I would check it out carefully first. I wish I hadn't sold my Taurus M605 - it was a good little gun. REVOLVER CHECKOUT WARNING: Most of these tests require violation of the 'finger off trigger' rule. Therefore, be extremely careful about safe muzzle direction and personally making sure the gun is unloaded as you begin handling it.

Bring a small, high-powered LED flashlight. Feeler gauges if needed; at a minimum, bring a.002',.004' and.006'. No dry firing is required or desired at any point. Cylinder play With the gun UNLOADED (check for yourself!), close the action. Thumb the hammer back, and while pulling the trigger, gently lower the hammer all the way down. Keep holding the trigger once the hammer is down. (You've now put the gun in 'full lockup' - keep it there for this and most other tests.) Check for cylinder wiggle.

Taurus 85 Ultra-Lite chambered in.38 Spl with a 2 1/8 inch barrel bright bore good grooves and the original box. This gun is in excellent condition and is covered.

Front/back is bad. A little side to side is OK but it's a bad thing if you can wiggle it one way, let go, and then spin it the other way a fraction of an inch and it stays there too. At the very least, it should 'want' to stop in just one place (later, we'll see if that place is any good). The ultimate is a 'welded to the frame' feeling. Cylinder gap Still holding the trigger at full lockup, look sideways through the barrel/cylinder gap. If you're eyeballing it, you'll have to hold it up sideways against an overhead light source.

SAFETY WARNING: This step in particular is where you MUST watch your muzzle direction. Look, part of what's happening here is that you're convincing the seller you know your poop.

Serial Number Example: 01001RT151. This would be an Auto-5 Magnum 12 ga.,manufactured in 1976 with the serial number 01001. 1999: The Auto-5 will be discontinued for 2000. To commemorate this historic event for the Auto-5, Browning released the 'Final Tribute' version in 1999. Browning Semi-Automatic Five Shotgun (A-5) F.N. Production began at serial number 1 in 1902. Prior to 1924, few serial records remain. Post 1958 manufacture dates. Browning A- 5 Shotgun. H = Standard Wgt. Browning gun Parts Price List 1. 16-20 (FOR 2-PIECE CARRIER) 19.50 aUto-5 IMPORTANT. Part name, gun gauge/caliber and serial number. Browning auto 5 20 gauge serial numbers. I have a Belgium (FN) made Browning Auto 5 20 ga. Which has a serial number whose nomanclature is not listed on the Browning web page. The serial number has two rows of numbers, the top being 71Z and the bottom 5xxx1. Can anyone tell me when this shotgun was manufactured and any other information about it. Any information would be appreciated. 'V' is the product ID code, in your case, 12ga Mag The number following it is the actual serial number of the gun. The ball or round knob grip is just the style of the day. Browning serial #s (on A5s amoung others) are confusing and were oft changed due to several global and corporate influences. The whole thing goes a little something like this.

It helps the haggling process. If you do anything unsafe, that impression comes completely unglued. Timing With the gun held in full lockup, shine a light into the area at the rear of the cylinder near the firing pin. Look down the barrel to make sure the cylinder bore lines up with the barrel. Check every cylinder. Bore Swing the cylinder open, or with most SAs pull the cylinder.

Use the small flashlight to scope the bore out. Check each cylinder bore (chamber) with the light coming in from the front of each hole, you looking in from the back. Trigger To test a trigger without dry-firing it, use a plastic pen in front of the hammer to 'catch' it with the off hand, especially if it's a 'firing pin on the hammer' type. Or see if the seller has any snap-caps, that's the best solution. SA triggers (or a DA with the hammer cocked) should feel 'like a glass rod breaking'. A tiny amount of take-up slack is tolerable, and is common on anything with a transfer bar or hammer block safety. Detecting Bad Gunsmithing Cock it, grab the hammer and 'wiggle it around' a bit.

Give it a bit of up/down, left/right and circular action with finger off trigger and watch your muzzle direction. You don't want that hammer slipping off an overly polished sear. Check for too-light springs. Replacement factory or Wolff springs are cheap both to buy and have installed.