Browning humpback shot gun Q's

[FullsizeYota]

I inherited a Browning 12g shotgun. It's old enough to be made in Belgium.

I got it from my grandpa before he died. My dad and uncle have the 2 of the exact same guns.

This gun doesn't have the gold trigger but it's got a lot of sentimental value to me, I'll never sell it, ever. Is this gun too nice to be hunting bunnies with?? i take very good care of it but it's still got a few dings here and there..

What say ye'?

I also have a Uberti SA .357 what are your thoughts on that??

[CRFRIDER]

I love the old A5's post up some pics of it... Great shooting gun, go out and enjoy as your Grandpa would have.

[far...right]

Shoot it.
Its worth 450-650 most likely.

[4runner]

use it...enjoy it..take care of it....

[Sturgell]

I have one made in Japan that I got from my dad and it is a fine shooting gun. It has been hunted with a lot and the finish is worn pretty bad so I might parkerize it if I ever get around to building a park tank.

Kill the shit out of bunnies with it, thats what they were made for and I am sure it would make your grandfather proud that it is getting used and not thrown back in a closet to be forgotten about.

[Schmozilla]

is it a light-twelve?

I just inhearted one from my grandad...I shoot it all the time, It is a VERY good shot gun... The one I have is circa 1960

[TheRedHorseman]

My A-5 is from 1953, it's my 3 gun slut. Use yours as you see fit, they're great shotguns.

[FullsizeYota]

This is a quick pick.. Any way to tell the date??

[IMG][/IMG]

[TheRedHorseman]

Check your serial number to this:
http://www.proofhouse.com/browning/a5.htm

[FullsizeYota]

is the serial # right above where the shells are loaded???

If thats the right number, it says my gun was made in 1928

[far...right]

Originally Posted by FullsizeYota

is the serial # right above where the shells are loaded???

If thats the right number, it says my gun was made in 1928

Yes, thats where the serial is.

It could very possibly be that old, it has the round knob.

[FullsizeYota]

Originally Posted by far...right

Yes, thats where the serial is.

It could very possibly be that old, it has the round knob.

This is even better. This is unbelievable, my grandpa was born in 1928

I called my grandma, she doesn't remember him buyin that gun, only the 2 other "matching ones" they are known to be late 60's/early 70's..

when i told my grandma i thought it was made in 1928, she thought it could have possibly been my great-great grandpa's but she really wasn't sure of that

[afroman006]

I love the looks of hump backs. I have a sweet 16, never shot it though

[FullsizeYota]

Well i went out yesterday and shot it a bunch, probably put 100 rounds through it or more.. killed probably 30 bunnies

[SilverZuk]

If you don't use it - it is worthless.
Who ever left you the gun - wanted you to use it.
It is a tribute to them every time you pull it of the case, everytime you pull the trigger, and every bite of game you eat that was dropped with that gun.

My wife bought one for me Christmas of '97. It was a jap model, new in the box.
People said "Are you going to use that?"
"They don't make those anymore"
"I'd keep that thing in the box, it will be worth some big money someday"

My response was "Hell yeah I'm going to use it. I hope to live long enough to wear it out, and it is worthless sitting in a box."

Use the gun. If it breaks, hang it on the wall and you will have two generations of stories behind it.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by SilverZuk

My response was "Hell yeah I'm going to use it. I hope to live long enough to wear it out, and it is worthless sitting in a box."

Use the gun. If it breaks, hang it on the wall and you will have two generations of stories behind it.

Mine has had almost a half-mil through it. My dad used it for trapshooting and duck hunting and kept track of damned near every shell through it. I started shooting it and did the same. Wrote it down on the wall of the room where we reloaded, lost the count when we sold the house.

When the bolt starts to not go into battery, check the forearm as after a lot of shells through it, the wood becomes compressed and the barrel will migrate forward and the bolt will begin to hit the receiver and not go into battery completely. i have shot three forearms off of mine and two buttstocks. The buttstocks will begin to get sloppy and then, it won't cycle well, indicating you will need a new buttstock.

Fajen used to make bolt-on lumber for them if you're not a furniture maker.

I shot my first 25 with an auto-5!

[Johann]

Just picked up one of these at the local shop. Looks a lot like the pic FullSize Yota posted. Lightweight model. Unribbed Belgian barrel. Shoulders nicely, sightline down the hump is easy to acquire. Trigger is nice! It's well used but tight. Only problem is the forestock is cracked and missing some of the laminated wood where it bears agains the receiver. Got it at a good price because of this.

Trying to crack the date code- 5G 803XX If I am reading this site correctly it is a '65. Is that correct?

Anyone have a forestock

[SilverZuk]

Originally Posted by far...right

Shoot it.
Its worth 450-650 most likely.

edit: I just saw my previous post and realized it is an old thread.
It's worth a few bucks sitting on the shelf. The stories of hunting with it are priceless. I don't think your grandfather would want it sitting on the shelf.

I have a japan made A-5. I hope to live long enough and use it enough to wear it out in my lifetime (fat chance because most don't ever live long enough to wear one out).

[Aces'n'8s]

Originally Posted by far...right

It could very possibly be that old, it has the round knob.

Don't go by the knob alone. A5s could be had with round knob butts well into the 1970s.

[Diesel-Power]

My browning A5 was my first shotgun and still my favorite I think I got it when I was 11 or 12ish, I always knew it was a Belgium made Magnum 12 but did not realize how old it was. According to the link posted mine with a SN of 42XXX was made in 1926. I'm still going to shoot the shit out of it but I might treat it a little more gingerly now.

[Slimjim]

Dont shoot Steel shot through it, stick with lead only in those old FN guns.

[Ah Pook]

I had a friend with an A5 and loved shooting it.

Found a Remington 11 a couple of years ago. It had a nice patina and I couldn't pass it up. Dated it to 1910. Most of the parts are interchangeable with the A5.

The humpback is one of my favorite shotguns.

Use it and enjoy it.

[PwrWagons4ever]

With the safety behind the trigger, it wasn't made in '28. The early Brownings had the safety in front of the trigger. Browning reissued a lot of numbers. They used different letter pre-fixes.