#Auto-5

The Browning A5 shotgun (also known as the Auto-5) is an almost legendary design that was first introduced in 1905 and was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun design. The shotgun remained in production unit l 1998 when it was discontinued by Browning. Now, Realtree and Browning have teamed up to update the Auto-5 in the form of the new Browning A5 Shotgun in Realtree MAX-7 camouflage. This new inertia-operated model was the successor of the original long recoil shotgun and builds on the legacy of reliability that its namesake has earned and adds some new features that make it more suitable for today’s modern sportsmen. Now hunters and outdoorsmen can take advantage of everything they love about the new production A5 shotguns but in Realtree’s MAX-7 camouflage.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I happened to do a little maintenance on an old Browning Auto-5 that I own and while disassembling and reassembling, I thought to myself that it may be beneficial if I did an Armorer’s Bench on how the friction rings work and the proper way of setting them up in accordance with whatever load you intend to use. When I say “friction rings” I may be referring to the recoil assembly as a whole purely for simplification. All that being said, let’s dive right into proper Auto-5 friction ring orientation!

While not a true copy of the original Browning Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun, the recent A5 shotgun from Browning fills much of the void left behind by the venerable original. Some might contend it’s setting its own unique legacy – something which Browning is obviously pushing towards with the release of their new High-Grade Hunter.

Long-time TFB friend Axel, AKA TroubleshooterBerlin is the man behind the mysterious upside-down shotgun we blogged about a couple of weeks ago, just before the 2017 SHOT Show. Miles Vining spoke with Axel about his creation (and I mean creation in the “it’s aliiiiive!” sense) at Ventura Munitions during the show, and now Axel has released his own live fire and discussion video regarding the… What do we call it? The ReMG-42/11, maybe? Just watch:

John Browning designed the Browning Auto-5 shotgun in the late 1800s and patented it in 1900. It featured a unique long recoil action never seen before where the barrel is free to recoil rearwards inside the action. I always enjoy watching a Auto-5 being fired and seeing the barrel recoil back.