[McGinnbros]

Hi All,
I am new to this forum and I have a question. I inherited my grandfathers 1970 Belgian Browning semi auto shot gun. Is this gun able to fire slugs as well as buck shot? I have a friend that told me that I may have to get an interchangeable barrel to fire slugs since the inside of barrel has coiling inside to propel the slug??? I was not sure of this, and was wondering if my gun is capable of interchangeable barrel or not.
Thank you,
Mark

 

[Charlie]

Mark,
Your A5 is quite capable of shooting both Buckshot and slugs Safely.
The last one I bought new in 63 I got with 2 barrels ,skeet and full.
you may or may not get more accuracy with a different barrel.You may wish to get a barrel with riffling.
Try the gun out and see how accurate it is first.

 

[bel_dad]

McG... While the A5 may be capable of shooting slugs and this is not likely what you want to hear... It's a 1970 Belgian A5. Would you take a Cadillac out to go mud bogging?

My suggestion would be, go get yourself an 870 and shoot anything you care to through it, use it, drop it in the mud so you won't hold it with your knees. :lol: An 870 can take anything you care to do with it... while the A5 sits warmly at home...

If the chokes are right, you would have fun taking your A5 out to shoot skeet or SC. Or what it was made for, shooting doves, quail, pheasant...

I don't want to be the voice of gloom... but man that's a GREAT old gun, and it should be treated with care and respect.

bd

 

[A5Mag12]

B.S. shoot the gun. That's what it's made for. It is hands down the best auto loader ever built. And the A-5 is far more durable that any other gun ever built. They were built for your Grandkids to pass along to their Grandkids.

The Foster type slugs will shoot fair in the gun and buckshot will work great. And yes you can get slug barrels and/or screw in choke barrels and swap them out as you see fit.

 

[bel_dad]

I have a 20g Belgian, and stopped shooting 1320fps rounds through it because I could feel how hard the bolt was getting slammed back. The gun is much happier shooting lighter loads... Slugs. :shock: :roll:

bd

 

[RandyWakeman]

You are both right; and both wrong. :shock:

Assuming you want to hit what you are shooting at, Foster slugs do not compare at all favorably with saboted slug loads in rifled barrels. Not even close in trajectory or accuracy.

While the A-5 is a fabulous shotgun, a Belgian barrel is far from the strongest-- not suitable for steel shot unless you don't mind bulging the barrel near the muzzle.

Your intended use is not stated, so I really have no idea what you are trying to do, nor do I have any idea what choke your A-5 currently is.

A great field gun, but not remotely "the best" for long range deer hunting, nor is it easily scoped.

The question is, what is it your want your A-5 to do, exactly? Mine kill doves and pheasants, and have for over forty years.

 

[McGinnbros]

Thank you for all of the replies. Yes this gun is a great gun and I did not realize what a prize it was until I brought it into a gun shop and both guys behind the counter wanted to buy it. As I said I am a newbie living in Central Texas now and I want to take up bird hunting as well as deer hunting. I realize the gun is great for bird hunting and I think that is what I will use for. My best friend has land in Illinois and said we can deer hunt with shot guns on his land using slugs and that is where all of this started. I may just buy another gun for that purpose. What a great forum and thanks for all of your great opinions.
Mark

 

[A5Mag12]

We used to shoot nutria with Foster slugs out of a full choke barrel. Didn't say he could get tight groups at 100 yards. But 6" groups at 60-75 yards is quite possible and buck shot will work as well as buck shot can work from the gun. Many, many, many dead deer from full choked A-5's although there are better barrel options out there for hunting with slugs. If you look around you can pick up A-5 slug barrels for around $150.00 but they are smooth bore with rifle sights for the most part.

Of course a sabot through a rifled barrel will be more accurate. Wasn't his question.

And if the bolt is bottoming out in an A-5 it is set wrong or needs new springs.

And a 1970 A-5 is not an old gun. It's 50 years newer than one I hunt with quite a bit and 25 years newer than my main line hunting gun.

 

[Neanderthal]

Just an idea-I believe another poster said this first, but I'd buy an 870 Express combo new, with your slug barrel and smooth bore. You could use it for slug hunting and the most rough dirty work and save your more valuable gun for upland, clays, etc. where it won't get as beat up, looks wise. Although your Browning is one of the best semi-auto designs ever, I wouldn't want it getting all scratched and dinged up if it were mine. Besides, what a great logical reason to buy an 870!

 

[McGinnbros]

Just FYI I pulled the gun out, and called a guy on the web David Condon Inc. They appraise firearms and sell booklets etc. He told me that my gun is not a A5 but a Double automatic Browning 12 ***** circa 1970. He said that my gun is more rare that A-5 and worth more. I just bought the original instruction booklet for the gun, which had been lost. I just wanted to clear this up since someone called it an A-5 earlier.

 

[striker777]

drop it in the mud so you won't hold it with your knees. :lol:

No not that again please not with your knees :wink:

 

[A5guy]

Now that we know the gun is a Browning Dopuble-Auto, does it have a steel receiver or an alloy receiver? There are not many slug barrels around for these guns.

Nice guns, though.