I recently purchased a 1925 vintage A5 12 gage, 2 3/4" shells. Pretty good shape overall, except a big crack in the fore end and a decaying recoil pad. I downloaded the manual from Browning, but it isn't exactly what I have in my hands. The safety is in front of the trigger guard instead of the cross-bolt. The manual says to lock back the bolt before you load ammo, but the only way I can get the loading gate to open is to hit the bolt release, which of course slams the bolt closed. Not sure if that is how the older models are supposed to work. I pulled the recoil pad off and bought a vintage butt plate from SARCO Inc., but it is WAY too big. It is almost 5 1/4" long and the butt of the stock is 4 1/2". The stock doesn't appear to be cut down, so I'm wondering if there was an era with smaller butt plates. I put in the rebuild kit from Art's Guns and I've ordered a replacement fore end. I'd prefer to get an original butt plate if I can.
Guess it will be same as a Remington M 11. Activate safety on in guard if your new to guns or till get down pat. Drop a live round in open ejection port and depress button to shut carrier. Point barrel safe direction towards ground and not at your feet , wall or wife. Continue hold button down and feed in subsequent shells through the gate into the mag tube. It's bit awkward Rudolph or one of the forum regulars like Ranger may chime in any time as others on here regular way more knowledge user of the earlier models with no speed loader feature and will have process down in case I missed something.
Let the "bolt" close (Browning calls that the "breech block", unlike every other gun manufacturer in the world I think, but I digress.....). Press the release button and load as many rounds into the magazine as you need, then (after making certain the safety is engaged) cycle the action.
I load mine like Auzzie does, but either method works. The OP’s gun was the standard until 1951 when the safety was changed. Speed Load, where you can load from the bottom without touching the carrier release button, arrived in late 1953. If the bolt is open, the first round is whisked into the chamber. Sometimes I close the bolt, load the mag, engage the cutoff, and open the bolt. Then when it’s time to shoot I just flip the cutoff switch and a round is loaded like magic. Who needs Speed Load? And yeah, despite being a stickler for using the correct nomenclature, I still call the Breech Block the Bolt.
I don’t know if you’re still around, but someone should have given you this information. Recoil pads are larger than necessary so they can be ground down to fit. It’s a job for a gunsmith. Also, the stock is sawn straight before a pad is fitted, so an original butt plate will no longer fit. If your LOP is too short an extension can be added. A friend did this for me and it turned out great.
I know, this site has been giving me problems lately. At least, it does with my iPad. I’ll try with my phone. NOPE! Not working today. However, one of the pictures I tried to post appears in this thread: https://www.browningowners.com/foru...out-favorite-pics-of-your-a5-with-game.12029/
Yep, sometimes when I log in to the site it just thinks and thinks, no site, then sometimes it brings up different pages. I usually log out and in several times. Forum needs update. Eventually its all going to be gone without it.
My favorite local gunsmith doesn't do recoil pads as he's more of a precision rifle guy. Guess I'll search for a replacement buttstock and buttplate.
Good gunsmiths are rare. But a replacement recoil pad should be fairly easy for anyone calling themselves that. Finding another guy would be cheaper than buying a new stock. The cracked forearm concerns me. Shortly after the picture was taken the newly refinished forearm split into 4 pieces while I as shooting Skeet. The same friend who did the refinishing put it back together, and now it sports a brass nail helping it stay together. Also, though it didn’t look it, my buddy told me that 1930 buttstock was so full of oil that it took days of soaking to get out. If I were you, I’d send it to Art’s for rejuvenation.
I found a good used buttstock/buttplate on Ebay. I determined that the existing one has been cut down, at least enough to give it a flat surface for the recoil pad.
