my Remington mod 11 has a crack going down the wrist and a forend, and one of the back screws is messed up, I love the thing but she’s a bit fragile (I have not shot it much yet, I did not cause the damage, got it at an estate auction), I wish I could find some synthetic furniture for it, I love wood but I intend to hunt with it till I’m to old to hunt so I’ve gotta make it a lil more durable, thinking about getting it professionally dura blued. I gotta modify a mag tube cap for a sling swivel to, can’t find that aftermarket.
Buzzard 1860, I think Ramline made a synthetic set of stocks that may work. I put a set on an A-5 I had and it took some time to fit the buttstock up. I believe the mag tube caps with swivel studs are available from Uncle Mike’s. It would make sense to take it to a gunsmith for a good cleaning. Every new A-5 I have purchased over time needed a good cleaning and lubing before I did much shooting with them. I hope you enjoy your Remington!
Excellent video! Many people dont understand them and get quickly get frustrated with having FTE. This is the best shotgun design ever, 1898 to 1998, a 100 years of John Browning perfection. These guns will shoot 10,000's of rounds with just some grease on the mag tube and a couple drops of oil in various spots. Ive been shooting auto5 for 37 years it's the one gun does that does it all ! If you find your not ejecting in colder weather dont be tempted to use oil it will soak your stocks, instead use a lighter synthetic grease sparingly on the tube.
@@randomidiot8142 Im not sure but I speculate it was expensive to manufacture. Also, I believe it would need a redesign to make it lawsuit proof....the safety doesn't block the firing pin.
My neighbor brought me a bag of parts, a receiver and a barrel. He didn't know what it was or how it went together. I didn't even know what it was until I had fully put it together, as I'd never worked on an A5 before. Needless to say I was laughing at how ingenious the braking system was, as it was pretty obvious immediately that's what was going on. I tried some of my nastiest recoiling no.4 buck from it after having shot my benelli M4 with it quite a bit, and I was stunned that the recoil was softer than my benelli. These guns are something else, I should try to get one sometime.
THANK YOU SIR. I’m 70 years old my father, who is 90 past his 1956 Belgium, Browning, A5 down to me when I was 30 years old and now I have passed it on to my son who just turned 30 years old. We have fired many thousands of rounds mostly birdshot ski shooting and bird, hunting. Most recently over the last five years or so my son has began deer hunting with it bust the age old question how do we set up? The friction rings from bird shot two slugs. Videos like yours are priceless to us. Have a great day. Stay safe and healthy. 🇺🇸
A buddy of mine had an A5 and man.....that gun kicked seriously hard....way harder than anything else using the same ammo. I figure now that he had the brake assembled wrong but back then I didn't know and for sure he didn't know. Next time I run into one it won't pull that again! Thanks for the lesson Mark....always entertaining.
The manual that came with my 1957 Light Twelve says not to use grease, only a drop or two of oil, on the mag tube. It recommends removing oil, if using magnum loads, so as to increase friction (reducing felt recoil). The manual says it is safe, and will not harm the gun, to do so. I really enjoyed the description of how the rings themselves function. Very informative!
That has to be one of the best explanations. I liken it to a compression pipe fitting a nut and ferrel so to speak. Took me 2 years and 3 boxes of parts to build my first A500. I refer to Brownings Shotgun as one of the most quintessential steps in the development of Automata. It operates in a simple reliable way to perfom a repeated action...robot? IMHO The Browning A5 is by far and away the very best Automatic Shotgun Rifle I have ever had the extreme pleasure of shooting and learning how to build and dismantle. John Moses Browning is the father of the modern firearm and the A5 will most likely be around for many generations to come. If you cannot tell the A5 is my very favorite firearm right next to my AK's with the two and a handfull of ammo some targets to vaporize I am virtually guaranteed to exceed grin factors unknown.
Like many, I inherited an A5 from dad, that was granddad's first. Granddad got it for an anniversary gift from my awesome grandmother. It is in my care now, and I love shooting it. It is the fancy deluxe version. Not shot much at all. I hear complaints all the time about A5's, but I love it. I see nothing to complain about. It is very reliable, beautiful, accurate, and just a good shotgun.
Yup, getting asked so much about this, it's smart to just make a video about it and direct people to watch it! Plus it's interesting to me to learn all I can from you and your experience. Much appreciated sir!
Just yesterday I had short stroking issues with my Rem Model 11, despite being set on no friction. The lithium grease worked like a charm. Thanks Mark!
Now, the questions will start...'What do I do with the other stuff?', from the guys with the 3 inch magnum guns! It works exactly the same, you just have two friction rings and multiple cone rings. I get the same question because everyone wants to soften the gun for dove and quail loads early, then punch it up for Magnum buckshot. BTW, The A5 magnum that was left to me by my late father, will run the lightest loads fine, when set correctly. Correctly also means all the parts in the gun, not some taken out and in your pocket! Great video and you will probably have to repost this every summer before hunting season! Take Care and be safe, John
@@marknovak8255 Yep! Take Care buddy! I wish I knew where to email or msg you and I would send pics or video of a A5 magnum system for you to use. Great Work friend, John
I have a 1906 Auto-5 and it still runs perfectly. Interesting thing is it has a straight stock and a Chinese police dept property stamp burned into the butt. If only it could talk
Love the A-5, but my field gun is a Franchi 48 in 20 gauge. A lot lighter than my all steel A-5 Magnum. Coolest action ever. Going deer hunting with a Remington 81 this year too.
