Father-in-law's Browning Auto 5

Noonan · November 4, 2010, 03:00 PM

My father-n-law doesn't hunt, so he brought me his old Auto-5. I plan on giving it a good cleaning so that his son can use it. It's a 1968 light twelve in near-mint condition. It has the polychoke.

Couple of questions:

Is it okay to shoot steel through it if the polychoke is set on IC or Modified?

Should I replace the recoil spring just for good measure? It's been in a closet for 40 years with tension on the spring.

I will appreciate any advice you can give on this fine old gun.

jaguarxk120 · November 4, 2010, 04:20 PM

Chances are no steel shot. The FN barrels are thinner than Jap ones.

Go to www.midwestgun.works.com they have the factory service manual for down load. It shows you how to take the A5 completely apart and put it back together again.

They also have any spare parts you may need, they know all about A5's

David Hineline · November 4, 2010, 04:44 PM

It would make a nice classic Whippet

zippy13 · November 4, 2010, 05:15 PM

I'm with jaguarxk120, I'd limit my ammo to what is equivalent to what was available when the gun was new, unless you hear differently from Browning. Poly-choke claims their present line of chokes are okay for steel, but their web site is mute on what's okay for the older ones.

Get your money's worth -- shoot that spring for as long as it functions properly. Forty years of idle storage is nothing to the spring compared to daily work.

Edit: I just heard back from Poly-Choke, if the choke has a "xtra-Full" setting, then it's okay for steel shot.

lamarw · November 4, 2010, 05:27 PM

If you end up needing parts, then order them directly from Browning. Parts are way cheaper than the source mentioned above.

November 4, 2010, 03:00 PM	#1
Noonan Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 155	Father-in-law's Browning Auto 5 My father-n-law doesn't hunt, so he brought me his old Auto-5. I plan on giving it a good cleaning so that his son can use it. It's a 1968 light twelve in near-mint condition. It has the polychoke. Couple of questions: Is it okay to shoot steel through it if the polychoke is set on IC or Modified? Should I replace the recoil spring just for good measure? It's been in a closet for 40 years with tension on the spring. I will appreciate any advice you can give on this fine old gun.

November 4, 2010, 04:20 PM	#2
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,619	Chances are no steel shot. The FN barrels are thinner than Jap ones. Go to www.midwestgun.works.com they have the factory service manual for down load. It shows you how to take the A5 completely apart and put it back together again. They also have any spare parts you may need, they know all about A5's Last edited by jaguarxk120; November 4, 2010 at 06:45 PM.

November 4, 2010, 05:15 PM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	I'm with jaguarxk120, I'd limit my ammo to what is equivalent to what was available when the gun was new, unless you hear differently from Browning. Poly-choke claims their present line of chokes are okay for steel, but their web site is mute on what's okay for the older ones. Get your money's worth -- shoot that spring for as long as it functions properly. Forty years of idle storage is nothing to the spring compared to daily work. Edit: I just heard back from Poly-Choke, if the choke has a "xtra-Full" setting, then it's okay for steel shot. Last edited by zippy13; November 5, 2010 at 09:36 AM.

November 4, 2010, 04:44 PM	#3
David Hineline Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 1999 Location: South Sioux City, Nebraska Posts: 704	It would make a nice classic Whippet

November 4, 2010, 05:27 PM	#5
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	If you end up needing parts, then order them directly from Browning. Parts are way cheaper than the source mentioned above.