Browning Auto-5 Light Owner's Manual
Service or Repair
If your firearm should require service or repairs, we suggest you first contact a local
recommended Browning Firearms Service
Center. Contact your Browning sporting
goods dealer or call our Service Department for the address of the Service Center
nearest you. Otherwise, you may send
your firearm directly to our own Service
Department. For technical questions about
your firearm or service call our Service
Department.
Browning Service Department
One Browning Place commerce regulations.
Arnold, Missouri 6301 0-9406
Phone: 1-800-322-4626
Canadian Customers call or write:
Browning Canada Sports Ltd./Ltee,
561 7 Chemin St-François
St-Laurent, Quebec H4S 1 W6
Phone: (514) 333-7261
When returning your firearm for servicing,
you must do the following:
a. Be sure it is completely unloaded.
b. Package it securely in a cardboard
container.
c. Enclose a letter with your firearm
that clearly describes the trouble
experienced and the repairs or
alterations desired.
d. If convenient, send a copy of the
letter to us separately.
e. Never return ammunition with your
firearm. It is against postal and most
If you have any questions about this
manual or about any other Browning
products, call or write our Consumer
Information Department:
Browning Consumer Information
One Browning Place
Morgan, Utah 84050-9326
Phone: (801) 876-2711
5 After leading has been removed, the bore
should be wiped dry with a clean patch, and
then a lightly oiled patch run through it for
9 The barrel and action should be inspected to
assure that all cleaning patches have been
removed and not inadvertently left in the bar-
preservation. rel or action.
6 If the gun has been exposed to much dust,
dirt, mud or water, the principal working
parts should be wiped clean and lubricated
with a light film of oil. Browning Oil is recommended.
7 The magazine tube on the Automatic-5
should be wiped clean of all dirt and grit, and
then lubricated lightly with an oiled patch.
The friction pieces should be assembled according to the loads to be used, as covered
previously.
8 Reassemble barrel and wipe all exposed
metal surfaces with an oiled cloth making
sure to wipe gun clean of all finger marks
10 The wood surfaces can also be wiped with
Browning Oil or they can be polished with
any quality furniture wax (but not both).
DO NOT TAKE YOUR GUN’S ACTION APART.
This is a specialized, finely fitted mechanism;
and you may mar it for life by an attempt to
remove the inner mechanism. It is unnecessary, and may do damage to the inner mechanism, to disassemble it for routine cleaning
and oiling. Of course, misfortunes (such as
dropping your gun in water) require appropriate attention, and in such circumstances
we recommend you immediately take your
gun to a competent gunsmith.
where moisture will accumulate.
Important Warning
DISCHARGING FIREARMS IN POORLY VENTILATED AREAS, CLEANING FIREARMS, OR HANDLING
AMMUNITION MAY RESULT IN EXPOSURE TO LEAD AND OTHER SUBSTANCES KNOWN TO CAUSE
BIRTH DEFECTS, REPRODUCTIVE HARM AND OTHER SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY. HAVE ADEQUATE VENTILATION AT ALL TIMES. WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY AFTER EXPOSURE.
VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT —
Adjustment of the sight is controlled by the
screw located on top of the sight, To RAISE the
point of impact, turn the screw in a counterclockwise direction. To LOWER the point of impact, turn the screw in a clockwise direction.
Vertical adjustment is also a process of trial and
error.
CLEANING YOUR AUTO-5
The correct procedure for cleaning your Auto-5
shotgun is as follows:
BE CERTAIN YOUR SHOTGUN’S MAGAZINE,
FEED MECHANISM AND CHAMBER ARE
UNLOADED. PLACE THE “SAFETY” IN THE “ON
SAFE” POSITION AND LOCK THE BOLT TO THE
REAR. ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE SAFETY
GLASSES DURING ALL DISASSEMBLY AND
CLEANING PROCEDURES.
1 Remove the barrel so that it can be cleaned
from the breech end.
2
Using a shotgun cleaning rod with tip and
patch large enough for a snug fit in the bore,
insert the rod and patch in the breech end of
the barrel and run back and forth through the
the bore several times. Remove and wipe the
Invector tube, tube threads and barrel
threads, and lightly oil.