I just did the conservation on a A5 for my preacher. This was very helpful. This gun won't be shot much much and almost certainly with light loads. Good to know I set it up right.
Great video. I just came across a Franchi 48 AL, which as I understand is a licensed version of the A5. The previous owner had it assembled with the steel governor ring between the receiver and the spring for no braking action, as you said. I've had a bit of trouble finding official information on it, so you've helped me see just how similar the two firearms' recoil rings are when reduced to their parts like this. Not sure if it's a difference specific to the Franchi, but the only manual I've been able to find online (an old 'American Arms, Inc.' publication) INSISTS in big bold warning letters that the magazine tube should never be oiled, and should be wiped dry after cleaning contrary to what you've mentioned on the A5, and what I would have thought should be done.
I've never used grease, just a bit of light oil. Replacing the spring and friction rings periodically is required maintenance as far as I'm concerned. Excessive slamming from worn parts and improper setup is what cracks the forend.
I've had an A5 for over 65 years, Light Twelve. I set the rings for high brass, and it has never malfunctioned, even with light, low brass loads. Very dependable. Mine is Belgium made.
My first gunsmithing experience was with a A5. The bolt block that rolls up into the square in the top of the barrel was wore out. The gunsmiths at the shop ordered the part for $35 and I got to machine it to fit. The curved lip that rolls it I to place when the bolt is closed and the sides were too big and they taught me how to machine them down to fit. My dad bought the Browning at a garage sale in the suburbs of Denver for $2.50 because the guy said it was a wall hanger. That was one good deal. The guy didn't think that the other parts were worth money. It took about 20 minutes to figure out what was wrong. I still have the old bolt block as a reminder. I would never work on someone else's firearm but I do work on my own. I can't tell you how many 1911 triggers I have destroyed before I got it right.
Unless I missed it, other than the quick reference near start of vid, the orientation of the friction rings beveled edges was not covered in full detail in the set up when both are at the muzzle end of spring. There are 3 beveled edges as I understand it. One on first friction ring, one on second friction ring, and one on barrel loop that slides over mag tube. Your hand was blocking the final step of assembly so I couldnt make out if the small friction ring was closest to muzzle end or the 2 piece ring was. Would be nice to have a step by step portion that showed each piece being slid onto the mag tube in proper orientation.
Replace the springs on it if you dont have the correct screws for it send it to art gun shop in Missouri if your confident in dissembling it buy a rebuild kit from him will ease up the recoil as well as keep the forearm from cracking
I just pulled apart a 1964 Savage 775A with exactly the same action. I learned I need to pull it back apart and align the ring gaps and white lithium the tube. Thanks!
Is the A5 the same as a model 11 sportsman? My father in law just gave me his built in 1943. He never shot it and I am having problems with the first shell hanging up after it fires while I have two in the tube. So put two in tube close the bolt to load one from the tube and then add another one to the tube. The first one won't eject after it fires but then the other two fire and eject fine.
WOW... What a clever set up... Is it a bad idea to grease the top sliding area that telescopes where the breach is? other then any excess later getting on your coat..?
I have a magnum 20 that says Special Steel - 3” on the barrel. It was my grandfathers that put the gun through its paces and now im duck hunting with it. Using Bismuth 3” no. 4’s and I can’t get it to cycle them. I’m assuming I need less friction right?
When I was a kid, only the Townies with more money than sense got those expensive semi automatic guns. Only local who got one loaded all rifled slugs for deer season. He got buck fever so bad he did a mag dump first buck he saw. His muzzle was pointed skyward and Lord only knows where his rounds went!
I have an early Remington Model 11-48 from 1948. The beveled friction piece is labeled for either light or heavy loads so there's no confusing which way it goes. fjb
At @3:03 he shows how to do it for light loads. Previously in the video\ (with brass friction ring between the 2 cones) it is being set up for heavy loads.
Final Test in my first year of Gunsmith School, 1 question, describe the Complete Cycle of Operation of an A5 from the point where the cartridge is ejected to the point the next cartridge is ejected. I was very unpopular, I blew the curve, it would take me a week of studying to attempt that again. A5 is proof that St John was doing drugs, performance enhancing drugs!
But did you pass again??? And honestly, given the time period he was alive, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did cocaine, opium or some other drugs occasionally lol.
I find using Lithium grease provides a little TOO much lubrication causing the friction rings to lose the ability to brake effectively, causing undue stress on the bolt by slamming it to the rear. It also causes the A5 to kick much harder causing a longer reacquisition of the target. Just a few and I mean a few drops of gun oil works fine once the gun is properly broken in. Save the lithium grease for the wheel bearings on your boat trailer, and use gun oil on your guns.
