BROWNING B525 AUTUMN SILVER

With the Browning over-and-under shotgun system, you can choose between the B725 or B525 action types. The latest version of the B25 series of actions, the B725, maintains Browning’s esteemed reputation. It is a full-sized action, while the 525 is lighter, making the latter perfectly suited for Game or Hunter models.
Personally, I really like the 525 series. It was first released in 2015, and the B525 guns are made in Japan by the Miroku consortium. Just like the Browning A-Bolt and T-Bolt rifles, the B525 offers excellent value as well as superb engineering and manufacture. Reassuringly, these shotguns have that hand-finished touch.
On test is one of Browning’s limited-edition models, which are popular because they offer something a little different from the norm. Called the B525 Autumn Silver, the gun shows 30” barrels and a classic style of action design, plus all the characteristic B525 features.

Woodwork
The stock on this test gun is American Grade 5/6 walnut. As well as some nice figuring through the buttstock, there are teardrops to the sides. All the wood, including the forend, shows a highly polished oil finish that increases the depth of the grain or figure. This finish is highly practical and long-lasting.
The buttstock offers up a 14.75” length of pull, with a drop at the comb of 36mm and a drop at the heel of 56mm, making it a very comfortable configuration. I have always liked this, and although I am primarily a rifleman, Browning’s over-and-under shotguns always fit me just right and certainly aid in a natural swing.
Look to the rear and you have an Inflex II recoil pad. This is black, about 0.75” thick, and is soft enough to grip the shoulder once mounted, yet it still allows a speedy mount without catching your clothing. Look inside the case and you will find that the gun comes with two additional pads. One measures 0.5” and the other 1”, meaning you can adjust the length of pull to suit.
The pistol grip is nicely raked and quite slim, and the forend features that lovely Browning slim gait and tulip tip, to position the hand well. Both show some nicely cut chequering.

The barrels
On this model, you have a choice of barrel lengths, so either 28” or 30”. Whatever you decide, they come with 3” chambers and are proofed for steel. The gun comes with flush-fit Vector Plus chokes and there is a full complement of five to choose from, so a good blend of game use and sporting, if you so wish. Steel shot can be used up to ½ choke.
The back-bored barrels are part of Browning’s improving barrel technology. The internal dimensions are slightly oversized, increasing the velocity due to reduced friction. The amount of recoil also drops, due to the smoother, wider bore surfaces and ease of the shot column’s passage down the bore. They also seem to clean a lot easier. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed that.
As previously mentioned, the Autumn Silver on test came fitted with 30” barrels, and the gun was actually very finely balanced around the hinge pin assembly, making it fast to react to a changing pigeon in flight.
The top rib is 6mm wide, making it perfect for game shooting, as it allows you to see all around the bead, keeping the game in sight without losing it behind a big rib. Talking of which, you have six large vents measuring 60mm in length that diminish in height as the rib reaches the muzzles. The rib has a finely serrated edge, and a flat, gold bead adorns the end. Basically, everything you could possibly want. I know some like a second bead halfway down the rib, but I like the single bead myself.
The barrels, as with all Browning shotguns, wear very deep, highly polished bluing. Only the ‘Made in Japan’ and chambering designation adorn the sides. The ejectors are also well-finished and polished, moving freely in their recessed cage and monobloc grooves. They are well-timed and powerful, so there is no chance of a stuck case.

Action stations
This gun uses the all-steel B525 action, not the lighter-weight Hunter or Liberty action. As such, it feels strong, without affecting the balance.
The 525 action is slimmer than the 725 but it has the same type of operation and locking arrangement, with steel locking lugs and a relatively deep action profile. A classic Browning trait and reassuringly strong, with a lot of life built into it for prolonged use and reliability.
What is special about this Autumn Silver action is, as the name suggests, the coin-finished action, which has an antique look with profuse scrollwork. To complete the effect, you have game cartouches of flighting mallard, pheasant, and partridge, which are all accented in an Autumn glow colour, hence the name. It actually looks nice.
There is an auto safety, of course, but I still prefer the manual type, as I always forget to disengage it! Internally, you have an inertia-type striker system. The barrel selector moves left for the top barrel and right for the bottom barrel. In this case, ¾ and ¼ respectively. 
The trigger blade is slender and smoothly polished, with a characteristic gold wash finish. However, it is non-adjustable for length of pull, hence the additional recoil pads. The trigger guard is well-shaped and allows plenty of room for manoeuvre. It is finished off with Browning’s Gold Buck logo.

In the field
We set up the customary pattern boards at 30 yards. They have a 30” diameter and include a 15” inner circle. For a change, we shot all the patterns using the ¾ choke.
I had four different 12-bore cartridges to test for pigeon and game species, and the first ones to be used were Gamebore’s Black Golds, which boast 32-grams of No.5 shot and a fibre wad system. We had a total of 175 pellets on the board, distributed with 96 outer and 79 inner hits. Overall, good central distribution from the larger No.5 pellets.
Next up were the Eley Zeniths. The 32-grams of No.5 shot is copper-plated, which helps to stop clumping and thus produces tight and even patterns. We did indeed have dense patterns, with a total of 242 pellets connecting with the board. Almost an even spread between outer and inner strike areas, with 119 and 123 pellet strikes respectively. A good, hard-hitting and working load for larger game. You get a bit more useful range too.
The Hull High Pheasant Extremes also use 32-grams of No.5 and a fibre wad, making them a great game loading. We had 88 inner strikes and 107 outer hits, giving a total of just under 200 pellets (195). Again, the hits start right from the centre point and radiate out evenly. Very nice!
Finally, Hull Superfast Pigeon, which is a really good pigeon load that always surprises me with its dense patterns. There was no change on the day of the test, as we had an evenly spread pattern using the ¾ choke. There was a total of 204 pellet strikes from it 29-grams of No.6 shot. Inner hits equated to 79, with the remaining 125 pellets hitting the outer 30”. Overall, a great pigeon load that is light on the shoulder but hits the pigeon hard.
All the cartridges tested shot really well, and I might be using the ¾ choke more often when not shooting steel loads. The Autumn Silver, as with all B525 models, is nice and light for use out in the field but not too light that you feel excessive recoil when using stout cartridges. Browning shotguns always point so naturally for me, and the lock-up is like a reassuring clunk, just like a Rolls Royce’s door.

Conclusion
Just another very nice variant of their ever-popular B525 shotgun, and for those who appreciate a limited edition run, it’s a nice option if you want to own something different from the norm. All the patterns were very good, and the Autumn Silver performed flawlessly in the tests. A good value over-under-shotgun.