Browning A-500 Manual

							hand and unscrew and remove the 
magazine cap. Remove the forearm from 
the magazine tube by sliding it forward off 
the magazine tube. 
Position the recoil spring and the forearm 
buffer on the magazine tube. 
(The forearm
buffer goes on first, followed by the recoil 
spring.) Position them forward with the 
leading edge of the spring at the front 
edge of the magazine tube.
Hold the receiver and the magazine tube 
level, and at the same time position the
barrel with the guide ring over the 
magazine tube, and the barrel extension at 
the receiver opening. The lower edge of 
the barrel extension guide must be behind 
the forearm buffer (See Figure 5). 
Slide the barrel rearward seating the barrel extension rails in the receiver tracks. The
barrel extension may hang up slightly 
where the extension contacts the
breechblock. 
If it does, position the gun
vertically (barrel up) and pull rearward on 
the operating handle, until the extension
slips into position.
Slide the forearm onto the magazine tube
(over the recoil spring and forearm buffer)
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							and tighten down the magazine cap
snugly. Make absolutely sure that the
magazine cap is tightened fully, and that
there is no play present in the forearm.
Your A-500 is now fully assembled.
Disassembly of Barrel and
Forearm Assembly
CHECK YOUR GUN CAREFULLY TO BE
ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN  THAT THE
CHAMBER, FEED MECHANISM AND
MAGAZINE CONTAIN NO SHELLS.
Disassembly of the barrel is important for
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							cleaning and also is convenient for storing your
A-500. There are two ways to disassemble your 
A-500. You can remove the barrel with forearm,
spring and buffer attached, or remove the parts
one by one.
REMOVING THE BARREL WITH FOREARM
ATTACHED -
Draw the breechblock rearward and lock it
open.
Unscrew and remove the magazine cap.
With one hand, grip the barrel and
forearm, and pull them forward off of the
magazine tube together (with recoil spring
and forearm buffer inside).
For full disassembly, slide the forearm
forward, over the barrel ring. The buffer
and recoil spring will drop out.
REMOVING BARREL/FOREARM ASSEMBLY
PART BY PART -
Draw the breechblock rearward and lock it
open.
With your gun held vertically, unscrew and
remove the magazine cap.
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							Remove the forearm by pulling it forward
and off of the magazine tube.
Slide the barrel off of the magazine tube,
disengaging the barrel extension from the
receiver. At this point the forearm buffer
and barrel spring are free to come off the 
end of the magazine tube.
For convenience in casing and transporting
the dismantled gun, return the recoil
spring, forearm buffer and forearm to their
positions on the magazine tube and
reinstall the magazine cap. You will then
have two compact units: the barrel, and
the action with forearm and stock.
AFTER THE BARREL HAS BEEN REMOVED
FROM YOUR GUN, LEAVE 
THE
BREECHBLOCK IN THE OPEN POSITION  DO
NOT  PRESS  THE BOLT  RELEASE BUTTON If
the breechblock is released forward with the 
barrel removed, the operating handle will be
driven against the edge of the ejection port,
which will cause damage to the receiver.
Loading Procedures
There are two basic methods for initially getting
a loaded shell into the chamber of your A-500.
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							First, the shell can be directly loaded through
the ejection port. Second, a shell can be loaded
manually from the magazine. In both cases, the
magazine must be loaded to automatically chamber
a subsequent shell. Loading the magazine and
magazine capacity is also detailed below.
CAUTION: AT ALL TIMES DURING THE
LOADING PROCEDURE, BE SURE YOUR 
MUZZLE IS POINTING IN A SAFE 
DIRECTION AND THE “SAFETY” IS IN THE “ON SAFE” POSITION.
REMEMBER: DO 
NOT PUT A 20 GAUGE
SHELL IN A 12 GAUGE 
SHOTGUN NEVER
STORE  SHELLS OF MIXED GAUGES IN A
COMMON CONTAINER OR IN YOUR 
l
POCKETS.  See caution number 8 on page 6 of
this booklet for an explanation.
MAGAZINE CAPACITY - With the three shot
adapter installed, the magazine will hold TWO
2 3/4 or 3-inch shells. With the three shot
adapter removed, the magazine holds FOUR
2 3/4 or THREE 3-inch shells.