You may be using too much. I have experienced none of these issues in the 30+ years of doing it this way. That, however, is why we talk about the double kick, as it DOES injure the equipment, as you mentioned
I totally agree, I use maybe 5% of the grease shown in the video, the only time I have to use it is when I shoot trap loads from my 3 Inch Magnum A-5 when I go for birds or deer wipe the grease completely off set the friction rings for the load you are shooting them just a few drops of gun oil does the trick.
Isn't grease of any kind on the tube overkill ? Light oil works a lot better in any condition. I've seen greased Auto 5 mag tubes freeze up in cold weather hunting. It looked like a pogo stick in slow motion. I loved hunting with mine and was my go to gun for years during pheasant season. Even my dog would get excited when it came out of the safe.
So something else you can do with the friction setting if you want to shoot singles trap if you set it to the heaviest recoil setting it will not eject at all and will act as a shell catcher.
I'll try the lithium grease next time I clean my Model 11. A former Browning smith swears a drop of motor oil on the tube (then spin the spring to spread the oil) is the way to go. I'm a fan of using grease over oil for lubrication on firearms. It stays where you put it...
My roommate has a Franchi 48AL he picked up for absurdly cheap that's being difficult, I was wondering, would setting it up in this manner work on it as well? From stripping it down and cleaning it per the owner's manual, the parts look strikingly similar.
Hi Mark, I assembled an A5 just last week using molybdenum grease (Is this bad?only just saw your video!) Is Lithium grease the best option for the majority of slides, bolts and friction tubes, or do different mechanisms suit different greases/lubes? And thank you very much for the fantastic videos!
How can one bring the the silver colour on tje magazing tube from the outside id it has rusted a lil. Can it be cleand and what good to use to remove the rust so that it done come back again.
Or never replacing the spring. The one that came out of my Model 11 was banana-shaped... One guy I know swears the A5 is prone to blowing up randomly and "kicks too hard." Funny how there was a gaggle of 10-14 year old kids breaking clays with my 12 gauge this weekend without a one complaining about recoil...
Any chance you’d have an extractor laying around for a jc Higgins 101.25? My neighbor is an old woman, she showed me today, it was her husband’s so she wants to keep it. Extractor on the ejection port (right?) side is broken off, I told her I’d try and find one but no luck yet. Thanks for any help.
@@shanek6582 Looks like there are some in stock at the Numrich website, if you haven't checked there yet. (I'm not associated with them in any way. It's just where I looked first.)
PhantomP63 lol, it’s the first place I looked and already ordered it. The bolt retention screw is missing in it also, Numric didn’t have one but I’ve got a metal lathe, I’ll just make that part. Thanks for looking man.
Oh thank you sir Browning Auto 5 1983 pretty much new in the box it's a little gritty and I forgot the ring positioning it's been a long time thank you for the schooling
Love your videos Mark. I have a 1958 A5 in 20 ga. Sweet shooting ,but it ejects the shells usually 8 to 10 feet away. Is this caused by the friction ring setup?
I don’t get it. I have the Remington Model 11 and it beat the shit out of me, new springs, no help, Browning’s long round spring still beat me up, clocked the friction ring gaps like the gas rings on AR and suddenly I had to rearrange the friction setup to cycle light loads. On the verge of buying the wood and magazine tube to change it from a Sportsman to a 5 shot Model 11
Generally speaking it's almost a set it and forget it system. I'm sure you would eventually find a shell that didn't like how you had it set but it's got a pretty good range before that happens.
i have been asked to look at one of these where the feed ramp will not lift up. it seems to cycle properly, but the feed ramp is being stubborn, any ideas?
A5 only gun that uses the stock for fire control tolerances? What about the Lee/Metford/enfields that had the trigger mounted in the stock? What about the Ruger mini 14 with the 'op rod'/gas piston crudely and stupidly guided by a sheet metal insert in the stock?
Great as always. I have a Remington 11 I want to run with blanks. Is it reasonable to set up for minimum friction and have it cycle? Or must I have a blank adapter?
Hey Mark,should you ever choose to revisit the A5,would you consider putting a straight edge on the magazine tube ? Grease or no,the magazine tube is what,aluminum ? For say a hundred bird seasons,that friction ring has grabbed that tube. I am personally amazed it did not wear a visible hourglass into the magazine tube. Two soft metals. I would have thought the magazine tube could be considered a wear item eventual consumable,with mandatory replacement being the only realistic option. Spray weld aluminum on then machine to original tolerance ? Somehow I think not. Am I missing something here ?
Properly maintained, only the softer metal should wear noticeably. Also properly maintained (that is, greased properly) there should be virtually no actual metal to metal contact, all the contact should be the sliding grease. So there should be virtually no wear. You probably are saying, but wait, if it is grease on grease, how is it a brake? Isn't grease slippery? Yes, grease is slippery, but it is also viscous, it likes to stick to itself and other things. This is actually a form of friction, so you still get braking action. Just not as much as direct metal on metal.
