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<  16ga. Guns  ~  Question regarding Browning Sweet Sixteen stock cracking
Bill K
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2019 5:15 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

I plan in the foreseeable future to buy a 'NEW' Browning Sweet Sixteen, and I've heard from a number of sources about stock cracking issues.

I am not deterred by a design fault with the stocks - actually that's Browning's concern as I presume they will stand behind their product.

My question is can anybody provide specifics as to which stock is cracking, and under what circumstances ?
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sixteenclays
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2019 7:10 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 05 Oct 2015
Posts: 17
Location: Western PA

Bill,
When mine cracked it was one of the first shipped to customers. I was at the first station shooting sporting clays. I did well, hitting five out of six but as I stepped away one of my fellow shooters pointed out the crack. It went from the receiver all the way through and down. I shipped it back to Browning through my dealer. Browning sent me a new gun and I have not had any problems with it. I hope that helps.
Dave

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Bill K
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2019 8:46 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

To sixteen clays -

I presume you mean the buttstock, that sounds nasty.

I've heard of forends cracking on earlier Sweet Sixteens.

Well as long as I don't run the risk of catching the back of the receiver in my chops.

Thanks for telling me your story.

BTW how long did it take for Browning to replace the gun ?
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sixteenclays
PostPosted: Thu May 23, 2019 3:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 05 Oct 2015
Posts: 17
Location: Western PA

It was at least a month before I received the new gun. Yes it was the buttstock.

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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Thu May 23, 2019 6:52 am  Reply with quote
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Hal Brown who owns 4-B's Hunting Preserve near here bought a new Sweet 16 and loaned it to a customer to use when the customer's gun malfunctioned. It was an unguided hunt and the customer came back carrying a two piece gun with a broken buttstock. It broke when shooting at birds and the customer and all the others in his party swear he hadn't fallen with the gun. Browning honored the warranty and actually did a credible job of matching the wood.

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rdja
PostPosted: Thu May 23, 2019 9:25 am  Reply with quote
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I will be sending mine back to Browning tomorrow. Got thru to the service center and the gentleman gave me the info and a prepaid shipping label for the gun.

My gun cracked just behind the trigger group on the very bottom of the stock. At first I though it was just a crack in the finish, but closer exam revealed it was inside the unfinished part of the wood. I need to get a new photo hosting service as hunt101.com seems to be gone, but I got a nice picture of it.
Nate
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Thinblueline
PostPosted: Thu May 23, 2019 2:50 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Mar 2019
Posts: 13

For as many reports as I’ve read about these stocks cracking, it’s got me wondering if they are all going to crack at some point.
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Bill K
PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2019 1:01 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

Well what I've heard has got me to wondering, but not enough to deter me away from buying a new Sweet Sixteen.

I am an engineer by profession and its got me thinking that perhaps some 'wood-engineering' is needed here - and yes wood engineering is one of the eighty four disciplines of engineering.

Just because you've made buttstocks out certain stock blanks for decades doesn't necessarily mean that its going to hold up when instituted into a new 'dynamic'.

The first thing that caught my attention about the new Sweet Sixteen was the drastic reduction in weight. Well that pulse of recoil energy traverses throughout the entire gun - so how ever you have the stock blank grain-configured obviously isn't working.

I'm not going to worry about it as long as it is not dangerous - as I've got my choice of at least a generous handful of other upland guns bidding time in my rack and my vaults. At one time I had 17 upland guns - including an Armalite AR-17 !

I may make a point to contact Browning and ask what the story is - I'd be amazed if they haven't addressed the issue.
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Bill K
PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2019 10:25 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2014
Posts: 253
Location: North Shore of Boston

In view of the fact that I am days away from buying a new Browning Sweet Sixteen, curiosity got the better of me regarding this cracking stock issue - so I called Browning.

The first person I spoke with in Customer Support had not dealt with any Sweet Sixteens with cracked stocks - so I asked to be transferred to the technical department, those are the people who do the actual hands-on of any stock replacement issues.

That fellow said 'not too many' - implying by his wording that he was only aware of a handful at best.

He said that the only circumstances he could think of that would cause a stock to crack are guns being operated in high humidity climates - which makes sense.

When I asked if my stock were to crack would I have any options - his response was 'we do our best to match the stocks, and return them to factory spec.'

So to the person out there who was wondering if Browning had any English Straight Stocks available for the new Sweet Sixteen - the answer is no.
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Savage16
PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 6:28 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 30 Nov 2011
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I'm wondering if the grip area being hollow has anything to do with the stocks cracking? Or is it just the quality/lightness of the wood in the forearm and stock? when you pick up just the forearm it doesn't feel like much is there. Of course that's a big reason they are sub 6 lb guns

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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Fri May 31, 2019 7:08 am  Reply with quote
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My experience on Browning gunstocks failing is on the Citori, but it seems like Browning doesn't pay much attention to the grain flow in the critical grip area. I know from having a couple of custom stocks done how much attention the good stockmakers place in getting that area right. It just looks like a crap shoot with Browning as to whether you get a good one or a problem. Hopefully they will fix any that fail.

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