John Moses Browning developed many models of small arms and proposed a number of technical solutions that are still very popular today. In addition, a number of samples of J. M. Browning and are now in service with various armies, and also continue to be operated by shooters. One such product used to this day is the Browning Auto-5 self-loading smoothbore shotgun. It was the first semiautomatic shotgun in the world that managed to reach mass production.
At the end of the 19th century, armies and amateur shooters mastered new magazine rifles with manual reloading, and automatic systems were just making their first steps. However, this did not stop designers from trying to create systems of completely new classes. In the business of creating self-loading smoothbore guns, J. M. Browning. He created the first version of the new project at the very end of the century.
Work on promising topics began in 1898, and soon Browning prepared design documentation for a new model. He soon assembled a prototype gun and tested it in practice. Over the next few years, two more variants of the project appeared, which were also tested using prototype guns. Three versions of the weapon were supposed to use rifle cartridges with smokeless powder and work by rolling back the barrel with a long stroke, however, there were noticeable differences in the design of these samples.
General view of the late release Browning Auto-5 from FN. Photo Wikimedia Commons
Based on the test results of three experimental guns, the designer settled on the latest version. It differed from its predecessors in high performance and better design. It was decided to bring it to serial production. After a short improvement, the self-loading rifle project was completed and offered to a potential manufacturer. In addition, the designer filed a number of applications for registration of inventions and received four patents.
A little later, after the start of mass production, the new gun received the symbol Browning Auto-5. This name reflected the possibility of automatic reloading, and the figure denoted a ready-to-use ammunition load in the form of four cartridges in the store and one in the chamber.
The new semiautomatic shotgun was developed using the experience of creating other systems with manual reloading. In particular, the overall layout was generally borrowed from other designs. It was proposed to attach the barrel and the tubular magazine to the front of the receiver, on which the forend was located. A butt of the required shape was attached to the rear of the box. This architecture of the gun, among other things, allowed a number of upgrades to be carried out in the future, affecting the ergonomics of the system without significant changes to the internal mechanics.
Belgian-made rifle and spare barrel. Photo Icollector.com
The main part of the weapon, intended for the installation of other mechanisms, was the receiver, made in the form of an assembly with a rectangular bottom and a rounded top. An inclined tube extends from the rear wall of the box, which served as a casing of the return spring. In the front wall of the box there were holes for installing the barrel and the store, and instead of the bottom, it was proposed to mount the frame of the firing mechanism and the receiving device of the store. On the right wall of the box, a window was provided for ejecting spent cartridges with a small spruce in the back.
The Browning Auto-5 shotgun received a smooth barrel with a length of 711 mm. In the breech of the barrel, a special pad was attached to interact with other weapon mechanisms. In the central part of the barrel there was a ring for contact with the return spring. The cylindrical recoil spring of the barrel, in turn, had to be put on the magazine body and be inside the forend. The barrel rollback system provided means for additional braking. A ring with a variable section should have been in contact with the head of the return spring. The barrel ring, advancing on the conical part of the spring ring, was supposed to compress it and increase the grip with the magazine body. The change in the design of the braking system made it possible to relatively quickly and easily adapt the self-loading rifle for different ammunition.
Advertising of the "Auto-5" rifle in the Russian catalog, 1910. Photo World.guns.ru
Under the barrel of J. M. Browning placed a tubular magazine with a simple design. It had a cylindrical body of the required diameter, on the front of which a thread for a cover was provided. The supply of cartridges was to be carried out using a pusher and a coil spring, placed in front of the store. The equipment of the store was made through a window on the bottom of the gun, covered with a spring-loaded cover. A wooden U-shaped handguard was attached to the gun on top of the store. Browning Auto-5 shotguns of some series received a special lever on the left front of the receiver. When turning, it blocked the movement of cartridges from the magazine to the feeder, which made it possible to quickly change the ammunition without full and long-term magazine equipment.
