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Posted: 5/13/2017 4:07:34 AM EDT
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I'm normally a 3 gun guy, but I decided I wanted a beater shotgun for sporting clays, trap, skeet, etc.
I found an old, 1930's Belgian A5. The price was right, so I bought it, and now that I've taken it apart I think I know why it was cheap. (also, this is the first A5 I've had or ever really looked at, so I have no experience with these) After taking the stock off, the action spring tube was a little wobbly. I gave it a wiggle and it shot off across the garage. 
I originally thought it was soldered in because the stock bolt's threads appear uninterrupted up into the receiver, and that the grooves in the tube were to help it grip. I heated it with my torch and attempted to pull it out with a pick. It didn't move. Looking at the tube more closely, it looks like those grooves are the start of some rolled threads, and that the front hole in the action tube might let the stock bolt help lock it in place. Does this look like a threaded action tube, and what's the normal fix? Left handed tap/thread to remove the piece, and solder in a unthreaded action tube? Or just drill it out? I also can't figure out the magazine cutoff. It doesn't look like any I can find online. 
It seems like it stopped all the shells when I was cycling it with snap caps, before I broke the action spring tube. It doesn't really flip or pivot anywhere, it only has a tiny bit of movement against the cartridge stop. You can see the screw/pin thing it pivots on goes pretty much right under the center of the switch. Would the cartridge stop or mag cutoff spring being worn out cause it to act weird? What am I doing wrong? Thanks! ETA: I found this photo over on Numrich, it's hard to tell, but it looks like a threaded tube with a hole that lines up over the stock bolt, so I think I want to try and unscrew that piece from the receiver. 
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This gentleman has a good hour+ long video on A5 gunsmithing and parts replacement - he makes a home made jig for the mag tube removal and install - Although yours is broken off within. You need to get something to grab it and unthread it
A5 Video |
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Action spring tube:
The early guns (like your appears to be) had a threaded in tube. Later guns had the tube brazed in to place. On your gun you should remove the broken part inside the tang and screw in the replacement tube secured with loctite. Magazine cut off: I have never seen one shaped like that. Perhaps it is a replacement someone made to fill the slot in the side of the receiver and/or make the gun a single shot. The correct cut off lever pivots around the screw (see the pictures on Numrich). The very first magazine cut off levers (added round 1904) are shaped about like the one on the Numrich part list (just minor change in length/shape since then, but nothing like the part on you gun) |
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That magazine cutoff looks like some sort of home brew for sure.
Interesting that it is marked with Simpson Ltd on the receiver. Perhaps it was imported by them? Simpson Ltd website Go here and see when your shotgun was made: Browning online serial number dating info |
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Call this guy. He is the guru...literally wrote most of the shop manuals at Browning, worked there forever...
Browning Smith |
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The mag cutoff has some inside geometry to interact with the shell stop. I'll take it back out and get some more photos.
It looks more complicated than most homebrew parts, so I thought it might have been a factory part of some kind. I got it from Simpson Ltd, so they probably did import it. Even needing some work and a couple parts, I figure that for $300 it should be great for my purposes. It's also got a Cutts adjustable choke. I don't mind the aesthetics, plus it simplifies things for me. The choke adjusts right, but I think it's rusted into the adapter. I made a 1-1/8" wrench for it, couldn't remove it, then I tried adding heat (didn't fee like much) and the adapter came loose from the barrel before the choke came out of the adapter. 
I turned it back to center the bead and now I'm hoping it doesn't shoot off the barrel when I shoot it. 
Thanks for the leads and info, I'll be back to update things when I make some progress. |
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A5 parts. These guys supposedly bought up Browning's stock of parts (for all the different Browning guns) when Browning shut down in the US.
midwest gunworks I bought some parts for my old Auto 5 (springs, screws, friction rings, etc.) a few years back. It was working fine, but as old and "well used" as it appeared to be I figured it was better off with some new parts. |
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Quoted:
I got it from Simpson Ltd, so they probably did import it. . My simpson ltd shotgun also has problems. My 'mechanical fine' shotgun holds only 2 rounds. And it is not because of a plug. Some asshole bubba decided to peen the magazine tube with a punch all over so the follower only travels deep enough for a few shells. It would have been nice to know about this permanent modification before I purchased. Now I have to replace the mag tube. I will not do business with that company again. |
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Quoted:
I think they tattoo all their guns. The shotgun I received from them was pictured on the website without the engraving, but it sure was engraved when it arrived. I was pissed. My simpson ltd shotgun also has problems. My 'mechanical fine' shotgun holds only 2 rounds. And it is not because of a plug. Some asshole bubba decided to peen the magazine tube with a punch all over so the follower only travels deep enough for a few shells. It would have been nice to know about this permanent modification before I purchased. Now I have to replace the mag tube. I will not do business with that company again. |
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I don't know the diameter of the magazine tube.