The #1 thing I've seen start arguments about A5's is what lubricant to use on the mag tube for the rings. My grandpa taught me motor oil, but after seeing it here, I started using grease. EDIT: the gun in question is a 60's FN produced 12 magnum.
I have a Winchester Model 11- the old Widow Maker...never been brave enough to shoot it. The issue is they tried to bypass Browning's patents and failed.
FYI, Sir Isaac Newton stated, "To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction" NOT, For every reaction there is an equal and opposite counter reaction. That's similar to a double negative. Also you did not really explain what position the friction ring should be in with regards to light loads vs heavy loads. Or did i just miss it? Just sayin.....hope your not offended. LOL.
I've got a 1948 Belgian A5... With a Cutts comp... What do I need to know? Can I use modern shells in it? I have the full, modified and open choke "tubes" for it. What can't I use in this? >In B4 you shouldn't've bought an A5 with a Cutts
I understand that the butt of the cartridge pushes the bolt back. But the wad,pellets, and burning force are pushing the barrel forward as they go forward out of the barrel. So why does the barrel come back? I'm missing something.
Every action has a equal and opposite reaction, the force used to drive the load forward causes the opposite reaction of the bolt backwards. That is why your gun kicks. In the Auto 5 case when you fire the bolt is locked to the barrel causing the bolt as well as the barrel to the rear, hence the "braking action" when it reaches the rear the barrel is released and the spring pushes it forward followed shortly by the bolt right after the spent shell is ejected and then pushes the next shell into the chamber. There are several good slow motion videos of this check them out and see if you can't further slow them down on your computer. It is a lot easier to understand this visually then verbally.
Who could say? It depends how often you use the shotgun and the setup. My guess: With proper care: decades Without proper care: decades but you'll see some slight wear Take it apart, look at the contact surface with a magnifier if needed. The pointer at 4:02 is important.
The two things a gunsmith can count on are fixing Marlin 60s and cracked forearms on Browning A-5s. Excellent video, as always.
Sounds like you have seen this a time or two as well. Don't forget the dicked up slots on the fasteners on the A5.
my Remington mod 11 has a crack going down the wrist and a forend, and one of the back screws is messed up, I love the thing but she’s a bit fragile (I have not shot it much yet, I did not cause the damage, got it at an estate auction), I wish I could find some synthetic furniture for it, I love wood but I intend to hunt with it till I’m to old to hunt so I’ve gotta make it a lil more durable, thinking about getting it professionally dura blued. I gotta modify a mag tube cap for a sling swivel to, can’t find that aftermarket.
Buzzard 1860, I think Ramline made a synthetic set of stocks that may work. I put a set on an A-5 I had and it took some time to fit the buttstock up. I believe the mag tube caps with swivel studs are available from Uncle Mike’s. It would make sense to take it to a gunsmith for a good cleaning. Every new A-5 I have purchased over time needed a good cleaning and lubing before I did much shooting with them. I hope you enjoy your Remington!
All 4 types of Marlin 60 to boot...
Mark Novak, there’s that too! I have a bin full of spare parts!
Excellent video! Many people dont understand them and get quickly get frustrated with having FTE. This is the best shotgun design ever, 1898 to 1998, a 100 years of John Browning perfection. These guns will shoot 10,000's of rounds with just some grease on the mag tube and a couple drops of oil in various spots. Ive been shooting auto5 for 37 years it's the one gun does that does it all ! If you find your not ejecting in colder weather dont be tempted to use oil it will soak your stocks, instead use a lighter synthetic grease sparingly on the tube.
If they're the best ever and perfect, why are they discontinued?
@@randomidiot8142 Im not sure but I speculate it was expensive to manufacture. Also, I believe it would need a redesign to make it lawsuit proof....the safety doesn't block the firing pin.
My neighbor brought me a bag of parts, a receiver and a barrel. He didn't know what it was or how it went together. I didn't even know what it was until I had fully put it together, as I'd never worked on an A5 before. Needless to say I was laughing at how ingenious the braking system was, as it was pretty obvious immediately that's what was going on. I tried some of my nastiest recoiling no.4 buck from it after having shot my benelli M4 with it quite a bit, and I was stunned that the recoil was softer than my benelli. These guns are something else, I should try to get one sometime.
THANK YOU SIR. I’m 70 years old my father, who is 90 past his 1956 Belgium, Browning, A5 down to me when I was 30 years old and now I have passed it on to my son who just turned 30 years old. We have fired many thousands of rounds mostly birdshot ski shooting and bird, hunting. Most recently over the last five years or so my son has began deer hunting with it bust the age old question how do we set up? The friction rings from bird shot two slugs. Videos like yours are priceless to us. Have a great day. Stay safe and healthy. 🇺🇸
A buddy of mine had an A5 and man.....that gun kicked seriously hard....way harder than anything else using the same ammo. I figure now that he had the brake assembled wrong but back then I didn't know and for sure he didn't know. Next time I run into one it won't pull that again! Thanks for the lesson Mark....always entertaining.
2 kicks if too lite.....
Mine is a 1954 and it has been in my family since new. It has harvested a staggering amount of game. Thank you for all of your videos sir.
