I have been trying to get info on my a5. The serial no. 178351 H underneath that. FN with what looks like a star above the serial no. on the leftside of receiver is Fabrique Nationale de guerre HERSTAL BELGIQUE on action is 8351 A over P.V. Barrel stamped browning auto 5 special steel 12 ga. shells 2 3/4 " 24 otherside of barrel Browning arms company morgan Utah and montreal pq any and all help is appreciated.. Thanks Dan
The barrel is from 1969-1976. I'm not near my bible right now, so as far as the receiver, someone else will have to chime in, or wait until I get home. I am not exactly certain what you mean by the "action" number. The serial number of the weapon is the number underneath (178351), maybe you are referring to the number on the breech block (which everyone else in the world calls the "bolt")? Any engraving on it? It will be later tonight before I get home.
Ok, the numbers on the breech block appear to be the last four digits of the serial number, indicating that breech block is supposed to be with that gun. (Original part.) Again, without my bible in front of me, the H indicated a standard model, rather than a lightweight. And, therefore, as I recall with an aged memory, A5s started in about 1947 or 1948, so for it to be marked with an H, I am relatively certain that would say it was made after 47-48. The safety is in the front of the trigger guard? And it has a rounded grip, rather than a squared off pistol grip? Is there any engraving on the receiver? This would be about a 1 minute effort if I only had my book with me!!!!!
the safety is on the trigger guard. yes rounded grip. no engraving on gun. Has fn but plate. I have had this A5 from 1989. have not had a chance to shoot.
If the H was in front of the serial number, and the number was 100,000 or less, and it had a cross-bolt safety, the gun would be from the 1950’s. But since it appears after the serial number, we can discount it. Your receiver was made in 1931. The barrel in the 60’s or 70’s as Bill stated. It’s likely you’ll find a date code on it to find out just when. http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940941/serialization-date of manufacture.pdf http://damascus-barrels.com/Belgian_All_Proofmarks.html
Open a free Imgur account, upload load your pictures, copy the link, and insert it into the photo icon above.
I don’t know how long that takes. I don’t remember getting one when I signed up. Until a few years ago, most of us used Photobucket. Then they started charging an exorbitant fee, and we switched. Last year they reduced the fee to something more reasonable, but the damage was done. However, I know there are other ways to post photos because there are pictures on this site that have been there for years. From guys that are long gone. I wish I knew how they did it, because it’s only a matter of time before we run into the same problem with Imgur as we did with Photobucket.