Browning Auto-5 A-5 A5 Light Twelve Invector 12 GA Semi-Automatic Shotgun
SOLD FOR: $1300
LSB#: 220222JH003
Make: Miroku in Japan for Browning Arms
Model: Auto 5 Light Twelve
Serial Number: 06466PP211
Year of Manufacture: 1988 (https://www.browning.com/support/date-your-firearm/auto-5-semi-automatic-shotgun.html)
Gauge: 12 gauge, 2 3/4” Shells
Action Type: Long-Recoil, Semi-Automatic, Tubular Magazine Fed Shotgun
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “BROWNING ARMS COMPANY MORGAN, UTAH & MONTREAL P.Q. / MADE IN JAPAN”. The right side of the barrel is marked “BROWNING AUTO-5 / INVECTOR SPECIAL STEEL 12 GA. SHELLS-2 3/4″-28″ / BROWNING PATENTS”. The left side of the receiver is marked “Light Twelve / ® / BROWNING” with a bust portrait of John M. Browning, the underside has the serial number. The receiver, tangs and trigger guard have tasteful Grade I engraving. There is a Browning Buck-Mark logo on the bottom of the trigger guard filled with gold paint.
Barrel Length: 28″, Vent-Rib
Choke: The barrel is threaded for Invector chokes with Improved Cylinder installed.
Sights / Optics: There is a silver-colored bead at the front of the rib. The top of the rib has checkering and the top of the receiver has serrations for glare reduction.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are a two-piece checkered walnut set with a flat-bottom pistol grip, straight comb, textured black plastic Browning buttplate, and finger grooves running the length of the forend. The stocks have some scattered minor nicks and scuffs. The buttstock has a few more notable compressions, one on each side at the heel and another on the left in the middle. The checkering is sharp. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 14 3/8″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has light wear, most at the heel. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good-Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun is in Fine-Excellent condition and would easily rate Excellent but for the light wear in the stocks.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. There is a magazine cutoff on the left front of the receiver, a safety at the rear of the trigger guard and a bolt release on the right side of the receiver. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This shotgun comes with a manual and Browning choke wrench.
Our Assessment: The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning. The Browning Auto-5 was the first mass-produced semi-automatic shotgun. Designed by John Browning in 1898 and patented in 1900, it was produced continually for almost 100 years by several makers with production ending in 1998. It features a distinctive high rear end, earning it the nickname “Humpback”. It is also an important piece of Browning/Winchester history.
John Browning had previously sold his designs to Winchester for lump-sum payments, turning over all of the patents related to a particular model. Winchester had gotten in the habit of having their engineers and attorneys assist Browning in filing for his patents, in order to ensure that when they received those same patents they would be airtight. Browning’s experiences with Colt and FN had convinced him that he would be better off licensing his designs rather than selling them outright, but when he presented this to Winchester, they refused his terms. This ended the relationship between Winchester and Browning.
Browning would eventually license the design to FN in Europe and later to Remington for their Model 11 and to Savage Arms for their Models 720 and 755. These designs went on to be a great commercial success, the first truly successful autoloading shotgun. This Auto-5 was built in Japan by Miroku in 1988, after production was moved there from FN. It is a Light Twelve chambered for 12 GA. 2 ¾” shells with Grade 1 engraving and has a 28″ barrel threaded for Invector chokes with Improved Cylinder installed. The gun appears to have been well cared for, in Fine-Excellent condition with some light wear in the stocks and nothing notable in the metal. This should still make for a great hunting gun for the lucky winner but would also make a great addition for collectors. Please see our photos and good luck!