Ask the gun doctor
Ask our gun doctor a question and we will provide a recommended solution or answer to your query! Simply email us with your question to: QandA@browningownersclub.org.uk The best questions and answers will be posted below to assist all members. |  |
Questions
| Q. 2nd May Dear Doctor, Hope you can help. I have a Browning 325 Grade 2 which I love. I shoot pheasant or clays most of the time, but am now looking at helping my inlaws out on their farm shooting rabbits. The problems I'm having is that the gun is so loud that the rabbits run and don't show for a long time again....can I fix a silencer onto the gun to help? |
| A. The Doctor says: As far as I am aware, there is now silencer available as a retro fit to ...Read more |
| Q. 22nd February I have a B525, bought October 2010, shot 6600. The gun is cleaned after every shoot. (Clays only.) Q: when should firing pins be replaced? (I notice that the tips are no longer perfectly round.) Q: when should the action be serviced (i.e. stripped and cleaned) |
| A. The Doctor says: The good news is that your 525 is probably the best made gun in the world and is very strong and reliable. Under normal conditions ...Read more |
| Q. 20th November I have a 2006 Browning Gold Sporting Clay's in green/blue semi auto, I've had it from new - it's got the Dura Touch coating ( I think that's what it's called) I've also got a Maxus grd 3 I bought new last year and I love it too, I've been told that Browning can coat my Maxus in the Dura Touch coating like my Auto and some of the O/U range, I worked in the gun trade up to about 3 years ago and I know that Browning UK changed their details - can you help me out to get in contact with the right person to do the job Please ? |
| A. The Doctor says: I am glad to hear that you love your Browning shotguns! Regarding the Dura Touch finish, this was available on ...Read more |
| Q. 27th September Hello, Two questions can I find out the age of my gun from the serial number 324MY03825. Also it appears to be No 1 of a pair, is there any way of knowing if a No 2 gun was produced and is there a way this could be traced ? Many thanks Paul Joyce |
| A. The Doctor says: Your B25 with an “MY” serial number indicates that ...Read more |
| Q. 22nd September Hi. I was offered a straight swap for my one month old Miroku MK38 GRD 5 for a Guirini Maxus that has only fired 250 rounds but is two years old. What should I do? Leave it or do the deal. |
| A. The Doctor says: To be very honest with you, and we do not like doing the competition down, your MK38 grade 5 is probably the best made ...Read more |
| Q. 18th September Hi. I have just bought a MK38 GR5. Could you tell me what warranty comes with the gun? I know with Browning you get three years on the wood and ten on the mechanism but no sure with the MHi. I have just bought a MK38 GR5. Could you tell me what warranty comes with the gun? I know with Browning you get three years on the wood and ten on the mechanism but no sure with the Miroku. Is it the sameiroku. Is it the same |
| A. The Doctor says: Firstly, many thanks for the new purchase, you chose a very fine gun that will provide ...Read more |
| Q. 12th September I have a 28 gauge Miruko MK70 which I plan to use for game shooting this season. I am planning to use Bornaghi 28gm / No.6 cartridges but before I do would like to check on the suitability as they are described as semi-magnum. Can you please advise? |
| A. The Doctor says: To answer the question, you need to find out what the pressure is on your choice ...Read more |
| Q. 2nd September Hi David , The Gun Doctor deserves a break ! Serial Number is 35779MW . How old is it 1979 ? I await to hear from you, All The Best, Paul. |
| A. The Doctor says: Dear Paul, The letters MW in your serial number actually indicates...Read more |
| Q. 2nd September Hi I have ultra xs Titanium prestige, and I would like to fit a small recoil pad but I do not wish to alter the Stock in anyway, so my question! Is there a recoil pad available that will fit the curved stock face? Most recoil pads as you no require the stock face sanding flat but this would devalue the gun so that’s a definite no. The one on the Cinergy pro sporter I hade before this gun was about 10mm thick Just right. But that stock end was flat. |
| A. The Doctor says: In answer to your question: ...Read more |
| Q. 15th August Hi, can you tell me what the letters on the chokes to my Browning Ultra XS mean please . I want to shoot with tighter chokes but am not sure which is which. |
| A. The Doctor says: Choke codes and names can be quite confusing but the table below relates to lead shot and will help: ...Read more |
| Q. 10th August Hi, I have purchased a Belgium (FN) made auto shotgun advertised as an A500, but after doing some research on the Browning web site i have found out that it is a 1956 Auto 5 Lightweight wondered if anyone could give me a valuation of the shotgun. |
| A. The Doctor says: Thanks for your enquiry on your Auto 5, it sounds like a lovely gun. The good news is that any Auto 5 in excellent condition will be very desirable ...Read more |
| Q. 27th July Why do Browning say they do not have cast in there o/u shotgun stocks when they do. I’m a left hander and bought a 525 o/u with the believe that this was true (because it was said on your site) and am disapionted to have a cast for a right handed shooter. |
