The Gun Vault Vol. 2 | Browning A-500

Living in your older brother's shadow is tough. Regardless of what you achieve, if it falls short of what your family did before you, it will seem like a failure. You can throw for 3,000 yards your senior year of high school, but if your brother threw for 3,100 five years prior… loser. Damn it, Jonathan. Still love him though.

A classic example of this is when Browning released the A-500 in 1987. For nearly 80 years, Browning had been riding high off the immense success of the A5, the first semi-auto shotgun ever mass-produced. The A5 utilized a brilliant long-recoil system, which essentially just meant that when the gun was fired, the barrel and the bolt would move back together to eject the shell and recock the hammer, and as they moved back forward, they chamber another shell from the tube.

The A5 is still regarded as one of the best shotguns to ever exist, even John Browning himself said it was his greatest achievement. Fast forward to 1987, Browning was looking to work off of the success of the A5, and introduced the A-500. A revamped version of its older brother, the A-500 featured a short-recoil system, with the goal of essentially making a faster and smoother A5.

The A-500 is a gun I have wanted in my collection for quite some time. As a duck hunter, a quick cycling gun with a smooth action is what I dream of. Combine that with the reliability of an A5 foundation, I can’t think of anything better for my blinds along the delta. So when I saw that Guns.com had a Ducks Unlimited Edition… take my money.

When Browning released this gun, anticipation and excitement were high. Bird hunters and target shooters alike were all eager to get their hands on what they assumed would be an improvement of a gun that was already perfect.

Browning first released the A-500R, the “R” representing a recoil operation. Quick feedback from consumers led Browning to release the A-500G, the “G” representing a gas operating system, catered towards hunters who preferred reduced recoil, specifically waterfowl hunters, who are prone to using heavier loads.

Unfortunately, one of the simple facts of life is that rumors can ruin even a great thing. And when your predecessor was a titan, the attacks are more frequent. All of a sudden, you’re facing Thermopylae. Word got out that during shooting tests, Browning encountered a parts breakage in the trigger assembly. A recall was issued for liability management, and sales halted.

Whether credible or not, whispers grew louder. Suddenly, people questioned the reliability of the gun, and wondered if it was in fact worthy of the A5 lineage. People who have never even held the gun, started to call it a failure. Golfers in New York City who have never flushed a bird called it “not a hunter's gun”. Whatever that means.

I’ve had the chance to use my A-500R in the field on a few bird hunts, as well as countless trap and skeet sessions. After each use, I find myself convinced that the rumors must be unfounded. Yes, it has somewhat of an ungainly feel, in part due to its longer receiver. But it is flawlessly balanced, allowing for an incredibly smooth follow through, and little to no muzzle climb.

Like any auto that Browning makes, the A-500R will eat anything I feed it. For someone looking for a gun that has wide versatility, this gun will handle target loads at the club, and magnum loads in the rice field, and will do so with the grace of an albatross.

Perhaps baseless, the rumors and recall concerns were persistent. In 1993, Browning discontinued both the A-500R and the A-500G. What was once a vision for innovation of an icon, turned into what some see as a failure. However, I do not see it that way.

I will always be a fan of the A-500, and I truly believe its design was ahead of its time. Whether I am talking to collectors who baby their guns, or avid hunters who put them through annual punishment, I often bring up the A-500 as one of my recommendations. Like the Chevy Corvair, I believe the A-500 could be something that wasn’t appreciated during its time, but will be praised for its innovation and daringness to follow the A5, for years to come.

Having massive shoes to fill can bring a lot of pressure, and sometimes you excel, but still fall 100 yards short.