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< 16ga. Guns ~ New browning a5 sweet 16 HELP TO DECIDE |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:55 am
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Member
![Member Member](images/theavatar.jpg)
Joined: 22 Jan 2009
Posts: 7
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I AM INTERESTED TO BUY THE NEW BROWNING A5 SWEET 16 WITH 26 inch BARREL AND I WOULD LIKE ANY OPINIONS AND IMPRESSIONS BY THE HOLDERS OF THE SPECIFIC MODEL AND IF IT HAS BEEN ANY OPERATING PROBLEMS.
THANKS IN ADVANCE! |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 7:47 am
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Joined: 13 Jul 2017
Posts: 39
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9 March 18
I bought the S-16 in Oct. 17. Same 26" barrel you are interested in. I've put about 500 rounds of 7/8 oz and 1oz target loads through it and perhaps 10 heavy 1 1/8 oz pheasant loads. The gun has function flawlessly.
The weight comes in at 5 lbs 12oz as advertised. The trigger on my gun breaks well below the weight of the gun. Recoil with light target loads is not bad considering the weight of the gun. Recoil with the 1285 fps 1 1/8 oz is stiff but that is the price one pays for a less than 6 pound gun. I prefer the 26" barrel but that is just my personal preference.
The chokes are on the tight side. I shot many rds of skeet with the IC tube in place and I was ink balling targets even in the center. I bought a cylinder choke for it and it seems a better choice for that game. I hunt pheasants over a pointer and the IC tube worked just fine out to about 35-40 yards. Three trips and a limit each time.
My Brother bought the same gun in early summer and has probably put twice as many rds through his. His results were similar. No malfunctions with ammunition of sufficient strength.
My experience and those of my brother may not tell the whole story but based on what we've seen, I can recommend the gun.
Bill |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 7:57 am
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Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 924
Location: Eastern Tennessee
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I got mine about a year ago. I like the gun a lot. I plan to play around with the lower limits of what it will shoot without issues this summer. So far my common round through it has been 1-1/8 #5 around 1,240 fps. They are a bit tough to shoot at the pattern board over and over, but in the field you'll not notice chasing those pheasants. I am going to be playing around with lower fps 1 oz and 7/8 oz loads this summer to see what limits for the gun will be. |
_________________ 16' Brown A5
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Posted:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:40 pm
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Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1460
Location: Eagle, Nebraska
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Have both 26 and 28" barrel models, no issues, although there are some prairie chickens, pheasants and quail that might argue |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:15 pm
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Joined: 01 Mar 2016
Posts: 5
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I have the 26" barrel model, bought it in November '17.
I couldn't be happier with it. Used it on two pheasant hunts to South Dakota. (actually bought it at the Cabela's in Mitchell) Also took it on one duck hunt, and I've shot clays with it a couple of times.
It's a pleasure to carry in the field all day. As others mentioned, recoil can be pretty heavy with 1 & 1/8 oz loads, but it's tolerable to me, and I'm fairly sensitive to recoil. |
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Posted:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:11 am
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Member
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Joined: 27 Sep 2007
Posts: 254
Location: South Jersey
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Jaquas just listed a 3 or 4 of these on their web site. |
_________________ Make sure you're right! Then go ahead! D. Crockett |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:04 am
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Member
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Joined: 09 Jan 2013
Posts: 2165
Location: Florida
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Great field guns . Very versatile have shot snipe , quail , dove , pheasant ( tower shoot ) ducks & clays . Done a very good job at all of these . Shot 1 1/8oz 1285 fps (35 shells ) loads at the tower shoot and it handle those loads very well , recoil did bother me at all.
Beside the initial broken extractor I have had zero problems through 3500 rounds or more . |
Last edited by fn16ga on Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 11, 2018 2:00 pm
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Member
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Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 472
Location: drummond island MI
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My 26 inch version is a great gun. I had the stock modified to fit me and the trigger adjusted to a lighter pull. Browning shims system sucks. Because of the long receiver the 26 inch model is as long overall as my 30" clays O/U. I have had some problems occasionally cycling light Herters loads but it shoots everything else fine. |
_________________ shoot quick but take your time! |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:12 am
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Joined: 28 Dec 2017
Posts: 87
Location: Northern Utah
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Mine is fairly new.
I had a little problem with mine right out of the box but Browning took care of it, and very quickly I might add. It has functioned flawlessly ever since. I've shot factories from Federal, Remington, Fiochii, and some reloads without issue. They were all 1 1/8 oz or 1 oz.
I shot it for the last month of Utah Chukar season. Shooting chukar was almost too easy with it. I think maybe the gun should be banned. lol
BTW love the gun!!!
For me, there isn't much to hate. |
_________________ Bret
https://bretwonnacott.com/
A Millionaire's Dream - a novel |
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Posted:
Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:59 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy
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I never thought I would see the day that a gun made by machines would retail for $1400! And there are semi autos going for more? Wow. $1400-$2000 will buy a nice O/U or SxS. So much for my credentials as a swami! Expensive times we live in. Oh well, if a gun makes the owner smile, that's what it is all about and these guns certainly do that. I am glad to see so much interest in a new gun marked "sixteen". |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:11 am
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Member
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Joined: 09 Jan 2013
Posts: 2165
Location: Florida
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So far, even with the extra money spent to do the straight stock conversion, it has been worth every penny . |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:40 am
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Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 694
Location: MN
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Have no complaints except that the stock is about the poorest grade of wood I have ever seen on a semi auto and I took the best of 3. Mechanically perfect so far....light and easy to handle. Have shot B&P F2 and all manner of domestic shells without problem. |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:23 am
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Joined: 28 Dec 2017
Posts: 87
Location: Northern Utah
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That's the truth! They don't have much for a piece of lumber on them. Its a shame because the gun would look great with a little higher grade wood on it. |
_________________ Bret
https://bretwonnacott.com/
A Millionaire's Dream - a novel |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:15 pm
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I have a 28" A5 Sweet 16 and mine has been reliable and not ammo fussy at all. I've handled my friend's 26" version and they feel very similar. Had I known they were so easy with which to hit I might have went with the 26" because I think they look a little more balanced. That said, mine weighs 5 3/4 pounds on the nose and it's well suited to either the woods or prairie.
The only nit I had was with the pistol grip. I do a lot of one handed carrying, and the steep factory pistol grip was not a good match for me, so I had it changed. Not a cheap job, but it was done right, and my stock guy wouldn't let it out of his shop without a complete recheckering of the whole gun. The wood was painfully plain, and my stocker said it was literally white after it was stripped. We went with a very dark stain and I like the effect, much better than the way it was. Browning has a little gimmick going on these SW16’s where they somehow apply some dark stain-smudges for a pseudo fiddleback effect. At first glance it gives the appearance of nicer, more figured wood.
I've owned 12 gauge versions of the "new" A5 since they came out in 2012. I really like the platform. My 12's also have been dead reliable. I use a 30” camo model for ducks, and I have a 26" 12 gauge Hunter for when I want more gun when I’m out of state on the prairies and “on the clock.” My 12 weighs 6 lbs. 8 oz. and just like the Sweet 16 it's an easy gun to shoot. It had a little better wood and I also had it converted to a straight stock. It’s my “prairie howitzer.”
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Posted:
Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:21 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Good move on the straight grip. It just makes sense on a light gun that is intended for upland hunting. Back when I had an 1100, I did the same and loved the difference.
Did you get a small jar of that dark stain from the stock guy for touch up work? Such things are a devil to match up when the time comes. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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