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Browning Twelvette


johncrow
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Hi everyone,I have a Browning  Twelvette  and am looking for  someone who knows what the modification was that Browning offered in the original manual to enable it to fire shorter cartridges.It states in  the Browning  manual on Randy Wakemans site that it can fire 55mm cartridges but this is possibly a misprint and meant to be 65mm if anyone has any info please let me know.I  have been in contact with Browning but they have no info so it is over to great and good of pigeon watch

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Here in darkest Dorset, we have a mine of useless information, so here I go..my Twelvette shoots 65 mm ammo with a 2 mm thick pad stuck vertically just inside the rear face of the load port , to take up the shorter length of ammo ? Means I don`t have to single-load shorter ammo, or just single load. I can still use 70 mm no problem. I understand Browning offered special order guns, or a thicker ` push plate`..sorry, need to study exploded diagram from Sarco site for part names. However, no actual demand for low power ammo ( in America ???) so they binned his, carried on making the only shotgun I wouldn`t be without ! Please remember though, light weight on Twelvettes meant thinner barrels, so PLEASE don`t use heavy ammo if you can avoid it, or buy one with internal marking ! Also, check forearm and stock neck for cracks..can be repaired, but factor in the cost when buying. I have a spare new Brownell or Sarco fore end blank ( not sure which ) imported before the import aggro started, if anyone has a real need, I could help ? Also, they use light steel loads in USA where appropriate, but only through half choke or wider, and they try a crack test first !!!

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I can cycle 24 grm with confidence, Hull comp X 28 works fine , just single load as it s 65 mm, really quick to load and eject with minimal recoil pain. Check your gun fit and mount, but I cheat, use 70 mm traditional game ammo from any maker at 28/30 grm, plus a pachmayr decellerator pad helps my mount and soaks up most things  without hassle..at 75 I need all the help I can get to keep shooting ! I wont give up easy, like most folks on here ! My gun mounts better with a longer l.o.p.

 

Remember, these guns don`t use gas to cycle, so load weight of recoil shouldn`t vary much ? Eley Impax also good for game, or Hull superfast 29 grm, good for clays/pigeons have a bit more sting, where the recoil pad comes in handy.

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Thanks for all the info lots of which I did not know.Chris @stevepages.com spoke to Browning America for me  and they advised getting in touch with some of larger gun shops in the states, which is ok for   info but very difficult to purchase from them.Fronty 61 is spot on when he says theyoffered "a thicker push plate" this was an adaption that  I believe could be ordered as an after market item.This is the part I am trying to find or get the tech drawings for so I can have it made .All this is just an interesting hobby for me as I have recently retired an purchased a twelvette,great gun, facinating development by Val Browning so if any has any more info on this gun or where I can find the part I am looking for please contact me by the way my twelvette will  fire 70 and 67.5 mm 21grm loads but not 65mm.

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Just checked my Twelvette..the mod someone has made seems to be a small rectangle of plastic or nylon sheet, 2 mm thick, cut to fit and stuck ? on the push plate, anyone could do it, and easily accessible, no strip down needed ( tweezers might be handy ), could even experiment with something like double sided tape, cut to size, stripped one side only. It would hold density  long enough for a few trial shots ? Love these guns, just wish we has a few more around my part of the south coast ( Poole) to make a support group. My gun gives me walkup game, ground and flying, at 35/45 yards, more if I was a better shot, shoot clays all day up to 50 yards ( no birds to *****), and such an easy carry. The engineering is all based on good practice, and each gun was hand made !!! made as a light, single barrelled competitor to SxS of the day..Mr. Browning obviously came from a different, and wonderful planet ! Just stick to ammo appropriate to the day, and sorted gun fit sorts the recoil !!! Johncrow is spot on with his call on 67/70 ammo length, modify only to use multiple 65 mm ammo. Maybe check the patent drawings ?

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Thanks for the info Fronty61 I will have to try that.The reason I was trying to find the original part was to keep the gun as true as possible,In my part of the world,Devon, most clay grounds are fibre wad only, and an awful lot of fibre wad clay  cartridges in 21/24grm are 65mm,   Many of the   lighter fibre  game loads 28/30grm are also in 65mm cases, So  I would really like to find the part to keep the gun original and because I am curiouse as to how Browning modified the gun, If all you had to do was lengthen the push plate why did not Browning  make the gun like that giving a greater choice of ammunition,seems odd.My quest to find the part goes on if anyone has any useful information or contacts on the subject please contact.

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My favourite clay load after much trial is Eley VIP clay ammo in 28 grm 8 shot, bought a stack last year ( 70 mm)..mine are plastic wad, o.k. at Purbeck where I mainly shoot, available in fibre wad at the time. I `ve asked a Double auto collector friend in Florida to check amongst his friends for info, or even the actual item. Quite a few old-school gun shops stored Browning bits from the 60s..happy to hook up if we can make this happen ? welcome to p.m. me any time if you want to speak or email further.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Great to see these great little guns being enjoyed..my `66 Twelvette comes out for monthly clays, to sharpen me up , then easy carry for walkup game..keep clean and don`t over lube, and enjoy ! Worth very little over here means we have no reason to keep them in the safe ? Looking for a spare barrel, or any parts at all, anything considered to keep it going, by the way ! I heard there`s a top Double auto man in Scotland..do we know him ?

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Welcome to the club ! My 1966 Twelvette is a joy to use, gets interest any time I take it out, shoots way better than I do..I do use  65/67 mm ammo as first load, then follow with 70mm  so it cycles as it should..no problems with that...enjoy ! Good to see you serviced it yourself..not rocket science , and very rewarding to do ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, fronty61 said:

Welcome to the club ! My 1966 Twelvette is a joy to use, gets interest any time I take it out, shoots way better than I do..I do use  65/67 mm ammo as first load, then follow with 70mm  so it cycles as it should..no problems with that...enjoy ! Good to see you serviced it yourself..not rocket science , and very rewarding to do ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I believe in stripping every gun I own and understanding the workings also as I like classic guns you never know what lies beneath. As you said it gives you a lot of satisfaction knowing you've done it yourself 

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Hi Folks The Browning Twelvette seems to have good following and it is a very good gun,but I still have not found anyone who knows or has seen the modification Browning mention in their original manual that would enable the gun to fire 55mm cartridges,so if there is someone who has seen it or knows where I can find the information about it please let me know.

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