Autoloading Shotguns at Winchester
John Browning may have begun working on an automatic shotgun as early as 1894. However, the first known prototype was completed in November 1898. This first design was short recoil, similar to the machine gun also being developed by Browning at that time, and utilized a toggle lock. Browning took the prototype to Winchester, who after heated negotiations agreed to produce the gun under royalty agreements like those he had with Colt’s and FN.
The design was submitted for patent May 1899. During development of Browning’s first automatic shotgun the design underwent minor, but constant, revision. The shotgun proved to be unreliable, with several parts prone to wear or failure which would cause the gun to fire unintentionally. Additionally, it became the focus of a patent lawsuit between John Browning and Georg Luger. The dispute delayed the patent application, which wasn’t granted until 1903.
While his toggle-lock design was languishing within the walls of Winchester, Browning developed another autoloading design, based on a long-recoil action. Prototype models were completed during 1899 for both a shotgun and a rifle. These prototypes were also taken to Winchester. With the ongoing failure and expense of the toggle-lock shotgun, Winchester was not interested in the idea of another experimental automatic design. Patents were prepared as usual, but negotiations for purchase would be dragged out for nearly two years. Although Winchester would not commit to producing the new designs, Browning did not sit idle and continued development of all three prototypes.
US Patent 659507, submitted February 1900. Browning’s first long recoil patent features a sliding breach-block with a central vertical locking block which engages an extension of the barrel. Unlike the toggle-lock shotgun, this design utilizes an internal hammer. The fire control group would be used on all subsequent long recoil designs. One unique feature of this design is the use of an operating lever housed within the buttstock.
US Patent 659786, submitted June 1900. This patent is the first to illustrate Browning’s long recoil design applied to a rifle, but shows a developmental step taken in both shotgun and rifle prototypes. The operating lever assembly is replaced by a simple and more ergonomic charging handle, again housed within the lower face of the buttstock.
US Patent 689283, submitted March 1901, showcases the biggest step in development of the autoloading shotgun. The most obvious feature is the charging handle being incorporated into the breech-block. The most significant feature is the use of a split friction ring to help regulate recoil of the barrel. While this friction ring system would evolve slightly it is the heart of what makes the autoloading shotgun reliable and adjustable. Another notable feature is the last patented arrangement of the fire control group.
US Patent 710094, submitted January 1902, is the last major patent for the autoloading shotgun. It primarily covers simplifications to the carrier, charging handle, and locking block assembly. The vertical locking block assembly is greatly simplified and shortened by instead using a single piece tipping block.
During 1902, after nearly a decade, growing tensions between the Browning Brothers and Thomas Bennett of Winchester came to a head. The heart of the matter centered around patent contracts. John Browning had grown frustrated that his designs were not being produced and had begun using royalty agreements to dictate how Winchester could use his designs. Bennett, on the other hand, was accustomed to having free use of purchased patents including where and how design features were incorporated into Winchester products. Additionally, Bennett had become resentful of Winchester’s reliance on Browning and John’s disregard for Winchester products already in production. John provoked Bennett during a meeting and walked out of Winchester, taking all of his prototypes with him.
During the break with Winchester, Browning looked to Remington for their manufacturing capabilities. With the sudden loss of Remington’s president, however, they were not in a position to take on the new project.
The Automatic Shotgun in Belgium
In Belgium, FN had been aware of Browning’s progress and were awaiting a production ready design for the European market. Despite their lesser production capacity, Browning contracted with FN in March 1902 granting exclusive rights of his autoloading rifle and shotgun to produce, improve, and sell outside the United States. Sales and distribution rights inside the US would be retained by the Browning Brothers, with the Browning Automatic Arms Company being incorporated in 1903 for that purpose.
Production of the shotgun began immediately, while the rifle continued development. The original contract ordered 10,000 guns to be received by Browning between 1903 and 1905. Serial No. 1 shipped out September 1903.
1903 Catalogs from Browning Brothers show that four variations were available. A “Regular Gun” with 28″ barrel and English Walnut stock and “Trap Gun”, with the same 28″ barrel and fancier, checkered, stock and fore-end, available with Full, Modified, or Cylinder choke. The third variant was the “Messenger Gun”, available with a 20″ barrel only in cylinder bore. Additionally, a “Two Shot” variant was offered where any of the other variants could be modified from their typical 5 shot capacity to hold only 2 cartridges.
FN & Remington
Throughout 1903, while FN was tooling up and beginning production, Browning Brothers were taking pre-orders on the shotgun and it became clear that FN would not be able to meet the demand of the American market to Browning’s satisfaction. Negotiations were resumed with Remington and by December contracts were settled in which “[Browning Brothers would] do all in their power to prevent guns or rifles manufactured in the US being sold outside the US & [FN] to prevent guns or rifles manufactured by them from being imported.” By 1904 Remington had begun tooling setup and FN stopped shipments of the auto shotgun into the US.
