Convert a A5 into a Riot or trench shotgun

[hueyville]

Now own a total of five Belgian made Browning A5's (three bought for the Rhodie conversion but were too nice) and a 16 gauge FN A5. Been chasing an FN 2 3/4" for a conversion a while now. Was contacted by another member tried to use a 3" Browning A5 to discover distance to lug is different and the long Rhodie/police forearm would not fit due 2" difference. Two of the five A5's own are family firearms so don't want to modify and three purchased were too nice when arrived to alter even though common shotguns. Found several sources for stripped FN receivers and wondering if anyone knows how difficult it is to totally gut an A5 to swap the Browning receiver to an FN?

 

[mp]

Other than baby poop, my clone is done!

 

[imacoonass01]

Found several sources for stripped FN receivers

These?

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/rec-browningauto5inwhitereceiver.aspx

 

[hueyville]

Purchased two A5 forearms with wood that has very similar grain structure. When have time plan to figure out where to chop, finger groove so fit strong as single piece and can refinish for a Rhodie/police length real wood forearm. Also have two of the modern synthetic A5 stocks and and two of the forearms which are free take offs from LGS. If were to trip into a deal for a modern A5 or two might try to use the spare synthetic aka plastic forearms and finger join them together for a modern military/police clone.

Hope when do my clone can do on a true FN A5 without emgraving. When chop barrel has enough meat to backbore for screw in chokes and then use a tritium front sight. With chokes can have a improved cylinder most of the time but if want to put people on the ground use #4 buck or duplex rounds with extra full choke to kneecap zombies might want to taunt or place on pikes alive so the screams are heard for miles. Also then have rifled choke for slugs and based on situation or specialty need it's truly configurable as a specialty combat scatter gun.

Have a 22' stick of pipe in house to cut and thread additional magazine tubes or make custom tubes for 3" magnum military/police clones as well. In spare time have been modeling my kit forearm in my CAD software so can send to my CNC router where one rotation will spit more out if want from a variety of materials. If there are no more kits coming in someone needs to at least set up to help others. I never have tried to make gun parts then turn a profit but more just to help folks.

Rate I am going won't be there soon but could probably knock one out faster on manual wood working power tools. With wood turning lathe, hand routers and a shaper might could make a copy with less trouble than the CAD work for my machine but once cad work is done it press buttons then rotate and let it finish. Till put my hands on unengraved FN 12 gauge A5 my kit is just sittimg. Need to also layout and print a woodgrain wrap for the handguards as well for folks that want a true wood look.

 

[imacoonass01]

Interesting.

 

[Invictus77]

Just a "teaser" here since Huey bumped this thread. I have a line on a few more now, but I won't have them in hand for a couple of months or more, if they even come through as described.

To be continued.....


PS - I'm the one Huey spoke about that found out the barrel lug is in different spots in different models when I tried to put my own on together last weekend :facepalm:

 

[hueyville]

For the guy who needs all things Rhodie, up for sale is an authentic Rhodie A5 shotgun with original rack number still with cosmoline from import. Am not affiliated with seller or gun, know what I read in advertisement.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/784421609

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

For the guy who needs all things Rhodie, up for sale is an authentic Rhodie A5 shotgun with original rack number still with cosmoline from import. Am not affiliated with seller or gun, know what I read in advertisement.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/784421609

Went for $2975 plus shipping ($ unk.) on 27 bids, the last few going overtime (15 min. rule), i.e., a real "live" auction at the end between two bidders. I'm thankful for my Sarco unit, couldn't afford to buy one now.

BTW, the finish on this auction A9 looked strange, no evidence of the black (enamel?) paint usually present on the receiver and barrel of these Rhodie jobs. Is this a park or black oxide below the paint that someone removed, or was this one completely refinished? Inquiring minds!

 

[hueyville]

That price sets a higher bar for value on a well done clone. Why I am waiting to score a FN A5 instead of an engraved Browning.

 

[BiGB808]

My new to me this year browning/Japanese made would definitely go Rhodesian if I get the chance.

It will be a mean ugly duckling...