The bolt of the gun was made in the form of a metal block of complex shape. The bolt contours were calculated so that it could fit tightly with the rear barrel lining. Also, on the bolt, a means of coupling with the barrel was provided in the form of a set of levers and a swinging larva. Inside the bolt there was a cylindrical channel for the drummer and the mainspring. With its rear part, the shutter should have been in contact with a return spring placed in a tubular casing. For cocking the weapon, you should use the bolt handle, brought out to the right side of the gun.
The Auto-5 shotgun received a hammer-type firing mechanism. All the main units of this device were located in the lower rear part of the receiver. The USM design provided for the cocking of the course, followed by its descent with the help of a hook brought out to the lower part of the weapon. A movable safety button was placed at the rear of the trigger bracket. With its help, it was possible to block the movement of USM parts and thereby prevent an unwanted shot.
Shotgun diagram from the user manual. Figure Stevespages.com
The first project of J. M. Browning provided for equipping the gun with wooden fittings. The forend was used, fixed under the barrel and magazine, as well as a buttstock with a pistol protrusion. In the neck of the butt, it was proposed to make a channel of a small diameter that goes deep into the part. It was supposed to house the casing of the shutter return spring.
The basic version of the Auto-5 gun received a 12-gauge barrel (18.5 mm) and could use the appropriate cartridges for smooth-bore systems. In the future, weapon options were created, designed for other ammunition. The rifles were produced with barrels of 16 and 20 calibers. The possibility of creating such modifications was due to the successful automation, which could be adapted to use different cartridges with different characteristics.
Incomplete disassembly of the gun. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The gun received the simplest sights in the form of an open mechanical sight placed above the front of the receiver, and a front sight above the muzzle of the barrel.
With a barrel length of 711 mm, the basic modification had a total length of 1270 mm and weighed 4.1 kg. Subsequently, design improvements and alteration of various units have repeatedly led to changes in dimensions and weight. Some modifications were shorter and lighter than the base shotgun, others were larger and heavier.
The principles of operation of the automation of the new self-loading rifle were quite simple. At the same time, the Browning Auto-5 project was a real breakthrough in the development and construction of small arms. The ideas laid down in it were later repeatedly used in the creation of new guns, both modifications of "Auto-5", and independent developments.
L23A1 shotgun used by the British Army. Photo World.guns.ru
Preparing the gun for firing was fairly straightforward. The magazine was equipped with a spring-loaded window on the lower surface of the receiver. Four rounds were to be loaded into the store in sequence (in the basic configuration of the 12 gauge). After that, the mechanisms were cocked by pulling the bolt handle back and returning it back. By disconnecting the fuse, it was possible to start shooting.
Pulling the trigger set the trigger, which hit the drummer and fired a shot. Under the action of recoil, the barrel, coupled with the bolt, had to move backward, compressing both return springs. Due to the specific design of the barrel rollback system, some absorption of the recoil impulse was made with a reduction in the speed of the units. After passing a distance equal to the length of the spent cartridge case, the automatics uncoupled the bolt and the barrel, after which the latter could return to the extreme forward position.
During the movement of the barrel forward, the spent cartridge case was removed from the chamber. After complete extraction, the sleeve was thrown out through a window in the wall of the box. At the same time, the hammer was cocked and the striker was retracted to a neutral position. Then the spring-loaded feeder had to push the new cartridge out of the magazine onto the dispensing line. Under the action of its own return spring, the bolt had to go forward, push the cartridge into the chamber and re-engage with the barrel. After that, the gun was ready for another shot.
A rifle on a machine, designed for training shooters. Photo World.guns.ru
Initially J. M. Browning planned that the promising Auto-5 self-loading rifle would be produced by Winchester, which had already produced many samples of its development. However, the head of the company T. J. Bennett refused to enter into a contract for the production of a gun. This decision had two marketing and economic prerequisites. Winchester's management doubted the prospects for the new weapon. In addition, for the first time in the history of joint work, the designer refused to simply sell the project and demanded a percentage of the sales of serial guns. All this did not suit the leaders of the arms company, which led to the termination of cooperation with J. M. Browning.
