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Make: Fabrique Nationale for Browning Arms
Model: A5
Serial Number: 4M 62013
Year of Manufacture: 1964 (“4M” above the serial number)
Gauge: 12 Gauge, 2 3/4” Chamber
Action Type: Long Recoil Semi-Automatic Shotgun fed by Tubular Magazine
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “BROWNING ARMS COMPANY ST LOUIS Mo. & MONTREAL P.Q. / MADE IN BELGIUM”. The right side of the barrel is marked “**SPECIAL STEEL-12 GAUGE-SHELLS 2 3/4” with a series of Belgian proof marks. The left side of the receiver is marked “® / 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 factory engraving. The right side of the bolt has a Belgium proof.
Barrel Length: 27.5” Round
Choke: Improved Modified, Fixed
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a bead fixed to a dual sided ramped base fixed to the barrel. The top of the receiver is checkered for glare reduction.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are a two-piece checkered walnut set with a round-bottom semi-pistol grip, fluted straight comb, FN Browning hard rubber buttplate, and finger grooves running the length of the forend. There are a few scattered compression marks. There are no chips or cracks. The checkering is attractive and crisp. The LOP measures 14 3/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. Overall, the stocks are in Excellent Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright. There is no erosion. There are minor fouling streaks near the muzzle. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10/10.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 98% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows little to no operation wear. There is some light intermittent oxidation on the receiver, but it is faint and hard to notice. There is minor oxidation on the tangs where the finish has thinned. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun is in Excellent Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: The Browning Automatic 5, often called the Auto-5 or simply A-5, was the first mass-produced semi-automatic shotgun, and designed by the legendary firearms inventor John Moses Browning in 1898. Patented in 1900, it was in continuous production for almost a century by several makers, with manufacture ending in 1998. It featured a distinctive high rear end, earning it the nickname “Humpback”. Browning initially presented his design to Winchester, where he had sold his rifle designs for years, but they refused his terms. He then went to Remington, but the president of the company died while he was waiting to offer them the Auto-5. Browning then took his scattergun to FN in Europe, and was so confident of his design that he placed an initial order for 10,000 shotguns. During the 1960s, the Browning Auto-5 was still being made in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale.
This Factory Engraved Belgian Browning FN Auto-5 Shotgun was made in 1964 and is in Excellent Condition. It’s a “standard weight model”, as distinguished by the “M” in the serial number, built by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium for Browning Arms, and features a 27.5” barrel, 98% of its lustrous, original blued finish, tasteful Grade I factory engraving on the receiver, tangs, and trigger guard, gorgeous two-piece checkered walnut stocks, and a bright bore with no erosion (there are minor fouling streaks near the muzzle). Drop at heel: 2 1/2”, Drop at comb: 1 5/8", LOP: 14 3/8". This shotgun has been beautifully preserved for over half a century, and would make for a classic hunting shotgun for the lucky winner, or an ideal addition to a Browning collection.