I have a question or two regarding the very beginning of the Auto 5 and its introduction into the US. According to the bible, (somewhere around pages 50-57 or so) the original order of 10,000 is talked about. The very first ones arrived in the US in 1903. (#1 was shipped to Browning Sept 17, 1903.) Then, apparently there was a snag in the contract between Browning and FN, and the rest of the alleged 10,000 never really took place, although according to records, a few came into Browning's possession. No where near the 10,000. Ok, I understand this part. Here is where I become confused. (Not uncommon for me....) Later in the book, ( page 64 or so) it states no more than ten 12 gauge and eight 16 gauge guns made it here (into the US) between the initial shipment in 1903 and 1923. So, with all that being said---would it be relatively safe to say any Auto5 dated between 4,121 (according to page 66) and #60900 ( shipped in 1923) would be EXTREMELY RARE? I guess I am having a hard time understanding how very very few made it into the US from 1903 to 1923- a handful as stated earlier in the book-- when later in the book there is a list ( page 67) mentioning ending serial numbers, which infers there were enough to have an "ending" serial number for each year listed. The ten 12s and the eight 16s mentioned are far less than the chart showing on pages 66 and 67. Would it be relatively safe to say Auto5s were not commonly available until 1923? The problem really is I don't known exactly where I am confused.
Bill, Browning stopped importing the guns because he made a deal with Remington. Remington had the US, and FN had the rest of the world. He had a similar deal with Colt. The guns made between 1903-23 aren’t really rare, they’re just uncommon here. Canada is full of them. Those few that came here were for the Browning family, or so says S/V.