The manual that came with my 1957 Light Twelve says not to use grease, only a drop or two of oil, on the mag tube. It recommends removing oil, if using magnum loads, so as to increase friction (reducing felt recoil). The manual says it is safe, and will not harm the gun, to do so.
I really enjoyed the description of how the rings themselves function. Very informative!
Without a doubt, the best source of gunsmithing information on UA-cam.. Thanks for sharing...
That has to be one of the best explanations.
I liken it to a compression pipe fitting a nut and ferrel so to speak.
Took me 2 years and 3 boxes of parts to build my first A500. I refer to Brownings Shotgun as one of the most quintessential steps in the development of Automata. It operates in a simple reliable way to perfom a repeated action...robot?
IMHO The Browning A5 is by far and away the very best Automatic Shotgun Rifle I have ever had the extreme pleasure of shooting and learning how to build and dismantle. John Moses Browning is the father of the modern firearm and the A5 will most likely be around for many generations to come.
If you cannot tell the A5 is my very favorite firearm right next to my AK's with the two and a handfull of ammo some targets to vaporize I am virtually guaranteed to exceed grin factors unknown.
Like many, I inherited an A5 from dad, that was granddad's first. Granddad got it for an anniversary gift from my awesome grandmother. It is in my care now, and I love shooting it. It is the fancy deluxe version. Not shot much at all. I hear complaints all the time about A5's, but I love it. I see nothing to complain about. It is very reliable, beautiful, accurate, and just a good shotgun.
I’ve had an A5 since 1972 and have never lubed that tube. I’ve always cleaned and put it back together. Thanks for the info. I’ll start lubing it now.
Yup, getting asked so much about this, it's smart to just make a video about it and direct people to watch it! Plus it's interesting to me to learn all I can from you and your experience. Much appreciated sir!
I haven't seen an A5 in a long time. Gramps only bird hunted with his A5.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane 🙂🙂🙃
Best video i watch on these a-5s i have 2 remingtons with browning barrels. Excellent
Just yesterday I had short stroking issues with my Rem Model 11, despite being set on no friction. The lithium grease worked like a charm. Thanks Mark!
Now, the questions will start...'What do I do with the other stuff?', from the guys with the 3 inch magnum guns! It works exactly the same, you just have two friction rings and multiple cone rings. I get the same question because everyone wants to soften the gun for dove and quail loads early, then punch it up for Magnum buckshot.
BTW, The A5 magnum that was left to me by my late father, will run the lightest loads fine, when set correctly. Correctly also means all the parts in the gun, not some taken out and in your pocket!
Great video and you will probably have to repost this every summer before hunting season!
Take Care and be safe, John
Didn't have a magnum to show, but twice the parts are twice as good!
@@marknovak8255 Yep! Take Care buddy! I wish I knew where to email or msg you and I would send pics or video of a A5 magnum system for you to use.
Great Work friend, John
I have a 1906 Auto-5 and it still runs perfectly. Interesting thing is it has a straight stock and a Chinese police dept property stamp burned into the butt. If only it could talk
Love the A-5, but my field gun is a Franchi 48 in 20 gauge. A lot lighter than my all steel A-5 Magnum. Coolest action ever. Going deer hunting with a Remington 81 this year too.
A preemptive video. Outstanding! \m/
The A5 and all variants are the best semi auto's ever made. If you maintain them like Mark showed they'll run forever problem free.
Brakes are consumables, so how they going to run forever?
@@randomidiot8142 Not like brakes on a car. If you don't know what your talking about better not to talk.
@@skigdividerx4991 oh right, like the synchronizers in a transmission. That wear out..
@@randomidiot8142 Ooookay calm down waterhead.
Great video as always!! I am always impressed regarding the ideas Mr. Browning came up with, he really was ingenious.
I just did the conservation on a A5 for my preacher. This was very helpful. This gun won't be shot much much and almost certainly with light loads. Good to know I set it up right.
Great video. I just came across a Franchi 48 AL, which as I understand is a licensed version of the A5. The previous owner had it assembled with the steel governor ring between the receiver and the spring for no braking action, as you said. I've had a bit of trouble finding official information on it, so you've helped me see just how similar the two firearms' recoil rings are when reduced to their parts like this. Not sure if it's a difference specific to the Franchi, but the only manual I've been able to find online (an old 'American Arms, Inc.' publication) INSISTS in big bold warning letters that the magazine tube should never be oiled, and should be wiped dry after cleaning contrary to what you've mentioned on the A5, and what I would have thought should be done.
Excellent Job explaining that.
Browning was a genius....
I've never used grease, just a bit of light oil. Replacing the spring and friction rings periodically is required maintenance as far as I'm concerned. Excessive slamming from worn parts and improper setup is what cracks the forend.
Love my dads old A5 Light 12 Belgium and so did he. I was told I should change the recoil and breech springs as they get weak and it kicks harder
I've had an A5 for over 65 years, Light Twelve. I set the rings for high brass, and it has never malfunctioned, even with light, low brass loads. Very dependable. Mine is Belgium made.
