roxymajor

Great stuff Kurt! I wish I would have kept track of my M1 over the last 22 years. 1000s of 3gun loads, duck loads and a few turkey loads. Thanks for all your posts! Happy Birthday.

The Auto Load feature works like a champ on the A5! 90% percent of the shotguns I modify for 3gun are now Browning A5's. Out of all the A5's I have done, none have gone back to their Versa, M2 or Beretta that I know of. Not only does it help with bolt lock, it really changes the stage planning when you can shoot that extra round, run dry, and move and load to the next array of targets with out missing a beat. I now have about 5-6k of rounds through mine with no problems. Joseph Guthrie and Joesph Pitha probably have about that many through theirs. I am guessing that Greg Jordon has ??,000 through his. Greg

This should help. This is a HK m1 with M2 bbl. i'm 90% sure that's a M2 forearm I had to purchase to get it to jive. Greg Brown BigBorePerformance.com

Wear safety glasses. Remove the roll pin in the plug area of the tube. Place a small punch in the oil hole (to keep spring compressed and prevent spring launch (into a box pile that you will never find again ) Unscrew the plug with the punch keeping the spring compressed. Aim the tube in safety direction, place gloved hand over tube, release spring by pulling out punch.

My latest rule of thumb is 10+1 for 3gun matches and 12+1 for shotgun only matches. There usually are not 10+ target arrays and you usually have time to reload on the move between arrays. Don't forget it is a lot harder to ground a 12/14+ tube gun in a dump barrel (had a good buddy go home with a 14 tube came back out of a barrel).

Better to load... longer load port. Customized one this year with Cerakote. Not many people want to pay the extra $100-150 for a slightly heavier gun than a M2 . I recommend NOT trying to shoot light loads with the SBEII. Shoot HIGH QUALITY standard loads (1 1/8 oz 1200fps) or hotter. My opinion is the 24" SBEII is a better choice for 2 & quad loaders than the M2. The only real disadvantage is you can't run lighter loads reliably without spending some more money. Fact is, MOST pro shotgunners are shooting 1200fps+ 1 1/8oz OR hotter.

Here is a SBEII in two color Cerakote with a 10 round Nordic I did last month. Most are going to 10 and 12 tubes because of deuce and quad loading off the start. As you can see in the pic you will need a clamp for tube support with a 10 round tube on a SBE, even with an extended choke, the tube is still out in front of the barrel (not a big deal, but that is a factor that some care about). So I would recommend a 9 tube (shorter than barrel, no clamp needed), 10 tube with clamp (longer but you can 2-load off the start) or 12 tube with clamp (quad-load off the start, but a little less maneuverable in close quarters). Greg B.

A5's are mostly what I work on at Big Bore Performance.com. While not a complete "game changer", the A5 has all the attributes of the M2 (except maybe the proven history of 10,000s of rounds) AND the A5 has a lot more to offer. The Auto-Load feature will save you some time on the clock and give you a lot more options on the way you can shoot shoot a particular stage. It is a huge advantage in a shotgun match. A slight advantage in a 3 gun match (depending on the stages). Their are still pros that are arguing that the A5 is not an advantage over the M2 (the are some post out there). The only problem with that is the you have to be a TOP pro to mitigate the A5 auto-load advantage (like not miss any targets and have godly dry reload skills). Most "newer" shooters can get by with a good machined loading port job, front sight, extension tube, and welded lifter. I suggest the 10 round tube because it is shorter than the 26" barrel and you don't need a clap (even better with an extended choke tube). Also get a 12 tube if you do shotgun matches. Most "Pros" also want a rear sight, trigger job, Match Savzer, and sometimes Cerakote. I have talked with Greg Jordan on the A5, he had an aggressive port job and factory lifter (not welded) (2 years ago). One of my shooters recently said he put in a FNH SLP bolt release spring (i have not tried yet). Greg? I would defiantly get the lifter welded ( I still remember my thumbnail scar ). Loading the A5 is very different from the Benelli. The lower hand guard allows you to "stroke past the port opening" very easily after a good port job. Loading a Benelli is more "poking"... if that makes sense. Stroking vs. Poking! .. were still talking about shotguns. I hope that answered your questions. I posted this on another thread.... Stalker A5 vs M2 Advantages---- compared to most shotguns. ++++ auto load feature HUGE FEATURE, especially in shotgun only match. +++ low profile forearm GREAT FOR QUAD LOADERS. +++ under 7 pounds with 10rd Nordic tube. (The official Browning weight is way off! ). ++ the tube mouth is pretty close to the bottom of the forearm ++ you can mill past the shell stop quite a ways. ++ shell catch has nice unload feature, great for practicing. + rubber coating is nice. (My opinion). + POA/poi good (the ones I have seen). + 4 round length forearm + Brownelli (inertia recoil system) +cleaning vs gas. Disadvantages---- --recoil stiffer than gas op systems --Not a proven design with long durability like Benelli. -- shortest barrel is 26" - shell catch is a little quirky after adding 8-10 rds in tube.

