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| < 16ga. General Discussion ~ A5 reviews |
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 Posted:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:48 pm
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Joined: 05 Oct 2017
Posts: 284
Location: Central MN
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Anyone have anything to say about the new Browning A5, good bad or otherwise?
I’ve got my eye on a used one that I plan on using for a few duck hunts. I don’t upland Hunt.
Thanks. |
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What's behind what your shooting at? |
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| Posted:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:53 pm
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Joined: 24 Jan 2007
Posts: 467
Location: SC PA
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Nope, nobody here has mentioned them... especially not that Dave Erickson fella nor Mr. "Cold Iron".😉
There's been lots of talk about them, Emtymag. A quick search of the site should offer up a lot of results till a few members weigh in. |
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"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" - Vito Corleone
''Common Sense isn't common" -Lefty Kreh |
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Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:56 pm
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Joined: 19 Nov 2013
Posts: 381
Location: NW Arkansas
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Good for me. Have used mine to kill bobwhites, woodcock, dove, pheasant and Mearn's quail. Early on, I had a couple of failure to feed issues with reloaded steel shot, but nothing recently.
The DS chokes with the A5 seem to be a little tight, just like standard chokes on the old Auto 5 (mine is Modified, but shoots like a Full), so you may want to pattern your gun with duck loads. I rarely use anything other that Skeet and IC for upland game with mine.
I've used 6.5 to 7 lb. 16 gauge guns all my life, so it has taken me some time to get used to the light weight of the A5. With its overall length, it is not whippy however.
In the 80s I shot lots and lots of ducks with my Auto 5 16 in the Arkansas green timber with lead and loved it. While I haven't really duck hunted with the new A5 (other than a few early teal), I suspect it will make a relatively good duck gun, particularly with the new bismuth ammo out there.
Do a search of old threads on this site for the A5, and you'll get a lot of opinions about the guns, most seem good, but a few have had issues. |
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16 gauges:
1954 Win M12 IC
1952 Ithaca M37 Mod
1955 Browning Auto-5 Mod
1940 Ithaca NID M/F
1959 Beretta Silver Hawk
Ranger 103-II M/F
Browning A-5 Sweet 16
Browning Citori Invector
Rem 870 Remchoke |
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| Posted:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:07 pm
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Joined: 05 Oct 2017
Posts: 284
Location: Central MN
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Sorry, I’m unfamiliar and unable to find the search function.
Maybe google is my friend.. |
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What's behind what your shooting at? |
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Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:22 pm
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Joined: 30 Nov 2011
Posts: 1695
Location: Minnesota
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| Empty mag-look at the big blue box above . An inch above your name and just below the left lower corner of the blue box is the word search. Click it and you can search by subject or author. |
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Great dog, Great friends,Great guns |
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Mon Aug 12, 2019 4:33 am
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Joined: 28 Dec 2017
Posts: 87
Location: Northern Utah
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I have one. It is a joy as a field gun. I shot it in the blind last season a couple of times with good success. It rules, in the uplands as it weighs next to nothing.
I prefer an O/U but when I pack an auto that is the one that I'm carrying. |
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Bret
https://bretwonnacott.com/
A Millionaire's Dream - a novel |
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Mon Aug 12, 2019 1:00 pm
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Joined: 14 Sep 2016
Posts: 68
Location: KC,MO
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I think they are nice. I’m not that hung up on gun weights, and I’m often a little disgusted by hearing able bodied adult men discuss their inability to lift 8 pounds, but they are certainly light. Forend is a little too slight for my comfort, and the pistol grip is a travesty of design. But the ones I’ve shot function well, and have the kind of fit and finish Browning used to consistently deliver on its shotguns. That said, the fake humpback is both ugly and ridiculous, and I’ll cop to being annoyed that they call it an A5, when it’s most certainly not.
All told, solid B-B+ |
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| Posted:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:18 pm
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Joined: 19 Jun 2004
Posts: 1480
Location: Mpls, MN.
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Great repeaters. Not maintenance free, and you need to have a grasp of what loads you are using, and how the shock absorber needs to be set. Reliable, when seen to. A guide in Canada I knew had a 12 that had about 5 lifetimes worth of use, in miserable conditions, and looked it, but, it never skipped a beat.
I have my late Father’s 12, wearing a Browning “Stalker” plastic stock, and with 3 different barrels, two of them Hastings barrels. No issues to report with that one, or the others that have been around the house.
