Hello all. New to the forum having joined at the beginning of the month but I figured it was about time to post something about my A5. This gun belonged to my father who passed in '81 and it has been in storage since then. Was hunting quail last month with a friend who was using a A5 which got me to thinking about pulling this gun out and and start using it. I remember my father saying to me for years that it was a Sweet 16 but it didn't take long to figure out that this wasn't the case. Objectively it is a pretty decent 16 that I'll be proud to use even if it isn't a Sweet. Serial number is 50318 with an R code which looking at literature I found on the site is a 1956 production. Surprisingly the wood is in decent shape with the biggest issue being what appears to a clear coat flaking off. The checkering is in what I would call very good shape which makes sense as I don't really remember it being used much. The horn buttplate is in good shape with one small chip. Someone (I'm guessing dad) added some type of compressible material between the buttplate and stock which has since hardened. I've been told it's not original so not sure what the intent was. The metal is in good shape with the bluing being almost all there. Really could only see missing bluing at the sharp edges of the action. I haven't fully disassembled the gun yet but have had the barrel off. The only readily apparent markings are on the barrel where it says Browning Arms Company, St Louis MO. There some other markings under the forearm which I haven't taken the time to decipher yet. I've taken some pictures and I'll post them for input. My plan is to purchase some Browning screwdrivers and give it a good cleaning and also replace some springs. Looking forward to being a forum member and discussing A5s as I know there's a lot I can learn from you all. Kirk
Hello, Kirk, and welcome to the forum. That's a very nice Auto-5. My guess is that when you open it up you won't find much to clean. And I wouldn't wait for the new springs to shoot it. Coil springs wear out mostly from use and this gun hasn't seen much. Hopefully you will be able to get that material between the stock and the plate off. I'm guessing you dad put it there either to lengthen the stock or as a recoil pad. If you find that the gun doesn't fit you there are slip-on pads available. I've got a 1960 20 gauge that had the finish flaking off. In my case it was bad and I got the gun for a bargain. A buddy stripped it clean and gave it an oil finish and now that gun looks great.
