Spring Snows with Browning’s A5 and Maxus II Shotguns

Published on March 1st 2024

The A5

by Jace Bauserman

The terrain was a mid-March mess. A week of 60-degree temperatures gave way to overnight rain mixed with snow. The cut cornfield turned into a bog of gloppy mud.

With no way to get a trailer or sleds into the field, six hunters toted load after load of decoys to the field’s middle.

Brown mud caked on our boots, and each step was a chore. We would often stop and throw one foot at a time forward in hopes of sending mud walls tumbling through the air. It was miserable!

By the time the spread was complete, and rays of light teased the landscape to life, we were exhausted. Inside my layout blind, I reached over and grabbed my Browning A5. Instantly, my palm was caked in mud. Glancing at my 12-gauge shooter, I noticed most of the composite stock and forearm cloaked in wet, brown goo. From the extended Invector-DS choke tubes to the action, the shotgun held a mixture of mud and corn stalk.

Frantically, I tried to perform an in-the-field cleaning, but it was useless. The roar of thousands of migrating snows rang in my ears. Racking a shotshell into the chamber, I melted into my layout and hoped for the best.

The e-caller sang, and the 500-plus decoy spread did its job. I smiled as I looked up into the snow tornado swirling down on our goose crew. When the “take-em” call came, my Browning A5 cycled a trio of 3-inch steel rounds quickly and cleanly. Dang, do I love this shotgun!

We ended the morning with an average spring harvest. We put in a pile of work to earn only four volleys at decoying birds. However, my A5, though dirty, gritty, and wet, handled the below-par conditions like a champ. Halfway through the morning, milky clouds swallowed the sun and snow fell in sheets. As it always does, the A5 shouldered, balanced, and shot like a dream. No matter how awkward my body angle got as I twisted and turned to continue slinging metal at the fleeing flocks, birds fell from the sky.

The A5 Advantage

With a shotgun loaded with as many advantageous features and technologies as the A5, it may seem strange to some to start with the textured gripping surfaces on the stock and forearm. However, hunting spring snows is typically wet and muddy, and I wouldn’t say I like triggering my shotgun with gloves on. No matter how damp or dirty my A5 gets, my hand placement is exact and repeatable, which leads to more dead birds.

The textured surfaces marry with the design of the Humpback receiver and ribbed barrel to create a just-right sight plane. I don’t aim a shotgun; I shoot off feel and instinct. When the Inflex II Recoil Pad finds the pocket in my shoulder, and my hand wraps around the vertical grip, my cheek finds an exact weld that lines my eye up precisely with the barrel rib down to the fiber-optic front sight, and I feel remarkably deadly. The precise/comfortable grip and compact/narrow forearm place my front hand closer to the bore line to increase pointablility. This shotgun swings and shoots like a dream. The A5 is also customizable for the length of pull, cast, and drop, and making adjustments doesn’t require an MIT degree.

Of course, a shotgun this deadly becomes obsolete if it can’t cycle shotshells rapidly, even in terrible conditions. The good news is that the A5’s Kinetic Drive System is flawless. Short and powerful, the Kinetic Drive System is a simple concept that takes recoil energy and converts that energy into motion that opens the action and sends spent hulls flying. Because gases are shipped out of the barrel and away from the action, the operation is clean and smooth, even when hunting in adverse conditions.

Do me a favor, though, and cherish your A5. Yes, this shooter has a 100,000-round or five-year guarantee, but don’t take advantage of it. Clean your shotgun regularly. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

Other Must-Mention A5 Features

You may still be on the fence, wondering if an A5 deserves a place in your waterfowl arsenal. Consider the Vector Pro Lengthened Forcing Cone and the trio of extended Invector-DS Goose Band choke tubes (Wicked Wing models) if you are.

The forcing cone is the area of the barrel with a tapered transition between the chamber and the bore that constricts the shot column. A longer forcing cone, which the A5 has, means gradual constriction with reduced stress on the shot column as it passes into the bore. This reduced stress means less pellet deformation, which leads to a dense, uniform pattern. Blend less pellet deformation with choke tubes that pattern better than many custom tubes I’ve tinkered with, and you get pattern consistency at ranges close and far.