Hello, do you know how old the rifle is?
My first gunsmithing experience was with a A5. The bolt block that rolls up into the square in the top of the barrel was wore out. The gunsmiths at the shop ordered the part for $35 and I got to machine it to fit. The curved lip that rolls it I to place when the bolt is closed and the sides were too big and they taught me how to machine them down to fit. My dad bought the Browning at a garage sale in the suburbs of Denver for $2.50 because the guy said it was a wall hanger. That was one good deal. The guy didn't think that the other parts were worth money. It took about 20 minutes to figure out what was wrong. I still have the old bolt block as a reminder. I would never work on someone else's firearm but I do work on my own. I can't tell you how many 1911 triggers I have destroyed before I got it right.
Nice simple video! We had our auto 5’s not cycling this early dove season.
Do you have one of the new A5 , because my A5 does not shoot cheap 2 3/4 shells such as challenger shells
Unless I missed it, other than the quick reference near start of vid, the orientation of the friction rings beveled edges was not covered in full detail in the set up when both are at the muzzle end of spring. There are 3 beveled edges as I understand it. One on first friction ring, one on second friction ring, and one on barrel loop that slides over mag tube. Your hand was blocking the final step of assembly so I couldnt make out if the small friction ring was closest to muzzle end or the 2 piece ring was. Would be nice to have a step by step portion that showed each piece being slid onto the mag tube in proper orientation.
Just what I needed.
I took granddad's Rem 11 to the range last weekend and let it beat the piss out of me.
Replace the springs on it if you dont have the correct screws for it send it to art gun shop in Missouri if your confident in dissembling it buy a rebuild kit from him will ease up the recoil as well as keep the forearm from cracking
Such a elegantly simple system.
I just pulled apart a 1964 Savage 775A with exactly the same action. I learned I need to pull it back apart and align the ring gaps and white lithium the tube. Thanks!
That was great. Just picked up my first A5. Will be watching this many times
Clear as mud. And i own many A5's and model 11's.
I loved it! What a great engineering idea and great explanation.
Is the A5 the same as a model 11 sportsman? My father in law just gave me his built in 1943. He never shot it and I am having problems with the first shell hanging up after it fires while I have two in the tube. So put two in tube close the bolt to load one from the tube and then add another one to the tube. The first one won't eject after it fires but then the other two fire and eject fine.
Would Lubriplate for an M1 Garand be a suitable replacement for lithium grease?
WOW... What a clever set up... Is it a bad idea to grease the top sliding area that telescopes where the breach is? other then any excess later getting on your coat..?
I have a magnum 20 that says Special Steel - 3” on the barrel. It was my grandfathers that put the gun through its paces and now im duck hunting with it. Using Bismuth 3” no. 4’s and I can’t get it to cycle them. I’m assuming I need less friction right?
When I was a kid, only the Townies with more money than sense got those expensive semi automatic guns. Only local who got one loaded all rifled slugs for deer season. He got buck fever so bad he did a mag dump first buck he saw. His muzzle was pointed skyward and Lord only knows where his rounds went!
my hell Browning was truly a freaking Genius. so beautifully simplistic
I have a early 1960's sweet sixteen. Inside the forearm there is a diagram on friction ring placement, light loads and heavy loads. Very helpful.
JMB The man the mormon the legend.
Just something about the old humpback’s that you gotta love! 👍🏻
Nice. Very good information that I can use for my Savage 720.
I have an early Remington Model 11-48 from 1948. The beveled friction piece is labeled for either light or heavy loads so there's no confusing which way it goes. fjb
Good video but didn’t show how to adjust for heavy or light loads??
At @3:03 he shows how to do it for light loads. Previously in the video\ (with brass friction ring between the 2 cones) it is being set up for heavy loads.
Looks like my 1909 A5 I bought used for $30 dollars in 1991. Restored it looks mint.
Final Test in my first year of Gunsmith School, 1 question, describe the Complete Cycle of Operation of an A5 from the point where the cartridge is ejected to the point the next cartridge is ejected. I was very unpopular, I blew the curve, it would take me a week of studying to attempt that again. A5 is proof that St John was doing drugs, performance enhancing drugs!
But did you pass again???
And honestly, given the time period he was alive, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did cocaine, opium or some other drugs occasionally lol.
I find using Lithium grease provides a little TOO much lubrication causing the friction rings to lose the ability to brake effectively, causing undue stress on the bolt by slamming it to the rear. It also causes the A5 to kick much harder causing a longer reacquisition of the target. Just a few and I mean a few drops of gun oil works fine once the gun is properly broken in.
Save the lithium grease for the wheel bearings on your boat trailer, and use gun oil on your guns.
You may be using too much. I have experienced none of these issues in the 30+ years of doing it this way. That, however, is why we talk about the double kick, as it DOES injure the equipment, as you mentioned
James - if it spins, oil it. If it slides, grease it. Doesn’t matter if it’s you boat, your gun, or your door knob.
I totally agree, I use maybe 5% of the grease shown in the video, the only time I have to use it is when I shoot trap loads from my 3 Inch Magnum A-5 when I go for birds or deer wipe the grease completely off set the friction rings for the load you are shooting them just a few drops of gun oil does the trick.