Engraved- Japanese Rhodie.....hmmm

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

Rhodesian FN Police A9 Shotgun at Auction

Just a heads up, a live one has popped up on GB, link below if interested:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/794501738

RA560 is new to me, will see whether I can get the receiver serial number and add them to the list. No knowledge of or relation to the dealer. Starting price is $3001, no bids as of yet, 3 days left to go. Big bucks, but that seems to be about the level at which these guys are selling for nowadays.

 

[BiGB808]

Dam i like those. I dont mind a replica though because $3,000 for an old used semi auto shotgun is not worth it to me

 

[Invictus77]

My new to me this year browning/Japanese made would definitely go Rhodesian if I get the chance.

It will be a mean ugly duckling...

Engraved- Japanese Rhodie.....hmmm

That will not work.

The mag support ring under the barrel on the newer ones is a bit further forward.

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

Just a "teaser" here since Huey bumped this thread. I have a line on a few more now, but I won't have them in hand for a couple of months or more, if they even come through as described.

To be continued.....

Any update on these, or did they slip by my notice? Inquiring minds!

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

Zombie thread revival! Is there any news on Rhodie FN Police Model clone parts (mags and fore arms)? I was pleasantly surprised by my less ambitious A5 synthetic stock set and mag extension revisions, the end result not quite as sexy as a Police Model, but still quite appealing to moi at least.



I still have one more standard field model A5 shotgun available for conversion, just wondering what is currently available for extended mag tubes and fore arms, any info appreciated, danke!

 

[Invictus77]

Any update on these, or did they slip by my notice? Inquiring minds!

They are still sitting in an inaccessible location a this moment, and sadly for the foreseeable future. Sorry. Maybe someday.

I sold a dozen or so on here and I have not seen a dozen or so build threads. Maybe a WTB ad would pull a set out of a closet?

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

Thanks for your response. I have another RamLine (now Champion) synthetic stock set bought a few years back from MGW for $80 (now $200 ), so I could go the simple extension route as pictured above and call it a day. Otherwise, to try to replicate a Police Model, I could put two conventional wood fore ends together with a scarf joint and fiberglass cloth backing, and attempt to fabricate the long mag tube. Sounds like work.

 

[Invictus77]

I could put two conventional wood fore ends together with a scarf joint and fiberglass cloth backing

I'm pretty certain I have the standard wood forearm around here somewhere from my own conversion.

Let me know if that is of interest. Otherwise, it will probably just take up space here forever........

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

I'm pretty certain I have the standard wood forearm around here somewhere from my own conversion.

Let me know if that is of interest. Otherwise, it will probably just take up space here forever........

Thanks for the thought. I have a couple of extra forearms with which to experiment, though suspect it might be easier to build an extended item from scratch. Any insight on how to make or obtain the long mag tube? Inquiring minds!

 

[mp]

My gunsmith is currently working on the extended tubes. He bought a 6 foot tube from McMaster Carr to get started. Unfortunately he is backed up with good paying projects.

First thought was to weld two a5 tubes together, but after some measuring, would require three original tubes to make one extended, so we scrapped that idea.

he built an A5 forearm from a block of wood in Gunsmithing school, so has some handguard experience.

I am kind of waiting for some millennial techie geek with a 3D printer to scan and print some extended handguards, but they are too caught up snowflake stuff.

 

[Nihonto Chicken]

I've thought of welding standard mag tubes together, but that's some involved TIG work to keep weld shrinkage from bending the parts out of alignment. Then again making a mag out of commonly available tubing has its own headaches, particularly providing the slightly thicker wall mag section at the receiver end acting as the follower stop.

As far as the forearm, it's a tricky design in itself, the mag end nut putting the wood in compression and the metal mag tube in tension, with the muzzle end constriction of the wood arm limiting the forward movement of the reciprocating barrel ring, getting banged in each cycle. Making this component out of standard wood, so thin at the receiver end, is just crazy, no wonder why they crack so much. I'm starting to think of a design of two concentric and partially overlapping metal tubes embedded in a polymer, perhaps with a wood outer shell or wrap. Well, this will keep me busy, and it beats getting wasted in a bar chasing taint!