Greg Jordan - Browning A5 Joe PItha - Just won 3GN regional this weekend -Browning A5

XL end cap would let you shoot a couple of matches that only let you have eight in the tube (take back off). I suggest you get a 10 round extension if you are a two- or quad loader. You can then load two after the beep and start shooting with 11 in the gun when appropriate.

I turn out a lot of A5s and they are pretty on poa/poi with the factory sights. They shoot a little high at 50 yards, windage dead on. After trying different slugs... How did it shoot WITHOUT the Gobble-dots sights? The original question is, did it shoot that left with the original factory sight? Can you take off "Gobble-dot" sights and test. If still that bad with original sights, CALL BROWNING!

Next time anyone uses Tannernite on a target, make it the last target on the stage! End with a bang!

Great match Rockcastle! Thanks to all the sponsors, staff, and ROs. Great prize table!

Yes, but ROs thanks for shooting in the rain :-)

I ROed the Blue Ridge 3gun last fall in Doe Valley, THAT WAS A MUD PIT! 3 days of mud! Best run with style was Travis Gibson in his muck boots. I didn't think it was humanly possible to run that fast with muck rubber boots.

I have 3 cases of Winchester AAs 1145 fps- 1 1/8oz red, I would like to sell or trade. $7 per box/case price. Trade for AA 1200+ fps or Rem STS 1200+fps. UPC codes are cut out. I will bring to the match.

On OPTION 2 start, Can you put one on the lifter? 8.1.1.2 Loaded (Option 2): magazine filled and fitted (if applicable), chamber(s) empty and the action closed.

I shot a M1 pistol grip 18.5" with rifle sights for 4 years before going to a Versa and then last year to a Browning A5. I've worked on many M1s and pistol grips. If you have a pistol grip stock, I would get the Taran Tac light recoil spring. This always help reliability and eliminated a lot of issues after installing an extended lifter. If you have rifle sights, paint the center slots in bright orange. The miniature bottles of plastic model paint in orange work great and stay on after solvents. Get a matchsaverZ . Oversize bolt release. Greg

I've been way to technical in my explanation of the advantages of the A5. WELL SAID! Shipped 5 port/lifter jobs out the last couple of weeks. Shooters are finally catching on. Time to go weld some more lifters!

Weather looking good! We will have 5 great multi-gun stages.

The best balanced shotgun is the pistol grip Benelli M1/2 18.5 inch barrel rifle sights with a 10 tube ( yea that's an opinion). (pic 1 in burnt bronze). Pic 2 The Browning A5 with 10 round tube, UNDER 7 lbs. Has everything the Benelli M2 does plus shoots faster out of box, 2 and quad loads easier, needs less custom work and has the auto-load feature. Yet the A5 still gets no respect on this forum except when someone points out Greg Jordan uses it.

A lot of the pros are using pistol type rear sights milled into the front of the rib....Or adjustable in-rib....

Unlike the Vmax or Benelli M2 or FN or any other self loading shotgun worth using....The part you are modifying is NOT theserial numbered part! It is a forend/trigger housing/ mag tube hanger. And is replaceable if you really get out of control. The Super Vinci is a better choice as it has the "speed bolt" and will run just fine with 3 dram 1 1/8 oz ammo. The regular Vinci 3" has a speedbolt option. The SUPER is the 3.5" and does not. Mr. Kelly knows this, just a typo. If you did want to have the speedbolt modified to run in a 3.5", I know a guy that has done it... No not I. I would definitely be interested in that, perhaps not right away but as I get more int the sport. Could get get me his info? You can PM me if you are serious about having a Super Vinci with a speed bolt.

Unlike the Vmax or Benelli M2 or FN or any other self loading shotgun worth using....The part you are modifying is NOT the serial numbered part! It is a forend/trigger housing/ mag tube hanger. And is replaceable if you really get out of control. The Super Vinci is a better choice as it has the "speed bolt" and will run just fine with 3 dram 1 1/8 oz ammo. The regular Vinci 3" has a speedbolt option. The SUPER is the 3.5" and does not. Mr. Kelly knows this, just a typo. If you did want to have the speedbolt modified to run in a 3.5", I know a guy that has done it... No not I.