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Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 11

New at this computer stuff. Last post was lost when I hit Esc by accident. Try, try again.

I purchased a Browning Sweet 16 about 1956 or 57 a few years after returning home from Korea. I now have a number of guns but the Sweet 16 is my standout. It's worn but has recieved gentle care.

Recently experienced a problem with ejections. Seems the bolt catches the hull between the chamber end and the bolt face. It's fed only Fiocchi or Remington Game Loads 1 oz 7-1/2's. Gunsmith said I am not using enough lub on the magazine tube. I loading with the recommended rease-like lub and it began to work properly...until the third box was fed through it. The original manual recommends lubricate lightly with oil and wipe clean. Now I'm puzzeled. All springs are new and so is the brake sleeve. The mag tube seems polished from use.

Browning will not work on it because I had Stan Baker improve the bore. lengthen the forcing cone and over bore the barrel. He also customed choked from Mod to Imp Cly.

Does anyone have a suggestion?

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Don't over lube the mag tube, do it like John Moses intended with a couple of drops of oil then wiped off. You need the bronze friction ring to have some friction. Your problem is somewhere else.

First polish the chamber with a bore brush wrapped with steel wool, chucked in an electric drill. Really scrub the daylights out of it.

If that does not solve the problem remove the stock and take the action spring out of the tube it sits in. Scrub out the tube with a .38 cal bore brush and some Hoppes, clean the dried lube off the spring and put it back in the gun with just a couple of drops of oil on it,

Let me know if neither of these things work for you and we'll explore other options.

BTW, puttting new springs and friction rings often make it harder to cycle light loads. Never throw away the old parts. And IMO the "rebuild kits" are not necessary. Those parts almost never actually need to be replaced.....My 1906 A5 has only needed one new spring in the last century.

Jeff

Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 11

Jeff,
Thanks for your input. I have scrubbed the chamber with a hand brush but I think your suggestion is better. I normally clean the bore and chamber with a device I purchased many years ago. A stiff brush permanently mounted on a long rod that is attached it to a hand drill. I have never used steel wool, but I'll give it a try.
As for the cleaning the magazine tube, it has never been cleaned in 50 years. But I will take all your suggestions and apply them.
I'll keep you advised. Hope I don't lose your address.
Vero

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

I'll PM you with a phone number in case you run into a snag.

Make sure you have the proper screw driver before you touch the lock screw and tang screw. Buggering them up would be a bad thing.

Also remember that you dont need to pull the single screw on the tang. Just leave that one alone!

Jeff

Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 76 Location: western canada

Vero,

Suffered the same problem last year with one of my A-5s. An older gentleman that I shoot skeet with said the best thing I could do for all of my A-5s was to wipe all the oils off the tube and apply a light coating of Vaseline. Apparently some old trick they used in Manitoba when the cold temperatures made the oils gum up. Did what he recommended and have not had a problem since. Even allows me to shoot lighter loads.
Hope it works for you.

Regards
John

Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 311