26" Barrel for New Browning A5 Sweet 16

lbills

Active member
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!
 
I believe a gentleman that posts on this site had his 28” barrel cut back to 23” by Briley and had tubes put in. Briley does good work. Maybe someone that remembers more will chime in.
 
You do not modify an old 16.
I agree on the old Belgian made guns. I have a Belgian made Light 12, and wouldn't think about having it modified. However, as mentioned in the original post, this is a new Model A5 Sweet 16.
 
Did you go to Browning's site? I would start calling the dealers they show...start with the ones closest to you and keep expanding until you locate one might be your best bet.

 
Did you go to Browning's site? I would start calling the dealers they show...start with the ones closest to you and keep expanding until you locate one might be your best bet.

I’ve tried calling the dealers in my area, and so far no luck.

I emailed customer service at Browning, but have not received a response yet.
 
BRiley will do it and you can get new chokes fitted. I had it cut to 26 inches. Handles beautifully.
If you don’t mind me asking, what did Briley’s charge you for the work?
 
I had exactly what you purchased. I had Briley do mine last year. Cut it to 24 inches. Rethreaded for their
chokes. Give them a call. I highly recommend!!
 
Pretty sure it was $375 plus my cost to ship barrel. That was with three new chokes Of my choice.
That’s a lot cheaper than I expected it to be. Thank you for the information!
 
I have a new Sweet with a 26" barrel and feel that's too long. I've been tempted to have Briley shorten it to 23-24". So Ibills, if you go the Briley route, I would go shorter than 26". But it really comes down to personal preference to barrel length. If you get it done let us know how you like it.
 
I handled a new A5 Sweet 16 with the 26" barrel at Cabela's in Lubbock, Texas the other day, and I liked how it felt and handled. As I stated in my original post, the main reason I want the shorter barrel is so the shotgun will fit in the gun boots on my dog trailer.

FYI for anyone interested, I finally got in touch with the parts department at Browning in Missouri, and they had the 26" barrel in stock. So, I went ahead and ordered it and it's on its way to my house. When it arrives, I will put it on the gun and report back on how it handles (and if it does indeed fit in the gun boots on my dog trailer).

I'm hauling a trailer load of dogs to south Texas next week to quail hunt for a few days, so I'll know pretty quickly if the new barrel is going to work or not. If it doesn't, I'll send the 28" barrel to Briley's and have them cut it back to 23" or 24", and then rethread it to accept the Invector Chokes that came with the gun.

Thanks to everyone for your assistance and opinions related to this dilemma!
 
I'll send the 28" barrel to Briley's and have them cut it back to 23" or 24", and then rethread it to accept the Invector Chokes that came with the gun.
I don't believe Briley will rethread your barrel to fit the Invector-DS choke tubes. They will only rethread it to fit their thin wall choke tubes. I've had that discussion with them in the past.
 
I don't believe Briley will rethread your barrel to fit the Invector-DS choke tubes. They will only rethread it to fit their thin wall choke tubes. I've had that discussion with them in the past.
Thank you for the information.

I kinda thought that might be the case, that way they can sell you some of their chokes. They also may not have access to the correct tap to cut the proper threads for the Browning Invector chokes.
 
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!
Put a gun rack in your pick up.
 

Attachments

  • 5B592138-A066-40BF-AE85-31D5645DA3FB.jpeg
    5B592138-A066-40BF-AE85-31D5645DA3FB.jpeg
    2.2 MB · Views: 9
  • 25737F48-8806-44B0-A400-EB1F25D10CB8.jpeg
    25737F48-8806-44B0-A400-EB1F25D10CB8.jpeg
    2.3 MB · Views: 9
  • B9BFFDA2-77FF-4AAC-B417-A6798AD548F3.jpeg
    B9BFFDA2-77FF-4AAC-B417-A6798AD548F3.jpeg
    2.2 MB · Views: 9
  • A7F30E40-D345-4919-A76D-E8C7BCC94C85.jpeg
    A7F30E40-D345-4919-A76D-E8C7BCC94C85.jpeg
    2.6 MB · Views: 9
  • 1A834631-185A-4980-931A-22ABAE742DFD.jpeg
    1A834631-185A-4980-931A-22ABAE742DFD.jpeg
    2.2 MB · Views: 9
  • 59C0E9DE-9CC3-430E-94A2-96886C42260F.jpeg
    59C0E9DE-9CC3-430E-94A2-96886C42260F.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 9
Looks like the 26" is going to be a good one. I have a 26" barrel Fox and it is my go to gun for Grouse and Quail. Weighs right at 6 pounds.
 
Back
Top