Malfunctioning Browning A5

[DocHawk]

I restored function to a classic Browning "A5" Auto-5 this weekend. Unlike many modern autoloading shotguns, the A5 is recoil operated instead of using expanding gas pressure to cycle the semiautomatic action. John Browning's enduring design is over 125 years old, and it is still known as one of the most reliable, softest-shooting recoil operated shotguns in the world.

Still, these century-old "humpback" beauties do require regular maintenance, and their older design is sometimes misunderstood. Without proper care and setup, they can malfunction. This customer gun was not properly ejecting, leading to double feeds that meant the birds were getting away.

The main recoil spring is tuned by a set of bronze beveled rings, and steel friction rings. If they are not installed properly, they can lead to short stroke cycling, or worse, battering of the receiver and action. The right number of rings have to be installed in the right order and orientation to match the ammo being used.

In this case, these rings were installed in the wrong order, and backwards. This led to the bronze ring being heavily gouged around its circumference, and the steel friction ring getting a significant burr on the active edge. This, in turn, gouged the magazine tube and bound up the spring during cycling.

The stock also has an oft-forgotten recoil spring and channel inside it. Even professionals, unfamiliar with the A5, often forget this spring and channel when performing a cleaning. Sure enough, this bolt spring channel was heavily clogged, and was also contributing to the malfunctions.

All cleaned and repaired with new rings, this Browning is ready to hunt for another century.

[1gewehr]

Setting friction rings correctly is pretty easy.  And replacement rings are readily available and not expensive.  Anyone with one of these fine guns, or the similar Remington Model 11, should do this as part of an annual inspection!

[10-Ring]

I have a mid 1960s manufactured A5 12 ga. I inherited it and love the gun, but don't shoot it well due to fitment issues, most noticeably the LOP being too long for me. I have plans to eventually shorten the LOP, and refinish the wood. Where can I find the procedure for correctly setting the friction rings? I'm in no hurry, I bought a fine modern shotgun that I haven't worn the new off of yet, but would love to get this Browning back to her former glory and show her off in the dove field. 

Edited January 8 by 10-Ring
Because I have issues

[Whisper]

10-Ring, try this:

 

[gregintenn]

My father hunted with an A5. It beat the crap out of him for years until he learned about the adjustable rings.

[DocHawk]

23 hours ago, 1gewehr said:

Setting friction rings correctly is pretty easy.  

Agreed... and yet, I've gotten them turned into the shop for gunsmithing dozens of times over the past 10 years or so, and about half the time, the rings are not set up right for the loads they're shooting, or many times not set up for *any* load. The users don't know that is an option.

Even when the shooter knows he's supposed to set the rings, there's conflicting info out there. Take the nice graphic Whisper kindly posted. It depicts outer beveled friction rings, not inner bevel from this version of the recoil assembly. Further, there's no listing for steel loads, which require a different setup.

Yes, for those of us who are well familiar with the A5 and its peculiarities, an A5 is pretty easy to diagnose. However, the average secondhand user doesn't know what there is to know. I've even repaired many, many A5's that came to me after the owner paid someone else to fix it, and it wasn't fixed.

If you Google "Browning A5 not cycling" or not extracting/ejecting/working etc., you'll see this is a pretty common experience. Not because it is a bad or finicky gun, but because it's been out for over a century, and there are a lot more of them out there than there are instruction manuals, so to speak.

Edited January 9 by DocHawk

[History Researcher]

Is this one engraved because it is a magnum?  

[gregintenn]

16 hours ago, History Researcher said:

Is this one engraved because it is a magnum?  

Weren’t they all ingraved?

[History Researcher]

51 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Weren’t they all ingraved?

I know that some A5’s were not engraved.  I wonder if all magnum A5’s were though.  Always wondered why some are and some aren’t.  

[History Researcher]

Apparently there was a “grade” offered that had no engraving on the receiver, if I have researched correctly.  

[DocHawk]

Every single Browning A5 made by FN was hand-engraved (Edit for clarity: or had no engraving at all). Fun fact - no two are exactly alike. In fact, usually the engraving was completed by several apprentice gunsmiths, each completing the work in the area they were best at (scrollwork, floral, game, etc). They did come in six different grades, with correlating price increases. Most Magnums tended to be ordered in higher grades, only because the typical magnum consumer (who was, by definition, someone who cared to specify for magnum loads) also cared more about engraving.

Edited February 21 by DocHawk
Clarification for non-engraved guns

[History Researcher]

2 minutes ago, DocHawk said:

Every single Browning A5 made by FN was hand-engraved (Edit for clarity: or had no engraving at all). Fun fact - no two are exactly alike. In fact, usually the engraving was completed by several apprentice gunsmiths, each completing the work in the area they were best at (scrollwork, floral, game, etc). They did come in six different grades, with correlating price increases. Most Magnums tended to be ordered in higher grades, only because the typical magnum consumer (who was, by definition, someone who cared to specify for magnum loads) also cared more about engraving.

Okay, so the ones that are not engraved are just the ones people ordered and did not pay extra to have them factory engraved. 
   That makes sense. 

[Wireman]

Correct history guy.

[Toy4Rick]

I inherited my fathers Savage 16GA, fully engraved... it's the twin to the Browning A5

He purchased it about 1949 for $20 from the hardware store where he worked b/c the person who put the deposit on it never came back to make payments or pick it up

I set the rings this year before going to AZ to hunt dove, man this is a shooter for sure, absolutely love it

My brother had it re-blued many years ago so it looks new, the stock has shrunk up a bit over the years so the fit isn't great but it runs like a sewing machine

Enjoy