Rhodesian Browning A5 Combat Shotgun

buffalowinter

buffalowinter

Freer of the Oppressed
Full Member
Minuteman
Supporter
Mar 17, 2014
3,737
13,753
106
Llano, TX
#1
One of my current projects is a copy of the Rhodesian Browning A5 Combat Shotgun.

The original 12ga Browning as used by the Rhodesian Army.

My pre-WWII Browning A5 donor gun.


My gun will have an early "Heads Up" optic as used in the P-51 Mustang gun sight.






In progress




 
#4
The gun cost $500 on Gunbroker...hardly a collectors item. The stock was in good condition for it's age but still had a small carck in the forend. I sold the stock on ebay for $200, bringing my total investment to $300. The replacement stock and forends in the photos are modern replacements. The extended forearm is made by grafting two forends together . The extension tube is custom made by myself . The gun, if I decide to sell it, would be worth around 1.5K. I built one that is a copy of the Rhodesian A5 but is based on a Remington model 11, much like the one in Ian's video below.

Remington type Rhodesian A5

Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.

My Rhodesian A5 using a Remington 11 rather than Browning A5.






 
Last edited:
#5
Remington Model 11 Rhodesian type Combat Shotgun. 12 gauge, walnut stock and forend, Nydar Holo sight, 10 round capacity.
Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.
 
#11
@sirhrmechanic It wouldn’t happen to be Tim Bax would it? I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about the Bush War and finished Three Sips of Gin a few weeks ago. It’s one of my favorite military history books now.

The Bush War (and really a lot of the post colonial conflict in Africa) is fascinating to learn about. One of the reasons this project is so cool.
 
#14
Yes, the Nydar sight is pretty cool and has gained a huge reputation through the gaming world for the Call of Duty types.

The Nydar Shotgun Sight gained fame in 1945 for its use on… well, shotguns. This was a remarkably simple contraption, converting Howard’s closed design into a more modern open reflex configuration. Attached to a strip of metal a few inches long, the sight consisted of a front glass roughly an inch and a half in diameter. Back at the rear of the mounting apparatus, a small prism and reticle sat open to the sun. With sufficient ambient light, the reticle would be reflected up onto the forward glass. Unfortunately, this only worked with ambient light that was bright enough - good news in a desert, not so useful in the jungle.
I have a battleworn Galil coming tomorrow and I am going to put one of the earliest LED reflector sights, aka red dot, on it. The sight is an Elbit red dot sight and was used by the Israeli army. Very hard to find, mine came out of Turkey. I'll have to make the mount for it.

Elbit sight on Israeli Galil, circa1998






Working on making the elongated forearm for the browning A5.


 
#15
I remember a knock off of romancing the stone in the 80's.
Can't remember the name of it, but the guy carried a full auto shotgun.
I believe it was an auto 5, but I wouldn't swear to it.
 
#16
I did not see any of these floating around but not doubting they were used. Could have been an ammo issue.
Post war the country was flooded with FAL’s and of course AK’s.
 
#23
Hey, I was reading this thread and thought this was super sweet. I may come into possession of a 1961 A5 that I would like to do the same thing to. Where did you find the long 8 shot tube? I know an extension won't work do to how things the wood would be. Also, were either of your guns engraved?
 
#24
I built the tube myself by modifying a Briley extension tube. The Rem 11 was engraved and I just ground it off when re-finishing. The early browning A5's had no engraving so I used one of them.
 
#27
Extended springs came with the extended mag tubes I used. You can probably buy an extended spring from Briley or Brownell's.
www.briley.com/p-61293-tubular-magazine-springs.aspx

View Larger Image
E-mail this product to a friend
Options: 40 Inches 45 Inches 60 Inches
Price: $14.99
SKU:TSPA-29
Quantity:

40+ Years in Business
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Largest Manufacturer of Chokes
The tubular magazine springs are available in three lengths: 40, 45 and 60 inches.

The 40 inch spring is suitable for all Briley extensions up to plus 6. The spring may require trimming on some of the shorter extensions.

The 45 inch spring is recommended for use in the regular plus 8 carbon extension.

The 60 inch spring is recommended for use in the longer dedicated 12 shot or more extensions.

These springs can be trimmed to reduce the amount of force required to insert cartridges into the magazine however it is recommended that they initially be sed in their full length as they will take a set thereby reducing their overall length. Trim in small amounts. A spring that is too short will not eject the last few cartridges efficiently out of the magazine resulting in failure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts