Just got an Auto 5!

[Nihonto Chicken]

And thank you for the parts info; my only issue now is finding a screwdriver that can fit those outrageously thin crew slots...grr.

Am I right in thinking that bolt removal is suicidally difficult (for someone who knows as little about the gun as I do)?

There is a hairline crack in the back of the forend, which i think i may just squeeze some wood glue into.

Of course, when i took it apart, it looks like the brass friction disk was on backwards, so maybe that's why there was a crack and a need for a pad!

I recommend getting a set of hollow ground bits, such as made by Chapman (link to Midway, no relation: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=510765). Chapman bits aren't ground back very far (may not reach bottom on deeply cut slots) and they tend to be a bit brittle (see Reviews), so you might Google up another maker. I have an old red leatherette case set that has worked okay for me.

Detail stripping an A-5/Model 11/Model 720 is generally agreed to be difficult, something I haven't tried myself. Some people have the knack, but it seems that more wish they hadn't tried.

Humpbacks are notorious for fore end cracks at both ends and stock cracks at the receiver. Just putting glue in the crack will very possibly result in it just opening up again. It would help to laminate on the inside a thin piece of fiberglass or carbon fiber cloth, but this is tricky, there's not a lot of clearance in there. A number of companies make replacement fore ends and stocks, but the stocks generally won't fit (are made for the newer, shorter tang A-5 models). The standard (not magnum) fore ends should all fit okay. Here's a link to Midway (the Ram-Line synthetic set is relatively cheap, but I don't think the stock will fit your old model):

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=8&categoryId=11594&categoryString=649***20766***9215***11592***

Again a link to Numrich:

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=5385

The most cost effective fore end I've yet found is the Numrich plain walnut shock resistant model (haven't ordered one yet):

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Detail.aspx?pid=584130A&catid=5385

Good fortune in getting the old girl back into action!

[Ergo the Qualmed]

Qwik Range Report!

Alright, well, I was able to shim the stock (I think the looseness comes from wood shrinkage, as it could very slightly nudge in all directions) so it was pretty solid.

Then I went to the local trap range, ran 25rds of #8 low-brass lead shot through it.

WOW!

I was hitting 4/5 birds every round (except for the first one), and the recoil was nonexistent! I set it in the high-powered ammo friction setting to be safe, and sure enough i had to hand cycle it.

It was odd, as I swear I could feel the distinct movement of the barrel. Took some getting used to, but it kicks sooo softly. Maybe that will change when I set it on the low-power setting (and it cycles haha), but still, it was great.

Makes the Beretta autoloader I used at a trap lesson seem extremely crude and brutish heehehheeheeeee.

[BigDogatPlay]

Cabelas sells replacement stocks and fore ends for A5. There are other sources for more expensive, or fancier, replacement wood, but if it's a pure shooter, the Cabelas replacement wood makes a decent bargain.

Feeling the barrel move is not uncommon, at least from my own experience shooting a Remington 11. Given that you've got a fairly substantial pad on the stock, with low base 8's the gun should be very pleasant to shoot. Setting the rings for high base shells would soften it up as well, but as you discovered it won't cycle.

[Ergo the Qualmed]

One thing that became apparent today, is that I cannot seem to load the magazine.

The loading gate/lifter, for whatever reason, seems as if it will not budge. At all. And yet, if the bolt is open and I hit the release button, it kicks up the loading gate/lifter thing perfectly well. But I cannot make it open with my thumb, much less a shotshell hull. So I cannot load shells through the bottom into the magazine.

Any ideas?

NVM: it would appear that the loading gate is locked by the bolt release button, and that I can move the loading gate/bottom load it just fine if i depress the release button while doing so. Sorry, new to autoloading shotguns in general, more used to pumps.

[para-frame]

As you have found out, the lifter is a one piece design found on pre 1957ish auto 5s.

don't be afraid to LIGHTLY lube the mag tube to get it to cycle while set for heavy shells when shooting light loads.

I have never heard of A5s being prone to bolt cracking, that is pretty much a model 11 problem when people shoot them with improper friction ring setups and missing/denigrated fiber recoil buffers (the rivet used to hold the fiber buffer in place smashes the back of the bolt when the fiber buffer isn't covering it, the A5 does not have a fiber buffer/rivet.)
I kind of have a recoil operated shotgun fetish so I am a wealth of marginally useful information on them.

Your gun was made before 1939, probably in the late 20s or early 30s, very little information on year of manufacture based on SN remain as most of it was lost or destroyed during WWII.

[Sicarius]

Welcome to the humpback club! Nice score.
Kevin