Val Browning's Double Auto

[Mike McKinney]

When I was 9-10, I went to a neighbors house with Daddy. Daddy and the neighbor had grown up together, and both were in the war. I really don’t remember whether Daddy ask to see the gun, or he asked if I could see the gun, which was very mint, a gift from his parents, but at any rate, I thought then it was the prettiest gun I had ever seen, I still think they are beautiful.

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hodges

It is actually not an "aluminum" receiver, but a receiver made of " horridum".

I suspect that was a made up trade name to make the gun sound more exotic. Even Google cant find it lol.

[Steve Hodges]

I know how you hate to be wrong Peter, but all i can report is what Browning called the material used in this receiver. LOL

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hodges

I know how you hate to be wrong Peter, but all i can report is what Browning called the material used in this receiver. LOL

That is exactly what I said, that it sounds like a made up trade name as part of a marketing effort rather than an actual metallurgic composition. It has nothing to do with my need to be correct, I can't find a metal by that name actually exists and what it's composition might be, I did some searching after you mentioned it. Have you found anything else about a metal by that name? Perhaps there are different types of aluminum composites. Please enlighten me if you can find something more.

[Steve Hodges]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiduminium

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hodges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiduminium

So it is a real aluminum alloy, it was just spelled wrong which explains why I could not find anything about it. Using it to build the receiver of the Double Auto was how they cut the weight down on the Twelvette, I have wondered what they did to decrease the weight further for a Twentyweight, where did they find the extra weight savings, my barrel walls are pretty thin in a Twelvette, can't imagine they could make them thinner, it would be interesting to know how it was done.

[Big D]

I have a Remington M31 lightweight 20 gauge The receiver is some sort of alloy. Anyone have a guess on its name/composition? I don't.

[Steve Hodges]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

So it is a real aluminum alloy, it was just spelled wrong which explains why I could not find anything about it. Using it to build the receiver of the Double Auto was how they cut the weight down on the Twelvette, I have wondered what they did to decrease the weight further for a Twentyweight, where did they find the extra weight savings, my barrel walls are pretty thin in a Twelvette, can't imagine they could make them thinner, it would be interesting to know how it was done.

Pete, I have a really nice Browning Book which gave me the correct spelling. They are cool guns. I have owned a few in the past but parted with them. May have to look for another.

[J.B. Books]

They are very unique and very cool guns, I have found mine to be very nice to carry for a 12ga and one of the most natural guns to point of any I have owned, however they can be fussy. I looked at and picked up a steel receiver version at KTP and for me there was no comparison to the aluminum alloy guns. It felt heavy/bulky, not lively in hand at all. It did have the channel rib though and I thought that was kind of neat. Overall it seems more than any other feature the color of the receiver drives the price followed by a VR barrel.

[Steve Hodges]

Color does drive the prices. Though my book says that the solid rib barrels are quite rare as they were all special order items