By the end of 1903 FN had sold 4,121 Auto-5 shotguns, around 3,000 of which were imported into the US under the Browning Automatic Arms Company. It is unknown how many were produced in total, but guns later sold into the European market are found with the Browning Company barrel address into the 8000s serial number range.
Production and sale of the Remington Autoloading Shotgun began in 1905. Very few records survive regarding Remington contracts and production of the autoloading gun. What is known is that between 1904 and 1923 Remington produced 270,000 autoloading shotguns for sale within the US, while FN production totaled 87,000 for all other markets.
In 1904 both Remington and FN were under license to produce the same design, however, both retained rights to make their own improvements. From this point the two designs diverged into two distinct lines of development, though changes were relatively minor.
FN
After ceasing shipments into the United States, production continued at FN for sale to the rest of the world.
An 8-shot gun, with extended magazine tube, may have been made as early as 1904, under special order. However, no documentation or surviving models are known to exist. A screw-on magazine extension was patented in the US in 1912, allowing 7-9 shells to be held, and has been a popular accessory to this day. It was not until the mid to late 1960s that a factory produced 8-shot model with extended magazine and forearm was made. The earliest known example is a prototype for the US military with a fiberglass forearm, requested during the early years of the Vietnam War. The best known examples are from an order sent to South Africa marked as a “Police” model, though FN referred to these internally as riot guns. They featured a lengthened magazine and wooden forearm. The majority of the order went to arm the Rhodesian military during the 1964-1979 civil war.
The first significant changes made to the Browning Automatic Shotgun came in 1909. A magazine cut-off was introduced, which would become the most recognizable trait of FN produced guns. The safety, which had operated between the trigger guard and the trigger, was moved forward to distance the operator’s finger from the trigger while manipulating the safety. Locking screws were added to those in the receiver to prevent back-out. More barrel length options were added to the catalog. Buttplates were made of horn rather than hard rubber. And a 16ga model was introduced.
In 1923 ribbed barrel options were introduced and the barrel ring, which had been welded, was incorporated into the barrel forging.
Browning Arms Company
In 1923 contracts expired between Browning Brothers, Remington, and FN which limited sales to different markets. Browning Brothers capitalized on this to begin importing arms from FN under their own name once more. The Browning Arms Company name was revived and acted as a subsidiary to the J.M. & M.S. Browning Company. J.M. & M.S. Browning Company held rights to the importation of arms and Browning Arms Company controlled sales, distribution, and repair.
In response to new US game laws in 1932 the 3-Shot model was introduced with a shortened magazine tube. Despite achieving the same end by inserting a dowel into the magazine of regular models, the 3-Shot model continued to be imported into the US until 1947 and was not discontinued for other markets until the 1970s.
The first lightweight model was introduced in 1936 with the 16ga “Sweet Sixteen” model. A lightweight 12ga would not be seen until 1946. Lightening was accomplished by removing material from the barrel, inside the receiver, and the buttstock.
In 1940 the FN factory was seized by Germany. Production of the FN-pattern Browning Automatic Shotgun was undertaken by Remington, who produced approximately 65,000 guns from 1940 to 1946.
In 1951 the safety was changed to a cross-bolt style.
Loading was improved in 1953 with the introduction of a hinged lifter, designed by Val Browning, allowing shells to be loaded into the magazine without depressing the carrier latch button.
1957 quietly saw the first advertisement of the gun as the “Browning Automatic-5” to distinguish the model in Browning’s increasingly diverse catalog. The Auto-5 name would become ubiquitous for all variations of the model over the entire production run.
In 1958 a “Super Lightweight” model was introduced with an aluminum alloy receiver.
1958 also saw the first guns chambered for 3″ magnum cartridges. Initially guns were simply fitted with a rubber recoil pad, but by 1959 the brake system was also modified to include a second steel and bronze friction ring.
In 1960 the cross bolt safety was modified and made available in a right or left-hand configuration. Cost saving measures introduced the use of roll pins.
Auto-5 in Japan
In 1972 production of the Browning Automatic-5 began at Miroku in Japan.
In 1977 FN produced its last Browning Automatic Shotgun.
Miroku produced guns are slightly heavier than those of FN due to use of different steel alloys. Another significant difference is that magazine tubes were nitride coated to eliminate the need for lubrication. Despite being less desirable, Japanese Auto-5s are considered to be of slightly higher quality than contemporary Belgian produced models.
The Browning Automatic-5 was discontinued in 1999 after a 1000-unit run of “Auto-5 Final Tribute” models, produced by Miroku and engraved by FN.
Exact figures are not known, but it is estimated that approximately 3 million Browning Automatic Shotguns were produced between FN and Miroku.
