My New Browning A5 Problem

Discussion in 'Browning Auto A-5' started by DJDAWG, May 29, 2017.

  1. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    I was told to start a new thread so here goes ............I recently bought a new A5 that been on the dealer shelf for he says three yrs............... I took it out first with out doing nothing to it , and it stovepiped like there was no tomorrow , called my dealer and he said to clean it up good , I did that and shot 50 more shells through it with only one malfunction .......... then the next day , shot 125 more with out any flaws , I thought I was good to go .......but the next day I shot 100 more and it was malfunctioning badly again .......
    So Iam taking it back to the dealer tomorrow to let him look at it and give his thoughts on it.......its very disappointing to say the least.
    I know others have had these problems , what was the cure ???
    I love the gun overall and hope its not much wrong and can be fixed by the dealer .........he wants to look into the recoil spring area. He,s also a gunsmith so he can hopefully figure it out .......... I,d hate to have to send it to Browning ..........if anyone would give there experience here I would be grateful.
  2. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    Ive read of various ideas as to the problem , recoil spring , ejector , bad shells etc.
    But Ive shot the same shells in it each time ........1 1/8th , 3 Dram , 1200 FPS Federals
  3. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    I don't understand the reason for starting a new thread as there was info from back in March that could be important to others, but whatever I'll try to re-cap my experience with my new A5

    Browning A-5 hunter purchased 9/2016 – this is a new purchase NOT used gun

    11/2016 – patterned with Winchester super X 00 3.5 buck shot the gun 6 time functioned flawlessly

    12/16 – first day of buck week again using Winchester super X 00 3.5” used the gun to kill a buck. I fired two shots the shots were not in rapid succession the first shot at 58 yards was a direct hit to his boiler room went right down the second shot was fired about 10 seconds after the first gun cycled flawlessly

    After buck week the gun was stripped down, cleaned, and stored cased in gun safe

    2/17 - took the gun pheasant hunting shot Browning BXD Upland #5 high brass & Winchester Super X #5 high. Fist couple shots the gun worked fine then started to stove “stove pipe” (jam) on almost every shot took the gun home disassembled cleaned until the next weekend took the gun pheasant using the same ammo as previously mentioned and right from the start it was nothing but problems first few shots “stove piped” and progressively got worse to the point once the gun was fired the empty casing was not even being pulled from the barrel in turn the second follow up shell had nowhere to go this happened all day long I was essentially hunting with a $1600 single shot. Again took the gun home disassembled & cleaned the following week took the gun to the range and tried cycling everything from 3.5” buckshot to 2-3-4 #7 low brass the gun failed to operate about 90% of the time again shooting once & the spent casing not being pulled from the chamber thus causing the follow up shell to jam in the chamber

    5/17 Called Browning explained the problem & was told to send the gun back with a detailed list of issues Browning had the gun about 2 weeks & sent it back to me there was no explanation as to what work was done to the gun just paper work with Browning code numbers due to my work schedule I have not tried shooting the gun since it’s return from Browning once I do I will give you guys an update its operation.

    Also wanted to mention you can figure out the date your gun was built by using this Browning serial ID info
    In the serial number code key below, the model number code for your new version A5 is 116. According to Browning this serial # system was started in 1998
    upload_2017-5-30_14-35-18.png
  4. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    I was confused by this also ............
    Either way , I took my gun to the Dealer I bought it from and he said he would call Browning and get things fixed for me.
    So now the wait begins ................
  5. Rob poston

    Rob poston .270 WIN


    I wouldn't think that would be necessary, but brings up an interesting situation.
    I personally have always referred to the original model (up through 1999) as the "Auto 5", whereas the new Kinematic version I refer to as the correct "A5". You are right, one can simply put which model they have in the post or headline, but the two are quite different (friction ring vs. Kinematic, retracting barrel vs. non-retracting, relocation of the magazine cut-off, etc.). I do not think this warrants a sub-forum, but it can get a bit confusing when the OP does not specify if it is an "Auto 5" or an "A5".
    Last edited: May 31, 2017
    SHOOTER13 likes this.
  6. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    I suppose taking the gun back to the dealer you bought it from would work, as that was my original intention, but after some research I figured it would be best to send it directly to Browning mainly due to the fact the "new" Kinematic A5 is sold with a "5 year 100,000 shot warranty" and all work done by Browning would be documented on their end. Guess I look at it as insurance, if the issues I am experiencing continue after sending it back to Browning more than once they shouldn't be able to give me a hard time with either replacing the gun or refunding what I paid for it.

