Info on older A5

[Bamaflyer]

I just became the proud owner of a older A5 Light Twelve and would like some information as to what I have.
 The A5 is a 12ga and has a 25 1/2 " barrel I think the choke is IC. On top of the plain barrel it has "Browning Arms St. Louis Mo." On the side of the barrel it has "Special Steel"  then "Shells 2 3/4"
It has a five diget SR# starting with 44***. It has what was at one time a gold plated trigger. The shotgun was very dirty until I spent about four hours on it lat night. It cleaned up very well. The barrel has severell proof marks on the underside and low on the side of the barrel that are almost covered by the forearm. The barrel is also stamped L860 in two places.
I am kinda new to Browning shotguns but I have always liked them and used one that belonged to a friend for a short time. If you have any information on this type and approximate era of this gun, I would sure like to know.

Thanks, Bamaflyer

[Rangr44]

They were made since 1947, numbered with all other A-5's, but after 1953, there are no Belgium LIGHT 12 shotguns with a non-prefixed serial number.

After that, they all had a letter prefix of either "L" (1953-1956) or "G" (1957 & part of 1958) or (after sometime in 1958) a short number denoting the year followed by a "G" and the rest of the serial number (69Gxxxx = 1969).

If "L860" is the serial number, it's a 1953 run for that model - and the barrel length should be 26".

A serial number in the 44,000 range, as you said it has, would put it as 1913 - much too early for that model.
However, if you typo'd the serial number, and it's in the 400,000 range - it would be about 1954.


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[Bamaflyer]

Ranger,

I looked last night( in better light) and found that just above the Sr# it had 1C it looks like this;

                                                  1C

                                                44***

Don't know if that helps. I shot it yesterday afternoon and it shoots perfectly. It appears to have the orginal mag plug or at least a very old one. I really like the gun and could not have beat the price I gave for it. It was so good that I told the guy I bought it from that if in the next year he wanted it back I'ed sell it back to him for the same $ I paid him for it. I sure hope he dosent want it back!

Rusty

[Rangr44]

[I looked last night( in better light) and found that just above the Sr# it had 1C it looks like this:]
[    1C    ]
[ 44***  ]

Yes, it does make a difference - except that there's no "C" codes for those guns.

It's most likely a "G".

Serial  1G44*** = 1961

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[Bamaflyer]

Thanks a lot Ranger!

Rusty

[JPShelton]

Ranger,

I looked last night( in better light) and found that just above the Sr# it had 1C it looks like this;

                                                  1C

                                                44***

Don't know if that helps. I shot it yesterday afternoon and it shoots perfectly. It appears to have the orginal mag plug or at least a very old one. I really like the gun and could not have beat the price I gave for it. It was so good that I told the guy I bought it from that if in the next year he wanted it back I'ed sell it back to him for the same $ I paid him for it. I sure hope he dosent want it back!

Rusty

I had the same sort of thing happen to me at that last gun show I attended.  There was a fellow walking around with an old A-5 he was trying to sell to every vendor with a table, and he wasn't getting very far with them.  I asked the old boy if it was a Sweet 16 and it turned out that is wasn't, but it WAS a Light 12.  I bought it for $300.00 along with an offer to sell it back for the same price if his financial straits improve and he wants it back.  Selfishly, after shooting it on the sporting course and killing a few pen-raised phesants with it, I also hope that the prior owner of mine doesn't want it back.

Mine was made in 1950.  It is, without a doubt, the sweetest shotgun I've ever owned.  I used to think my 20 bore Ugartechea side-by-side was pretty sweet until I bought this Light 12.

-JP

[mrussel]

Ranger,

I looked last night( in better light) and found that just above the Sr# it had 1C it looks like this;

                                                  1C

                                                44***

Don't know if that helps. I shot it yesterday afternoon and it shoots perfectly. It appears to have the orginal mag plug or at least a very old one. I really like the gun and could not have beat the price I gave for it. It was so good that I told the guy I bought it from that if in the next year he wanted it back I'ed sell it back to him for the same $ I paid him for it. I sure hope he dosent want it back!

Rusty

I had the same sort of thing happen to me at that last gun show I attended.  There was a fellow walking around with an old A-5 he was trying to sell to every vendor with a table, and he wasn't getting very far with them.  I asked the old boy if it was a Sweet 16 and it turned out that is wasn't, but it WAS a Light 12.  I bought it for $300.00 along with an offer to sell it back for the same price if his financial straits improve and he wants it back.  Selfishly, after shooting it on the sporting course and killing a few pen-raised phesants with it, I also hope that the prior owner of mine doesn't want it back.

Mine was made in 1950.  It is, without a doubt, the sweetest shotgun I've ever owned.  I used to think my 20 bore Ugartechea side-by-side was pretty sweet until I bought this Light 12.

-JP

 Wow,I havent seen one for less than 800 around the shows here. If I saw one for less than five Id jump on it.