In 1970 I walked into a Sears store in North Hollywood CA and for $210.00 I walked out with an A5 Light Twelve in 2 3/4 inch with a 30" full choke vent rib barrel. The wood was beautiful and I was ecstatic. $210.00 was allot of money in 72 for a dad with two kids making average money for the time. For the next 3 years I don't think a weekend went buy without me either taking it to the trap range or going bird hunting. I hunted doves in Palmdale, pheasant in Bishop, crows in Los Padres, chukars in Olancha and quail in allot of places I can't remember. Dove hunting was my favorite, that 30 full would reach out and touch a dove that my hunting buddies would miss. Very seldom did I not come back with fewer doves than the limit. My German Shorthair could find a dove in the thickest alfalfa field there was. Got pretty good at the trap range, again that 30 full with Winchester AA trap loads would reach out and touch clays. My favorite trick was holding the Browning in my left hand and an AA shell in my right and hollering pull. The only clays I missed with this trick were the ones that would come out hard left or hard right. Did pretty good with $5.00 bets till everyone at the range got wise and quit betting I would miss. Sometime in the late 70's I had a job offer on the Eastern Shore of Maryland I couldn't refuse. Packed up the family and moved from North Hollywood to Salisbury MD. Quickly discovered a 30 full barrel wasn't the ticket in the close quarters wooded areas of the east compared to the open areas I was use to in California. Found a 26" modified barrel at a local gun shop and bought it. Went hunting for dove and quail a few times but work was taking much of my time and my time with the Browning stated dwindling. After a move back to California a divorce and a move to Oklahoma I managed to hang on to the Browning but it mostly set in the closet. I would get it out and clean it to keep the rust off and reminisce about the time we spent together but my hunting days were all but over. 9 years ago I sold my A5 when times were tight. The gold on the trigger was worn off and the bluing on the left bottom of the receiver where I had carried it over my shoulder for many miles was almost worn to bare metal. The A5 will always have a special meaning to me, we had allot of good times together. In all that time my A5 never missed a beat, never had a failure of any kind and all the screws were still just as the factory had installed them. You young guys that now own the greatest shot gun ever manufactured take care of your baby and hope you really appreciate just what the A5 is all about. Thank you John Browning wherever you are...
Thank you sir for that interesting post. I am proud to own an A5 and especially one that I have brought back to fine shooting condition
Every time I walk into a gun shop first thing I do is see if they have any A5's. I miss the gun but at this point in my life would have no use for one. I just bought a Browning 1911-22 and get allot more use out of it than I would an A5. Between the 22 and a Rossi side by side coach gun we keep the varmints around my property under control. Home defense is taken care of with my Hi-Power, Ruger 1911 a Glock 19 and a few others stashed in strategic locations.
