A .410 A5?!!!!!

Discussion in 'Browning Auto A-5' started by Bill Idaho, Jul 28, 2020.

  1. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    Yep, you heard it here first. I think.

    I inherited my father's machine shop when he died way back in 1977--lathe, milling machine, shaper, etc. I worked on guns to feed my kids from 1975-1980. I have been certified in several welding criteria. And to top things off, I worked full time as a machinist from 1982 to 2004. I built a box-fed Remington 870 in the early 1990s, to include making a whole trigger assembly to work with the box magazines I made. I made my own falling block style rifle that shoots .50 BMG. Everything except the barrel was home made. Heck, I even built and raced a funnybike in the 90s, again building the engine and frame myself.

    By no means am I bragging. Seriously. Just setting the background for my announcement.

    I have decided now that I have been retired for a few years, I am now longer raising my grand-daughter, and I successfully divorced my wife---my bucket list consists of a total of ONE item---to build a .410 A5!!!! I am 98% certain as long as I don't sell it I would be completely legal, and it would be just difficult enough to make it interesting. I already have a couple of Remington 870s in 12/209/.410 so I figure I could use those dimensional differences regarding what measurements would have to be scaled down for the smaller bore, etc, and what dimensions would stay closer to "normal/standard" size, such as LOP, etc.
    The receiver in and of itself doesn't look to be TOO hard, and the wood would be relatively easy. All the internals would be pretty easy too, but the one thing that is giving me some concerns is the barrel. I cannot decide if I want to turn the barrel out of a much larger piece of steel and offset my machining to incorporate the magazine lug as part of the barrel, or simply turn and bore a barrel, then weld on a barrel lug for the magazine tube. The barrel extension will be another major issue. I can easily make it and have it hardened to whatever Brinell number it needs to be, but to "properly" install it is admittedly beyond my current knowledge at this point. Oh well, I'll burn that bridge when I get there.

    I have seen plenty of other people make operable miniature guns-so why not????


    (And yes, it will be a round-grip butt stock, thank you very much for asking.)

    Hmmmmmm.....I never thought about the engraving...........hmmmm.
  2. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Might as well make a 28 gauge too. I’d like serial number 1 in 28
  3. Biz

    Biz 20g

    Bill,
    I wish I had your skill, me too, I will tackle such a project. However, I would do a straight grip and like Justin, I would prefer a 28 gauge. I guess I will have to be content with serial number 2 since he had already chosen number 1.
  4. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    The Franchi AL-48 is available in 28 gauge. There’s never been a .410 version of the gun. I’m guessing you’d want to use as many off the shelf parts as possible. The Franchi might be a good place to start.
  5. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    Blasphemy!!!! I am preparing and planning on making virtually every part. (Pins and screws excluded because.....well............... just cuz'.)
    And as much as I hate to say it, I can't make any to sell, as the ATF would raise their eyebrows at me. I would have to read up on it, but as I recall a person can make a gun for their own possession, but cannot transfer it in any way to someone else. I will have to read up on the fine print. And, BTW, I am guessing this will take more than a weekend in the shop.

    And, 28 gauge?.........I can't hardly bring myself to jump onto the 16 gauge bandwagon, much less a 28! (Who knows, maybe it'll turn out being cool enough to warrant making a couple of them.) I am going to sit down with the Remingtons in the next few days and start comparing numbers.

    And, without a doubt---straight grip! One of the guys I shoot sporting clays with has a high-dollar 3D printer, and in early discussions, said he could feasibly make me a reduced size butt plate, much like an original one----but then again, there is that pesky legality thing. If I reproduce a 7/8 scale lookalike, am I infringing on anything?
  6. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I think the patents ran out about 100 years ago. “Browning” is a trademark though, and those don’t expire. But even there, I don’t think a one of a kind, personal gun would make a difference.
  7. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    You can make anything you want, selling would be a big no no unless you get a license, getting caught with it may be another. I have no doubt in your skills, you can pretty much do anything with enough money. The problem I see with a 410 is there won’t be enough recoil to cycle it. 1/2 ounce or 11/16 ounce isn’t much. To be a true A5 it will have to be a long recoil. And I must say I had some serious doubt about a 28 gauge, until I bought one. Now I love it. I think a 28 gauge long recoil would be easier then a 410.
    win7stw likes this.
  8. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Damn you I forgot about those gems. The hunt is on
  9. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Gun broker has one. Like 1500 starting bid.
  10. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Damn just watched a video on one in 28 gauge. Now I want one. Just bought a cxs in 20 gauge last night. Thought I was done for awhile. Who brought this up anyway? Rudolph31 shame on you.
  11. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    The barrel will be considerably lighter, as would be the recoil spring, so.........
  12. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I suggested the Franchi as a starting point. I didn’t know I was going to inflame you addicts.

    By the way, since you guys are going to be owning them, it’s pronounced FRANKIE.
    Ranger6 likes this.
  13. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    This is called "necro-posting"............

    So, I have not given up on this endeavor.
    I finally found a chunk of high carbon bar stock that will work for the receiver. I THINK I decided to make the barrel from a solid chunk of round stock- I have a source for that. I can get 4130 (and 4140), but the barrel extension/chamber end is giving me some grief. In my machinist days, I did some "zone-tempering", but I am not certain I would be able to get away with that in regards to the barrel extension. (Barrel extensions are tempered, and are harder than the barrel itself.) I can turn the blank offset in my lathe so I could leave some meat on for the barrel lug, but I can't decide if I want to actually thread the barrel and extension like a "real" A5.
    The recoil system is going to be quite taxing. Those pesky laws of physics can be a real pain in the grommet. As I think this through, in order to down size the innards (and eventually the outer dimensions somewhat) I risk ending up with a shotgun about 2/3 the size of a normal A5. It's gonna look funny.
    I have considered taking some of the 20 gauge A5 parts I have, and see if I can adapt those to the smaller .410. The problem with that is I would need a 3" magnum 20 gauge receiver because I would need to stick with 3" .410 shell (as I am going to need every bit of energy I can come up with).
    Last time I checked, those ain't cheap!!

    No one said this was going to be easy, and a few have said it simply can't be done at all. There are .410 Remington 1100s, and other semiauto 12 gauge shotguns, so........
    antman73 likes this.
  14. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    Scaling everything down except the receiver length, which needs to be scaled up, certainly sounds like a challenge. I know you haven’t bought any 16’s, but FN solved the problem of the post WWII longer shell by adding a sliding ejector and allowing more of the barrel extension to protrude from the receiver.

    They used the same technique on the 20, 20 mag, and 12 mag.

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