Why we love the older "humpback" shotgun so much—and why you should get one. With its humpback receiver design, the Browning Auto-5 or A5 shotgun is instantly recognizable. In production for more than 90 years, the sales numbers speak for themselves: more than 2. Production ceased in , but Browning revived the gun less than a decade ago.
Well, sort of. The all-new Browning A5 is built to be the most reliable, fastest cycling, best performing and softest shooting recoil-operated yes, recoil-operated autoloader on the planet. Just like that, a year collaboration was done. He then took the gun down the road to Remington. For the first time in his life, Browning traveled overseas to Fabrique Nationale in Belgium. Browning had worked out an agreement with FN that they would have exclusive world rights to make the gun, except in the United States where tariffs were prohibitive.
Instead, Browning convinced FN to let Remington make the gun in the states, and they called it the Model When Browning invented the automatic shotgun as semi-auto shotguns were called then , he had created something completely new and never before seen. When any gun is fired, the force from the shell pushes the entire gun backward. In the A5, the bolt stays locked in place as the gun moves back. Then the bolt moves backward and ejects the spent shell.
When the bolt reaches the end of its rearward motion, it springs forward and cycles another round from the magazine. All of this happens in milliseconds. The gun can handle everything from 3-inch magnum shells to 1-ounce target loads without making any adjustments.
I personally shot more than 12 boxes of shells through the A5, many of them light target shells, and only had one jammed shell. Pictured: The rotating bolt head. Browning is so confident in its Kinematic Drive System that it guarantees its gun for , rounds or for five years. Browning says this is the first autoloader to carry such a warranty.
An issue with inertia-driven autoloaders is that they have stiffer recoil compared to gas-operated guns. Browning says that the pad deflects the recoil down and moves the comb away from your cheek. From an ergonomic standpoint, one of the nicest features on the new A5 is its safety. It has an oversized teardrop safety that is impossible to miss. It felt totally natural the very first time I shouldered the gun, slipped off the safety and tracked down a clay bird.
Another great thing about the safety is that it can be adjusted for left-handed shooters. The trigger on the gun I shot was set at just a shade over 4 pounds.
To prevent gases from slipping between the choke tube and barrel, the choke has a brass seal that compresses against the barrel wall when tightened. Browning says this system keeps the tube threads cleaner and makes installation and removal easier.
Each gun comes with a full, modified and improved choke. Next up is the Light 12, made lighter with the shortening of barrels, no rib, and a hollowed butt-stock. The model was primarily used as a deer gun with the receiver drilled and tapped for a side-mount scope. This one also needed some TLC on the stock, a crack showed on the grip and along the forearm. Old model A5s are notorious for these imperfections, generally a function of misaligned friction rings.
One of the many unique characteristics of the A5 is the sliding barrel. When the friction rings and spring on the magazine tube are incorrectly installed the ring affixing the barrel to the tube slams into the receiver upon firing and then again against the forearm wood upon return, sandwiching it between the barrel ring and the magazine tube cap. As you peruse these older models keep an eye out for these stress fractures.
The rings can be aligned for both light and heavy loads which increase pressure on the spring over the magazine tube. Often these rings are installed incorrectly after owners strip and clean the gun, or as I discovered on one of my guns, the rings are missing altogether.
This stock too went to my friend to be stripped, re-finished, and repaired. I only took the Light 12 afield once this fall, a clear morning in northern Wisconsin where we quickly found ourselves in the midst of a woodcock flight, popcorn flushes all over this particular cover. I took each of the three woodcock I pulled the trigger on in that particular cut, three for three.
Not wanting to ruin the streak I wiped the gun down and cased it upon returning to the truck. Because of this, A5s can be readily found at gun shops and online auctions in various stages of use and repair. Every time I pick one up and check the mount, every time the alignment is right where it should be, right down the line. As with any shotgun, the cost of sub-gauges escalates, particularly for light gauge models.
My father had a Belgian made A5 and used it alongside my grandfather for New England ducks, geese, and pheasants growing up. It too became my preferred companion for waterfowl sunrises. He pawned it before I was born, a decision made in the fog of an unclear mind in hard times. When the fog lifted he picked up this version as a form of penance. But the internals are the same and it comes up to my eye just the same upon mounting. Loss, perseverance, returning to the fold the same, yet different.
Durable despite change. A workhorse with purpose meant to be used. When not working he can be found volunteering for other conservation groups, judging NAVHDA tests, and plotting his next bird hunt, near or far. Want to talk conservation or versatile dogs? You can find him mneiduski on Instagram.
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