I also cheer the Steel Shot performance of the barrel. The quality of Browning barrels is well known and translates directly into preventing pitting and damage to the bore when shooting steel shot. Often, especially when hunting snow geese, I sling heavy steel loads. They cost less, and because bringing a snow goose to the ground is easier than a monster Canada, I typically save my bismuth and tungsten shells for dark geese and shoot steel at snows. Sometimes, I go through more than a case of steel shells in spring, and my bore still looks brand new.

The Browning A5 is what the Goose Doctor ordered. Though 16- and 20-gauge models are available, I prefer the 12-gauge model with a 26-inch barrel and 3-1/2-inch chamber. The shotgun is as reliable as the day is long and meets the demands of any waterfowling foray that comes my way.

The Browning Maxus II

by Foster Bartholow

The world awakens with a whisper of promise as you lay in your blind with white decoys all around you. You see a cloud moving in your direction across the golden fields of the Midwest sunrise. Within minutes, five to ten thousand snow geese scream above you in the heart-stopping stillness of early spring.

It is a symphony of white wings slicing through the crisp morning air, a ballet of anticipation choreographed by nature. All eyes below watch, wait, and pray as the flock makes its final descent.

Welcome to the realm of springtime snow goose hunting, where the hunt leads you through an immersive journey filled with mud, lack of sleep, and an opportunity to test your gear to its limits.

As winter’s icy grip loosens, flocks of snow geese embark on their annual migration, painting the sky with a mesmerizing picture of white. Armed with patience, reverence, and a Browning Maxus II, I can’t get enough spring snow goose hunting.

In this symphony, every moment is etched with anticipation; hunting snow geese is not about the result but the experience.

When snow goose hunting, there are many tribulations a hunter must overcome to have a successful hunt, including weather, mud, equipment failure, and minimal sleep. And, to add to the scenario, there is the setting up of the spread and tearing it down, only to do it all over again the next day (or days).

Snow goose hunting has been a passion of mine since my college days. Having the opportunity to hunt with some of the “OGs” of the day, I quickly learned tips and tricks that will make a successful spring snow goose hunter. The number one tip is: Use gear that won’t fail you.

Your gear gets put through the mud — oh so much mud — unfavorable weather, the abuse of firing 10-15 shells per volley, and accelerated wear and tear on all gear components as things get thrown around in the trailer.

Luckily, with today’s modern advancements in technology, the days of gear failures have all but vanished. New one-piece decoys with tail-loops, upgraded e-callers, shotshell advancements, and updates in firearms all play a massive part in making a successful hunt.

My Browning Maxus II has proven reliable, consistent, and comfortable as it delivers shot after shot.

Why Is the Maxus II for Me?

Having put thousands of rounds through this gun, I feel the Maxus II is the softest shooting and best-handling shotgun on the market.

The soft cheek pad and Inflex II Recoil Pad tame shoulder and cheek abuse, which makes the shotgun a joy to shoot. The rubber over-molding features in the grip and forearm assist with better control and a more consistent swing to and through the bird, whether using gloves or not.

With an oversized bolt handle and Speed Load Plus, long gone are the days of missed opportunities on birds that come back around or loading with gloves on those cloudy, cold days when the phrase “load up, cover up” can never be said enough.

The gun feels balanced to its core, and the ability to stay in the gun gives me more time to focus on the next bird.

Gas System

Having used both inertia and gas guns, I prefer the pros of using a gas system. Browning has the Power Drive Gas System of the Maxus II absolutely dialed. I love the smooth and fast cycling and reliable shot-to-shot performance.

The Maxus II has proven its strength in the field, whether shooting light loads for doves, speed loads for snow geese, or cannons for late-season honkers.

Ultimately, I recommend shooting a shogun that fits you and gives you the utmost confidence. Whether the Browning A5 or Maxus II, they are both great options in the field.

Lastly, keep safety at the forefront of every hunt, and have a great time this spring!