Cleaning and Maintenance Suggestions
PERIODIC OILING —
Ordinary good judgment will indicate that the
metal parts of the gun should receive a light
film of oil after the gun has been exposed to
weather or handling.
Occasionally, a small drop of oil may be placed
on each receiver track in which the breech bolt
and barrel extension guides run during operation (See Figure 16). This will help to relieve
friction and insure smooth operation.
DO NOT POUR LARGE QUANTITIES OF OIL
INTO THE ACTION. A LARGE EXCESS OF OIL
WILL RUN BACK INTO THE WOOD OF THE
STOCK AND CAUSE SOFTENING OF THE
WOOD, WITH CONSEQUENTIAL LOOSENING
OF THE STOCK.
3 Inspect the bore from both ends for leading
by looking through the bore toward light.
Leading will appear as dull longitudinal
streaks and is usually more predominate near
the muzzle and just forward of the chamber.
4 A normal amount of leading can be expected
with today’s high velocity loads and improved
wads but this is not serious. If or when leading should become heavy, it can be removed
with a brass bore brush. Make sure a choke
tube is installed. Spray the bore or the bore
brush with a good powder solvent, and scrub
the bore until leading is removed. To prevent
brass bristles from breaking off, the brush
should be pushed completely through the
bore before being withdrawn.
notch code, make sure your shotgun is fully un-
loaded.
Rim Pattern With Pattern With
Notches Lead Shot Steel Shot
Knurled X-Full Turkey
I Full
Special **
*
CAUTION: DO NOT USE STANDARD INVECTOR
CHOKE TUBES IN BARRELS MARKED
INVECTOR-PLUS. DO NOT USE INVECTOR-PLUS
CHOKE TUBES IN BARRELS MARKED
INVECTOR. FAILURE TO FOLLOW ALL OF THE
ABOVE WARNINGS CAN DAMAGE YOUR GUN
AND CAUSE INJURY TO YOURSELF AND
OTHERS.
Use of Extra Barrels
Your Auto-5 can be made suitable for multiple
shooting conditions merely by changing from
one barrel to another of different choke or
length. On all Browning Automatic-5 shotguns,
barrels of the same gauge and model are completely interchangeable and no special fitting is
required. Thus, by merely buying another barrel, you have acquired the utility of another gun
at a fraction of the cost of a new gun; a duck
gun becomes a fine upland game gun, a pheasant gun becomes a rifled slug deer gun.
II Imp. Modified Full***
III Modified Full***
IIII Imp. Cylinder Modified
IIIII Skeet Imp. Cylinder
No Notches Cylinder Cylinder
Rim Pattern With Pattern With
Notches Lead Shot Steel Shot
I Full
III Modified Imp. Modified
IIII Imp. Cylinder Modified***
IIIII Skeet Modified***
No Notches Cylinder Imp. Cylinder
*Not for use with steel shot. Using an ow-tight choke constriction with steel shot
will result in an ineffective, “blown” pattern
**Extra Full Special with knurled rim and no rim code. Do not use with steel
shot.
***When more than one choke designation is listed for a given steel shot pattern,
use the more open choke listed for high velocity, larger shot size steel shot loads
****Has knurled extension beyond muzzle.
*
NOTE: 3-inch Magnum 12 gauge and 3-inch
Magnum 20 gauge barrels will not fit or work in
a Light 12 gauge or a Light 20 gauge action de-
signed for 2 3/4" shells and vice versa because
the feeding and ejection mechanisms are differ-
ent.
Sight Adjustment for the Buck Special
The Buck Special is equipped with a precision
rear sight which is screw adjustable for both horizontal and vertical correction (See Figure 15).
WINDAGE ADJUSTMENT-
To move point of impact to the RIGHT, loosen
the small screw on the right side of the sight.
Then tighten the small screw on the left side of
the sight, To move point of impact to the LEFT
loosen the small screw on the left side of the
sight and tighten the screw On the right side.
This is a process of trial and error. Make small
adjustments then check the point of impact.
THE INVECTOR CHOKE TUBE SHOULD BE
PERIODICALLY CHECKED TO ASSURE THAT
IT IS TIGHT AND FIRMLY SEATED. BEFORE
CHECKING, FOLLOW THE SAFETY GUIDELINES OUTLINED ABOVE.
