Positive Traits
While the proliferation of gas and inertia operated shotguns have made the short-recoil-action archaic, Val Browning’s pride and joy still has a lot going for it. It is unique mechanically and ergonomically.
It has the shortest action of any semi-auto ever made. The Double Auto’s action measures 6-5/8" from front to rear compared to 8" for the Beretta 391. Even the small, scaled-frame Remington 11/48 28-gauge measures 7-3/4"! The short frame keeps the bulk of the weight between the hands, generally making a gun swing better.
Another unique feature of the Double Auto is it has no magazine. The second round sits on the shell carrier and is visible in the open loading port on the left side of the receiver. You can tell at a glance if the gun is fully charged.
The lack of a magazine does away with the fore end cap. This “sleeks” the appearance of the gun and until the currently produced Browning Maxus, the Double Auto was the only autoloading shotgun ever produced without a fore end cap.
The Browning Double Auto is the only repeating shotgun with no visible pins or buttons on the action. This enhances its appearance. Two internal pins run parallel with the action and hold the trigger housing in place. Removing the trigger group requires taking the butt stock off the gun to gain access to these pins.