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Jul 28th, 2025
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Joined: Aug 2006
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i apologize for this not being a doubles question, but you guys are the most knowledgeable shotgunners I know.
I've got the opportunity to purchase a '50s era Belgian made Sweet Sixteen that is near mint condition. It does have a 2-3/4 chamber, I checked. I've always wanted a Sweet Sixteen for my collection (and for shooting), but the only auto loaders I've ever owned were Rem 1100s.
I've heard A5s can be finicky and costly to repair. Can you guys tell me if you've found this to be the case.
Thanks,
DeWayne
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Joined: May 2004
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They are not at all finicky. They are about as durable and reliable as a gun can be. Name another model of gun that was in continous production with no substantial change for almost 100 years.
Repairs are like any other gun, parts are readily available.
Jeff
Jeff
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,109 Likes: 78
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,109 Likes: 78 |
The S-16 is a dynamite shotgun. It's a 16ga made on a 20ga frame. The dynamics are just excellent, and it was quite a popular and desirable shotgun.
The vent rib brings a premium since only about 30% of the guns were so equipped. They are also usually found with full choke barrels.
Since there is no 16ga event at skeet, it's common to find examples with little or no mechanical wear, but with much evidence of carry and use.
The weakness is in the wood, escecially with cracked forends. They used light weight wood for these to keep the weight down. A crack isn't a disaster, but it should be attended to promptly and I personally use nothing hotter than a standard 1oz field load in my S-16.
No reason to stay away from a S-16, and every reason to own and enjoy one. They have been skyrocketing in price, at least for high condition examples.
"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
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I agree with Jeff. They may be more finicky about reloads, especially light ones, due to their dependence on recoil to operate, but no reliability problems I've heard of. Good ole guns. JL
> Jim Legg <
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2002
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As Jeff and Jim said, they are very good guns, not finicky, and D A M N near bullet proof.
Go get it ASAP!
Ole Cowboy
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I believe that the A5s were all made on different sized frames. I have all three gauges (20,16 &12) and they are not the same sized frames.
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,109 Likes: 78 |
I have a S-16, and a light 20. The frames are identical, and non gauge specific parts interchange.
"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble
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Thanks, gents, I appreciate it.
DeWayne
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,205 |
Originally posted by BOSUN:
I believe that the A5s were all made on different sized frames. I have all three gauges (20,16 &12) and they are not the same sized frames. Is your 16 a Sweet Sixteen or a Standard?
Ole Cowboy
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Joined: May 2004
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Some info to add....
The Sweet Sixteen is not built on a 20 ga frame. The frame dimensions were set in place with the introduction of the Standard Sixteen in 1909, 49 years before Browning made a 20 ga A5, which was introduced in 1958. The Sweet version was introduced in 1937, 21 years before the 20 ga. So, the 20 was built on a 16 ga frame (sort of)
The receivers are not exactly the same but are darned close, many 16 ga parts ARE exchangable with the 20, for example the stocks will fit either receiver, forends will not...
Forends do crack, but most of those crack because the mag nut was not tightened properly.
The stocks were lightened by hollowing them, not by picking lighter wood, and they are near bulletproof. I have found a number of (factory) hollowed stocks on A5's made long before the Sweet Sixteen and Light Twelve. (1920's)
There were lots of vent and solid rib Sweet sixteens made. They just cost more.....because collectors think they are worth more. Shooters know better. On a 28" A5 barrel a vent rib adds 4 oz, all out front. As a result the plain barreled guns are better handling, with almost all the weight between the hands. 26" barrels do save another 2 oz, but the 28"s swing smoother.
And you cannot see the vent rib because of the humpback, and the block under the front bead of a plain barrel looks the same as a rib. (with the gun properly mounted)
The internal parts are well fitted and the simple vine and leaf engraving was hand cut.
The design is weird, they deliver recoil in an unusual double shuffle and they make noises like a Ford Model A going over rail road tracks.
IN a pinch you can use one as a canoe paddle, boat hook and to break skim ice, then hunt all day and it will still shoot with ice crusted all over it.
And if that aint enough, they are neat.
Jeff (whew)
Jeff
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