I purchased one of the new Browning A5 Sweet 16 shotguns a few years back and absolutely love it, but there's one problem. The only one I could find had the 28" barrel. When you combine that barrel length with the length of the receiver, the gun is so long that it will not fit in the gun boots on my dog trailer.
When travelling and hunting, I haul my shotguns in these gun boots, as the top doors of my dog trailer lock and the boots keep my guns snug and secure. Since my Sweet 16 won't fit in the boots, it stays at home in my gun safe because breaking it down to put it in the factory carrying case for travel then reassembling it and then having to keep it in in the cab of my pickup when hunting is a hassle.
I took the gun to an old school gunsmith and inquired about having him cut the barrel back and threading it to accept the Browning Invector chokes it came with, threading it to accept aftermarket chokes, or possibly even just boring the barrel out and making it a full time "Modified" choke barrel. He measured the barrel thickness with a micrometer and told me that due to the low tolerances in the steel in newly manufactured shotgun barrels, he couldn't do that work. This guy is an outstanding gunsmith and has been in the business a long time, so I trust what he told me. However, it could be that the older equipment he has doesn't have the necessary accuracy for him to feel comfortable doing it.
Does anyone know of a source for a new Browning A5 Sweet 16, 26" barrel to replace the 28" barrel that came on this gun? I've done the measuring, and a 26" barrel would definitely allow the gun to fit in the boots on my dog trailer (the 28" barrel makes the gun about 1 and 1/2" too long to fit), or does anyone know of a REPUTABLE/RELIABLE gunsmith that could do the previously described work and also get the gun back to me in a timely manner?
The Midwest Gun Works website shows they sell the 26" barrels for the new A5 Sweet 16's, but they are currently out of stock and I submitted a "contact me when available".
Pheasant/quail season is slowly slipping by, and I'd love to use this gun because it's a honey to carry and shoot.
Any and all help would be appreciated!
When travelling and hunting, I haul my shotguns in these gun boots, as the top doors of my dog trailer lock and the boots keep my guns snug and secure. Since my Sweet 16 won't fit in the boots, it stays at home in my gun safe because breaking it down to put it in the factory carrying case for travel then reassembling it and then having to keep it in in the cab of my pickup when hunting is a hassle.
I took the gun to an old school gunsmith and inquired about having him cut the barrel back and threading it to accept the Browning Invector chokes it came with, threading it to accept aftermarket chokes, or possibly even just boring the barrel out and making it a full time "Modified" choke barrel. He measured the barrel thickness with a micrometer and told me that due to the low tolerances in the steel in newly manufactured shotgun barrels, he couldn't do that work. This guy is an outstanding gunsmith and has been in the business a long time, so I trust what he told me. However, it could be that the older equipment he has doesn't have the necessary accuracy for him to feel comfortable doing it.
Does anyone know of a source for a new Browning A5 Sweet 16, 26" barrel to replace the 28" barrel that came on this gun? I've done the measuring, and a 26" barrel would definitely allow the gun to fit in the boots on my dog trailer (the 28" barrel makes the gun about 1 and 1/2" too long to fit), or does anyone know of a REPUTABLE/RELIABLE gunsmith that could do the previously described work and also get the gun back to me in a timely manner?
The Midwest Gun Works website shows they sell the 26" barrels for the new A5 Sweet 16's, but they are currently out of stock and I submitted a "contact me when available".
Pheasant/quail season is slowly slipping by, and I'd love to use this gun because it's a honey to carry and shoot.
Any and all help would be appreciated!
