POTD: Double The Fun – The Browning Double Automatic Twelve
Sam.S 04.19.24
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Designed by Val Browning, son of firearms legend John Moses Browning, the Double Automatic shotgun was an innovative semi-auto 12 gauge produced from 1952 to 1971. While often cited as debuting in 1955, some sources indicate initial production began a few years earlier in 1952. A key feature was its short-recoil operation, where the barrel only moved about half an inch rearward when fired, reducing felt recoil compared to long-recoil designs. The Double Automatic uniquely loaded via a side port, allowing one round to go straight into the chamber and a second to sit on the shell carrier. This made it the fastest reloading shotgun at the time. Around 67,000 were produced across three main versions – the steel Standard model, and the lighter aluminum Twelvette and Twentyweight. The Twelvette was the highest production at an estimated 65,000 units. With its clean lines, lack of a magazine tube, and unique reloading system, the Browning Double Automatic stood out with its distinctive and ergonomic design. While its operating system was eventually supplanted, it represented cutting-edge innovation in semi-auto shotgun technology for its era.
“Manufactured 1955-1957. With extra non-matching 25 1/2″ skeet choked barrel and factory takedown case that houses the whole set. Chamber marked marked 2 3/4″, choke marked full, and 14 3/8″ LOP.”
Lot 999: Browning Double Auto Twelvette Semi-Auto Shotgun – Belgian Browning Double Auto Twelvette Semi-Automatic Shotgun with Extra Barrel and Case. (n.d.-g). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1040/999/browning-double-auto-twelvette-semiauto-shotgun.
