maybe my best shotgun score, ever...

Slugo · February 11, 2013, 01:01 AM

been looking for one of these for years. Browning Double-Auto Twelvette shotgun. One of the most historically significant autoloading designs ever.

Val Allen Browning, son of “John Moses,” held some forty-eight firearms patents himself. It was Val Browning who completed the Superposed and the Hi-Power: John Browning himself never lived to see a production copy of either. The “speed loading” associated with A-5 and other Browning shotguns is a Val Browning idea, patent applied for in 1950, awarded in 1952.

Val Browning's Double Auto is one of the most innovative shotguns ever devised. The idea behind the Double Auto was to eliminate the unsightly forearm nut and offer quick barrel removal without detaching the forearm itself. It further was devised to save weight, bulk, and to soften shock both upon firing and when the barrel returns forward to battery. The first firearm and only firearm sold by the Browning Arms Company, founded after the passing of J.M.B., was the A-5, later joined by the Superposed. The third shotgun offering was the Double Automatic, added in 1954-1955.

I pick it up on Wednesday. This one is not a flipper...

For those that like the idea of a low maintenance shotgun, not only did the Double Auto need essentially no maintenance, the owner's manual actually cautioned against it. It reads, "It is unnecessary, and may likely be damaging, to have a gun taken apart annually for routine cleaning and oiling of the of inner mechanism." Aside from standard barrel cleaning and a light film of oil on exposed metal, you were allowed one small drop of oil on the breechblock and barrel extension guides.

eastbank · February 11, 2013, 08:03 AM

if you are noy fast at reloading,your finger may pay a price. eastbank.

Slugo · February 11, 2013, 03:12 PM

That's what I hear.

BigJimP · February 12, 2013, 07:19 PM

Ok, so shoot this one ....and use the Baikal you bought as a "boat paddle"...

Nice find....

Slugo · February 12, 2013, 08:05 PM

hehehehe, you are NUTZ!!!

.50cal packer · February 13, 2013, 08:58 AM

OK, could someone break down what type of sweet hell this is???
1st. from the the front of the receiver, it appears to be a single shot shotgun. IE... no magazine, and forearm sitting directly under the barrel. Like a break action would.
2nd. from the stock to the end of the receiver, it appears to be a very nice semi-auto action. With even a magazine port underneath for multiple shells. But it doesn't appear to have the mag???
3rd. What is going on, with the left side of the receiver??? It appears like the shell could be an ejector port as well possibly. But if this was the "normal semi-auto," this would eject from the breach on the right side.
I'm incredibly intrigued yet befuddled at the same time....

Slugo · February 13, 2013, 11:35 AM

I'll take some real pictures of the gun, maybe tonight. I can't figure out the receiver shot myself. Not mine, it was emailed to me...

Slugo · February 13, 2013, 11:40 AM

The Browning Double Automatic Shotgun is a short recoil operated [1] semi-automatic (Auto Loading) 12 gauge 2-3/4 chamber shotgun. This shotgun was offered in both aluminum and steel receiver configurations[2] with the aluminum receivers featuring a variety of finish colors.[3] The 3 versions offered include the Standard as the only steel receiver version, Twelvette, and Twentyweight which used the aluminium receiver. All Double Automatic's are 12 gauge. Various configurations were available for choke, barrel length, and barrel type. The firearm was produced between 1955 and 1971, with production volume of approximately 67,000.
[edit]Action

This firearm features a unique loading port on the left side of the receiver.[4] As the first round is loaded, the shell is lifted by a mechanism and chambered by the bolt; once the bolt is closed, the lifting mechanism returns to the resting position below the loading port, where the next round can then be loaded. Upon firing the chambered round, the shell in the loading port is automatically chambered. The total capacity is 2 with 1 chambered round and 1 in the loading port.
US Patent #2,586,509 issued to Val Browning Feb 19, 1952[5]

PetahW · February 13, 2013, 12:32 PM

The Double Auto is Browning's modern update on a double barrel, or 2-shot, shotgun - brought together using a single barrel and an auto-loading feature.

"Out-of-the-box" thinking, if you will - that was somewhat less than an overwhelming success.

IIRC, they quickly became available with the alloy receivers anodized in various colors like tan or green - an attempt to widen their appeal, that really only added to collectability.

.

Slugo · February 13, 2013, 09:01 PM

good idea, durable gun, just didn't make it. 675,000 total production from 52 to 71. Total production for the original Auto-5 = 3.7 million...

Jim Watson · February 13, 2013, 10:12 PM

I recall an old Browning ad for the Double Automatic that said: Don't think of it as holding only two shots, see it as never empty, because it is so easy to slip in a shell any time the lifter is clear.