LOADING THE CHAMBER THROUGH  THE
EJECTION PORT 
-
1After making sure the “safety” is “on safe,”
pull the operating handle to the rear until
the breechblock locks in the open position.
Visually inspect the chamber, carrier, and
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							magazine to make sure they are clear of
any obstructions.
While pointing the muzzle in a safe direction,
hold your A-500 with the ejection port up, and
insert a cartridge of the proper gauge through
the ejection port into the open breech (See 
Figure 6). Press the breechblock release 
button. 
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CLEAR OF
THE EJECTION PORT This will automat-
ically cause the shell to be picked up and 
delivered to the chamber correctly The
chamber is now loaded.
With the chamber loaded, load themagazine to full capacity as explained
below under “Loading the Magazine.”
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							LOADING THE CHAMBER MANUALLY FROM
THE MAGAZINE -
Make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe
direction and the “safety” is in the “on
safe” position.
To load the magazine, follow the instructions
under “Loading the Magazine” listed below.
With the magazine loaded, and the
breechblock closed, merely pull back on
the operating handle, fully to the rear, and
release it, allowing the breechblock to
close. This will automatically cycle a shell
from the magazine to the chamber.
To again load the magazine to full
capacity, thumb another shell into themagazine as explained below under
“Loading the Magazine.”
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Make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe
direction and the “safety” is in the “on
safe” position.
Close the breechblock by pressing the
breechblock release button (as explained
above). Make sure your fingers are clear of
the ejection port. 
						

							Insert a shell, of the proper gauge, through
the loading port at the bottom of the
receiver, up into the magazine, using your
thumb to position it fully forward in the
magazine tube (See Figure 7). Repeat this
procedure until the magazine is fully
loaded.
CAUTION: WHENEVER A SHELL HAS BEEN 
CYCLED 
INTO THE CHAMBER -
AUTOMATICALLY  OR MANUALLY - THE
SHOTGUN IS READY 
TO  FIRE BY SIMPLY
MOVING  THE “SAFETY” 
TO THE  OFF SAFE
POSITION.
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							Unloading your A-500
CAUTION: WHENEVER UNLOADING, ALWAYS 
BE 
CERTAIN THAT  THE MUZZLE IS POINTED
IN A SAFE DIRECTION AND  THAT THE
“SAFETY” IS IN THE “ON SAFE” POSITION.
The recommended way to unload the A-500 is
simply to grasp the operating handle and cycle
the action until all rounds are ejected.
The magazine can be unloaded manually by
reaching inside the loading port with your index
finger, and simultaneously pressing in on the
bottom of the carrier and pressing the carrier
latch (See Figure 17 on page 46). Release and
remove one shell at a time from the magazine,
until empty.
ALWAYS INSPECT  THE CHAMBER, ACTION,
CARRIER AND MAGAZINE VERY CAREFULLY
AFTER UNLOADING 
TO BE SURE ALL LIVE
ROUNDS ARE CLEARED FROM THE GUN.
Breech Remains Open After the
Last Shot
The breech of the A-500 remains open, with the
breechblock locked to the rear, after the last shot
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							has been fired. This allows convenient and fast
reloading as follows:
Place the “safety” in the “on safe” position.
Drop an appropriate shell into the open
breech.
Close the action by depressing the.
breechblock release button.
Load the magazine as explained above
under “Loading the Magazine” on page 26.
EVEN WITH THE  BREECH LOCKED OPEN
AFTER SHOOTING, DO NOT ASSUME YOUR
SHOTGUN IS UNLOADED. ALWAYS INSPECT
THE CHAMBER, CARRIER AND MAGAZINE
TO BE SURE THEY CONTAIN NO CARTRIDGES.
THEN, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS TREAT ANY
GUN AS IF 
IT WAS LOADED. ALWAYS
HANDLE YOUR SHOTGUN WITH CAUTION.
Operation of the Magazine
cut-off
The magazine cut-off lever is located at the front
end of the left side of the receiver. This cut-off
has the purpose of locking the shells in the
magazine so that they will not feed into the
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