    Just a side note if you are worried about sending the gun to Browning for repair versus your local dealer/g-smith I can tell you from experience everyone I spoke with at Browning from customer service to tech were very informative & friendly
    Rob poston likes this.
  7. Rob poston

    Rob poston .270 WIN


    Same here. I have heard horror stories regarding time of repair, but speaking over the telephone, they are all very friendly. Still, I have to admit that I have not sent my 725 in for corrosion repair due to the many stories of 6-12 month waiting times on repairs. While they are friendly over the phone, I am not 100% sure I would be so friendly, if I had to miss an entire hunting/skeet & trap season. ;-)
  8. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    When I called Browning in reference to sending the gun back for inspection & repair I asked about turn around time & was told they had pretty much gotten caught up on repairs (apparently their busiest time is November, December , January) but to expect a 4 to 6 week turn around which sounded reasonable so I was pretty stoked when I got the gun back 2 weeks after sending it in
    Rob poston likes this.
  9. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    Well my dealer called Browning and they just told him to clean out the recoil spring area , its suppose to be dry with no oil or grease at all .........even around the bolt area shouldnt be oily.
    Makes no sense to me that lube would slow it down .....but ........ this is from Browning.
    My gunsmith guy said that maybe the oil in the spring area had a hydraulic effect on the recoil and slowed it down .....we shall see next Saturday.
    I plan on shooting the hell out of it to see.
    Iam hopeing it works fine , cause I love the feel of the gun over all.
    I may have put to much oil on it in my cleaning and when I stood the gun up in the safe , all the excess oil went to the recoil spring area ........
    dj
    Rob poston likes this.
  10. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    I don't know man, that just don't sound right. I mean obviously excessive oil or any kind of lubricant can have an adverse effect but I cant believe you would have applied that much that it would cause the issues you are experiencing....just to be clear & I think you previously mentioned this but is your A5 the new Kinematic version or the old recoil spring operated?
  11. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    Mine is the new A5............after the dealer cleaned all oil from the gun , he only lube the rails with a little grease and the bolt.
    I took it out shooting today and shot 125 shells with out any flaws ............ Iam going to do the same tomorrow and see what happens then too.
    I called Browning myself and was told by them to not oil the recoil spring area , I wanted to be sure of the info. Didnt sound right to me either.
    I emailed Browning and got the same response , they told me that although having oil in the spring area wasnt the cause of the malfunction ......but he didnt tell me what the cause was .....so I emailed back asking what was the cause ??? Waitin on a reply.
    I lost faith in the gun when the problems occured , but this will hopefully bring my faith back ..........tomorrow Iam hopeing is just as good a day as today ......Iam hopeing factory packing and my over oiling was the problem .......... My gun was manufactured in 2014 so it wasnt in the first batch that had issues that Ive read about.
    I LOVE the gun overall ...... and just want it to be as reliable as Brownings reputation ........ there customer service really is good.
  12. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    Glad to hear the gun seems to be working properly

    I personally think there is a problem with some of the guns and Browning knows what it is and the way they are handling it is to start with the cleaning & oiling of the gun, if that solves the problem then in their eyes all is well & good with that specific shotgun, but on the other hand if the problems continue to exist most likely the gun is one of the batch a design flaw and that’s when the instruct you to send it back.

    After shooting 125 shells with no problems you may be good, as for me I skipped that phase & just sent to gun right back I have no clue if Browning just cleaned & re-oiled as per their specifications & sent it back or if the replaced parts. I still want to call and ask for specifics on what they did to my gun but want shoot it first
  13. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    My second day shoot was just as good as my first ...........no malfunctions at all ........Iam happy but still apprehensive , I need a couple more weekends of shooting before my faith comes back.
    Iam hoping my faith comes back , cause I love the feel of the gun overall.............
  14. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    Glad to hear things are working as they should for you, hopefully the issues are permanently corrected.

    I totally understand you apprehension I too love the feel of the gun but until it's reliability is proven I will second guess myself every time I decide to take it hunting.

    Keep me posted on the results you get, hope to shoot mine this weekend I'll let you know how I make out
  15. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    :(Ive semi decided to give mine back to the dealer ........ I cant seem to get over all the trouble Ive had with mine.
    Everytime I shoot , I look to see if the shell ejected ......lol
    Iam still up in the air on this ..........but probably will just get rid of it.
  16. SHOOTER13

    SHOOTER13 Guest

    Sounds like a plan...
  17. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    Well ........... I,ll never get rid of my 1911-22 or BHP ............LOL
  18. SHOOTER13

    SHOOTER13 Guest

    A true Browning Aficionado...

    How do you like that 1911-22...!?

    I thought about picking one up...
  19. DJDAWG

    DJDAWG .22LR

    Iam a 1911 lover also , so the 1911-22 was great ....... feels easy to hold for me , operates just like a regular 1911 only sized down a tad ......
    I shot 300 rounds out of the box and never faltered once ....... the clip is easy to load also.
    If I had to find one thing I didnt like , it would have to be the sites arent easy to see if lighting is low...........needs white on them IMHO
    It cleans just like a full size 1911 ..............easy.
  20. lou fava

    lou fava .410

    So does this mean you shot the gun again & it's back to having the same issues?

    I assume you are going to expect a refund from the dealer/Browning. If you do decide to give the gun back let me know how the refund process goes

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