Browning Auto-5 Sheared Magazine Tube Removal

file image sheared browning magazine tube removal

In the short time we’ve had our Pro Shop open, we’ve had some fairly major repairs walk in. This is one of them. A Browning Auto-5 that had its magazine sheared off inside the receiver!

For reference purposes, a schematic of the Auto-5 can be found here.

Here it is! Notice the magazine tube sheared off about .200″ below the surface. Some shotguns, like the Browning have magazine tubes that are threaded to the receiver, these can be swapped out if needed. Others, like the Remington 870 are brazed and not easy (or possible) to change at most shops. Since this was threaded and we like a challenge, I gave it a whirl.

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The Auto-5 magazine tube is retained with a screw through the side of the receiver; this needs to be removed prior to attempting to unscrew the magazine tube. After that, I tried to unscrew the broken off piece with a pair of pliers, and then used a punch. It didn’t move, so now I need to machine it out. I suppose you could grind it out with a Dremel, however, I am unsure how you’d do so and avoid damage to the receiver.

I went ahead and “fixtured” up the receiver on the milling machine. I used an angle plate secured in my vise. The receiver is clamped to the plate. Note that the drive spring tube that cannot be easily removed from the action. This type of set up takes a lot of time to figure out.

A view of the other side of the set up. Note the 10 mil tape (available at Brownells) between the action and angle plate, this protects the receiver from damage. Since the top of the receiver has a radius, that is pushed off the back of the angle plate.

After indicating the center of the hole, I ran a helical milling cycle on my Haas CNC mill to remove the center of the magazine tube. It machined the minor diameter of the threads on the replacement magazine tube. If you only had access to a regular milling machine, a boring bar would work just as well. Bear in mind that the tube is approximately .995″ in diameter and the minor diameter of the threads are approximately .955″. The tube is thin and the set up must be precise.