Dual Serial Numbers

Discussion in 'Browning Auto A-5' started by Rudolph31, Nov 30, 2019.

  1. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I posted this on Shotgunworld but thought we might like to discuss it here too.

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  2. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    That's something you don't see every day. Any further details? European maybe?
  3. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    Not European, both of those numbers are Browning, American Market serial numbers from 1953. Why it has two, I can’t imagine.
  4. Biz

    Biz 20g

    Rudolph, would you by chance, have a picture of the entire gun?
  5. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    Sorry Biz, this is all I’ve got. We know it’s not a Sweet Sixteen from the R1009 number, making the A70 from the first set of A-prefixed 16’s.
  6. Biz

    Biz 20g

    I am asking because could it be a Japanese copy such as Pointer? They look virtually the same as the Auto-5.
  7. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I have no experience with Pointers. But I would be amazed if their serialization was an exact copy of two of Browning’s. Not just two, but two that both point to 1953.
  8. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    According to the bible, the "R1009" number shows it might have been shipped around 11/05/53, and the "A70" number shows before 11/04/54, soooooo---maybe it was originally stamped as one, then someone decided it needed to be stamped as the other?

    Interesting to say the least!!! ( And, BTW, I happened upon one of those Pointers at a gun show a few years ago. I had never heard of them until I got home and did some interneting. Still made at Miroku as I recall.
  9. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    It’s got to be something like that. But, it doesn’t make much sense.
  10. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    Ya' know, I saw a 1930s (12ga) A5 at a LGS just a month ago with a strange numbering issue---but in a different way--kind of. The first two digits of the serial number at first glance appeared to be polished off to the point where I could just barely see them, but just not quite enough to tell what they were. It was as though someone leaned into the buffing wheel a little too hard when they were prepping for a reblue. The problem was it didn't appear to be reblued. At all. The serial number was on the barrel, as I showed the 15 watt behind the counter. The visible digits on the receiver matched the numbers on the barrel, so that barrel was with that reciever way back when it was born. (Kind of made me wonder how they booked that gun into their records with only a partial serial number.)

    Sorry for the thread drift. Resume normal traffic on primary channel.
  11. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

  12. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Rudolph are you going to buy it?
  13. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I don’t think it’s for sale. Some guy on FB posted the picture asking for the date of manufacture.
  14. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Shoot, I was hoping you’d get it so we could see some more pictures.
    Rudolph31 likes this.
  15. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Do you think the Browning historian would be able to explain why it has dual numbers?
  16. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    Possibly. It’s the best idea yet.

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