Hey gentlemen.. A friend of mine offered up this Browning Sweet 16 shotgun and I bit. It is a 1955 according to the serial number and appears to be in pretty good shape. I paid $650. I'm interested as to the collectibility and value of this shotgun. Also interested if it is in original condition. I do not consider myself to be a "shotgun" guy, maybe this old Browning will make me one! Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

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I'd say you are in it alright. On the plus side it has a vent rib. On the minus side that recoil pad has been added and I assume the stock has been cut. It also appears to be a 28" barrel so it is a modified choke. It would be more appealing if it was a 26" barrel and improved cylinder choke.

Congratulations!

You have one of the best autoloading shotguns ever made, in the best upland gauge, and in a very desirable model a Sweet Sixteen.

Now get ready for hunting season !

I'd say you did excellent. Browning Sweet 16's are among the most desirable of the older automatics and, to the best of my knowledge, 16 the most desirable gauge wise of the Browning A5's. I'd recommend you do some research on pricing and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
And BTW: fellow S&W fans: I traded a Sweet 16 even up for a S&W Model 29 in a presentation box a few years ago!
Jim

Give this site a try: shotgunworld.com Go to the " I love my" section and then the Browning part. Lots of good info there.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

The rubber butt pad will have a negative effect on value, but you still did OK. It's not unusual to see Browning A-5s (along with near-identical humpback shotguns made by Savage and Remington) having user-added rubber pads.

I have a 16 gauge barrel only, with a poly choke on it that I want to sell for 100 dollars.
I bought it hoping that it would fit my 20 ga Remington Browning patent shotgun, which is identical to the Browning patent shotgun.
It fits, but the loading slot will not accept a 16 ga shell.
If interested in an extra bbl,contact me.

Rubber recoil pads are/were a really common modification. All 16 & 12 ga. iterations of the "Humpback" have a fairly stout recoil; they are not for the recoil sensitive when using heavy loads.

At the age of 12, weighing maybe 115 lbs., a Browning Sweet Sixteen was the first shotgun I ever fired. It sure got my attention! That recoiling barrel system seemed to give it a little extra umph!

They are a super-reliable shotgun if you clean and lube them properly (Don't forget the additional spring setup in the butt stock!), and remember to flip the friction ring around when going from light to heavy loads.

You got a fair deal on the Browning. Shoot it and enjoy it.

I once had a pristine 12 ga Remington Model 11 which I installed a rubber pad on. But at least I did not shorten the wood. That extra inch or so made no difference to me. And the old long recoil shotguns did indeed have a stout recoil with heavy loads. That's a lot of metal moving fast and coming to a sudden stop against your shoulder.

Great gun...great buy!

I have a very soft spot for Sweet 16's....I have two. one was my grandfather's and one was my dad's. Dad's was the first shotgun I ever fired.

I've put a gazillion rounds through both guns and they still work great. I can only remember a couple of malfunctions in all those rounds. Those were due to dirty grease and frigid temps.

No idea of collector value...but as a hunting companion it is priceless!!!

Oh and....if the forearm is cracked...don't worry. Cracks come standard on Sweet 16's

Congrats. They are fantastic shotguns & a joy to shoot. Several good videos on how to setup the friction rings. If you are lucky the fore end wood underside will have the instructions on how to do it. Enjoy it

Cory

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Cory
SWCA #3015 SWHF #465

I would say you got a very good deal. Check for choke markings on left side of the barrel. One asterisk means full choke, two is modified. I had one for years with 26 inch vent rib IC choke. Very good upland grouse gun until I went to the sxs and my Citori lightning in 16 gauge. In 1955 I believe you could special order recoil pads installed from Browning. Their magnum A5’s and buck specials came with Browning marked recoil pads (made by Pachmayr). Beautiful shotgun, go shoot it

Kelly

Here are some pictures of the stampings and a couple others I took

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Where are these asterisks you speak of?

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That's a beauty. I've wanted a Sweet Sixteen for sixty years. Still would love to have one, even though I haven't been physically able to hunt for a long time. My only A5 was a beautiful Light Twenty I had to sell years ago.

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Oh well, what the hell.

In the first picture in post 13. In front of the special steel, I see two asterisks and a dash which indicates improved cylinder. Google search Browning choke markings
What is the barrel length?

Kelly

26" barrel

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A Belgian Browning in 16 gauge...........you did fine!

And a 26" improved cylinder barrel? Be still, my heart!

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Oh well, what the hell.

I like it! Shot a 12 ga. 40+ years ago and thought it was a fine shotgun. Since I actually started hunting with 16ga SxS guns I always thought a 16 ga version would be nice. I believe I'd be happy with yours and the price.

I had an old Monkey Wards and a Fox Savage. Wish I still had them both.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

I think you did way better than "ok" on your Sweet Sixteen. Try and find a Belgian 16 gauge A5 improved cylinder barrel with vent rib anywhere. If you do, it likely will be priced at $500 or more. The stock probably has been cut but measure to be sure. I bought a 20 gauge Belgian A5 a few years ago, perfect except for the added recoil pad, which reduced the price considerably. When I got it home I pulled off the pad and realized it had not been cut. Found an A5 butt plate on eBay and it is back to "original." Great gun, enjoy.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Mine was UGLY & not well cared for BUT was the only shotgun to fit me so well it hit where I looked. A 1946, first year back in Belgium after WWll. The price, who cares. Congrats & enjoy.