APOD Firearms

Local wood furniture repair? Browning A5

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  • EzraM

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    I've recently come to inherit my grandfather's gorgeous Browning Auto-5, one in which dates back to 1953, and he himself has only put a single box of shells through. It's in immaculate condition, but when he bought it from the pawnshop in 1965, it had a notable chip in the wood of the foregrip. Given the personal value of the shotgun to me, I'd prefer not to unmate the matching wood furniture, so I'm looking to see if there are any local shops around Milton-ish area which could offer wood repair. I've included a few pics of the grip and damage.

    If anyone has any alternative ideas, feel free to let me know!

    And also for the sake of the thread, here's a pic of the A5, featuring Coffee the cat.

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    Raven

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    I'd leave it as it is. If you do not have the original piece that broke off, whatever wood you add to it will never really match, and will just call attention to the patch. This is an easy fix to do yourself, by the way. All you need is a tiny drill bit, two tiny wood rods and some wood glue
     

    Duckyou

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    If you have the piece you can put it back - otherwise look for a firearm from the same time to put on it.
     

    BluesBrother

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    I'd leave it as it is. If you do not have the original piece that broke off, whatever wood you add to it will never really match, and will just call attention to the patch. This is an easy fix to do yourself, by the way. All you need is a tiny drill bit, two tiny wood rods and some wood glue
    It was bought from a pawn shop 56 years ago. Every time I've asked a pawn shop clerk if they got this or that part or piece with the gun I've never had success. It would be a miracle if he had the chip after all this time. Assuming he doesn't have the chip. I agree, leave it alone. The fix would be a chip from a different piece of wood or form fill with colored epoxy. Either method would draw attention to the damaged area. There are craftsmen woodworkers that can work magic though. If price is no object search them out, check out what they have done in the past. You might have to ship it someplace and shipping has risks associated with it i.e. loss or damage. You also run the risk of being disappointed in the best repair anyone can do turns out to be not good enough for your eye. Resist the temptation of thinking that you can improve on something someone has saved for your enjoyment for over 50 years. So again leave it alone and enjoy it. It's beautiful. You might get lucky and find a fore end to replace yours. If you did find something I would keep the original.
     
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    EzraM

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    It was bought from a pawn shop 56 years ago. Every time I've asked a pawn shop clerk if they got this or that part or piece with the gun I've never had success. It would be a miracle if he had the chip after all this time. Assuming he doesn't have the chip. I agree, leave it alone. The fix would be a chip from a different piece of wood or form fill with colored epoxy. Either method would draw attention to the damaged area. There are craftsmen woodworkers that can work magic though. If price is no object search them out, check out what they have done in the past. You might have to ship it someplace and shipping has risks associated with it i.e. loss or damage. You also run the risk of being disappointed in the best repair anyone can do turns out to be not good enough for your eye. Resist the temptation of thinking that you can improve on something someone has saved for your enjoyment for over 50 years. So again leave it alone and enjoy it. It's beautiful. You might get lucky and find a fore end to replace yours. If you did find something I would keep the original.
    This is probably the best advice I didn't know I needed. Thanks for your reply, I’ll consider what you said and likely end up leaving it alone. It was never so much that I felt it could be improved upon, but rather that it’s so flawless, I only saw it as a means of respecting the firearm and its history to try and fix a flaw that otherwise kept it from being perfect. But you’re right, it’ll probably only draw attention to it in the instance it’s fixed. So unless I come across some miracle wood worker I’m confident in, I’ll keep it as is.
     
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