One of the best bird guns ever made. (Have three)
They're great for more than shooting birds.
Isn't grease of any kind on the tube overkill ? Light oil works a lot better in any condition. I've seen greased Auto 5 mag tubes freeze up in cold weather hunting. It looked like a pogo stick in slow motion. I loved hunting with mine and was my go to gun for years during pheasant season. Even my dog would get excited when it came out of the safe.
So something else you can do with the friction setting if you want to shoot singles trap if you set it to the heaviest recoil setting it will not eject at all and will act as a shell catcher.
YES......
I'll try the lithium grease next time I clean my Model 11. A former Browning smith swears a drop of motor oil on the tube (then spin the spring to spread the oil) is the way to go.
I'm a fan of using grease over oil for lubrication on firearms. It stays where you put it...
The oil will work as far as function goes. However, most of the failure forends are jet black from oil, so I have to draw my conclusions
Thank you, I had no idea but now it all makes sense!
That is a fine shotgun....Thanks my friend
I have never shot an A5. I hope to some day. I would like to own one also. Very interesting action.
My roommate has a Franchi 48AL he picked up for absurdly cheap that's being difficult, I was wondering, would setting it up in this manner work on it as well? From stripping it down and cleaning it per the owner's manual, the parts look strikingly similar.
The principle of operation is the same, the physics are the same.
@@marknovak8255 Awesome. Thanks much.
Hi Mark,
I assembled an A5 just last week using molybdenum grease (Is this bad?only just saw your video!)
Is Lithium grease the best option for the majority of slides, bolts and friction tubes, or do different mechanisms suit different greases/lubes?
And thank you very much for the fantastic videos!
Moly works just fine, but the MESS!
My son as just given one of these by his grandfather. So glad it was you here to explain it’s correct function.
Why is there a wide brass ring with the friction spring around it like you show and others that have one thin brass ring and NO friction spring?
I wish I could get the carrier screws out of my Model 11.
Can this function without those 3 ring peices?? I have an old belgium a5 but these peices are missing?
With light loads
You definitely want to acquire those pieces.
The old FN guns are WAY too cool to subject them to that.
i need help with a browning A5 Action Spring Tube. how to weld a new one on?
How can one bring the the silver colour on tje magazing tube from the outside id it has rusted a lil. Can it be cleand and what good to use to remove the rust so that it done come back again.
wet sand with 600 grit and buff to the sheen you want
❤ I need to get a5 to my collection!
Thank you for explaining this to people. I'm so tired of finding A5s beat to death because bubba doesn't know what a friction ring is.
Or never replacing the spring. The one that came out of my Model 11 was banana-shaped...
One guy I know swears the A5 is prone to blowing up randomly and "kicks too hard." Funny how there was a gaggle of 10-14 year old kids breaking clays with my 12 gauge this weekend without a one complaining about recoil...
@@immikeurnot yeah common fuddlore that a5s recoil your tits off. They shoot softer than a normal 12ga if you aren't abusing it.
Any chance you’d have an extractor laying around for a jc Higgins 101.25? My neighbor is an old woman, she showed me today, it was her husband’s so she wants to keep it. Extractor on the ejection port (right?) side is broken off, I told her I’d try and find one but no luck yet. Thanks for any help.
It's a Stevens 39A. Start there, they are the same gun
Mark Novak thanks a million!
@@shanek6582 Looks like there are some in stock at the Numrich website, if you haven't checked there yet.
(I'm not associated with them in any way. It's just where I looked first.)
PhantomP63 lol, it’s the first place I looked and already ordered it. The bolt retention screw is missing in it also, Numric didn’t have one but I’ve got a metal lathe, I’ll just make that part. Thanks for looking man.
So the way you set it up in this video, is that the correct way for slugs?
Oh thank you sir Browning Auto 5 1983 pretty much new in the box it's a little gritty and I forgot the ring positioning it's been a long time thank you for the schooling
Love your videos Mark. I have a 1958 A5 in 20 ga. Sweet shooting ,but it ejects the shells usually 8 to 10 feet away. Is this caused by the friction ring setup?
I don’t get it. I have the Remington Model 11 and it beat the shit out of me, new springs, no help, Browning’s long round spring still beat me up, clocked the friction ring gaps like the gas rings on AR and suddenly I had to rearrange the friction setup to cycle light loads. On the verge of buying the wood and magazine tube to change it from a Sportsman to a 5 shot Model 11
Lucid and authoritative! It would seem (I have never handled an A5) quite the fussy mechanism to tune optimally?
Generally speaking it's almost a set it and forget it system. I'm sure you would eventually find a shell that didn't like how you had it set but it's got a pretty good range before that happens.
Just picked up my a5 light twelve made in 1964 mint condition for 800 bucks. Covered in engravings
i have been asked to look at one of these where the feed ramp will not lift up. it seems to cycle properly, but the feed ramp is being stubborn, any ideas?
