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1960 Vintage Browning Auto-5 Sweet Sixteen Shotgun w 28" Inch Vent Rib Full Barrel * Handsome Example w/ Refinished Barrel ***SOLD**
Guns International #: 101657895 Seller's Inventory #: CM21-862
Category: Browning Belgium Shotguns - A5 - Browning Shotguns - Sweet Sixteen
Seller's Information
When emailing or calling sellers direct, please mention that you saw their listing on GunsInternational.com
Seller: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc.
Company: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc.
Member Since: 4/27/15
State: Kentucky
Zip: 40503
Country: United States
Phone: (859) 276-1419
Fax: (859) 278-0838
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 190
Total Number of Listings: 14879
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Visa,Master Card, Discover,Check
Description:
If you have been looking for a handsome and classy vintage Belgian Browning Auto-5 Sweet Sixteen shotgun for your collection that you can take afield and shoot without feeling bad, this is it. This is a very nice 1960-production Sweet Sixteen that is in perfect mechanical condition and is all-original except for the barrel, which appears to be a very nicely refinished 28" inch ventilated rib barrel choked "Full". The Browning Sweet Sixteen is one of the all-time classics in the Auto-5 shotgun model line, sought after by both collectors and shooters alike. Chambered in 16 gauge as the name implies, the recoil-operated semi-auto Sweet Sixteen was first introduced in 1937 as a lightweight version of the standard 16 Gauge Auto-5 by a full 10 ounces. The Sweet Sixteen still had all of the same features as the other Auto-5's including a factory high-polish gloss-blue finish on all of the metal parts, a floral and scroll engraved receiver, a polished in-the-white bolt, a gold-finished trigger, a left side mounted magazine cut-off switch, a triggerguard mounted safety, a 2.75" inch chamber, a 4-shot magazine tube, and a gloss-finished two-piece hand-checkered pistol grip Walnut stock set with a factory-installed recoil plate. The Sweet Sixteen was offered in several barrel lengths and chokes as well as with a plain barrel, a solid matted rib barrel, or a vent rib barrel. The earlier production guns have a round knob pistol grip which is much preferred over the squared knob aesthetics of the later production guns. Like the other Auto-5 shotguns made by Browning, the Sweet Sixteen uses a recoil-operated action that can be optimized for firing standard or high-brass magnum loads by switching around a set of rings/spacers located under the forearm. The Sweet Sixteen proved to be a superb shotgun, just like all of the other Belgian-made Auto-5s. They were not just extremely handsome, but very reliable and soft-shooting to boot. The Belgian / FN Browning Sweet Sixteen was discontinued in 1975, and was not put back into production again until 1987, at which point it was being made for Browning by Miroku of Japan. This particular Sweet Sixteen is serial number OS53138 manufactured in 1960. It is in perfect working order with excellent mechanics. After inspecting this shotgun inside and out it appears to have been carried and fired VERY little. What superficial condition issues it does have are a result of poor storage rather than actual wear and tear from use. The original factory gloss-blue finish on the receiver and triggerguard/lower tang is still bright and very handsome overall, showing only some very tiny handling marks and some small scattered areas of surface rust that have long been removed. As you can see in the pictures, most of these spots are located on the upper right and top of the receiver and the upper tang (close-ups provided in listing). If there was any unsightly bare metal visible when this rust was removed it was darkened by either age or the spot application of cold blue. All of the factory engraving and markings are still extremely crisp and clean, and all of the screws in the action have nice straight and unmarred heads/slots. The factory polished bolt body and shell lifter in this Browning are bright, clean, and in beautiful shape. There is no visible staining or pitting on either part. The factory gold finish on the trigger is in good condition overall. It does show some finish wear and flaking on the face and forward edges of the trigger, but the balance of the part shows a deep and bright gold. The factory blue finish on the magazine cap is in excellent condition, and the gripping ribs around the cap are in great shape, showing only two small spots of marring. As mentioned before, the barrel on this Sweet Sixteen appears to be an old-but-good refinish. It is a 28" inch ventilated rib barrel choked "Full". The refinished blue is a bright and deep in appearance, and shows only some minor handling marks with no thinning or wear to speak of. If not for some "thin" factory markings on the sides of the barrel from polishing pre-refinish, it would be very hard to tell that the barrel was refinished. All of the markings on the barrel under the wood line are crisp and perfect. The bore in this barrel is mirror-bright and also perfect, free from any pitting, bulges, dents, or imperfections. The original stock set on this shotgun is in very good condition overall. The checkering is still clean and sharp, and the forearm and buttstock are a perfect match to each other in both color and condition. There are no bad spots or eyesores on either stock piece, only very minor handling/storage marks. There is a very small superficial crack in the outer layer of wood on the bottom of the forearm just ahead of the receiver. This crack extends back a little over a half inch on the exterior but does not go all the way thru to the backside. This crack is very tight and stable, even with the forearm off of the gun we could not spread it applying pressure to it. This is very common on these vintage Auto-5s. The glossy factory finish is still intact and clear on both the forearm and buttstock, and the original factory-installed FN Browning-branded buttplate is still in great shape. The action on this Sweet Sixteen is smooth, slick, and precise. When in battery, the bolt locks up nice and square to the barrel with no wiggle. All of the controls on this Browning are in perfect working order, including the bolt release, safety, and magazine cut-off. This Belgian Browning Sweet Sixteen should function just as reliably today as the day it left the FN Browning factory 61 plus years ago. This is an affordable Belgian Browning Sweet Sixteen that you could carry into any hunting camp, field, or lodge in the world with pride.
SOLD
Curio/Relic: Yes
Shotgun Gauge: 16 Gauge
Manufacturer: Browning (Belgium)
Model: Auto-5 Sweet 16
Serial Number: OS53138
Barrel Length: 28" Inches (27.5")
Chambers: 2.75" Inches
Condition: Very Good
Metal Condition: Very Good
Wood Condition: Very Good
Bore Condition: Excellent
Barrel Type: 28" Inch Vent Rib (Refinished)
Action: Semi-Auto Recoil-Operated
Stock: Checkered Walnut Round-Knob Stock Set
Butt Pad: Factory Recoil Plate
LOP: 14.5" Inches
Rib: Ventilated Rib
Finish: Gloss Blue / Gold Trigger
Sights: Brass Bead Front Sight
Manufacture Date: 1960
Chokes: "Full