The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Making an old Browning Auto Five bolt handle extension without removing the bolt

**44 AMP** · November 7, 2022, 08:05 PM

Everybody has different hands, dexterity and grip strength. I'm sure Browning chose a size he felt convenient for most people. If you've got a problem with it, all that means is you aren't most people.

Glad to see you found an innovative way to solve your problem. I do have a question, though... why choose something that has to be periodically "glued back on", over something like a tool you could just slip over the factory handle at need?

I do understand not being able to cock/rack the action with the provided knob. Never personally had an issue with it on the Auto 5 but have with certain other guns, one of them being the semi auto M1 Tommygun. A friend had one, and neither of us could open the action using just our hands! The actual SMG Tommy gun cocks with a couple fingers, but the semi autos are radically different inside, with much different springs. My friend got a piece of tool steel rod, about 4 inches long, that fit inside the hollow of the M1 cocking knob perfectly and made it a useful item instead of a virtual wall hanger you couldn't load...slip the rod in, cock the gun, rod back in your pocket, simple and easy.

There are lots of different ways to approach the problem, I'm just curious why you choose what you did, was it just the first idea you had, and since it worked, it worked!! ??

November 7, 2022, 08:05 PM	#5
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,817	Everybody has different hands, dexterity and grip strength. I'm sure Browning chose a size he felt convenient for most people. If you've got a problem with it, all that means is you aren't most people. Glad to see you found an innovative way to solve your problem. I do have a question, though... why choose something that has to be periodically "glued back on", over something like a tool you could just slip over the factory handle at need? I do understand not being able to cock/rack the action with the provided knob. Never personally had an issue with it on the Auto 5 but have with certain other guns, one of them being the semi auto M1 Tommygun. A friend had one, and neither of us could open the action using just our hands! The actual SMG Tommy gun cocks with a couple fingers, but the semi autos are radically different inside, with much different springs. My friend got a piece of tool steel rod, about 4 inches long, that fit inside the hollow of the M1 cocking knob perfectly and made it a useful item instead of a virtual wall hanger you couldn't load...slip the rod in, cock the gun, rod back in your pocket, simple and easy. There are lots of different ways to approach the problem, I'm just curious why you choose what you did, was it just the first idea you had, and since it worked, it worked!! ?? __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.