| A. The Doctor says: Thanks for your question to the gun doctor. I am a little surprised that you are stating from the Browning website that there is “no cast on browning shotguns”? Browning has always had between 0-3mm of right hand cast on most shot gun models ...Read more |
| Q. 26th June Hi, got half way through a clay shoot today when the wood stock part of the gun and the breach started to come apart. its not broken but moves when you twist it. the gun it a browning XSH at the end of the butt there are two screws and one other thats used to adjust the cheek peace. Could you please advise what i need to do to stop this? the gun is three years old and i have had it from new. |
| A. The Doctor says: Thanks for your enquiry, this one is easy to fix. Your stock bolt has worked loose and it is a simple.....Read more |
| Q. 9th June Hi, I am member no 0313.I have recently purchased a D4G and would be grateful to know what you can tell me about it – the serial number is 52627 S75. I know this means I was manufactured in 1975, but would appreciate your checking against the original manufacturing specification. |
| A. The Doctor says: Hi Colin, You are indeed correct about the year of manufacture of your D4G, however Browning no longer have records of any..Read more |
| Q. 27th May Will the barrels of a 325 take steel shot without damage if the chokes are limited to half/ U.S. modified? Sorry to trouble you but the Browning site is a bit ambiguous, stating at one point that all current models (which obviously excludes the 325 series) are o.k for steel and at another that those with invector or invector plus chokes (which includes most of the 325 series) are o.k for steel shot. |
| A. The Doctor says: The official line would be that if your gun is not proof marked for steel shot ..Read more |
| Q. 22nd May How can I tell if a n advertised gun is the revised specification. i.e if a gun has a 2010 serial number how can I tell if it is the new revised specification. Gun I am looking at is serial number 55629ZM. I am trying to work out how I tell if it has back bored barrels etc. |
| A. The Doctor says: The only sure way of checking the original specification would be to check..Read more |
| Q. 10th May Can you confirm that Browning 325 shotguns with a 'C' stamped on the left hand side of the barrel lump have chrome lined barrels? (Mine has the stamped 'C'.) I'm sure I read somewhere that this was the case but I cannot find the reference now. If not, what does the 'C' stand for? Thank you. |
| A. The Doctor says: The “C” stamped in the barrel of the B325 actually indicates ..Read more |
| Q. 8th May Now days you cant just let the empties fly over your shoulder, the ejectors on my B25 are savage & the empties actually hurt as I cover the ejecting cartridges with my hand. Can the ejectors easily be either toned down or even turned off? |
| A. The Doctor says: The word from the gun Doctor is that you can tone down the force of the...Read more |
| Q. 3rd May Ive recently bought my first browning a B25, I'm told it's not standard ie upgraded wood, enhanced engraving, my question, is there any way of finding the original spec of the gun at manufacture or any previous history? |
| A. The Doctor says: Congratulations on your first B25! The only way to really check the original specification is by...Read more |
| Q. 27th April The “date your gun” section on the website can be found on the left hand heading “Download Area”. Click on the link and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find the serial number dating information link. It can be quite complex dating the older guns but more modern guns follow the same letter codes and can be found at the bottom of the page. There are letters going backwards from Z-M with corresponding numbers which are the years. Example letter code NR = year ‘97 I hope this helps |
| A. The Doctor says: Sounds like the piston is sticking in the trigger body, the tolerances are very tight and would suggest ....Read more |
| Q. 27th April Re. your answer to a question about the age of a Browning 525 on the 1st March. Please could you tell me where I find the Gun Dating Code section on the Owners club pages? |
| A. The Doctor says: The “date your gun” section on the website can be found on the left hand heading “Download Area”....Read more |
| Q. 5th April I was out with my Browning 525 model year of manufacture 2006 last week end and it miss fired twice while on a clay cometition.It was the under barrel.Would you suggest a new firing pin, and would it be easy to fit myself. |
| A. The Doctor says: It will all depend on the type of miss fire you experienced. If it is a light strike it could be a...Read more |
| Q. 5th April I need to buy two Browning trigger return springs - part number B1330482.Where can i buy these without specially ordering them and having to pay postal charges? |
| A. The Doctor says: I am afraid the only way to buy genuine Browning parts is to order...Read more |
Q. 3rd April |
| A. The Doctor says: Yes I remember that the club did arrange trips to Portugal. This was arranged by a gentleman by the name of David Peel who ran the club up until about three years ago. David has now retired and since the...Read more |
