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Overseas, the Italians in particular took to the long-recoil autoloader and produced several versions of the old A-5 that were somewhat Modified. Luigi Franchi came out with a lightweight, more streamlined version in 1948. Franchi’s version is sold to this day as the Model 48 AL. Breda made a finely finished autoloader that could be completely disassembled without tools and had interchangeable chokes as early as the late 1940s.

There were other offshore autoloaders that were never imported into the U.S. The Japanese made several versions. Miroku made a simplified A-5 clone (it was actually made by KFC for Miroku) that was marketed under the Charles Daly label in 1960s. SKB made models 300 and 900 (not the XLs, which were gas operated) which were mechanically almost identical to the Franchi, imported from 1960s into the 1970s. Even the Russians of the old Soviet Union produced their version of the recoil-operated autoloaders, the Models MU21 and MU22. [Editor’s note: The Germans also got into the act with an unmarked A-5 knockoff bearing German proofs that was marketed briefly before WWII. Of course Winchester had its own take-down variation on the A-5 long recoil theme, the notorious M1911 “Widowmaker.” – DMS]