Sweet 16 serial number

mgorvi

Active member
I'm trying to figure out the manufacture date of my Sweet 16. I always thought it was 1970, but I'm not sure. Bottom of gun just ahead of the loading port it says 70S, and underneath that is the number 95965. I can't find that number configuration on the Browning chart. Sweet 16 on the receiver, gold trigger, flat knob, made in Belgium on the barrel, with two marks, so it's a modified barrel.
 
I'm not an expert but yours sounds like mine. Last two digits are 65 but you have a flat knob which signifies a late 65 with a new 66 stock; or actually a 65.5. That's what an A5 "expert" told me, so I'm sticking to it.
 
mgorvi, you are correct in thinking your Sweet was made in 1970. From 1958-1967 a single digit preceded the "S". i.e. 8S was 1958 and 7S was 1967. From 1968-1976 a two digit year precedes the "S". i.e. 68S is 1968 and 70S is 1970. The number under the 70S is a serial number and has nothing to do with the manufacture date.

JMc I think your so called "A5 Expert" was smokin' some wacky weed. From 1923-1967 the A5's had round knobs as standard stocks. The flat knobs on the Belgium A5's started in 1968.
 
I'll drink the Dakotazeb koolaid...he hasn't steered me wrong yet...! Thanks George for clearing it up for both of us.
JMc
 
Sweet

Thanks guys. I just wanted to make sure. The gun shop that I bought it from had no idea what year it was, and I was just guessing. The Browning chart on the their website reads like the Dead Sea scrolls to me.
 
I copied and pasted the information below from a post on Shotgun World.

This guide is for the Browning A5 16 gauge only. Browning 12ga numbers began with number 1 in 1903. The 16ga number 1 began in 1909. The two sets of numbers are different. A common mistake I have seen in many, many, gun shops and online sites is to assign the 12ga serial number date to a 16ga.

I compiled this quick reference serial number guide for dating 16ga Browning A5s and the Auto 5-3 Shot, by serial number. I decided to share it here since this is where much of my limited knowledge came from.

The serial number and dates are approximations only. These dates were gleaned primarily from Sauerfan's timeline and the Shirley/Vanderlinden book. Details about dates, transitions, exceptions, and other nuances can be found in the Shirley/Vanderlinden book, Browning Auto 5 Shotguns.

I took the liberty to use the Calandar Year Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 for the X series. FN used the Fiscal Year July-June. Other factors need to be taken into consideration to properly date your gun. I found what I thought was a very early 1948 Sweet Sixteen based on the serial number. Browning informed me the gun left the factory in 1955.


1909
1 - 3200

1910 to 1914 There is only vague info about 16 ga SNs in SV (page 74) for the time 1910 to 1914. SNs 3201 ? 15000 were invoiced between 1st Jan. 1910 and 30th June 1913. Last shipped before the outbreak of WWI was SN 19642.

1915 to 1918 No production due to German occupation of Belgium during WWI.

1919: 19671- 20500
1920: 20501 - 22237
1921: 22238 - 24050
1922: 24051 ? 26000

1923 Barrel Address (US market) BROWNING ARMS COMPANY OGDEN UTAH BROWNING?S PATENT
26001 ? 28400

1924: 28401 - 35650
1925: 35651 ? 40010 (app.)
1926: 40011 (app.) - 51600
1927: 51601 - 57900
1928: 57901 ? 65100

1929 Ventilated barrel rib (as an option) and barrel address change.
65101 ? 82750

1930 Barrel Address (US market) BROWNING ARMS COMPANY ST LOUIS MO
82751 ? 90500

1931
90501 ? 94000

1932 Introduction of the three shot Auto 3 with shorter magazine tube and shorter forearm marked ?Browning 3 Shot?
94001 ? 96072

1933
96073 ? 96143

1934 Receiver legend Now with BROWNING and John M. Browning?s bust between ?TRADE? and ?MARK?
96144 ? 99500

1935
99501 - 103500

1936 The "Sweet Sixteen" was released but limited to a test market.
103501 ? 105850

*1937* Introduction of the ?Sweet Sixteen? sale to the public. Barrel Rib four possibilities in 1937: none, solid (hollow) rib, ventilated rib with X posts or matted finish for Sweet Sixteen (SV page 98) Barrel Ring as before or drilled with three holes on the barrels of Sweet Sixteen Safety Gold plated (Sweet Sixteen only) Trigger Gold plated (Sweet Sixteen only) Misc. ?Sweet Sixteen? not separated by SN. No serial number distinction between the Sweet 16 and the Standard 16 gauge A5s.
105850 ? 111000

1938: 111001 ? 118200
1939: 118201 ? 126123
1940: 126124 ? 126175

****1940 ? 1953**** "A" Prefix American made Browning by ?Remington Arms.?

1944-1948 Post war Liberation guns, Serial number 128117-128646
"are so out of sequence there is no way to establish accurate production dates" S/V p76
1944: 126201
1948: 131738

1947 Post war Belgium made ?X Prefix Series.? No serial number distinction between the Sweet 16 and the Standard 16 gauge A5. This is the ?unmarked? Browning, era of the Sweet Sixteen.