Remington Autoloading Shotgun
As stated, very few records survive from Remington’s automatic shotgun production, spanning from 1904 to 1948. During that time Remington merged with UMC and later DuPont acquired controlling interest. The company has since gone through at lease three mergers, bankruptcies, and complete acquisitions. Due to the scarcity of records and focus on FN produced Auto-5s there have been no published studies of Browning’s Automatic Shotgun at Remington as there has been with other models. Information presented here has been gathered from a number of amateur articles, as well as, period advertisements and catalogs.
Toward the end of 1903 Browning Brothers negotiated with Remington to take advantage of their production capacity in order to meet the US demand for their automatic shotgun. Contracts split production between Remington in the US and FN in Belgium. Remington received exclusive rights to sales and distribution within the US market, and FN rights to all other markets.
Remington began setting up production in early 1904 and in 1905 sales began for the Remington Autoloading Gun. Initial models were 12ga only and offered in seven different “grades”; Standard, Special, Trap, Tournament, Expert, Premier, and Riot. All grades except the Riot, at 20″, had a 28″ barrel and English Walnut stock and forearm. Grades indicated the quality of wood, checkering, and engraving. All models except the Trap had a pistol grip stock. All barrels were the same until a ribbed style was offered in 1908
In 1911, after a merger with UMC, the Autoloading Shotgun was renamed the Model 11. Grades were incorporated into the model name with a suffix letter; 11A-11F and 11R. About this time the first significant change appears with the addition of a buffer within the rear of the receiver.
About 1927 or 1928 the safety was redesigned to a cross-bolt style behind the trigger.
In 1930 a 20ga Sportsman model was introduced with a modified magazine tube which only allowed two cartridges. It proved popular and by 1931 was also offered in 16ga and 12ga. 16ga and 20ga were also offered in regular Model 11 grades in 1931.
In the lead up to US entry into WWII the military contracted for the production of shotguns to train anti-aircraft and aerial gunners and to supply the multitude of guards newly organized to protect industry and warehousing. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government began heavily regulating the production and sale of “defense shotguns”. Under this regulation Remington Sportsman and Model 11 shotguns could only be sold to government purchasers.
The US military used standard Sportsman models to teach antiaircraft and aerial gunners the fundamentals of shooting moving targets. Sportsman and Model 11 guns were also modified to simulate aircraft or naval machine guns and mounted on both stationary and mobile platforms for gunnery practice. Between 1940 and 1944 the US government acquired just over 60,000 Model 11 and Sportsman shotguns, 5,000 of which Remington fitted with Cutts compensators. Typical guns used for training had 26″ barrels, and nearly all others were standard 20″ riot models.
After the war, production of the Model 11 continued until late 1948, when it was replaced by the Model 11-48. While the 11-48 functioned with a similar long-recoil action, it had a completely redesigned receiver, fire control group, and carrier assembly. The 11-48 also modified the barrel brake system so it would not require adjustment, but in practice it functioned about the same as the light-load setting on the Model 11, and could be quite harsh with heavy loads.
Total production of the Browning Autoloading Shotgun by Remington is approximately 785,000 Model 11s, with an additional 65,000 Auto-5s produced during WWII.
Savage Arms
Savage Arms was licensed to produce Browning’s Automatic Shotgun and introduced the Model 720 in 1930. The reasons and contracts for the licensure seem to have been lost, but the deal greatly aided Savage and Browning Arms during the 30s and 40s. Savage guns were aimed at the low end of the market and their parts and finish quality reflect this. Nevertheless, they have a reputation for reliability when properly maintained.
The Model 720 was a licensed copy of the Remington 11, with many interchangeable parts. Production ran from 1930 to 1949. The model 720 fell under government regulation between 1941 and 1945 and around 14,500 were acquired by government purchasers. The guns appear to have been used in the same manner as Remington Model 11s, in addition to being fielded by the Coast Guard and the Air Corps as an emergency survival gun.
The Model 745 was introduced in 1941 and featured an aluminum alloy receiver. It was also discontinued in 1949. Records regarding production and sales during WWII have not survived, but given the restrictions on aluminum the model was likely not produced at all during the war.
Models 720 and 745 were replaced by Models 755 and 775. The 755 and 775 were introduced about 1951, the 755 having a steel receiver and the 775 with an aluminum alloy. Both models used a redesigned receiver to have a streamlined appearance and used a simplified trigger system. The carrier assembly and recoil brake system remained the same as previous models. The Model 755 and 775 were discontinued sometime in the early 1960s.
The Savage Model 750 reintroduced the model 745’s “humpback” aluminum receiver and was produced from around 1960 until about 1968.
Franchi 48 AL
There is a popular misconception that the Franchi 48 may be a licensed copy of the Auto 5. However, no contracts are known allowing the licensed production of the gun by Browning. Additionally the Franchi 48 appears to be nearly identical to the Remington 11-48, except that it utilizes the older Auto-5/Model 11 friction ring recoil brake system.