The Browning Auto-5 that I may consider...

[penpusher]

Mack The Knife,

Look forward to seeing the gun after you have worked your magic on it.Replacing the stock would not be too difficult.Does not seem to require a lot of skill in stock making.

Now if you can get a new barrel,you would have blemish free gun.I have found that some time spent with a broze brush and WD 40 dramatically transforms a barrel that ,at the outset, looks like it is a gone case.Use some Colgate tooth paste at the end.

Will let you know what those notifications say,as soon as I get them.Hope it's good news.

penpusher

[Grumpy]

I was talking to a friend of Wabbitboshers at one of the sales earlier this year and he told me how he had lent his new Fabarm Lion semi-auto to an old guy. The gent, being very grateful for the loan, cleaned up the gun and delivered it back to the owner. He checked it out a few days later and found that the bolt was very stiff......So he loaded a shell and fired it. The gun didn`t cycle and didn`t eject ( obviously. ) So he took it apart and found that the old boy had judiciously applied molybdenum grease just about everywhere ! He had to clean it all off and then found that it still wouldn`t cycle as the grease had got into the gas port. He then spent several days trying to find a solvent to clean out all the grease properly.
Wouldn`t happen with an A-5 !

[Mack The Knife]

As it happens Dodger the A-5 was not the first automatic shotgun.....there were several that preceded it including American guns. It was definitely the first to achieve volume sales though.
Some of the American websites offer specific dates for the early guns but FN themselves say that accurate dating is not possible. There is no way that those 10,000 guns ordered by John Moses were all delivered in 1903 as the factory didn`t have the capacity to build so many in just a few months.

Thanks Grumpy, just shows how wary one needs to be whilst reading things on the net.

http://www.theothersideofkim.com/index.php/ggps/6287/

Mack The Knife

[Mack The Knife]

Thanks, penpusher.

Grumpy, did you mean no moly on the inside of any guns or just gas operated ones?

The inside of the bolt and the bolt rails on my rimfire had a very light trace of 'moly' and I have never had a problem, though I am not sure if I used moly oil or grease as I have both. I think I switched to Hoppes No.9 the last time I cleaned and lubed it and before that it was FP-10. Keep experimenting with whatever passes through my hands.

Mack The Knife

[Grumpy]

No grease, moly or otherwise, in any gun.

[Mack The Knife]

No moly OIL either?

What is the reason for this on non-gas operated firearms? Bearing in mind south Indian temperatures.

I am pretty keen to try this Dri-slide lube as well. I understand it's less of a dirt magnet.

Mack The Knife

[Grumpy]

Grease just attracts dirt and metal particles which promotes wear. In temperate climates it is inclined to solidify clagging up everthing. In hot climates it melts and runs into the wood.
Moly exists as minute particles in suspension and there is no effective way of keeping the particles in contact with metal surfaces within a gun - not without heating the metal anyway.
I`ve never used Dri-Slide. It received good reports when announced years ago but I haven`t seen it advertised for ages. Isn`t it Teflon.... or PTFE ?
Over oiling guns is a bad idea because the excess just runs off into the wood ..... which does the wood no good at all.

[Mack The Knife]

Thanks, Grumpy, I get your point.

I do see Dri-Slide advertised now and then, which is how it caught my attention but now that you ask I too have forgotten what it's based on. Will do a Google check.

My oiling routine is - a little regularly rather too much at long intervals.

Mack The Knife

[Mack The Knife]

OOPS! It's made from 'moly'.

http://www.russack.com/

[Grumpy]

Must have a base that adheres to the metal then. Just checked and it has an evaporative carrier. As I said, I haven`t used it but have heard good things about Dri-Slide.

[mehulkamdar]

Mack The Knife,

Just did a check on A-5 prices and they are remarkably high for the old guns. Even Japanese A-5s in good condition with the box and accessories sell for $ 1500 plus and the rifled barrel 3" buck models for substantially more. The older guns sell from $ 400 on to $ 6500 (yes, the last figure is riglt) deending on the kind of condition, finish and engraving on them. Well restored old guns seem to go from $ 750 to 800 onwards for basic guns to about $ 1500 for higher grades. When your father in law's gun is completed, it is going to be a fairly valuable one.

Go for it now that our top Guru has also given his unhesitating approval!

Mehul

[Mack The Knife]

Mehul,

In India almost all guns are valueable.

Let's see if I can get it transfered, then we will talk about refurbishing it.

Mack The Knife

[cottage cheese]

For those that don't know, my father-in-law has a Browning Auto-5 that he wants me to have.

The gun was bought in England probably during the '70s.

Legal hurdles aside I would like to know if this particular shotgun is worth having. It was in very bad shape when I last saw it in Dec. 2003 - Jan. 2004. I tried to remove as much rust as possible with just cotton waste and oil. I had then covered it with Vaseline and packed it away.

I have about 60 pictures showing the gun both before and after and I will put some of them up after I have had them digitised.

At present I have the following information which can be seen in the next two pics.





I have two questions:

What is the date of manufacture? The Browning site does not have this series.

Does the 'F' under the serial number indicate a Full choke?

Thanks.

Mack The Knife

The A5 is a nice weapon. I've known several owners and one issue thats common to all, is the endless extraction problems. Particularly with KF ammo. This would probably be because of the less pronounced rim in most KF ammo. Perhaps the newer ammo has this rectified.

The action is pretty severe with a huge mass moving back and forth. Never liked that aspect.