Auto-5
| Remington Model 11/Browning Auto-5 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Semi-automatic shotgun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1905–1975 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
Malayan Emergency Rhodesian Bush War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | John Browning |
| Designed | 1898 |
| Manufacturer |
Browning Arms Fabrique Nationale Herstal (Belgique) Remington Arms Savage Arms Miroku Corp. |
| Produced | 1902–1998 |
| Variants | Remington Model 11, Savage Model 720 and Model 745 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.1 kilograms (9.0 lb) |
| Length | 127 centimetres (50 in) |
| Barrel length | 71.1 centimetres (28.0 in) |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge |
| Action | Semi-automatic |
| Feed system | Two or four round tubular magazine, plus 1 in the chamber |
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun design, and remained in production until 1998. The name of the shotgun designates that it is an autoloader with a capacity of five rounds, four in the magazine and one in the chamber. Remington Arms sold a variant called the Remington Model 11.
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". The top of the action goes straight back on a level with the barrel before cutting down sharply towards the . This distinctive feature makes it easy to identify A-5s from a distance. A-5s were produced in a variety of gauges, with 12 and 20 predominating; 16 gauge (not produced between 1976 and 1987) models were also available. The gun saw military service worldwide between World War I and the Vietnam War. A Remington Model 11 was used in the suicide of Kurt Cobain.
John Browning presented his design (which he called his best achievement) to Winchester, where he had sold most of his previous designs. When Winchester refused his terms, Browning went to Remington. Tragically, the president of Remington died of a heart attack as Browning waited to offer them the gun. This forced Browning to look overseas to produce the shotgun. It was manufactured by FN (a company that had already produced Browning-designed pistols) starting in 1902. Browning would later license the design to Remington, who produced it as their Model 11 (1905–1947). The Remington Model 11 was the first auto-loading shotgun made in the USA. Savage Arms also licensed the design from Browning and produced it as their model 720 from 1930 to 1949, and their model 745 with an alloy receiver and two-shot magazine from 1941 to 1949. Browning's long-recoil design itself served as the operating system for subsequent Remington (11-48), Savage (755, 775) and Franchi (AL-48) models.
...
Wikipedia