Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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Browning called its new short recoil autoloader the Double Automatic. It was designed to fire only two rounds. Lacking a magazine tube and all the stuff that goes with it, the Double Automatic had a balance that was as close as one could get to that of a double gun. It was extremely well made and began to arrive in large numbers by 1955. But alas, because it was but a two-shot and had a loading port on the left side of the receiver, it never really caught on, although some recognized its qualities and latched onto it. It was mass-produced only in 12 gauge although a couple of experimental 20 gauges were built. The Double Auto sold fairly well but not well enough, so it was discontinued after an 18-year run. Incidentally, it was also with the appearance of this new gun that the old humpback was renamed the “Automatic Five” or “A-5,” to differentiate it from the newer Double Automatic. Prior to that, the old humpback was simply called the Browning Automatic, as indicated on its butt plate.