Chokes are generally gun specific not choke manufacturer. A Colonial choke for a Beretta is not the same as a Colonial choke for a Browning. The barrel should be marked as to the choke type ie. Invector or Invector Plus

 

Is it a Belgium or Japan made Auto 5. Could be aftermarket chokes some previous owner had installed. Photos would help.

 

Well, yes; in some cases a barrel is threaded such that tubes from various mfrs. will fit, as they all have the same thread size.

Was the barrel factory threaded for chokes? ie: marked Invector? There have been lot's of aftermarket choke tubes out there by various mfrs. that fit the Invector/Winchoke/Mossberg threads and have little identification on them. I use tubes from Trulock, Winchester, Browning, and Briley in my A5 that came with Invector chokes.

If not it was probably an aftermarket job and could very likely be the same True Size/Tru-Choke threads (.795" x 44) used by both Colonial, Trulock, and Carlson. I use both Trulock and Colonial tubes in a gun that I had threaded with the Tru-Choke size threads.

It's also possible the gun could be threaded for thin wall tubes or Briley tubes of one sort or another and you might have to get someone with the right tool to read the thread size for you in order to get more tubes. My understanding is that the thin wall tubes from Trulock, Colonial, and Briley, for instance,are all different........not certain but that's my best understanding.

 

Is it a Belgium or Japan made Auto 5. Could be aftermarket chokes some previous owner had installed. Photos would help.

Is it a Belgium or Japan made Auto 5. Could be aftermarket chokes some previous owner had installed. Photos would help.

The gun is a Belgium Browning. The screw in choke tube is pretty short. Strange that it does not have a company name printed on it any where. I wonder if Invector chokes came with the gun and the previous owner didn't include them with the gun when he sold it.

Well, yes; in some cases a barrel is threaded such that tubes from various mfrs. will fit, as they all have the same thread size.

Was the barrel factory threaded for chokes? ie: marked Invector? There have been lot's of aftermarket choke tubes out there by various mfrs. that fit the Invector/Winchoke/Mossberg threads and have little identification on them. I use tubes from Trulock, Winchester, Browning, and Briley in my A5 that came with Invector chokes.

If not it was probably an aftermarket job and could very likely be the same True Size/Tru-Choke threads (.795" x 44) used by both Colonial, Trulock, and Carlson. I use both Trulock and Colonial tubes in a gun that I had threaded with the Tru-Choke size threads.

It's also possible the gun could be threaded for thin wall tubes or Briley tubes of one sort or another and you might have to get someone with the right tool to read the thread size for you in order to get more tubes. My understanding is that the thin wall tubes from Trulock, Colonial, and Briley, for instance,are all different........not certain but that's my best understanding.

Thanks Woodcock. I'm going to get the gun and look more closely. I have a handfull of various kinds/lengths of Colonial tubes. I may just shoot it as a skeet choked gun...that's not too bad, or I may, and probably will find another Browning Belgium Barrel.

 

Simplest thing to do is find out what choke system it has. Depending on age of barrel it may have been threaded after market. Contact Truloc or Briley and they can set you straight by you sending in a choke tube to them. They can then supply you with choke constriction of your choice to match your threads. If barrel was an invector factory barrel it would be marked as so on barrel , same for invector plus. If not marked on barrel than it was done after market and could be Truchoke , Colonial , or a hand full of others including Briley Thin Walls.

 

Get a local Machinist to measure those threads, You want the Major diameter and the thread pitch. The thread pitch can be expressed as TPI/ threads per inch or in a metric measurement such as .75MM. The location of the treads with respect to the end of the barrel or end of the existing choke sample.
This may be easier than sending it off to a choke maker.

 

Okay ya'll here is an update on my strange coke tube and my Browning Auto 5 12. It is a round knob gun, so it's pre 1967. I unscrewed the choke tube and got in the light and it is a Colonial Tube. So I removed it and broke out some of my Colonial choke tubes and they would not screw into the muzzle. The first tube fit, the rest did not. So, I conclude the threads (very fine threads) are buggered up enough so that other Colonials won't fit. Can I go to a gunsmith who installs Colonials and have him recut the threads? Can they do that? It is a nice gun. Someone screwed up the threaded choke setup and sold the gun to ME. Fun huh.

 

Your gunsmith who does Colonials should be able to help you out.

 

Early 1950's gun, only thin wall choke tubes were installed in those older Belgium barrels.

 

I can't speak to the 12Ga Belgian guns but Mike Orlen threaded my 1929 A5 16Ga for True Size tubes. Maybe the 16's had more "meat" to work with.

 

Likely you have a Tru-Choke small diameter .775 x 44.

 

I have a browning a5 barrel with colonial thin wall chokes. Can i then use a tru choke small diameter choke?

 

I haven't been shooting for several years. I opened my gun safe and pulled out a Browning Auto 5, 12 gauge. I have owned several and sold several. The gun looks nice, almost new. Strangely, screwed into the muzzle is a coke marked "Skeet" and nothing else. No company name. My gunsmith uses Colonial chokes, and the chokes are so marked, and they have worked fine, but this one? Who knows? I have not tried to screw in one of my Colonial chokes. Does a choke from one company fit a barrel threaded for another? As I recall I bought this gun because it was cheap...maybe due to this choke. (Not sure, its been a while.)