A5 only gun that uses the stock for fire control tolerances? What about the Lee/Metford/enfields that had the trigger mounted in the stock? What about the Ruger mini 14 with the 'op rod'/gas piston crudely and stupidly guided by a sheet metal insert in the stock?
Neither of those examples set headspace, or battery position. They are not critical tolerances.
Great as always. I have a Remington 11 I want to run with blanks. Is it reasonable to set up for minimum friction and have it cycle? Or must I have a blank adapter?
Kurt😔
Thanks. Interesting and helpful.
I have a Japanese A5 magnum and I can’t get the follower out as the magazine tube is crimped at both ends cams some please help me
I have a 16 ga a5 built in 1937. The slide or bolt. Will now go all the to the barrel
Tengo una igual agesa marcar pero tiene una faya solo revientan 4 o 5 cartuchos illa no quiere rebentar los cartuchos porque gracias
Hey Mark,should you ever choose to revisit the A5,would you consider putting a straight edge on the magazine tube ? Grease or no,the magazine tube is what,aluminum ? For say a hundred bird seasons,that friction ring has grabbed that tube. I am personally amazed it did not wear a visible hourglass into the magazine tube. Two soft metals.
I would have thought the magazine tube could be considered a wear item eventual consumable,with mandatory replacement being the only realistic option. Spray weld aluminum on then machine to original tolerance ? Somehow I think not.
Am I missing something here ?
I think he said that the mag tube is steel.
@@m.j.mahoney8905 Hmm. I was looking at the tube. Will revisit the audio.
At the 4 minute mark. You are correct. Steel tube. Still,basic question pertains. How worn is the tube,against a straight edge ? Any ? Some ?
@@paulmanson253 Properly maintained only the ring wears.
Properly maintained, only the softer metal should wear noticeably. Also properly maintained (that is, greased properly) there should be virtually no actual metal to metal contact, all the contact should be the sliding grease. So there should be virtually no wear.
You probably are saying, but wait, if it is grease on grease, how is it a brake? Isn't grease slippery? Yes, grease is slippery, but it is also viscous, it likes to stick to itself and other things. This is actually a form of friction, so you still get braking action. Just not as much as direct metal on metal.
Is there anyway to find the previous anvils that are being re-uploaded on the new channel? I’m looking for the trench shotgun video?
good work
I learned a lot, thanks.
Very good.
that's beautifully simple
I had to get familiar with all that set up on a Remington Model 11 I had.
The #1 thing I've seen start arguments about A5's is what lubricant to use on the mag tube for the rings. My grandpa taught me motor oil, but after seeing it here, I started using grease.
EDIT: the gun in question is a 60's FN produced 12 magnum.
I have a Winchester Model 11- the old Widow Maker...never been brave enough to shoot it. The issue is they tried to bypass Browning's patents and failed.
Well, they succeeded in bypassing the patents. What they failed at was doing so in a practical and ergonomic manner.
Mark, is this gun capable of shooting slugs in the heavy setting? Thanks.
FYI, Sir Isaac Newton stated, "To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction" NOT, For every reaction there is an equal and opposite counter reaction. That's similar to a double negative. Also you did not really explain what position the friction ring should be in with regards to light loads vs heavy loads. Or did i just miss it? Just sayin.....hope your not offended. LOL.
The point is that it is a brake. Heavier loads, more brake necessary. Thats it.
I've got a 1948 Belgian A5... With a Cutts comp... What do I need to know? Can I use modern shells in it? I have the full, modified and open choke "tubes" for it. What can't I use in this?
>In B4 you shouldn't've bought an A5 with a Cutts
I love the Cutts compensator. Best choke system ever in my opinion. I run the terwilligers out of all of mine
The Cutts seems to be pretty polarizing... But, that's the internet for you.
I understand that the butt of the cartridge pushes the bolt back. But the wad,pellets, and burning force are pushing the barrel forward as they go forward out of the barrel. So why does the barrel come back? I'm missing something.
Every action has a equal and opposite reaction, the force used to drive the load forward causes the opposite reaction of the bolt backwards. That is why your gun kicks. In the Auto 5 case when you fire the bolt is locked to the barrel causing the bolt as well as the barrel to the rear, hence the "braking action" when it reaches the rear the barrel is released and the spring pushes it forward followed shortly by the bolt right after the spent shell is ejected and then pushes the next shell into the chamber.
There are several good slow motion videos of this check them out and see if you can't further slow them down on your computer. It is a lot easier to understand this visually then verbally.
Strong video! It helped me correct my issues on my A5--Thank you. 2 Dumb Ass approved
I have the Model 11. For the recoil spring, I use Lucas Red-n-Tacky #2.
Without a doubt, the best source of gunsmithing information on UA-cam.. Thanks for sharing...
That spring is compressed… need a new spring. When new, the friction ring will sit out nearer the threads prior to assembly.
How long does the brass friction ring last?
Who could say? It depends how often you use the shotgun and the setup.
My guess:
With proper care: decades
Without proper care: decades but you'll see some slight wear
Take it apart, look at the contact surface with a magnifier if needed.
The pointer at 4:02 is important.