16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 14 Sep 2021 Posts: 7

I’m just testing the waters seeing how the market is for Belgium or Japan made sweet 16s. None of my local gun shops have had any recently. Just piles of auto 5 12s and auto 5 light 12s. Curious what the market is for them, and what to expect price wise for a good hunting grade, not safe queen condition Sweet 16. Also what is the weight of most sweet 16s if any of you have ever scaled yours. Just scaled all of my 16s after handling an auto 5 light 12. Primary duty for my 16s is pheasant and duck with bismuth or BOSS shells. Field favorite has been my wingmaster. Need to get some practice in with the 37, it’s a great feeling gun.

1957 wingmaster 16 - 6 pounds 9 ounces with plug in.
1947 Ithaca 37 16- 6 pounds 10 ounces with plug in and a poly choke Sad

2021 Franchi SLX 16 - 5 pounds 11 ounces

Thank you in advance for you info.

Joined: 25 Jan 2014 Posts: 229 Location: MN

Here is an old thread of 16 ga. gun weights that went on for any years.

http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4434&highlight=gun+weights

About 8 years ago I was going to go through and enter them all in a searchable database. But I worked a lot then. Now I work less, what's my excuse now?

Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 444 Location: WI

I have a new model Sweet 16 with 28" barrel and it weighs in a 5 lbs 12 oz.

It should be noted that difference in wood density can have a significant effect on the weight of the gun.

For example, I have two Citori Superlight Feather 16's, both with 28" barrels, and one weighs 4 oz more than the other mostly due to denser wood in the stock and to a lesser extent, the forend.

Fourtown, thank you for that link, very interesting and informative! I’m still looking for that sub-6 lb 16 gauge sxs that meets my design specs (whenever I figure out what they are). That list gives me some options to explore.

My 16’s, including any mods that affect weight:

-Citori WL, 26”, forcing cones lengthened, briley extended chokes, Pachmeyer pad - 6.5 lbs - my current number one gun for clays & field, still tweaking the butt pad
-Citori Gr 6, 26”, briley extended chokes - 6.75 lbs - back-up clays
-Sarasqueta Mo 3, 27.5”, Pachmeyer pad - 6.3 lbs - backup upland hunter, long hike hunter, still tweaking the buttpad
-Stoeger Zephyr Uplander (Sarasqueta 4E), 27.5”, xtra xtra xtra long forcing cones, colonial flush chokes - 7.8 lbs - looking to hollow out the stock
-Crescent New Empire, 28”, chambers lengthened - 6.75 lbs
-Stevens 311-H, 28” - 7.2 lbs - back-up torrential rainy day, hell-hole swamp duck hunter
-Ithaca Flues Gr 1.5, 26” chambers lengthened, Kick-Eez pad - 6.5 lbs-ish - currently with gunsmith so weight is from memory, will likely change pad

Joined: 14 Sep 2021 Posts: 7

Thank you for the replies everyone!! Appreciate the info, seems these origional sweet 16s aren’t real common in the “for sale” market right now. But the good news is from looking at that helpful thread it appears they are at least considerably lighter than the 12 ga lights. Which is encouraging.

Member Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 56 Location: N. Idaho

Below is the data from my A5 herd (sorry it didn't copy as a table).

The extra weight of the Lt20 is due to a very nice custom-made stock with dense wood. Notice the difference in the Jap vs Belgian made Lt Twelves; you can definitely feel the difference in the heft. Wish i had the data from the '47 Sw16 but it didn't have a stock and by the time I got one for it I forgot to get the data. I will say it is lighter than the Sw16 with the Cutts, probably by ~4 oz, and I prefer them over the Lt 12s.

Make Model Gauge Year Weight bbl length
Browning Auto 5 Lt 20 1967 7.23 26 Skt VR
Browning Auto 5 Sw 16 1960 7.20 27 w/Cutts comp
Browning Auto 5 Sw 16 1947 NA 30 F
Browning Auto 5 Lt 12 Jap 1982 8.20 28 M VR
Browning Auto 5 Lt 12 Bel 1970 7.70 28 M VR

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2350 Location: West MI

No affiliation, passing along, seems to be a decent price if you don't mind poly chokes....

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/101530077

Joined: 07 Mar 2010 Posts: 483 Location: South Eastern PA

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 91

I think it all comes down to how much you really want a Sweet. If price is the main holdback, as it was for me, you'll never get one. I'm a survivor of 9/11, got the health issues that proves that, not getting any younger, and my buddies are dying around me. I figured i waited long enough, that's when i got really serious. Found a few but they were rough and still a bit high. Until i found what you called a "safe queen" at 2K; '61 28" mod vent rib. Overpriced, probably. But the feeling i get every time i bust some clays with it, or spend a day afield and then break it down for a cleaning, makes up for any guilt i should be feeling, at my age and at this point in my life. If you want one that bad, go for it. Buy a few less packs of smokes, or case of beer etc. You won't regret it.....

Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 444 Location: WI

I looked at this one yesterday at the Cabela's in Richfield, WI. It's a little rough, especially the forend which looks like it rode jammed in behind a truck seat for many years.

It's not a sweet 16, but it is a Belgian 16. For $599 it might make for a fun restoration project. I looked up the serial number, and I believe it was made in 1929.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/101498557

Joined: 30 Sep 2019 Posts: 145 Location: Colorado

I saw one yesterday at a collector show. Circa 1950. I’d rate its condition as 7 out of 10. He had $1200 on it.