The 16s are very nice guns.
Best,
Ted |
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"Well sir, stupidity isn't technically against the law, and on that note, I'll remove the handcuffs and you are free to go". |
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| Posted:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:33 pm
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Joined: 09 Mar 2016
Posts: 753
Location: Mn.
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| Emtymag wrote: |
Maybe google is my friend..
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More times than not I use Google to search a site instead of the web site search engine. Searching this site or anywhere else you have to select keywords carefully as you will get a lot of hits on the older Sweet 16. In google or chrome URL type:
new A5 Sweet 16 site:16ga.com
and hits will be pretty good.
I first shot the new Sweet 16 at the Sweet 16 shoot a few years ago. Savage16 was kind enough to talk Browning into lending us one for the shoot and I ended up shooting it most of the time. I didn't drop many birds with it.
In the flurry Dave Erickson, Blackbelt and I all shot new A5 Sweet 16's and we didn't have a bird hit the ground intact. And were a person or 2 short in the squad. It was the first time I had ever shot the new Sweet 16.
Ended up buying a 28" on here used. First time out couldn't hit anything with it. Got back and checked what the factory default shim was and it was in the case. So I put it back in, the previous owner had switched it to make it fit him. After I put the factory shim back in it fit me and started crushing clays again. Some say the shims don't do anything. I say they work.
Many have measured the DS chokes and declared they are wrong, too this or that. I find them to pretty spot on. Previous owner had purchased extra DS chokes but they don't do me much good as I had Briley cut the barrel down to 23" for grouse hunting.
The receiver is part of the sighting plane as is the hump back. So even with the 23" bbl. it is more of a 28" sighting plane. Someone knew what they were doing.
The steep radius grip is almost identical to the grip on the Benelli Ultralight. Both are in the Rudy Etchen style which helps with control during recoil. Someone knew what they were doing. But with arthritis in my wrists and fingers it was a bit too steep for me on long carries in the woods so had Mark Larson convert it to more of a POW\round knob grip.
It does require a full 1 oz. load to cycle properly. Most hunting loads that is not a problem. I shoot a lot of clays with it and use Federal 1 oz. I am recoil sensitive and for such a light gun there is very little felt recoil. Someone knew what they were doing and did a good job. The design is very much Benelli and that works. In fact I think of it as my 16 ga. Benelli Ultralight. But I have to shoot 7/8 oz. in my BUL 12 for clays or the recoil gets to me rather fast. 1 oz. in the Sweet 16 I am good for 100 rounds.
The Sweet 16 I purchased was used but not abused not sure how many rounds it had through it. I love shooting it at clays (and birds) it is a great shooting gun. A year ago had put ~1200 rounds through it and the extractor broke. On the way home from Horse and Hunt stopped at Ahlmans and in 15 minutes they had it repaired and up and running. No charge, even though I was not the original owner. I'm not a big Browning fan in general. But that is a step in the right direction for getting me there.
At some point I will pick up another one for shooting clays and leave it intact. Really is a fun gun to shoot.
If the one your looking at fits you buy it I don't think you will be disappointed. |
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| Posted:
Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:30 am
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Joined: 29 Nov 2018
Posts: 87
Location: Oklahoma
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| Posted:
Thu Aug 15, 2019 1:40 pm
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Joined: 09 Jan 2013
Posts: 2168
Location: Florida
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| I really like mine and have killed lots of birds and broke lots of clays with it. Cold Irons' review is spot on . I had my grip modified to straight . |
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| Posted:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 2:25 am
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Member
Joined: 06 Oct 2007
Posts: 2346
Location: West MI
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Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:37 am
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Can say it any better than Cold Iron and fn16ga. i know others who are equally delighted with their new A5 SW16's. One important bit I'll point out is all these guys have been around the block, shoot a lot, shoot very well, and have many nice and more expensive shotguns in their safes.
Edit to add, I'm a doubles guy at heart, but glad I have my little sweetie pie for a change of pace. |
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| Posted:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:41 am
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Joined: 29 Nov 2018
Posts: 87
Location: Oklahoma
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| Posted:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 9:09 am
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| Pockets wrote: |
What does it mean when a doubles guy comes to own 3 semi autos?
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Oh Gawd, you're as bad as my wife policing my eating habits. |
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