and im trying to figure out if this was one he bought, or one he got from his dad. i found a bit of serial number info, but i cant seem to find this one. the serial number is BXXXXX (this was on the side of the action, not the barrel...

according to this page:
http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/...auto-5-history

b stands for 12g, but im not sure what the rest of the numbers mean. it seems like it might be something made pre ww2?

Sarge · April 20, 2016, 12:40 PM

Per your description and MGW's chronology, it appears yours was made by Remington during the 1940-1946 period. In your shoes I would check the bore, lightly oil the exterior of the magazine tube and insure the friction rings are correctly oriented.

Then take it out and shoot it. I recently acquired a '69 Light Twelve and it is the easiest hitting, softest kicking (with no pad!) 12 gauge auto I've ever fired. These will run cheapie field loads that make gas guns cry and hunker in the corner. I hadn't shot an A5 in 40 years and frankly, I don't know how I ever got along without one.

idigg · April 20, 2016, 12:49 PM

thats what i thought at first, but mgw says 14Bxxx,xxx(229,000-237,000)..

mine says Bxx,xxx one less digit.

btw, is there any harm in listing my actual serial number on here? i err'd on the side of caution.

FITASC · April 20, 2016, 01:51 PM

You can always leave off the last 2 or 3

idigg · April 20, 2016, 02:00 PM

good idea... it is B259##

Scorch · April 20, 2016, 11:15 PM

Does it have a slide safety that goes through the trigger guard? If so, it would be a very early model. It should say on the barrel if it was made in Belgium.

Virginian · April 20, 2016, 11:29 PM

Being made by Remington during WWII it would not have either.

yournodaisy · April 21, 2016, 11:28 PM

The old A5's are awesome. I have autoloaders of all sorts but old humpback is hard to beat. Enjoy it.

April 20, 2016, 10:48 AM	#1
idigg Member Join Date: September 3, 2015 Posts: 40	browning auto 5... hey guys. im about to take ownership of my grandfathers auto5.. all of his guns were family hand me downs, or bought by himself, new, and im trying to figure out if this was one he bought, or one he got from his dad. i found a bit of serial number info, but i cant seem to find this one. the serial number is BXXXXX (this was on the side of the action, not the barrel... according to this page: http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/...auto-5-history b stands for 12g, but im not sure what the rest of the numbers mean. it seems like it might be something made pre ww2?

April 20, 2016, 12:40 PM	#2
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	Per your description and MGW's chronology, it appears yours was made by Remington during the 1940-1946 period. In your shoes I would check the bore, lightly oil the exterior of the magazine tube and insure the friction rings are correctly oriented. Then take it out and shoot it. I recently acquired a '69 Light Twelve and it is the easiest hitting, softest kicking (with no pad!) 12 gauge auto I've ever fired. These will run cheapie field loads that make gas guns cry and hunker in the corner. I hadn't shot an A5 in 40 years and frankly, I don't know how I ever got along without one. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

April 20, 2016, 01:51 PM	#4
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	You can always leave off the last 2 or 3 __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

April 20, 2016, 11:15 PM	#6
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Does it have a slide safety that goes through the trigger guard? If so, it would be a very early model. It should say on the barrel if it was made in Belgium. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 20, 2016, 11:29 PM	#7
Virginian Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Williamsburg, Va. Posts: 1,528	Being made by Remington during WWII it would not have either. __________________ What could have happened... did.

April 20, 2016, 12:49 PM	#3
idigg Member Join Date: September 3, 2015 Posts: 40	thats what i thought at first, but mgw says 14Bxxx,xxx(229,000-237,000).. mine says Bxx,xxx one less digit. btw, is there any harm in listing my actual serial number on here? i err'd on the side of caution.

April 20, 2016, 02:00 PM	#5
idigg Member Join Date: September 3, 2015 Posts: 40	good idea... it is B259##

April 21, 2016, 11:28 PM	#8
yournodaisy Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2011 Location: Deep South Posts: 306	The old A5's are awesome. I have autoloaders of all sorts but old humpback is hard to beat. Enjoy it.