Browning Arms Twelvette Double Auto - 12 Gauge

The Browning Double Automatic was the creation of Val Browning, John Moses' talented and under-acknowledged son. The Double Automatic was Val's baby alone and when he passed away in 1994, and even though he had accumulated 48 patents of his own, he is still firmly ensconced in his father's shadow. From 1920-1935 Val oversaw the production of Browning firearms being made by Fabrique Nationale Herstal. Foremost among these products was the popular A5 shotgun, a long-recoil-operated shotgun in which barrel and bolt remain locked together and move approximately 3" to the rear upon firing. They provide a two-impulse recoil which old timers often referred to as a "double shuffle." This dual-impact-recoil is exacerbated if the friction ring is not set appropriately. Remington and Savage both made clones of the A5 and the original Browning design was pretty much the only operating system for semi-automatic shotguns for the first half of the 20th Century. Then, in 1952 Val Browning received a patent for a "speed loading" mechanism he integrated into his new shotgun and started production of the radically designed Browning Double Auto. Since the barrel only moved about 1/2" it was christened a "short-recoil-action" shotgun. Eliminating the "double shuffle" effect of the A5, his new design considerably reduced the felt recoil of the 12-gauge cartridge. While the proliferation of gas and inertia operated shotguns have made the short-recoil-action archaic, Val Browning's pride and joy still has a lot going for it. It is unique mechanically and ergonomically. It has the shortest action of any semi-auto ever made. The Double Auto's action measures 6-5/8" from front to rear compared to 8" for the Beretta 391. Even the small, scaled-frame Remington 11/48 28-gauge measures 7-3/4"! The short frame keeps the bulk of the weight between the hands, generally making a gun swing better. Another unique feature of the Double Auto is it has no magazine. The second round sits on the shell carrier and is visible in the open loading port on the left side of the receiver. You can tell at a glance if the gun is fully charged. The lack of a magazine does away with the fore end cap. This "sleeks" the appearance of the gun and until the currently produced Browning Maxus, the Double Auto was the only autoloading shotgun ever produced without a fore end cap. The Browning Double Auto is the only repeating shotgun with no visible pins or buttons on the action. This enhances its appearance. Two internal pins run parallel with the action and hold the trigger housing in place. Removing the trigger group requires taking the butt stock off the gun to gain access to these pins. The Double Auto is the fastest shotgun to load in existence. When the bolt is locked to the rear, the gun is loaded by simply inserting a cartridge into the loading port. This automatically activates the shell holder and feeds the round into the chamber. A second round can then be placed in the port on the shell holder. For a right-handed shooter, this can be accomplished while holding the gun by the pistol grip. To drop the bolt on an empty chamber for storage, there is a carrier latch at the bottom-front of the action that can be pushed forward to release the bolt. The gun also has a unique, ambidextrous safety. Early A5s had a sliding lever protruding down in front of the trigger located inside the trigger guard. While ambidextrous and quick, it was distinctly hazardous, particularly if the shooter was wearing gloves or just had thick fingers. Subsequent "improvements" to the A5 replaced the safety with a traditional cross-bolt button. Val improved upon his father's design by placing a vertically sliding block behind the trigger, mounted on the backside of the trigger guard. The safety can be deactivated with either hand without requiring the trigger finger to be placed inside the trigger guard.