Finally: Sweet Sixteen Pics
- Thread starter JMc
- Start date
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
She's beautiful. Congratulations!
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OKIEGunner
New member
That a nice looking smoke stick................congrates
FCSpringer
Moderator
Oooooo, sweet all right. Nice piece, congrats.:thumbsup::coolpics:
Dakotazeb
Well-known member
JMc, nice looking Sweet Sixteen. Now you need to replace that brown white line recoil pad and it will look almost as good as mine! 
You will enjoy shooting it, especially if you have never shot an A5. I love mine and used it a lot last fall. Makes me wonder why Browning quit making them.
I've attached a sheet showing the A5 specs.
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You will enjoy shooting it, especially if you have never shot an A5. I love mine and used it a lot last fall. Makes me wonder why Browning quit making them.
I've attached a sheet showing the A5 specs.
Dakotazeb
Well-known member
I copied and pasted this from another web site:
For all Sweet Sixteens from 1952 and later, the name "Sweet Sixteen" will be engraved on the left side of the receiver. Most made between 1948 - 1951 will also have the engraving, but not all. Sweets made before will not have the engraving.
Sweet Sixteens were introduced as a Lightweight 16 guage gun in 1937. Prior to the German Occupation in Belgium, they were made up until April 1940, though few were shipped to Browning in 1940. The 16ga. in Standard and Lightweight (Sweet 16's) were manufactured again for Browning begining in 1946.
To tell between the Sweet Sixteens and Standard 16's, there are a few ways to tell. The obvious difference is weight, but exact weight would be difficult to measure due to shorter cut stocks and barrel lengths, so to answer this question we will look at the physical characteristics.
To begin, the triggers were gold plated on the Sweet 16's, however most of the older Sweet's had the plating wear off, thus the trigger on most older Sweets are a bare silver metal.
Next. is the inside of the receiver which have two sections of metal removed on each side of the receiver (inside). The metal was removed to reduce weight. Each "scoop" of metal removed can be verified by looking into the bottom near the loading port below the carrier. The "scoops' or "dishes" of removed metal are about 1 1/2" long & 1/4" wide, running parallel with the receiver, just above the bottom edge.
These are the two primary Sweet Sixteen characteristics that can be seen examining the gun without dissasembly. It is possible that the trigger could have been replaced when converting the old "Front Trigger Safety" to a cross bolt safety. The front trigger safety was used through the 1940's, and some owners had their guns safety converted; Thus the removed metal inside receivers is the determining factor to identify the receiver. Standard weight 16's do not have the scoops of metal removed.
The final thing to look at is the barrel. If your 16ga Auto 5 is older than 1952 and does not have the script engraving on the side, you should also check the barrel:
Remove the magazine cap while pressing the barrel rearward into the receiver (Yes, it is normal). Let the barrel slide forward and resting without the spring tension. Remove the forearm and look at the Barrel ring that slides around the magazine tube. Does the barrel ring have three holes drilled through it to reduce weight? If so, the barrel is a Sweet Sixteen barrel. Keep in mind that this does not make the gun a Sweet 16, unless the receiver is the lightweight model. Lightweight barrels or "Sweet16" barrels can be fitted to standard weight receivers.
Fortunately, the earlier Auto 5's had their barrels serialized to match the receiver. Does you serial number on your lightweight barrel match the receiver? Also look at the inside of the forearm, the same number will be stamped into the forearm which will show if the barrel, receiver and forearm is original. Their have been some exceptions with serial numbers, but this was the standard configuration that Auto 5's were sold in. There are a few other details that reduced weight in the Sweet 16's such as more wood hollowed out in the buttstock and thinner barrel wall construction.
So, take a look at your 16ga Auto 5. If the engraving on the left side says "Sweet Sixteen", then you will know. If it doesn't have the engraved script, then answer these questions:
Is the trigger gold plated or silver and not rust blued? Can you see the area of removed metal inside the receiver instead of a flat inside wall? Does your barrel have three holes drilled through the barrel ring and does the serial numbers match? If you answered "yes!", then... "How Sweet it is".
I have a Belgian Sweet 16 with an IC and a M PB.
Would not part with it.
The weight issue swirling around them is always interesting.
It seems to draw folks grinning and panting, yet in reality, even a PB Sweet 16 is not light...just lighter.
What can be found in the Sweet 16, tho it can, on occassion, be found in standards or in a Model 11 I would guess, is an undeniable factor of balance and proportion....or shootability.
IMO, the balance factor diminishes as a rib is attached but, that is just me.
These scatterguns, of several labels and ranges, just work....well.
I have seen two points of humor with the Sweet 16, and other 16 Auto 5ish scatterguns, on the Internet.
One, there is always someone who has the mythical 6 1/4# unaltered Sweet 16 and brags about it endlessly and two, the wood used can reduce the difference between models, 16 or 12, very quickly to being irrelevant in the real world of birdhunting.
Therefore, find any 16 Auto 5 and try it on, or a 12....regardless of the minor weight savings that may exist between models, any of these guns will serve like a trooper and so, deserve consideration.
And while one is at it, the 20 gauge models are no slouch in any way either....they just don't carry the same panache or undeniable awwww factor.
Also, to the OP, if the stock has not been cut then a call to MGW or Art's might deliver a classic buttplate to really top off your new gun.
Would not part with it.
The weight issue swirling around them is always interesting.
It seems to draw folks grinning and panting, yet in reality, even a PB Sweet 16 is not light...just lighter.
What can be found in the Sweet 16, tho it can, on occassion, be found in standards or in a Model 11 I would guess, is an undeniable factor of balance and proportion....or shootability.
IMO, the balance factor diminishes as a rib is attached but, that is just me.
These scatterguns, of several labels and ranges, just work....well.
I have seen two points of humor with the Sweet 16, and other 16 Auto 5ish scatterguns, on the Internet.
One, there is always someone who has the mythical 6 1/4# unaltered Sweet 16 and brags about it endlessly and two, the wood used can reduce the difference between models, 16 or 12, very quickly to being irrelevant in the real world of birdhunting.
Therefore, find any 16 Auto 5 and try it on, or a 12....regardless of the minor weight savings that may exist between models, any of these guns will serve like a trooper and so, deserve consideration.
And while one is at it, the 20 gauge models are no slouch in any way either....they just don't carry the same panache or undeniable awwww factor.
Also, to the OP, if the stock has not been cut then a call to MGW or Art's might deliver a classic buttplate to really top off your new gun.
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Dakotazeb
Well-known member
And bear in mind that the 20 ga. A5 is not any lighter than the 16's because it is made on the 16 ga. frame. Browning came out with the 16 ga. A5's before the 20's. So when they started making the 20's they simply used the 16 ga. frame. Many parts are interchangable between the 16's and 20's.
JMc
Super Moderator
Thanks for the comments and great information from all. I am replacing the recoil pad with an all black Browning pad...thanks George for that info and the spec sheet...really cool. I could have sold this gun 20 times already; however, every time I pick it up it just melts into my shoulder. Can't wait to shoot it.
Just found out, I'm going to be a Grandpa in November...looks like the grandchild just inherited his first A5 Sweet Sixteen!
Just found out, I'm going to be a Grandpa in November...looks like the grandchild just inherited his first A5 Sweet Sixteen!
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M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
The Byrd is the word -- on the new Grandad thing. I was happily basking in the new scattergun happiness and then... What did I just read? Congratulations, sir! That will be a while coming for me, but I can imagine how ... COOL that is going to be when I can say the same. Nice. Very nice, indeed.
