A restoration or a renovation

Discussion in 'Browning Auto A-5' started by Biz, May 15, 2022.

  1. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Here is the gun Art did in the low temp blue, it has a slight deep brown look in some light
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    Ranger6, Rudolph31 and win7stw like this.
  2. Biz

    Biz 20g

    That is a beautiful gun and a nice restoration. What is a salt blue? Was the case hardening redone as well? Are you happy with the restoration? Do you prefer the juxtaposed or the superposed. Personally, I prefer the superposed. I have a first month Browning production and I find the machining exceptional.
  3. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    The entire gun was restored, stock repair (head was cracked), cch and blue. Hot or salt blue is a bath or two that turns the metal blue/ black and in this case was a low temp salt blue. When I saw this one for sale online it hit most of my buttons. It had arcade fences, square greener type cross bolt 28”(27.75 metric) barrels with ejectors. I was going to restock but I ran a straight at skeet first time I ever shot it. So I just paid to put the stock back together.
    It has .715 bores and choked cyl/mod, she patterns amazingly well. Won’t be selling this one. I may restock if it cracks again but would rather not $$$. I had a 1951 28” barrel superposed that I shot well and stupidly sold it. I like a low profile o/u just as well as a sxs but I shoot the 16 and 20 gauge a5s the best. I’m not that great a shot but with an a5 I’m not a very bad one either.
    Rudolph31 likes this.
  4. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Art restored both of these; a 3 digit special order that most of you have seen and a 1905 ( may have been 1908 I get confused)rem pre 11c. I shouldn’t have sold them but I’m not fond of 12ga a5s. I took this picture after one of the old guys at the club was walking by and looked like a bad Benny Hill skit, he was looking at the guns and fell down rubber necking. Now that Remington I found on the junk rack with no finish left on anything but was pristine and all matching original for 500.00. I believe the entire gun was ordinance steel it was 9 lbs and felt like tool steel. Rib was milled with the barrel. Don’t throw rocks at me I bought more rare guns with the proceeds!
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    Last edited: May 19, 2022
    Rudolph31 likes this.
  5. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Ok what is Siemens steel? I have read a bunch about the different steels, but never came across this one.
  6. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Just another steel company like Krupp, bohler, cockrill and Poldi. Then you have the Brit’s and our U.S.A. stuff. Those are all decent steels, from what I read lots of them copied ( or got licensed) to make each other’s steel formulas.

    Auzzie needs to start that thread, it’s really interesting how gun steel changed from 1898, 1908, 1918, after the war to end all wars, after ww2 and on. The tensile strength got better and better. Actually good old Remington ordnance steel from 1905 is some bad ass sh#@.
  7. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Seems like all the reading I have done that Krupp gets the #1 spot. That would be an interesting thread so I second that Auzzie should start one.
  8. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    I am fond of my Krupp barrels most of my guns have them and I trust them with modern pressures as long as the barrels haven’t been monkied with. I don’t have a problem with any of those names after 1918 fluid steel got pretty darn strong after that. I trust my a5 barrels from experience but I can’t actually tell you much about their composition. Lots of info on the ones I mentioned above except cockerill ?
  9. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    I agree with you on the auto 5 barrels. I have shot some Damascus barrel guns with no issues. I think they get a bad rap. Done some research on them and read some test done and it takes quite a bit to blow one up, as long as there are no pits. From what I have read most of the damage has been with an obstruction in the barrel and then shot.
  10. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Yep the Damascus barrels are absolutely beautiful and got a bad rap. But I feel safer when they are still in nitro proof.
    I think the best looking sxs gun I have ever saw was a Scottish double with nitro Damascus barrels. I haven’t found a deal(steal) on one of those yet and probably won’t now. Guess that’s why I’m here, I really do think the 16ga a5 is as good of a shooting/ handling platform as the best doubles. They also feel like they have a soul much like a hand made double.
  11. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Agree with that. I like a Sxs but I really have to stay focused to shoot one well. The auto 5 just fits like a glove and no thinking needed. Point and shoot. I guess when you grow up with one it helps too.
    Rudolph31 likes this.
  12. Auzzie