Further, the designer offered his development to Remington, however, this time the contract was not concluded. The emergence of the contract was prevented by the unexpected death of the head of the company and the subsequent change of leadership. J. M. Browning again had to look for a potential manufacturer of the world's first self-loading rifles.
In 1902, the gunsmith proposed a new system to the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale, which was already producing pistols of his design. Belgian businessmen were interested in the proposal, which resulted in the emergence of a new contract and the further deployment of mass production. At the same time, an interesting story happened, which showed the fallacy of T. J. Bennett. For his own money J. M. Browning ordered a shipment of 10,000 new shotguns, which he sent to the United States. In about a year, all the guns were sold out, which showed the real prospects for self-loading weapons. Sales in Europe also generated a lot of interest from shooters.
Remington Model 11 shotgun of American production. Photo Wikimedia Commons
In 1906, official Washington raised import duties on small arms, which had a significant impact on the market. Not wanting to lose a lucrative business, J. M. Browning and Fabrique Nationale decided to license the Auto-5 shotgun to the American company Remington. Shortly thereafter, a new shotgun called the Browning Model 11 entered the United States market. There were some minor details about the base system. In particular, American-made guns were not equipped with a cartridge feed blocking system.
The main operators of the new guns were hunters and sports shooters. The ability to fire multiple shots without the need for constant manual reloading has become a noticeable advantage over other guns of a similar class. Such advantages often became a decisive factor in the purchase, capable of leveling out a noticeable difference in price.
In addition, self-loading rifles attracted the attention of several armies. For example, in the interwar period, a significant number of Belgian-made Auto-5 rifles were acquired by the British army. After analyzing the experience of the First World War, in which some armies used "trench brooms", the British military decided to strengthen the infantry units with self-loading rifles. In the British army, Browning Auto-5 guns were designated L23A1. During the Second World War, these weapons were actively used in various operations, primarily in the fight against Japanese troops in Southeast Asia. Shotguns remained in service after the Second World War.
Remington Mod. 11 shotgun diagram. Figure Okiegunsmithshop.com
An interesting way of using the guns of J. M. Browning, used in the US military aviation. The shotguns were mounted on special machines imitating the machine-gun mounts of bombers, which made it possible to carry out initial training of shooters. This approach made it possible to work out the aiming of weapons with significant savings in ammunition. A number of Auto-5 rifles have also been used in the infantry for a long time.
From time to time, both manufacturing companies carried out modernization of the self-loading rifle in order to improve performance, simplify operation, reduce the cost of production, etc. In addition, variants of "Auto-5" were created, designed for new cartridges of different calibers. Like the base system, the new modifications attracted the attention of customers and were sold in large quantities.
According to reports, the Browning Auto-5 family shotguns were produced by Fabrique Nationale and Remington for several decades, almost throughout the 20th century. During this time, more than two million guns of all variants and modifications were produced. So, Belgian gunsmiths, with constant upgrades, produced Browning Auto-5 guns until 1974, after which production was transferred under license to the Japanese company Miroku. Japanese shotgun licenses were produced until the late nineties. American production continued until 1967, and at the end of the forties, the modernized Model 11-48 shotgun was released on the market, featuring a lightweight design and the shape of various parts.
Marking on the Remington rifle. Photo Rockislandauction.com
Already at the very beginning of the last century, shortly after the start of production, J. M. Browning has attracted the attention of potential buyers. In addition, over time, this development interested other gunsmiths. As a result, several new shotguns, based on the Auto-5 mechanics, but produced by other firms, entered the market. These or those copies or converted versions of the J. M. Browning cards are still being produced and have a certain distribution.
Back in the late 19th century, J. M. Browning managed to develop the world's first self-reloading smoothbore gun. This sample soon became the first representative of its class, put into a series and entered the market. Finally, the Browning Auto-5 holds another record. These weapons were produced for almost 100 years without significant design modifications: all changes concerned only individual parts and did not affect automation. Thus, the designer J. M. Browning managed to create in every sense a unique and outstanding weapon.
