family heirloom

letmeoutpax · Dec 9, 2014

Over Thanksgiving we were at my parents house with my cousin who is almost 20 years older than I am. He was telling stories about deer hunting in his usual hilarious way. The conversation turned to his shotgun and then he segued to how he had been the keeper of our grandfather's gun for many years. Big Ray died when I was just a wee lad in the early 70's. All I know about him are stories and a few pictures. In one he is standing next to a sailfish he caught. In another he is pushing me around in a wheelbarrow. My cousin, who is also named Ray, said wait a minute, and returned with a gun case. He pulled out a Browning Auto 5 with glossy wood and satin steel. He said "This was Big Ray's shotgun and I'm passing it to you". My grandfather was known more for his social network than for being a super serious sportsman, but open water fishing and waterfowling are on the more sociable side aren't they. When I held that shotgun I felt a link with my grandfather that I never felt before. I still feel like it's his gun and I'm just keeping it safe.

itsslow98 · Dec 9, 2014

Wow, beautiful gun. I enjoy the guns with family history more then any gun I buy. My favorite gun is my dads old mossberg 410 bolt action that he used to shoot squirrels with when he was little. It's only worth $150 but it means more to me then any price I would be offered.

1970swifty · Dec 9, 2014

:
Somebody had to

balttigger · Dec 9, 2014

I have a Belgian made Browning Auto-5 Light 16ga that my father bought from a gun shop in Highlandtown after a fire in 50's.

letmeoutpax · Dec 9, 2014

1970swifty said:
:
Somebody had to

You missed the attachment. Dadburn '11ers. Sheesh. :lol2:

Vile Shadow · Dec 9, 2014

Can't see much of the gun. But I like what I can see. :thumbsup:

Mooseman · Dec 9, 2014

Nice story, generous cousin, pretty shotgun.

wilcam47 · Dec 9, 2014

Sling Blade said:
Can't see much of the gun. But I like what I can see.

letmeoutpax · Dec 10, 2014

picture

Okay, this picture should help.

There is a thin crack on the bottom of the forend. I've read that tends to happen to these and might be a reason not to shoot it very much.

It was very generous, however, over the last ten years my cousin Ray has been trying to make some family connections that were not there for a while. On his side there are no grandkids at all, and my aunt and uncle have both passed on.

guthook · Dec 10, 2014

Looks pretty cherry from the pics. :thumbsup:

BeoBill · Dec 10, 2014

Just beautiful!

Augie · Dec 10, 2014

Very nice early A5, congratulations.

letmeoutpax · Dec 11, 2014

Any recommendations on a gunsmith for this vintage in southern Maryland? (western shore)

sxs · Dec 11, 2014

letmeoutpax said:
Any recommendations on a gunsmith for this vintage in southern Maryland? (western shore)

What do you want done? Foreend crack repai? Or are you just wanting a look over?

FYI, Foreend cracks are fairly common in A-5s. However, replacement wood isn't that hard to find. You can get a replacement forend and put the original away to prevent further cracking or you can have the original repaired. The forend can possibly be reinforced with epoxy or a bedding compound.
I think (not 100% sure) that more recent wood will also work on an older Belgian A-5. Fore ends can be found all over the internet. I believe Scott's Gunsmithing in Glen Burnie has a few in stock.
If you get replacement wood, be aware that some 'salt wood' stocks are still floating around from the 1960s and early 1970's. They were cured using a salt process and the salt can damage the metal. Browning had a replacement program, but some replaced the wood themselves before the program then sold the old stocks. Not all the wood from that era was salt...but much was (and the issue wasn't limited to A-5s...it was actually much worse with the Superposed O/U shotguns...the shortage of high grade wood blanks is what spurred on the salt wood curing process which supposedly helped the wood to cure, i.e. dry, more quickly). A-5s were actually less likely to have salt wood than the Superposed because they didn't use the higher grades of wood. Nevertheless, some A-5s ended up with salt wood.

Give Scott's a call. Sharkey's worked on just about everything and could give you options.

tom b · Dec 11, 2014

Very nice!

Lanceman_1 · Dec 11, 2014

Wow beautiful Auto-5 and nice gesture from your Cuz. I would leave it alone personally because just like us it has it's scar's.

Bafflingbs · Dec 11, 2014

I swear, no-one in my family ever had a damn gun before me. The one gun my family ever had, it seems, was a sporterized 1903. And that was broken. A real piece of crap. My Grandfather was a marine in WWII. After the war, he swore off guns. No Japanese take backs from him. :tdown:

letmeoutpax · Dec 11, 2014

A5 smith work

"What do you want done?" Actually I had been thinking it might be good for someone to take the receiver apart and clean/oil those parts. Someone has noted that the screws all look pristine and it may never have been cleaned inside there. Is this even a good idea? With all those straight slot screws I can just see myself doing damage with my craftsman screwdriver. Would experts use a brass tool for that or is it just about a perfect fit?

I like the idea of getting a beater forend and keeping the original wood pristine, matching s/n's and all.

Thanks for the advice, sxs.

BradMacc82 · Dec 11, 2014

Bafflingbs said:
I swear, no-one in my family ever had a damn gun before me. The one gun my family ever had, it seems, was a sporterized 1903. And that was broken. A real piece of crap. My Grandfather was a marine in WWII. After the war, he swore off guns. No Japanese take backs from him.

My Uncle Don was the same way, Korea. Had no use for firearms after he got back.

OP, good looking A5 you got there. :thumbsup:

fabsroman · Dec 11, 2014

BradMacc82 said:
My Uncle Don was the same way, Korea. Had no use for firearms after he got back.

OP, good looking A5 you got there.

Guns probably remind these guys of things they would rather forget. War is not pretty, not pretty at all.

family heirloom

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