February 11, 2013, 01:01 AM	#1
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	maybe my best shotgun score, ever... been looking for one of these for years. Browning Double-Auto Twelvette shotgun. One of the most historically significant autoloading designs ever. Val Allen Browning, son of “John Moses,” held some forty-eight firearms patents himself. It was Val Browning who completed the Superposed and the Hi-Power: John Browning himself never lived to see a production copy of either. The “speed loading” associated with A-5 and other Browning shotguns is a Val Browning idea, patent applied for in 1950, awarded in 1952. Val Browning's Double Auto is one of the most innovative shotguns ever devised. The idea behind the Double Auto was to eliminate the unsightly forearm nut and offer quick barrel removal without detaching the forearm itself. It further was devised to save weight, bulk, and to soften shock both upon firing and when the barrel returns forward to battery. The first firearm and only firearm sold by the Browning Arms Company, founded after the passing of J.M.B., was the A-5, later joined by the Superposed. The third shotgun offering was the Double Automatic, added in 1954-1955. I pick it up on Wednesday. This one is not a flipper... For those that like the idea of a low maintenance shotgun, not only did the Double Auto need essentially no maintenance, the owner's manual actually cautioned against it. It reads, "It is unnecessary, and may likely be damaging, to have a gun taken apart annually for routine cleaning and oiling of the of inner mechanism." Aside from standard barrel cleaning and a light film of oil on exposed metal, you were allowed one small drop of oil on the breechblock and barrel extension guides.

February 13, 2013, 11:40 AM	#8
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	taken from Wikipedia... The Browning Double Automatic Shotgun is a short recoil operated [1] semi-automatic (Auto Loading) 12 gauge 2-3/4 chamber shotgun. This shotgun was offered in both aluminum and steel receiver configurations[2] with the aluminum receivers featuring a variety of finish colors.[3] The 3 versions offered include the Standard as the only steel receiver version, Twelvette, and Twentyweight which used the aluminium receiver. All Double Automatic's are 12 gauge. Various configurations were available for choke, barrel length, and barrel type. The firearm was produced between 1955 and 1971, with production volume of approximately 67,000. [edit]Action This firearm features a unique loading port on the left side of the receiver.[4] As the first round is loaded, the shell is lifted by a mechanism and chambered by the bolt; once the bolt is closed, the lifting mechanism returns to the resting position below the loading port, where the next round can then be loaded. Upon firing the chambered round, the shell in the loading port is automatically chambered. The total capacity is 2 with 1 chambered round and 1 in the loading port. US Patent #2,586,509 issued to Val Browning Feb 19, 1952[5]

February 11, 2013, 08:03 AM	#2
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	if you are noy fast at reloading,your finger may pay a price. eastbank.

February 11, 2013, 03:12 PM	#3
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	That's what I hear.

February 12, 2013, 07:19 PM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Ok, so shoot this one ....and use the Baikal you bought as a "boat paddle"... Nice find....

February 12, 2013, 08:05 PM	#5
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	hehehehe, you are NUTZ!!!

February 13, 2013, 08:58 AM	#6
.50cal packer Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2006 Posts: 154	OK, could someone break down what type of sweet hell this is??? 1st. from the the front of the receiver, it appears to be a single shot shotgun. IE... no magazine, and forearm sitting directly under the barrel. Like a break action would. 2nd. from the stock to the end of the receiver, it appears to be a very nice semi-auto action. With even a magazine port underneath for multiple shells. But it doesn't appear to have the mag??? 3rd. What is going on, with the left side of the receiver??? It appears like the shell could be an ejector port as well possibly. But if this was the "normal semi-auto," this would eject from the breach on the right side. I'm incredibly intrigued yet befuddled at the same time....

February 13, 2013, 11:35 AM	#7
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	I'll take some real pictures of the gun, maybe tonight. I can't figure out the receiver shot myself. Not mine, it was emailed to me...

February 13, 2013, 12:32 PM	#9
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	The Double Auto is Browning's modern update on a double barrel, or 2-shot, shotgun - brought together using a single barrel and an auto-loading feature. "Out-of-the-box" thinking, if you will - that was somewhat less than an overwhelming success. IIRC, they quickly became available with the alloy receivers anodized in various colors like tan or green - an attempt to widen their appeal, that really only added to collectability. .

February 13, 2013, 09:01 PM	#10
Slugo Junior member Join Date: September 15, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 1,007	good idea, durable gun, just didn't make it. 675,000 total production from 52 to 71. Total production for the original Auto-5 = 3.7 million...

February 13, 2013, 10:12 PM	#11
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,535	I recall an old Browning ad for the Double Automatic that said: Don't think of it as holding only two shots, see it as never empty, because it is so easy to slip in a shell any time the lifter is clear.