Replacement and additional tubes and wrenches
are available from your Browning dealer, or by
writing to:
Browning Consumer Department,
One Browning Place, Morgan, Utah 84050.
801-876-2711.
UNLOADED, AND THE BOLT OR BREECH IS
OPEN! NEVER ATTEMPT TO REMOVE OR
INSTALL A SHOTGUN CHOKING DEVICE ON A
LOADED FIREARM!
Canadian customers please call or write to:
Browning Canada Sports Ltd./Ltee,
5617 Chemin St-Francois,
St-Lament., Quebec, Canada H4S 1W6.
TUBE REMOVAL- (514) 333-7261.
UNLOAD YOUR A-5 FULLY. INSPECT THE
1
CHAMBER, FEED MECHANISM AND MAGAZINE TO MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT CONTAIN ANY SHELLS.
INVECTOR CHOKE TUBE CODE—
To identify individual Invector tubes, refer to
the abbreviated indications on the side of the
2 Open the action, locking it rearward, and
place the “safety” in the “on safe” position.
3 Use the Invector wrench to loosen the tube,
turning it counterclockwise. Finger twist the
tube the rest of the way out of the barrel.
TUBE INSTALLATION-
1
UNLOAD YOUR A-5 FULLY. INSPECT THE
CHAMBER, FEED MECHANISM AND MAGAZINE TO MAKE THEY DO NOT CONTAIN ANY
SHELLS.
2 Open the action and place the “safety” in the
“on safe” position.
3 Before installing a tube, check the internal
choke tube threads in the muzzle, as well as
the threads on the Invector choke tube to be
sure they are clean. Lightly oil the threads
with an oil like Browning Oil.
4 Using your fingers, screw the appropriate
tube into the muzzle end of the barrel, tapered end first, notched end outward. When
it becomes finger-tight, use the invector
choke tube wrench to firmly seat the tube.
tube, or use the identification mark(s) located
on the top rim of each tube. (See Figure 14).
INVECTOR TUBE SELECTION
To help you choose the correct choke tube for
each hunting situation, all Browning Invector
choke tubes are inscribed on the side with the
patterns they produce with both lead and steel
shot. Each Invector tube also has notches in the
top rim of the tube. These notches are a code to
allow you to determine the choke designation
while the tube is installed. Rim notches refer specifically to lead shot. you will need to use the
chart below to cross-reference from lead to steel,
and determine the appropriate tubes for your ammunition and hunting/shooting situation.
Several tubes are supplied with your Browning
shotgun. The tubes listed are also available as ac-
cessories. Remember, Standard Invector and
Invector-Plus tubes are not interchangeable.
Invector-Plus tubes are for Browning guns with
back-bored barrels, such as your new Auto-5.
Older Auto-5 shotguns are Standard Invector. Before removing/installing tubes, or reading the rim
SHOTGUN IS UNLOADED. ALWAYS INSPECT
THE CHAMBER, CARRIER AND MAGAZINE
TUBE TO BE SURE THEY CONTAIN NO
CARTRIDGES. THEN, REMEMBER TO
ALWAYS TREAT ANY GUN AS IF IT WAS
LOADED. AL WA YS HANDLE YOUR SHOTGUN WITH CAUTION.
Operation of the Magazine Cut-off
The magazine cut-off is located at the front end
of the left side of the receiver (See Figure 12).
lnvector Interchangeable Choke System
All current Auto-5 shotguns have barrels that are
threaded to accept the Browning Invector-Plus
Interchangeable Choke System. You may confirm this by glancing on the right side of your
barrel where the specifications are inscribed,
and where the choke markings are normally located. All older Auto-5 models and the Auto-5
Buck Special are conventionally choked. The
word, INVECTOR denotes that the barrel is
This cut-off has the purpose of locking the
shells in the magazine so that they will not feed
into the chamber. This permits you quickly to
change the load in the chamber of the gun without going to the trouble of unloading the whole
magazine. In this way a duck load can quickly
be taken out and a goose load inserted, if the
need arises.
To operate the magazine cut-off, merely pull the
cut-off lever back (See Figure 13). This will lock
the shells in the magazine. Push the cut-off lever
forward when you desire to release the shells in
the magazine so that they will feed automatically as the gun is fired.