Q. 30th March |
| A. The Doctor says: Your Winchester 101 with adjustable stock was intended for use on the clay ground, however you can quite happily use clay...Read more |
Q. 15th March |
| A. The Doctor says: Many thank for your question to the Gun Doctor, good to hear that you have the 325 G6, a beautiful gun...Read more |
Q. 8th March |
| A. The Doctor says: The Browning parts department tell me that there are two types of fore-end and depending on which one you have will depend if we are still...Read more |
Q. 8th March |
| A. The Doctor says: I see that you have the trademark rubbed barrels! Nearly all...Read more |
Q. 3rd March |
| A. The Doctor says: Yes, this can be a little confusing however I can confirm...Read more |
Q. 1st March
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| A. The Doctor says: On most Browning models, you can identify the year of manufacture by the two letters in the serial number...Read more |
Q. 17th Feb I bought my husband a B525 Sporter, 12g O/U 30" for Christmas - it has a manual safety catch and he would like to have this converted to automatic. We understand that Browning now include a spare part with new shotguns to allow this to be done by a local gunsmith. There does not appear to be such a part with this gun. Can you tell us the easiest way to have this done please. |
| A. The Doctor says: Many thanks for your enquiry about fitting auto safety to your husband’s B525...Read more |
| Q. 1st March I bought a B5.25 ‘Hunter Light Advance’ in March 2010. Last month it started to occasionally fail to select the second barrel for firing after shooting the first barrel. The gun normally works OK, but sometimes the second barrel fails to fire after pulling the trigger once, and sometimes it needs two, three or four pulls of the trigger to fire the second barrel. This is most disconcerting and is putting me off my (expensive!) shooting as the season is about to end. Presumably the gun will need to be returned to the shop where I bought it (Sportsman Gun Centre, Exeter) when the season finishes for repair under warranty, but I would appreciate any advice or comment you may have in the meantime. |
| A. The Doctor says: I am sorry to hear that your Light Advance is experiencing accessional misfiring problems...Read more |
| Q. I have a o/u browning lightning 1953 model with Browing Arms Company St LOUIS MISSOURI on the top L/hand side, and MADE IN BELGIUM on the R/hand side. Could you tell me was this gun made for the U.K. market? |
| A. The Doctor says: I can tell you that your gun was made at FN in Belgium but was actually made specifically for the US market as only the US guns had...Read more |
| Q. A guy used to sell titanium pins a while back as they were advertised on owners site are they still available? |
| A. The Doctor says: The old Browning Owners Club did sell these but we have not introduced this item in the member's offers yet in the new Club...Read more |
| Q. I have just purchased this A5 final tribute with limited series and one of five hundred on the other side of the receiver can you tell me anything about it please? Thank you. |
| A. The Doctor says: The production of the Auto-5 began in 1902. Produced by F.N., John M. Browning ordered 10,000 of these shotguns in his first order. In 1999 Browning issued the "Final Tribute" version featuring engraved scenes of John M. Browning, Read more... |
| Q. I own a Browning GTIS with flush fitting invector plus chokes.When I measure the chokes with my choke micrometer and compare them with the barrel diameters I find that they are all about 10 thou. larger than what I consider to be standard |
| A. The Doctor says: Many thanks for your question about Invector+ chokes. Unlike any other manufacturer, Browning chokes 30 metres using modern day cartridges...Read more |
| Q. I have a Browning Maxus and currently have the No1 shim installed to raise the comb slightly. I could do with the comb coming up a little bit more and wondered if Browning are making extra shims for this purpose? If so, where can I buy one? Thanks. James Burchell |
| A. The Doctor says: I am surprised you areI am surprised you are looking for more height in the comb as the Maxus is already fairly high. However, Read more... |
| Q. Where could I get a firing pin for a browning fusion gold automatic The pin went before and it took me 3 months to get one. Jimmy Roche |
| A. The Doctor says: You can obtain a fusion firing pin from Read more... |
| Q. I have a few marks and scratches on my mk38 grade 1 is there a way to refurbish these without stripping the stock down? Marcus Iddon. |
| A. The Doctor says: You can remove small marks with 1200 wet & dry with a light oil as a lubricant you must be careful not to break through the polyurethane finish, Read more... |
| Q. I look after my 325 Grade 2 metal parts using Napier VP90 products. What would you recommend for the woodwork, especially as winter approaches and I would like to waterproof it as much as possible. Chris Broadbridge |
| A. The Doctor says: Napier produce and excellent range of products and as you are already familiar with VP90, then we would recommend the Napier Stock Care Kit. Read more... |