If you can find a steel ball (like a big ball bearing) the right diameter, you could grease up the tube inside and pound the steel ball through the tube to "expand" it back to the right size. This could work. I bought some steel balls (several years ago) to force through the tubes on a TPI injection set up that had some dents in the tubes. Worked pretty good with a lot of grease to help the steel balls fit through the aluminum tube. |
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Quoted:
I think they tattoo all their guns. The shotgun I received from them was pictured on the website without the engraving, but it sure was engraved when it arrived. I was pissed. My simpson ltd shotgun also has problems. My 'mechanical fine' shotgun holds only 2 rounds. And it is not because of a plug. Some asshole bubba decided to peen the magazine tube with a punch all over so the follower only travels deep enough for a few shells. It would have been nice to know about this permanent modification before I purchased. Now I have to replace the mag tube. I will not do business with that company again. Quoted:
Quoted:
I got it from Simpson Ltd, so they probably did import it. . My simpson ltd shotgun also has problems. My 'mechanical fine' shotgun holds only 2 rounds. And it is not because of a plug. Some asshole bubba decided to peen the magazine tube with a punch all over so the follower only travels deep enough for a few shells. It would have been nice to know about this permanent modification before I purchased. Now I have to replace the mag tube. I will not do business with that company again. |
Thanks for the comments on my plight, my shotgun is an ugly duckling destined for a new life as a SBS. I just wanted to address the OP's issue, and my issue, as it seems a lot of issues slip through Simpsons LTD. I am positive it is not malicious, but if you are going to take the time to engrave your name on a shotgun it might be best to give it a really good once over before describing its mechanical condition 
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Does Simpson engrave everything? Or just stuff they have to (things they import?)?
They'd be pretty fucking stupid to engrave when not required by law. I can forgive some mechanical issues. I know they move enough guns where they can't test fire or cycle everything on snap caps. Some of these issues just don't pop up unless you do that, or have a real expert on each kind of gun do a full examination. So I understand the mechanical problems on my shotgun, but I can't forgive needless engraving. (it doesn't matter to me on this shotgun, but if I got something "nice", I'd be pissed) I've done some more work on the shotgun and have an update! I got a left handed tap and threaded the old action spring tube stub. Then, I made a left hand threaded tool to thread into it and try removing the stub. It didn't work. I got to a point where I thought I was going to break something if I kept cranking on it, so I gave up on that and drilled the stub out. Then did some more drilling/fitting and stuffed the new action spring tube in with lots of green loctite. I also replaced the old mag cutoff thing with a new A5 magazine cutoff lever. I attempted to cycle it with my snap caps and discovered that the shell stop was cut down and didn't work right. So, one week and a new shell stop later that was fixed. I also put in a new action spring, recoil spring, friction piece, and friction piece spring clamp. Also did some stock repair. There was some minor cracking near the front, and the stock bolt hole was wallowed out to let the stock wiggle a bit. 2 part epoxy, JB weld, and a brass screw fixed that. I shot two boxes of shells today. It worked good to start off (after I set it to light loads). Near the end of the second box, it stopped cycling and would not eject the fired shell. I was worried that the action spring tube came loose, but I pulled the stock and that hadn't moved. It turns out the mag tube was a bit dry. I think that might have been it. I thought I oiled it.
The old mag cutoff part seems to have been some sort of single shot adapter. I don't know why, but that's the only explanation I can think of. Here's some fuzzy cell phone photos: 
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Quoted:
Does Simpson engrave everything? Or just stuff they have to (things they import?)? They'd be pretty fucking stupid to engrave when not required by law. I can forgive some mechanical issues. I know they move enough guns where they can't test fire or cycle everything on snap caps. Some of these issues just don't pop up unless you do that, or have a real expert on each kind of gun do a full examination. So I understand the mechanical problems on my shotgun, but I can't forgive needless engraving. (it doesn't matter to me on this shotgun, but if I got something "nice", I'd be pissed) I've done some more work on the shotgun and have an update! I got a left handed tap and threaded the old action spring tube stub. Then, I made a left hand threaded tool to thread into it and try removing the stub. It didn't work. I got to a point where I thought I was going to break something if I kept cranking on it, so I gave up on that and drilled the stub out. Then did some more drilling/fitting and stuffed the new action spring tube in with lots of green loctite. I also replaced the old mag cutoff thing with a new A5 magazine cutoff lever. I attempted to cycle it with my snap caps and discovered that the shell stop was cut down and didn't work right. So, one week and a new shell stop later that was fixed. I also put in a new action spring, recoil spring, friction piece, and friction piece spring clamp. Also did some stock repair. There was some minor cracking near the front, and the stock bolt hole was wallowed out to let the stock wiggle a bit. 2 part epoxy, JB weld, and a brass screw fixed that. I shot two boxes of shells today. It worked good to start off (after I set it to light loads). Near the end of the second box, it stopped cycling and would not eject the fired shell. I was worried that the action spring tube came loose, but I pulled the stock and that hadn't moved. It turns out the mag tube was a bit dry. I think that might have been it. I thought I oiled it.
The old mag cutoff part seems to have been some sort of single shot adapter. I don't know why, but that's the only explanation I can think of. Here's some fuzzy cell phone photos: http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0268-223482.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0273-223483.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0275-223484.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0276-223485.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0296-223486.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0303-223487.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0305-223488.jpg http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100005/KIMG0312-223489.jpg |
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