Browning A5: A History

Will Poston for Split REED

Presented by Browning Firearms

Few shotguns have the tried -due north- true pedigree of Browning's humpbacks. And fifty-fifty fewer firearms—for that thing—have been more or less manufactured for over a century. John Browning produced the Automobile five back in 1902, making it the first mass produced semi-automatic shotgun in the world. John Browning went on to continuously produce the famed scattergun—with several gun makers—until 1998. And just when people idea the humpback platform that they grew upward on or inherited by their waterfowl mentors was a thing of former, Browning re-introduced the humpback platform in 2011 with the A5. And while this model would sport the ever-recognizable humpback blueprint, the new A5 is packed with modern technology and features.

Follow forth equally we explore the Auto 5'southward history, ranging from the trenches at the Somme in WW1 to your grandfather'southward duck blind. The Auto v has seen it all and handled everything without skipping a shell. The older Auto five's only flat-out performed, and the newer A5 will not quit on you lot either.

Browning_auto_5_catalog.png

Origins

Dorsum in the belatedly 19th century and early on years of the 20th century, John Browning adult quite the reputation for himself. He designed, improved, and manufactured many firearms for Winchester, including the famed Winchester Model 1887 (the one-time lever activeness shotgun). He was a tinkering genius with firearms, always finding ways to improve a firearm platform.

Browning-Auto-5-1Gun Digest .jpg

Well, equally legend has it, John Browning had developed the Auto 5 and planned to offer the blueprint to Winchester and then Remington. Winchester refused Browning's offering (allegedly they were offended by the terms of the contract). And then, after the failed Winchester meeting, Browning was on his way to the Remington factory, when he received word that the and then-Remington President had died of a middle attack. So, John Browning with patent in-hand, sought to manufacture the Auto 5 himself. He began churning out shotguns with a Belgium gun-maker in 1902. To quote the great firearm writer, Phil Bourjaily, "In a career of great gun inventions, John Browning'south Auto 5 stands out every bit perhaps his greatest." It was completely original. The legendary Auto v was born.

s-l1600.jpg

Resume

I am by no means a gun nut nor firearm historian, but information technology is my understanding that shotguns do have the most direct armed forces-law enforcement-civilian-sportsman overlap. 100 years agone, this held true. The Auto 5 saw utilize in both Earth Wars by Centrolineal soldiers. The British Ground forces relied on the Auto 5 in several anti-communist campaigns in the 1950s throughout Southeast Asia. Additionally, while the Automobile five was not an official weapon of the US Armed forces during the Vietnam War. Later on doing some further research on the Car 5'south history I came across this story on a forum. Take the story with a grain of salt, and don't wager your new A5 on it but:

"Co-ordinate to at least ii unlike sources I accept, the Browning A5 was used in Vietnam. One person I remember talking to, said that on basically his get-go 24-hour interval there, they were having some kind of party, or something, and him existence new had to practise guard duty that night, and was handed a Browning A5 for that duty, that dark.

However, these guns, used past U.Southward. servicemen during that fourth dimension may accept been sent from abode, by parents or others on request of the serviceman. That is the story I got from my most creditable source, who went over as an advisor, during the early part of that war. He was a lifelong friend of my Dad's and was in the special forces. He volunteered this information to me, many years ago, before I even had an interest in A5's.

He said that shotguns were not real like shooting fish in a barrel to come up upwards with and the guys would have their parents ship them 1. And apparently in his unit the A5 was popular. He said that ammo was non a trouble, but getting the guns was. He didn't use a short barreled shotgun. The gun he swore by had a 30 inch or longer barrel, actually I remember I remember him saying his had a 32 inch full choke butt, and they used a 00 buckshot load, in a brass example, that held fifteen pellets."

Like I said, I wouldn't agree it as an undeniable fact, just information technology is definitely an interesting story and speaks to the Auto 5's history and dependability.

With such an impressive service record, the Auto 5's reliability could never exist questioned, making the shotgun ane of the premier waterfowl guns. Millions of Auto 5'due south were sold, and consequently, it's safe to assume that at least a billion shells have cycled through that hard yet reliable, activity. It's no wonder why so many waterfowlers of years' past swore on this line of shotguns. The Automobile 5 merely screams "Quondam Timer." and the older ones have such a grittiness to them, that for waterfowlers is highly-seasoned.

Browning A5.jpg

That uniquely gritty wait of the old wooden humpbacks—your granddaddy's Car 5s—has given style to the new, modernized A5. The same dependability that service members and our former waterfowling mentors relied on has not faded, still. The new A5 is less than a decade quondam but has rave reviews, and its modern timelessness cannot exist questioned with features such every bit the Inflex Ii Technology recoil pad, Dorsum-Bored Technology, an Invector-DS asphyxiate tube system, Speed Load Plus, and a 100,000 circular guarantee.

"This ain't your Grandpa's Machine-5. In fact, the iconic humpback-shaped receiver is the but thing this new Browning autoloader shares with its legendary namesake. The all new Browning A5 is built to be the most reliable, fastest cycling, best performing and softest shooting recoil-operated (aye, recoil-operated) autoloader on the planet.

Click on Will to find him on Instagram

Click on Will to find him on Instagram