These are among the rarest of the A5 Sweet Sixteen but are priced as standard 16 gauge A5s in value guides. This is the first year of standard production of the 2 ? inch chambered 16 gauge. It is also the last year of the non-engraved sweet sixteen. The popularity and success of the Sweet Sixteen from 1937 through 1947 earned it a permanent place in Browning marketing as the 1948 engraved ?Sweet Sixteen.? 1947 is also the only year the 3 shot 2 ? 16ga was marketed in the USA. Getting one of these extremely rare original factory issued guns at a standard gun price is a trophy in itself.

1947 ? 1953 ?X Prefix Series?
1947: X1001 - X13666
1948: X13667 - X23501
1949: X23502 ? X34600
1950: X34601 ? X43700
1951: X43701 ? X59400
1952: X59401 - X77700
1953: X77701 ? X99999

1948
Introduction of the ?Sweet Sixteen? in script engraved on the receiver. Prior to 1948 no sweet 16 was factory engraved ?Sweet Sixteen.? Glen Jensen, Browning Historian takes the position that the true ?Sweet Sixteen? was born when the receiver was engraved ?Sweet Sixteen? in 1948. He acknowledges the lightweight A5 16 gauge guns produced between 1937- and 1947 are in fact Sweet Sixteens and identified as such in the factory issued catalogues. If the serial number records archived at Browning indicate the non-engraved guns are a Sweet Sixteen, Glen Jensen will issue a letter on Browning letterhead with an official seal for a fee authenticating the gun as a ?Sweet Sixteen.?

1953 ? 1954 A - Series "A" in front of or above the serial number. These guns were a transitional series between the X and the below R/S marked guns.
A1-A958

1953 - 1957 R = Standard Weight, S = Sweet Sixteen
1953:
S 01 ? S 3700
R 01 - R 3100
1954:
S 3701 ? S 24850
R 3101 - R 20800
1955:
S 24851 ? S 49350
R 20801 - R 48750
1956:
S 49351 ? S 72300
R 48751 - R 74700
1957:
S 72301 ? S 99908
R 74701 ? R 99999

1957 ? 1958 Second series of "A" prefix
A Serial Number 01 November 14, 1957 and T Serial Number T229 November 24, 1957
1957-1958 A or T #01 ? 10900 A Indicated Sweet Sixteen and T indicated standard 16

1958 ? 1967 The single digit precedes the S and R. 8S,8R = 1958, 9S, = 1959, 0S = 1960, 7S =1967

***1958-1977*** FN High Grade Lightweight Series May include the letters following the serial number "SAC,B,F,N,Z" S/V p81
***1958 #001-17595 These will have a small two digit (year 59 = 1959) number following the serial number. Some have shown up with the entire year stamped instead of the two digit year code.

***1966 - 1977
***17595 - 26022


1964 was the last year of the ?R? (4R) Standard Weight A5 16ga.

1968 ? 1976 The two digit year precedes the S. 68S = 1968, 76S = 1976

1976 Japanese Production Began, however, FN still produced Browning ?Made in Belgium? shotguns into 1984, SV p65. The serial number coding system changed to the serial number preceding the date code. Serial began with 1000 ? 99999 followed by the model code 221 Sweet Sixteen and 171 Superlight 16 and two letter year( T=6, R=7, P=8). see Browning Website

1976
1000 221 RT ? Sweet Sixteen
1000 171 RT ? Superlight Sixteen
1978
1000 221 RP ? Sweet Sixteen
1987
1000 221 PR ? Sweet Sixteen
 
Here's my 1960 Sweet. Notice the "0S" above the serial number. The "0" means the gun was manufactured in 1960 and the "S" designates it as a Sweet Sixteen.

SweetSixteen4.jpg


She has a 26" vent rib barrel and choked IC.

SweetSixteen2.jpg
 
Pics

Off topic, but why do your pics appear and mine need to be opened up to see. I am missing a step in process I think.
 
Off topic, but why do your pics appear and mine need to be opened up to see. I am missing a step in process I think.

This is a common question on this site. You cannot download a photo directly from your computer and have it appear. You have to use an internet site like Photobucket.com. Once you have the photo on Photobucket move your curser over the photo, a small gear like object will appear in the upper right corner, put the curser on the gear and you will get a dropdown, click on "Get Links", this will open a new window, click on the direct link and it will copy it. Then go to your post and click on the little yellow/black square in the toolbox with what looks like a mountain in the background. This opens window. Paste your Photobucket link in that window and click okay. It will then appear in your post. I know this sounds like a lot but once you do it, it's really quite easy.
 
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