Hello folks. This is my first post on the forum. I've had a Maxus for a few years now, but recently acquired this little beauty and am interested in anything anyone can tell me about year of manufacture etc. I look forward to being part of the group and learning more about the Brownings in my cabinet. Thanks, GB
The receiver is 1929. Does the barrel's serial number match? I ask because the *H Controller's Mark seems to indicate 1938-68, but the list is not complete. There's also a Date Code on the barrel, but your photo doesn't show it. I notice your barrel is marked "ACIER SPECIAL" so your gun isn't a Browning import. Auto-5's imported to the U.S. were marked "SPECIAL STEEL". So I'm guessing the gun was bought overseas or you live in a different country.
The barrel number is 160913, so it appears a later one than the receiver. I am surprised there isn't a bigger age difference between them if the barrel is a replacement. Is it possible that the gun was assembled originally using an earlier receiver? I live in the UK and found the gun over here from a private owner.
I've just tried to use the gun for a few test shots, but there appears to be a problem with the loading port. Maybe I am doing something wrong? I pull back the bolt and load a shell into the side of the receiver and push the release button, which loads the shell into the chamber (all ok so far). But, then when I try and load the mag tube from underneath the carrier will not allow a shell to be inserted. If I press the release button again, it will accept a shell, but then the next shell won't go in and jams in the port. Am I being stupid, or does this gun have a fault?
Still no shot of the date code, but we don't need it because the serial number shows it to be a 1930 barrel. The two numbers on the bottom of the barrel show the bore and choke diameters. The difference being only 1/10 mm makes this a Skeet barrel in America and an IC in Britain. http://www.hallowellco.com/choke_chart.htm Since most of the early guns seemed to come with full chokes, I think the change was made to make the gun more useful to the owner. As to your loading problems, until Speed Load was introduced in 1953 it was necessary to push the Carrier Latch button to load the magazine. Normally I'll push and hold it until I'm done, others push and release for each shell. But you may have a Stupid British Gun Law problem -- the magazine capacity is 4 shells, but I believe you are restricted to 2. To make your gun legal someone had to modify the magazine. I think this was accomplished by dimpling the steel. Depending on the craftsmanship of the 'smith, this could cause loading problems. Other possibilities are a binding 87 year old spring, rust, or foreign material in the tube. Remove the barrel, hook the magazine spring retainer on an exposed nail and pull it off to examine the inside of the tube.
Thanks Rudolph. You are pretty much on the money with what you say there. I got the mag tube off today and there was a huge burr where the cutoff Spring screw goes through the tube. A few seconds with a round file and some emery cloth and now it works just fine. Still only two shells in the mag, but that's the stupid UK gun laws at work! Thanks again. Looking forward to getting some use out of it. GB
GB, do you have to keep that thing at some gun club or can you keep it at home? Does it have to locked up or dissembled and/0r in some sort of govt-stamped safe? *I'm in USA and at the moment I have something like 10 weapons in this very room with me, four of which are handguns and three of those are loaded. One of those I carried in my pocket all day. *Gorgeous shotgun you have there, it has the serialized receiver screws, the earlier safety, and a straight stock. Very nice.
No, i keep it at home. It does have to be in a locked safe though, secured to the fabric of the building. The laws seemed tough when they were first implemented, but i guess it was for the right reasons and now we are all used to them. The difficult part is keeping guns secure in vehicles when transporting them to/from hunts etc. Makes it tricky to stop for a meal on the way home for example. Thanks for the comments on the gun. I'm really pleased with it - it shoots nice now that i have got it working properly and have the ring settings and cartridge choice worked out. GB
So "straight to the range and straight back?" Some US states have such laws, Maryland I think, is one of those. My state, nope. LOL
