16ga.com ~ View topic - Reloads for New A-5

Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Olympia WA

I am getting a new A-5 and I am excited to make loads that perform well with it. Looking for loads that cycle and pattern well out of it.

What weights, velocity and pressure work well with this shotgun.

Can anyone share some loads they have found pattern and cycle well with it.

I plan on hunting everything with this. Grouse, chukar, quail, pheasant, Rabbits, ducks, geese and turkey. I really want to turn this gun into my meat gun. Cant wait to see how it handles and fits for me.

Any other advice about this shotgun and loads for it is welcome.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

First off I don't own the newer design A5, but a shotgun is a shotgun. Decide what you are going to use the shotgun for and build the same loads as you would for any other 16 ga. shotgun. It has an enertia action so pressure means nothing. A friend of mine has a new 16 ga. A5 and he uses 1 oz. and 1 1/8 oz. loads in it with no issue.

The shotgun will do it's job right if you feed it the right ammo for the job. Whether you hit anything with the combination is up to you.

My sweet 16 will hiccup with low pressure 1 oz loads at times. Other than that has been flawless.

Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 444 Location: WI

Yes, the new A5 works fine with anything except a low pressure load. It will fire low pressure loads, but then it becomes a bolt action and you have to rack it every shot.

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1698 Location: Minnesota

Good for you Joe. Did you find a lightning version? Great hunting guns for sure. If you use the search function here, theres lots of posts about it. Seems like some have said even 7/8 oz will function but probably need more velocity. Others dont function reliably with standard 1oz factory 1165 fps ammo. If yours is that way, use a recipe to get up to 1200fps and see if that cures it. 1 1/8 factory loads should function 100%. Years ago, DE here got me going on the basic Fed blue box 1 1/8 oz for semi's and thats what i've used the majority of the time in the gun for pheasants. The Fed premium 1 1/8 that there's a link on here to scheels sale is good too in this gun. Cant say I've ever patterned any loads in the gun, they just work. Before you shoot it,I'd recommend reading the manual and doing a basic dissasembly of the action and clean out the factory goo. Use a high quality oil like triflow on the moving parts before reassembly. PM me if you have any more questions.Enjoy!

Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Olympia WA

I was able to get the Lightning version. Super excited to fit it and start shooting it. I got plenty of reloads stocked up that should cycle it. I will test those and go from there I guess. I was able to tweek the turkey loads I got quit a bit by reducing the velocity which gave a tighter and tighter pattern until it fell off. Really looking forward now to creating loads for each shot gun. Looks like the bottom is around 1200 and 1oz loads. I like 1oz loads for hunting anyways so this should work for me perfectly. Its going to be fun making some lead, bismuth and TSS rounds for this gun.

Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Posts: 756 Location: Mn.

If you are only using it for hunting then yes 1 oz. at 1200 fps should be OK.

Savage16 back when the Sweet 16 shoots were going on got one from Browning for us to use for the day. I ended up using it most of the day. Was on the squad for the flury and the only squad that never let a bird hit the ground. And we were a man short. I bought one the next day.

It was a 28" and the ability to cycle shells varies by gun. They aren't perfect by any means but I consider it my Benelli Ultralight in 16.

Extractors are thin and weak, had to replace mine by 5K rounds. And not the only one that has extractors break. But for hunting you will likely be fine.

Mine needs at least 1 oz. at 1200 to be reliable. My Tristar G2 I load 17.2 gr. of old green dot in Federals with Federals and they both work reliably in the SA guns.

The Sweet 16 has a LONG receiver and the 28" is the same length as a 12 ga. BUL 26".

After the Sweet 16 extractor broke had Briley cut the barrel down to 23" so that is the same length of my Ithaca 37 16 ga. guns.

And had Mark Larson (UncleDanFan) reshape the grip the way Browning should have before the Lighting came out. Don't worry about those that complain about the DS chokes they are accurate. I had to have Briley install thinwalls after cutting the barrel so the chokes are standard now.

It works for me and grouse

I don't shoot it much anymore and prefer to use the Tristar G2 for clays. And one of the Isides for grouse hunting.

But the Sweet 16 is a great gun if it meets your needs out of the box. And load enough punch.

Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Olympia WA

Cold Iron

Thanks for the response. I hope the 26" barrel fit me about right but good to know that cutting them down is an option.

I handled one at cabelas and it seemed about right to me. Man they treat their guns horribly. They make the staff put them up every night and the guy says they handle them like firewood. The one I handled looked like an old truck gun and it had never been fired.

Good to hear the chokes work fine. I plan on get the other sizes if needed to handle all the different game I plan on chasing with them.

Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 444 Location: WI