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chilly460
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:54 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 Jan 2006
Posts: 166

I found a decent A5 16ga (standard, not Sweet Sixteen) at a little sporting clays/hunting preserve while travelling in PA this week. This is my first A5, though I have shot a couple previously. Date code shows it was manufactured in '53. The gun is in "well used" condition, but not abused. Barrel shows a few scratches and somewhat thin bluing, but the receiver has no damage and most original bluing. Forearm and stock have no major scratches, but a fair amount of "dents". The wood finish is still intact with no peeling. It does have a minute crack on the rear of the forearm that somehow I didn't see while buying it....any suggestions how to best repair this at home? I'm thinking some fiberglass bedded in the interior of the forearm should do the trick?

A friend and I ran a few hundred clays through his manual trap and I had a good opportunity to get a feel for the gun, I was really pleased with it's "pointability" and effective range. I was seeing nice breaks at 40yds, when I was able to actually get on target =). I have to be mindful to keep the gun swinging as it has a much lighter berrel weight then my 12ga Citori, which I use for clay shooting. It has a 26" plain MOD barrel which should prove very versatile, mostly plan to use it for preserve pheasants and Dove. I set the friction rings up on the heavy setting, and it cycled the Rem game load 1oz 1200fps loads just fine, recoil was very mild. Definitely enjoy the "kachunka kachunka" of the action.

I'm really starting to enjoy the 16ga, now with a Ithaca M37, Citori 16ga, and this A5...I have a 16ga gun that fits the occasion for waterfowl, upland, small game, and even some sporting clays. I wouldn't quite consider the A5 to be a "rare" gun in 16ga, but you don't see them very often so it's fun to finally own one.
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Foursquare
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:24 am  Reply with quote
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Chilly,
Your forearm crack is very typical with A-5s that have seen much use. You're right, fiberglass will fix it up fine.
To prevent it from happening in the future, when assembling the gun tighten mag cap down finger tight, then back it off 2 clicks. Gives the forearm a little wiggle room so it doesn't get slammed so hard.
Good luck with it.
Pete

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" .......you have learned patience and stubbornness and concentration on what you really want at the expense of what is there to shoot. You have learned that man can as easily be debased as ennobled by a sport....."
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mdoerner
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:03 pm  Reply with quote
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Foursquare wrote:
Chilly,
Your forearm crack is very typical with A-5s that have seen much use. You're right, fiberglass will fix it up fine.
To prevent it from happening in the future, when assembling the gun tighten mag cap down finger tight, then back it off 2 clicks. Gives the forearm a little wiggle room so it doesn't get slammed so hard.
Good luck with it.
Pete


I'm of the opposite opinion. Lock it down, then twist it one more click tighter. It's the looseness that causes the wood to break. Can't break the wood by keeping it tight. Remember, the barrel recoils against the front of the wood. As it does, the opposite end would become "free" to whip around, causing the break near the reciever.

Mike Doerner
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662
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:14 pm  Reply with quote
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Sounds like mine is nearly identical to yours, Chilly, but 4 years newer. I even have the "typical" forearm crack.

Question is, with Remington game loads is it necessary to set the friction rings on the heavy setting (I thought that was for high velocity loads)? Or is it just something you do to reduce recoil? Is there a downside to doing this for a standard load--like failing to cycle once in a while, or something like that?

I've only had mine to the range once, and really liked it, but still trying to figure it out. Love those recoiling barrel designs!
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hoashooter
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:50 pm  Reply with quote
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Remember to push in on the-unloaded-barrel before dissassembly to relieve pressure on the mag cap---I have seen way too many with plier marks Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad
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mdoerner
PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:54 pm  Reply with quote
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662 wrote:
Sounds like mine is nearly identical to yours, Chilly, but 4 years newer. I even have the "typical" forearm crack.

Question is, with Remington game loads is it necessary to set the friction rings on the heavy setting (I thought that was for high velocity loads)? Or is it just something you do to reduce recoil? Is there a downside to doing this for a standard load--like failing to cycle once in a while, or something like that?

I've only had mine to the range once, and really liked it, but still trying to figure it out. Love those recoiling barrel designs!


The rule (of thumb, I guess) is to leave it set to the "heavy" setting. If the load does not cycle the action, then switch it to the lighter setting.

If it is left in the "light" setting with a heavy load, the initial recoil will be too heavy (for you and the wood) and can lead to undue wear (for you, the metal, and the wood).

Mike Doerner
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662
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:28 am  Reply with quote
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Thanks, Mike. Mine was in the light setting when I got it and I left it there. Guess I'll play with it now.
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chilly460
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:13 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 Jan 2006
Posts: 166

My opinion is that the mag cap should be snug. I tighten it until the forearm has no wiggle, then go one more click to keep it under slight tension. My thought is that if it's left loose, the harmonics will eventually rattle the forearm and cause a split. Obviously, going too much on the mag cap will cause it to split the forearm as well. I did learn to push the barrel in to release the mag cap after losing some skin on my thumb from fighting with the cap =).

As mentioned, I was given advice to shoot at the heavy setting unless it won't cycle. Less strain on the recoil spring, and less chance of the barrel crashing the receiver was the explanation. I personally noticed a bit less recoil when going to the heavy setting. I have some 1150fps 1oz reloads, so I'll see how they do with the heavy setting.

