Auto-5 Light Twenty

For over fifty years the Auto-5 was a 12-bore gun, too heavy for many upland hunters who wanted an autoloader for quail, grouse, and doves. In 1958 Val Browning finally solved that by shrinking his father's masterpiece into a genuine 20-gauge frame -- the 'Light Twenty' -- a gun light enough to carry all day yet still cycling five shots on the classic long-recoil action. It became one of the most beloved bird guns of the mid-century and, alongside the 16-gauge Sweet Sixteen, cemented the Auto-5's reputation as a shotgun for every field.

The 20-gauge Auto-5 did not appear until 1958, more than half a century after the first 12-gauge Auto-5 of 1902, because Val Browning insisted on scaling the receiver and action down to true 20-gauge proportions rather than offering a heavy over-bored 12-gauge frame. A companion Auto-5 Magnum Twenty, capable of firing 3-inch shells, followed shortly after and used a heavier barrel and receiver. Belgian-made 'Light Twenty' examples from 1958 to 1975 are the most collectible, with early guns wearing a flat-knob grip and post-1968 guns the round-knob grip preferred by many shooters. The long-recoil action must be tuned via the friction-ring stack around the magazine tube -- arranged one way for light loads and inverted for heavy loads -- or the gun may batter its stock or fail to cycle. Barrels were offered in plain, matted-rib, and ventilated-rib configurations in lengths from 24 to 28 inches, all interchangeable thanks to the takedown design.