Interesting find! That unmarked 'Skeet' choke is definitely a conversation starter. The Browning Auto 5 went through several choke thread patterns over its production years, so compatibility with your Colonial chokes isn't guaranteed without checking the thread pattern first. I'd recommend having a gunsmith inspect it - forcing the wrong choke could damage those fine threads.
The lack of branding makes me think this might be an aftermarket choke from a smaller manufacturer, or possibly a gunsmith's custom work. If it patterns well and seats securely, it could still be perfectly serviceable for skeet shooting. You might want to check for any subtle markings on the barrel near the receiver - sometimes those can indicate the original choke system.
These old Auto 5s often have interesting histories hidden in little details like this. Any chance you could share photos of the choke and threads? The collective knowledge here might help identify its origins. Either way, it's great to see another classic Browning getting some attention!

 

I unscrewed the choke tube and broke out a magnifying glass. Yep, it's a Colonial. A short choke tube. Don't know if its a thin wall or not. I'll cruise by some gunsmiths and check things out.

 

I haven't been shooting for several years. I opened my gun safe and pulled out a Browning Auto 5, 12 gauge. I have owned several and sold several. The gun looks nice, almost new. Strangely, screwed into the muzzle is a coke marked "Skeet" and nothing else. No company name. My gunsmith uses Colonial chokes, and the chokes are so marked, and they have worked fine, but this one? Who knows? I have not tried to screw in one of my Colonial chokes. Does a choke from one company fit a barrel threaded for another? As I recall I bought this gun because it was cheap...maybe due to this choke. (Not sure, its been a while.)

Try comparing the threads with other chokes.

 

I broke out my magnifying glass and low and behold the "skeet" screw in choke is indeed a Colonial. So I got out some of the Colonials and they would not screw into the muzzle of the Auto 5. Those Colonials may not be thin walled choke tubes. So, I will either: 1: Buy a new Barrel, 2. See if a gunsmith can regrind the threads, 3: If they fit buy more thin walled choke tubes 4: Just screw in the thin walled skeet choke and shoot the gun like that.

 

Just a few minutes ago I ordered a new thin wall Colonial Modified choke tube. The choke tube that the gun came with was a Colonial thin wall Skeet. $43.00 with postage. I think and hope that my new screw in thin wall Colonial mod choke tube will work in my Browning Auto 5. If it does I'll never touch it again. A 12 mod shotgun is fine and I love those Auto 5s.

 

Oh me oh my. I've been posting about my Belgium Auto Five 12 with a skeet screw in Colonial choke. I have some Colonials that I thought would fit. I uncrewed the skeet choke, but the others would not fit. Then I read that Colonials can be thin walled or not. So, wanting to shoot the Browning I ordered a new Modified thin wall screw in choke. A few minutes ago I read that nothing tighter than cylinder should be used in a Browning Auto 5. Is that true? Can I indeed not use a Colonial thin wall modified screw in choke in a Belgium Auto 5? If that is the case I can live with the original Skeet choke tube....but I'd rather not.

 

Isn't Skeet constriction tighter than cylinder?

Perhaps knowing exactly what you read re Cylinder choking vs an Auto 5 and where it was read would help you gain opinions and so solve this mystery.

 

I have about a dozen auto 5's with fixed chokes, poly chokes, screw in chokes of everything from cylinder to turkey to steel shot chokes. Never a problem and I have been shooting these Brownings for more than 50 years. The suggestion of not using chokes is new to me.
LT

 

My grandfather gave me his Remy Model 11 fifty plus years ago. I was a teen. It carried a Poly Choke. I shot it for decades. Someone broke in and stole it. Since those days I've owned many Remy IIs and Browning Auto 5s. Today I own two Auto 5s. One is a old 16 with Mk4 engraving with it's case and two barrels a full and a cylinder. I just bought a couple of cases of RST to shoot in it. I'd enjoy shooting with you froggie. I'm 80 but feel like a kid.

 

I just ordered a Cylinder Colonial gold finished choke for my Belgium Auto Five. I have been shooting Remy IIs and Auto Fives for 50 years....more. I'm 80 now. The story is that John Browning considered the Auto 5 to be his most challenging design because it had to digest black and smokeless loads. I sold most of my shotguns when I was sick. I recovered and now I am trying to buy them...guns like them, all back.

 

What are you actually going to try to shoot with this gun?

 

Probably skeet and sporting clays. The logistics around here are a bit challenging. The range that I was a member of is a hour and a half away. There's another close by, but it is new and not very good.

 

If course you are correct. I ordered a Mod thin wall from Colonial. They contacted me saying they were out of them. The said they'd send me a Gold Choke or return my money. I want to support the company so I agreed to accept the Gold choke tube.

 

Thank you. I'll try that.

 

Contact Tru Choke or Briley. Either can fix you up.

 

Briley's "Thin Wall" setup uses a different thread..........their off the shelf tubes for thin wall applications aren't an option here.