For me, this gun feels like it has a good majority of the weight in the stock and receiver which gives it a nice "pointable" feel. But, due to it's weight, it's not that hard to keep swinging smoothly...sort of the best of both worlds if you don't mind the weight. I have no idea what it weighs, but it definitely has a "solid" feel. The round knob stock is great, I can't explain specifics but it's as if it keeps both hands in line and makes for a better shooter. I feel the same phenomenon with my 16ga Citori.
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Jeff Mulliken
PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:43 am  Reply with quote
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I have a bag o' A5's (and opinions) In my experience:

Tightening the mag cap too tight puts too much pressure on the thin base of the forend and increases splitting.

Not tightening the mag cap enough allows play which slams the forend into the receiver when it rebounds during the cycling of the action and increases splitting.

The detent on the cap is a clue, you dont want it screwed down too damn hard, just snug it enough for zero play and then let the detent keep the cap in place.

And:

Use the bronze friction rings on the heaviest setting that will reliably cycle the shells you are using. This will reduce felt recoil and it will reduce the impact and subsequent wear of the action when it comes all the way to the rear under recoil.

AND just as important but less recognised, the friction rings slow the barrel movement in both directions so the heavy friction setting reduces the impact of the barrel ring on the forend that occurs when the barrel returns to "battery" at the end of the cycle. So friction helps protect the forend.

I burned 100 rounds in my 1923 A5 Standard 16, 50 rounds in my 1951 Sweet Sixteen and 50 rounds in my 1929 A5 12 yesterday.

All 3 have been shot frequently for 50 to 80 years and still have the original factory forends, and NO cracks.

Jeff
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16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:34 am  Reply with quote
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Sometimes cracks in thin walnut forends are caused by the repeated seasonal swelling and drying all wood goes through except in the more stable environments humidity-wise. I've seen lots of cracked Remington 1100 forends. Remington even used to reinforce the front end of the forend with fiberglass tape and resin. This type of repair can be very effective too. I

also suggest finding the very end of the crack and drilling a small hole through the wood to stop the crack from running on. A bit of 5 minute epoxy forced into the hole will hardly be noticable and will fill and reinforce the repair. If worse comes to worse, back relieving the wood along the crack on the inside, filling the cavity with epoxy and inlaying a couple or three of .050" dia. handcut stiff wire staples inlaid into the inside of the wood and placed across the crack at various locations willl do the trick. Just relieve the wood with a dremel tool bit in the shape of the staple and just deep enough to accept the staple deeply enough to lay under the surface a bit. Use epoxy or glass resin to both glue in the staple and fill the relief cut as well as fill the crack on both sides. wipe the repair even with the surfaces. A bit of dark brown varnish brushed over the repair on the inside , then a bit of refinishing will both hide the work and seal the wood against moisture. A bit of cleavor use of black, brown, green, and red magic marker will help mask the repair on the outside surface. Then refinish to match the rest. If cleavorly done, hardly anyone but a trained wood finisher would notice.
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Jeff Mulliken
PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:35 am  Reply with quote
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Check out the bottom gun, a 1923 16 ga A5, in Grade 1 It handles like a dream, maybe better than my Sweet Sixteen.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jeffmulliken/detail?.dir=40abre2&.dnm=5664re2.jpg&.src=ph

Jeff
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dannypratt
PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:47 am  Reply with quote
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hey guys,

Here's what i do with the forend situation. First off, when I store the gun in my safe, I loosen the cap until about a 1/8" gap is between the reciever and forend, this allows for humidity swelling (we get it bad here in MI) then when I want to use the gun I simply tighten it down where it should be. My dad's grandfather taught him that back in '54 and all of our families A-5's have been crack free. If you look in a manual , especially an older one you will find this information. Good luck out there, enjoy the A-5's!
-danny
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CitoriFeather16
PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:06 am  Reply with quote
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Jeff: Awsome guns! Where do you find them?

Matt
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Jeff Mulliken
PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:43 am  Reply with quote
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Both guns were bought off the net for a song. The combined cost for both guns was less than $600. But they did need a little love to bring them back.

I stripped, recut checkering and refinished all the wood. The metal got a full tear down, cleaning and a little simichrome to take some of the patchiness out of the metal. The blue has the soft grey look of guns that were used a lot but taken care of. I really prefer that look on a classic to a fresh blue job...

The 12 is from 1929 and has it's factory original first year vent rib. I prefer a plain barrel on A5's but who was I to argue at that price? I bought as a project gun to put a straight stock on but the wood came out so nice that I keep swapping stocks back and forth...

Here is another shot of the workbench with a couple of straight stocks, 2 works in progress....and one (ugly) unused (old stock) factory stock.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jeffmulliken/detail?.dir=40abre2&.dnm=ff3bre2.jpg&.src=ph
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CitoriFeather16
PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:59 pm  Reply with quote
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Jeff: those guns and stocks look like something out of a magazine. Truly beautiful. Unfortunately, my skill level for something like that is pretty low. The only tool I own is a phone book!

I just ordered a couple of screws for my fathers Sweet 16 which I inherited and I will bring the gun to a smith to have them put in. Sure would like some stocks like yours.

congrats!

Matt
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