    Auzzie 20g

    Let me do bit more reading up first. I followed that link for double guns. Plenty of mud slinging and fingers pointing accusations in those posts!
    Couple of other worthy names in 20 Century ordinance steels are Kochi and Sandvik
  13. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    I try to stay clear of that kinda thing. I do know that Dr. Drew Hause has had some tests done on barrel steel composition and tensile strengths. They were posted online but I could only understand some of what I was reading back then. Maybe with your help we may learn some more about it. Thanks
  14. Auzzie

    Auzzie 20g

    No I certainly don’t get off on the finger pointing and chest beating thing either. That’s why I like this site so much and the interaction , learning and people who contribute here are genuine and smart too.
  15. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    ok kinda slow so here is some eye candy.
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    These were restored, all had metal and wood refinished, checkering recut and mechanical work. They are all 16 sxs’s I have here, 2 more German 16s are being done now. The top gun is a Belgium J. Saive faux sidelock, I actually had researched them and bought this one because it was faked so well ( I prefer box locks anyway, much stronger), seller thought it was a true sidelock. It’s crazy quick with 27”ish barrels too quick for me unless snap shooting in the woods.

    2nd from top is a German gun made by C. Leberecht it has his unique sling safety device( I thought it was a retractable sling but was pleasantly wrong). This one is the only non ejector sxs I have,I shoot this one very well.

    3rd from top is a no name Suhl 1918 gun with most all the bells and whistles of the time, including some of the best lumber I have. Buffalo horn work is all original. I shoot this one the best out of my sxs’s. It has 30” barrels and weigh 6 lbs 4 ounces. If it’s windy during dove season I take this thing and my type 1 and switch between them.
    Last one we talked about already, it is almost as fast as the short one at the top, it has 30” barrels its best for jump shooting rabbits and quail but I am better off shooting an a5 with 25.5” barrel, prototype will take this one’s place.

    Truth is I shoot a light a5 16 better than any of these but my no name Suhl gun is really close.

    Now all of these guns were missing lots or most of their finish, had cracks and or dents. Thats how I could afford them and they needed restoration. I thoroughly enjoy putting nice badly worn or broken guns back in service, I am certainly not against just refinishing wood and some bluing on a usable gun. Case coloring can screw things up and is always a gamble, I wouldn’t recommend cch unless it needs it or your willing to be disappointed.

    Hope you all are having a great Memorial Day weekend, I was just bored tonight, family went to some zoo light show.
    I prepared a Mauser 98 to be cerakoted tonight and oiled the 16s.
    win7stw, Ranger6 and Auzzie like this.
  16. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Now I found a super deal on a double last week that I will just renovate, this one needs barrels blued and horn repaired on the grip safety. No big expense and I won the bid at 316.00 plus shipping. Quite the score! 16 ga
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    Last edited: Jun 2, 2022
    Bruski and Auzzie like this.
  17. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Nic find sir!
  18. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    Thanks, Hard for me to pass up well made 100 plus year old guns in that shape with just a small problem. Especially at that kinda price. I do like the round action. Mechanics are amazing, even the safety is okay but lefaucheux lever action isn’t practical anymore, takes to long to reload for things like dove hunting.
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2022
  19. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    hey if you're a good shot you don't need more then 2 anyway. I like it. Not sure that palm swell would work for me but that can be fixed. What year was it made??
  20. Jta5er

    Jta5er .270 WIN

    I believe the experts(I’m not) have narrowed it down to between 1904-1911. I knew very little about the Hubertus safety so I went to the German gun guys for my information after the purchase. I knew enough to buy it but didn’t understand how the safety worked.[​IMG]

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