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If I Could Have ONE Browning Semi-Auto

shotgun showdown Sep 22, 2022

         

We've come up with something totally new to TFL. For this new style of showdowns, we've created something called the "SOSA TEST" which gives us five different categories to rate each gun from 1-10. If you didn't know, "SOSA TEST" stands for "Steve's Official Shotgun Analysis To Effectively Save Time." The beauty of the SOSA TEST is that we can now compare guns with varying price ranges because there is a handicap. Negative points are applied right off the bat based on the price of the shotgun. Below is what the scorecard looks like. The guns go in the left column and are ranked in each category  1-10 to accumulate a final score. Lets go! 

 

                                                 TFL SOSA SCORECARD:                                                                                                                             

 

                                          HANDICAP BASED OFF PRICE:

 

 

BROWNING SEMI-AUTO SOSA TEST LINEUP:

MAXUS 2 Wicked Wing: $2,249 (-7 HANDICAP)

A5 Wicked Wing: $1,999 (-6 HANDICAP)

SILVER: $1,399 (-4 HANDICAP)

 

Category #1: LOOKS

  • MAXUS 2 - This gun has always really caught my eye. The burnt bronze texture kind of "shimmers" - very tasteful. 9/10
  • A5 - These Wicked Wing editions are so pretty. The A5 is just the right balance between modern and nostalgic. The humpback is sick. 9/10
  • SILVER - This silver is a nice shotgun. It's exactly what it has to be. The issue is when it's next to these two beauties it's a bit more average. 7.5/10

Category #2: RECOIL/RELIABILITY

  • MAXUS 2 - This gun is slick. The internal components are similar to the SX4 which is super fast. Had a couple of reliability issues today though. 8.5/10
  • A5 - Didn't really have any issues with this A5. It has a little more recoil than the Maxus. Had some trouble over the head as well. 8/10
  • SILVER - This is a gas gun. At first, I had some cycling issues. The recoil was straight back and nice. I'll call it 8/10

Category #3: ERGONOMICS/FEEL

  • MAXUS 2 - This is a different beast. There are so many things I like about this gun. Rubber molding, loading port, trigger guard, cheek pad... and it feels natural in the hands. 9/10 
  • A5 - Again, the humpback is a super cool touch. Love the oversized controls.  8.5/10
  • SILVER - This gun kind of feels like a 2x4 in comparison. It is a pretty nice gun and has a solid build! 7/10

Category #4: BREAKDOWN

  • MAXUS 2 -  This and the silver are pretty similar. This gun has fewer parts and an easier forend cap. 8/10
  • A5 -  This is an inertia gun. Cannot complain about that. The forend cap is the only thing hard to grip here. 9/10
  • SILVER - I learned that this gun ran a little bit dirty. There are also a couple of extra parts hiding in the barrel. More complicated. 8/10

Category #5 VIBES

  • MAXUS 2 - I feel like this was the most natural gun to pull up and shoot quickly. I beat my score from the review last year. Vibes are high. 8.5/10
  • A5 - This and the Maxus are neck and neck. Love looking down this stepped-up rib over the humpback. This actually shot a lot faster than I expected. 9/10
  • SILVER - This shot well. I don't think it mounts as natural as the other 2, but it got the job done. Slightly above-average vibes. 7/10

BONUS ROUND

  • MAXUS 2 - I'm giving the Maxus 1 bonus point because of the awesome ergonomics and rubber inlays. 
  • A5 - N/A
  • SILVER - N/A

FINAL SCORECARD

And just like that, the Browning A5 sneaks right by the Maxus 2 by a half point! I'd have to agree. This gun seemed to perform above and beyond its price point and I absolutely love shooting it. Let me know your thoughts! Do you agree with me? I'd love to hear your feed back on this scorecard - what to add, what to take away, Let me know!

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on so live the #targetfocusedlife 

Stay Target Focused,

Steve

 

 

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