Browning A5 16 gauge question

[joepamjohn]

I have never owned a 16 gauge shotgun. I recently picked a very old (1928) Browning A5. I want to shoot it but am not sure if it is a 2 9/16" or 2 3/4" barrel since there are no markings..

A 16 gauge shell fits in the barrel but I want to make sure there is enough room left before the forcing cone to accomodate the opening shell when fired.

Will a 2 3/4" in shell chamber in a 2 9/16" barrel.

Anyone know?

[G17GUY]

if it is still 2-9/16 it will chamber the longer shell, but when fired and the hull opens up you will find it wedged into the barrel area beyond the chamber.

Try loading a fired shell and see if you get much resistance as the chamber length is that of a fired cartridge.

[BSlacker]

The barrel removes very easy. Just take it off and measure.

[Shotgun Man]

The barrel removes very easy. Just take it off and measure.

The OP's question does not relate to removing the barrel. It is a question about chamber length. Your response is irrelevant.

[Thefeeder]

16

A-5 16ga from this time line were made with 2 9/16 chambers. A lot were recut to 2 3/4. There is a thread at shotgunworld.com that covers this in detail. Go to the Browning thread and look for "How to quickly tell if a 2 9/16 gun was converted to 2 3/4" . BTW recut 16ga are rendered shooters with little or no collector value

[joepamjohn]

Thanks for the replies. I found a fired shell at the range yesterday and while it chambers in the barrel, it will not eject from the reciever when I pull the bolt handle back. It seems to be too long. I suppose that explains it. The gun must be 2 9/16".