Browning A5 Semi-auto Shotguns

If you’re lucky enough, you’ve fired grandpa’s “humpback” Browning semi-automatic shotgun. It was the miracle of its day. The Browning A5 resembles the humpback, but resemblance is where the similarities end. The A5 has the same sight plane as the original allowing quicker target acquisition and more accurate shooting, but the shotgun is much lighter thanks to lightweight, aircraft-grade aluminum construction.

Equipped with an Inflex II Technology recoil pad, you’ll barely notice the recoil even when firing high energy 12-gauge loads. A state-of-the-art, Invector-DS (Double Seal) choke system allows threaded, interchangeable choke tubes to be swapped. A brass seal keeps dirt and grease out, keeping the threads clean, even with heavy use. This design promotes more uniform shot patterns, with little deformation that scores more hits on rapidly flying birds or clays. The Browning Kinematic Drive System cycles shells from 2 ¾ inch to 3 ½ inches with no adjustment needed. This is an excellent waterfowl gun that withstands the extremes of the sport, but an upland game or target range classic as well.

Just because it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and drops ducks with ease on each trigger bull doesn’t mean the Browning A5 12-gauge Wicked Wing is the same shotgun patented by John Browning 125 years ago. The Browning A5 was the most complex gun of the over 30 models invented by John Browning. With pistols and rifles, the cartridge specifications are all similar, in a shotgun that’s rarely true. The light loads used for clays cycle differently than .00 Buckshot or BB when hunting deer, turkey or geese.

Browning’s original design utilized a long recoil design that allowed the shotgun to fire different charged shells in the same chamber. The Wicked Wing uses an inertia-driven system that is much simpler in design, and more effective with fewer jammed shells. The new A5 uses a delivery system similar to a Benelli and is available in steel and synthetic camo designs, creating a versatile, all-weather shotgun that can withstand the subzero extremes of a winter goose hunt, or the heavy action on a hot afternoon firing hundreds of shells in a shooting competition.

Take the weight of a 20-gauge and add almost the same shot pattern as a 12-gauge and you have what many call the “Gentleman’s Gun” in a 16-gauge shotgun. 16-gauge shotguns reached their peak in the 1940s and 50s but they’ve experienced a resurgence recently. Browning answered this demand with the A5 Sweet Sixteen. Whether shooting clays, hunting upland game over dogs or waterfowl hunting on a frosty morning, this is a quality shotgun for all those venues.

It’s not just a retooled version of their popular 12-gauge A5 but an entirely new platform with a lot of new features. Browning’s proprietary Kinematic drive is recoil-generated using exhaust gases to quickly and efficiently cycle the 16-gauge shells. A 100,000 or five-year guarantee ensures years of trouble-free action. The shotgun is ergo balanced with a slim forearm that places the bore closer to your hand for improved accuracy. Speed load plus automatically chambers the first round as soon as it's loaded. Rounding out all those features is the longer sight plane that all A5 shotguns offer.

Specs:

• Gauge: 12, 16
• Action: Inertia semiauto
• Capacity: 4+1
• Chokes: 5 extended Invector DS
• Barrel: Flat vent rib, white middle, fiber optic front bead
• Barrel Lengths: 26 and 28 inches (tested)
• Finish: Camo and Cerakote
• Length: 49 5/8 inches
• Length of Pull: 14 ¼ inches (length spacers included)
• Trigger Pull: 6.9 pounds
• Overall Weight: 6.8 pounds

Features:

• Versatile, fast cycling, recoil-operated
• Lightweight aluminum alloy receiver
• Kinematic Drive System
• Cycles 2-3/4" to 3-1/2" shells
• Inflex II Technology recoil pad
• Invector-DS choke tubes