Greetings All, I have an original Japanese-made (30" fixed Modified choke) 12-Gauge A5 Magnum barrel that has a small roller-coaster shaped spring that sits in the Ejector slot on the inside (breach end) of the barrel, and I recently purchased a genuine Browning Japanese-made replacement barrel (28" with Invector choke system), that lacks that same tiny spring in the Ejector slot. Does anyone know with any degree of confidence whether that little Ejector spring is required for the firearm to function properly? I'm getting mixed opinions from different gunsmiths, and you don't generally see manufacturers eliminate a functional part without good reason, but the return window on the replacement barrel is soon going to close and I haven't had time to install it and physically test it yet. If anyone has a similar A5, and they could inspect the inside of their barrel for the presence or absence of such an Ejector spring and let me know, I would be most grateful. Thanx
I can't answer your question definitively, but my go-to parts supplier, Midwest Gun Works doesn't show a spring for that part. The 16, 20, and Mag 12 all have moveable ejectors. Although I don't own a Magnum I do own several 16's and a 20 and none of them have a spring. If you want to be sure you could call them or Art's for an expert opinion. https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/ctgy/browning-auto-5-parts http://artsgunshop.com/
Rudy, Thank you so much for your response and for the added links. Its reassuring to know that none of the models that you're seeing there have such a spring, and just to be clear, Midwest Gun Works (MGW) are the folks that I purchased the replacement barrel from last week. They too have generally indicated that the spring in question may have become obsolete in newer model barrels, but I can never reach or speak to an actual gunsmith when I phone there, so I'm never really sure just how accurate the second-hand information is? Anyway, that said, I appreciate the reference to Arts Gun Shop, and I have already spoken to them here moments ago. The gentleman who answered the phone there was extremely helpful and quickly answered my question straight-away! Yahoo! Basically, he was in full agreement with the folks at MGW - he said that those little ejector springs serve no real or practical purpose in the functioning of the gun, and that as such, they were essentially discontinued by Browning years ago, which explains its absence from my new replacement barrel and also explains the absence of it from the various models that you're seeing there. I couldn't find a gunsmith here locally that was confident enough in the A5's to advise me on this issue, but you and Arts Gun Shop have quickly resolved it for me, so many thanx for that! Have a great weekend! Best regards, Wingnut