With the magazine cut-off in operation, the
chamber empty, and the breech bolt locked in
the rearward position, a shell may be instantly
delivered from the magazine to the chamber by
merely pushing the magazine cut-off forward.
threaded. The degree of choke tube is indicated
twice on each choke tube: Inscribed on the side
of the tube, and indicated with a “notch” code
on the top rim of the tube. Invector Choke
Tubes are made with tempered steel and are
fully compatible with all
(loaded in compliance with SAAMI specifi-
TION
FACTORY AMMUNI-
cations) including magnum lead and steel shot
loads and rifled slug loads.
DO NOT FIRE THIS SHOTGUN WITHOUT HAVING
AN INVECTOR CHOKE TUBE INSTALLED.
Permanent damage may result to the threads,
DO NOT USE BROWNING INVECTOR CHOKE
TUBES IN ANY SHOTGUN BARRELS NOT
SUPPLIED BY BROWNING. ALSO, DO NOT USE
ANY OTHER CHOKING DEVICE IN ANY SHOTGUN BARRELS SUPPLIED BY BROWNING. USE
ONLY CHOKE TUBES MARKED INVECTOR.
CAUTION: WHENEVER HANDLING ANY
SHOTGUN FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING
OR INSTALLING A CHOKING DEVICE, MAKE
ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THE GUN IS FULLY
open, pull rearward on the operating handle
until the breech bolt locks back. The gun is
now ready to load.
2 Hold the gun with either right or left hand at
the grip or forearm as you prefer or are accustomed. With the opposite hand, merely
introduce the front end of the shell into the
under side of the receiver and thrust completely forward as if loading the magazine —
then release the pressure of your thumb.
side of the receiver to close the action. The
bolt release button is still provided to close
the action on an empty chamber, if desired.
CAUTION: DO NOT PRESS THE BOLT
RELEASE BUTTON AND LET THE BOLT
SLAM HOME WITH THE BARREL REMOVED
FROM THE ACTION.
When the barrel is installed, the breech bolt
stops against the barrel extension, preventing
any damage. With the barrel removed, however, the operating handle will forcefully
strike the front edge of the ejection port causing damage to the receiver. If you wish to
close the bolt with the barrel removed, be
sure to hold the operating handle as you depress the bolt release button. Let the bolt ride
home slowly.
Unloading Your Auto-5
CAUTION: WHENEVER UNLOADING, ALWAYS BE
CERTAIN THAT THE MUZZLE IS POINTED IN A SAFE
DIRECTION AND THAT THE “SAFETY” IS “ON SAFE’’.
(See Figure 11.) The shell is immediately and
automatically driven rearward, tripping the
feed mechanism, and delivered instantly into
the chamber without further manipulation.
The breech bolt automatically closes during
the loading operation.
THE GUN IS NOW LOADED AND READY FOR
3
FIRING.
To load the magazine, continue the same procedure, slipping shells past the carrier into
the magazine until the latter is full. (Without
the magazine plug, the magazine will hold 4
shells; 2 shells if the plug has been inserted.)
Be sure to insert each shell completely into
the magazine before releasing.
The speed loading system is equally convenient for right or left-hand shooters. The instant delivery of the first shell to the chamber
in one simple operation eliminates entirely
the conventional process of dropping the first
shell into the open receiver port and then
pressing the bolt release button on the right
The recommended way to unload the Auto-5 is
simply to grasp the operating handle and cycle
the action until all rounds are ejected.
ALWAYS lNSPECT THE CHAMBER, ACTlON AND
MAGAZINE VERY CAREFULLY AFTER UNLOADING TO BE SURE ALL LIVE ROUNDS ARE
CLEARED FROM THE GUN.
Breech Remains Open After the Last
Shot
The breech of the Auto-5 remains open after the
last shot has been fired. This allows convenient
and fast reloading as follows:
1 Place the “safety” in the “on safe” position.
2 Drop an appropriate shell into the open
breech.
3 Close the action by depressing the breech-
block release button.
EVEN WITH THE BREECH OPEN AFTER
SHOOTING, DO NOT ASSUME YOUR
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