Browning A5 16 Gauge

Munster927

Munster927

Well-known member
As a new owner of an A5 16 gauge (The new A5) what kind of shells and chokes are you 16 gauge guys using? I'm used to a 12 so curious about any differences.

Also, where are y'all getting your 16 gauge shells? They seem to be semi hard to come by but I'm not sure if that's due to the current ammo supply issue or just a general 16 gauge thing.
 
I friend of mine use to shoot an old sweet 16. 2 barrel set matching serial numbers skeet I and skeet II and would crush them. Skeet II is equivalent of light mod
 
I shoot a new A5 Sweet 16 and get by fine with Remington Express (Yellow/Green box) 1 1/8 ounce loads of #6 (early season)and #5 (late season). Unless I'm seeing extra-long chances (40 yards+) I use an IC choke. If weather/birds' jumpiness calls for longer shots I use a mod choke. I do also hunt ducks with the Sweet. My son bought me several boxes of the new 16 gauge Boss loads in #5. I'm looking forward to trying those on ducks AND roosters this fall. Haven't shot a 12 gauge on pheasants for several years.
 
Fiocchi 16HV5, which has gone by various names over the years. High Velocity. Optima Specific. Etc.
1-1/8 oz of 5's at 1300.

Kent Bismuth. 1 oz of 5's at 1300.

Got a case of BOSS but haven't tried them yet. 1 oz of 4's at 1350.

Except for somewhat rare occasion when I'm shooting an old Model 12 w/ a fixed full choke, I pretty much leave my MOD tube in my guns all the time.

As for finding shells, you just have to keep looking & keep looking until you find what you're after.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I was able to snag a case of Federal 1 oz 7.5 game loads. I intend to use those for trap and ruffed grouse and I got a box of 4s and 3 boxes of 6s on their way from Federal, the high velocity at 1400 FPS. 5s seem hard to come by at the moment but I should be set for this year hopefully.

I plan to kind of switch off using the 16 and my 12 but I'm guessing I'll gravitate to the 16 due to the weight.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Fiocchi 16HV5, which has gone by various names over the years. High Velocity. Optima Specific. Etc.
1-1/8 oz of 5's at 1300.

Kent Bismuth. 1 oz of 5's at 1300.

Got a case of BOSS but haven't tried them yet. 1 oz of 4's at 1350.

Except for somewhat rare occasion when I'm shooting an old Model 12 w/ a fixed full choke, I pretty much leave my MOD tube in my guns all the time.

As for finding shells, you just have to keep looking & keep looking until you find what you're after.
Click to expand...
I don't know if it's just coincidence....but when I shoot BOSS ducks and pheasants fall out of the sky. In the duck blind I was the first to try them....Now everybody in our group is shooting them. I used them in January for pheasant for the first time and shot a lot of birds. #5's
 
HS Strut said:
I don't know if it's just coincidence....but when I shoot BOSS ducks and pheasants fall out of the sky. In the duck blind I was the first to try them....Now everybody in our group is shooting them. I used them in January for pheasant for the first time and shot a lot of birds. #5's
Click to expand...
Mike, sheer coincidence or sheer luck. One or the other. 🤣🤣 No, bismuth hits almost as hard as lead. It's good stuff. And when a guy is confident in his stuff, he tends to shoot a little better too.
 
Last edited:
I've had my new-style Sweet 16 for 5 years now. Absolutely love it. I have a Trulock light mod choke tube that I use about 95% of the time. That choke, and Golden Pheasant 1 & 1/8 oz of 5's has been a deadly combo for me.
I've also used the Fiocchi High-Velocity 5's, and they actually patterned slightly better than the Golden Phez when I did some tests a couple of years ago.
One thing to be aware of is that the factory chokes are more open than how they're marked. It's something I had read in a couple of reviews prior to doing my own testing, and sure enough the factory mod choke shot a much more open pattern than the Trulock light mod.
 
Munster927 said:
I was able to snag a case of Federal 1 oz 7.5 game loads.
Click to expand...
Where were you able to find these? I've been looking for some in 8 shot.
 
Hey Zeb, yeah I found some through Sportsman's Guide. I got them in store since they are about 5 miles from me but last I looked online they showed a case of the Game Load, 1oz for $18 a box. I think they just had 7.5s if my memory serves right.
 
roadscholar said:
One thing to be aware of is that the factory chokes are more open than how they're marked. It's something I had read in a couple of reviews prior to doing my own testing, and sure enough the factory mod choke shot a much more open pattern than the Trulock light mod.
Click to expand...
Yeah I heard that same thing. I plan to pattern the gun with the chokes it came with and decide from there. But I'll probably pick up a different choke tube if they pattern as wide as they sound.
 
To answer the OP's question. For the most part I use IC in my new A5 Sweet Sixteen. But I'm hunting over a pointing dog. For pheasants I use either lead #5 or #6. Probably shoot more Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads than any other but also have some Federal PF loads and a few others. If I have to use non-tox I have a bunch of Kent Tungsten Matrix #5 that I bought several years ago. When hunting Sharpies I will go with Mod choke and some 7.5 shot.
 
New A5 here, been shooting Fiocchi High Velocity #6 shot. I just ordered some Browning BXD #6 shot from Midway after getting notified that they had them in stock again. I use the factory modified choke in mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top