How to Disassemble a Browning A5
When I was little, I used to take things apart for fun, and for gunsmithing school, we were tested on assemblies and disassemblies. Throughout the years of taking guns apart, I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons and tricks. Here’s a few general ones and some specific to the Browning A5.
Disassembly Tips
Always remove the locking screws first.
Keep the locking screws with their matched screws.
When removing parts, do it in small group assemblies. Remove each large group and then move on to disassembling each group. For example, remove the trigger group and bolt group. Then, after the rest of the receiver is disassembled, take apart the trigger and bolt.
When removing parts, place them on the bench in a way that makes sense to you and that will help you remember how to reassemble the gun.Push down when unscrewing screws.
Use a cup or something similar to hold small parts in. The last thing you want to do is search through your shop for a tiny spring or ball detent.
Make sure you know exactly what each screw does. You don’t want to remove the wrong screw and then have parts floating around inside the gun. This will make the rest of the disassembly incredibly difficult.
Take the stocks off as soon as possible. Set them aside so you don’t damage it.
On this gun, all pins are punched in left to right and punched out right to left.
Required Tools
Before getting started on this disassembly, make sure you have the following tools:
Screwdriver Set
Tiny Screwdriver Set
Punch Set
Extended Punch Set
Nylon/Brass Hammer
Bench Blocks
* Disclaimer: I don’t know the name of every part on this gun so if you need a reference, click here for a parts diagram.
Step 1: Field Strip
Unscrew magazine tube cap. Be sure to hold the barrels down while you are doing this in case there isn’t a spring retainer in there.
There’s a chance someone took the spring retainer out and forgot to put it back in. You don’t want to be scrambling around your shop looking for parts.
Slide the barrels off.
Remove the spring retainer by using a punch or screwdriver to pry the part off the barrel. This should allow you to remove the spring and the follower.
Slide the forearm off the barrel.
Remove the friction rings by twisting off.
Slide the main recoil spring off.
Remove the ring for Magnum shells if you have one.
If replacing the brass bushings on the friction rings, pry the steel spring from the brass using your fingers.
Step 2: Stock Disassembly
Unscrew the locking screw first. It is the small screw right next to the main stock screw. Make sure to match the screwdriver tip to the size of the locking screw, and press down when you’re unscrewing. This will prevent you from ruining the screw head. The locking screws are specific to their location so be sure to keep track of which locking screw goes in which hole.
Next take out the main stock screw. Keep the locking screw and main stock screw together.
Pull the stock off the receiver.
If you want to remove the butt pad and there are invisible screw holes, flex the butt pad until you find an opening. Then put oil in the crack and slide a smooth screwdriver in and begin unscrewing the butt pad. Once it’s removed, if you need to remove the screws, push the butt pad onto the bench and the screws should pop out.
Step 3: Receiver Disassembly
Trigger Group Removal
Remove the back set of screws. These are keeping the trigger assembly in place, and there aren’t any springs. Be sure to always start with the locking screws. Keep the back screw and its matched locking screw together.
Remove the middle set of screws holding in front of trigger group.
We will disassemble the rest of the trigger in Step Four.
Bolt Group Removal
Remove the elevator spring. Pinch the spring together with your fingers and then slide it off of the peg inside the receiver.
Now that the elevator is off of spring tension, take out the elevator screws and their locking screws.
The elevator comes out into two parts.
Next, take spring tension off the bolt by removing the wooden plug and spring from the tang of the receiver. Hold the plug in with one hand and push the steel pin out with a punch in the other hand. Once the pin is out, grab the spring and plug and slow let it out. Then take the wooden plug out of the spring. The follower should come out as well.
Below the bolt handle, there’s a pin inside a notch in the receiver with an opposing hole on the other side. Hold the bolt into place where the holes are lined up. On the opposite side of the receiver, in the opposing hole, rest the punch while continuing to hold the bolt in place. Use the brass hammer to push the pin out the other side.
In order to get the bolt to separate from the receiver and the handle, lift the locking lug lever up and slide the bolt out of the front of the receiver.
Remove the bolt handle. We will disassemble the rest of the bolt in Step Five.
Remaining Receiver Disassembly
To remove the bolt drop button, unscrew the tiny screws in the bottom of the receiver. There are three of them. Using your tiny screwdriver, unscrew them until they are no longer threaded and then use either a pliers or your fingernails to remove them. You might need penetrating oil to remove them. If they are sticking, be careful because they could break off.
Next, remove the spring from the magazine block using a standard screwdriver and down pressure. The screw and spring should come out.
Take out the screw holding the magazine block in place. It’s similar to the bolt release button—a threaded pin. The magazine block should come out.
To remove the cartridge stop. put your thumb inside the receiver to hold the spring in place before unscrewing the screw. Slowly release the part. Sometimes the spring will stay with the part or the receiver.
The magazine extension is tightly threaded in with thread locker. I don’t recommend removing it.
Step 4: Trigger Group Disassembly
Take the safety off and release the hammer all the way forward. Do this slowly so the spring doesn’t overextend and break.
Take the main trigger spring screw out. It is right next to the main stock screw.
Push the main trigger spring down to get it out of the way of safety sear. There’s a detent underneath. Push it down with a tiny screwdriver to slide the safety sear off and then release the detent.
Take the hammer off using a punch and brass hammer. Remove the pin and hammer.
Move the main trigger spring to the top so you can take the trigger pin out with a punch and brass hammer.
If your trigger gets jammed on the main trigger spring, turn the spring sideways and slide it out.\
Push a screwdriver under the trigger return spring/leaf spring. Pop it up and pull it out.
Pull the trigger out.
There is a ball detent hiding under the trigger. Tip the trigger housing upside down into your hand to remove it. Keep it in a safe place.
A tiny part like that is almost impossible to find in a shop.
Slide the safety out the bottom.
Step 5: Bolt Group Disassembly
Take out the firing pin retaining pin by punching it out right to left. Slide the firing pin out the back and the locking block through the top of the bolt.
Remove the extractor (right side of the bolt) and shell support (left side of the bolt). They are both held in by a pin and a spring. Use a 16th inch pin punch. Before removing the pin punch, place your finger over the extractor or shell support. This prevents the spring from being shot across the room.
Finally, remove the other two pins on the bolt with extended punches.
That’s a fully disassembled Browning A5. We hope you found this how to disassemble a Browning A5 Shotgun useful. If you have any questions, comment below. Thank you for reading!
