The Ole 16 Gauge
 

So I have a chance to pick up a Browning A5 for a cheap price. The kicker is that it is 16 Gauge. Is there still some support for this shell?

You wont find much, if any at Walmart, but any shop that stocks 28g usually has 16g as well. With 3in magnum 20g loads out there the 16g just doesn't have the appeal it used to.

My grandfather had a Remington model 11 16g and it kicked like a mule. Unfortunately a POS cousin of mine stole it and pawned it for dope along with a few of my grandfather's nice old guns. I did manage to get his Browning Belgium made .22 takedown before he got his hands on it.

Yes, but nowhere near the support for the other gauges. I had a 16 gauge Browning BPS Upland Special and never had problems finding good shells for it. Every couple of years Browning will do a special run of Citori's in 16 gauge. It seems the people that have them love them. I'd only get a 16 if it was actually built on a 16 frame. I made the mistake of buying a 16 gauge 870 Express once. It was built on a 12 gauge frame so it carried like a 12 weight wise but didn't have the versatility of one. My BPS on the other hand was built on a 20 gauge frame. It was a light, lively gun. The old adage was, "Carries like a 20, hits like a 12."

Thanks for this thread - wondered the same thing. Have an old Ivar Johnson 16 guage left over from the MLK riots...

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...003small-2.jpg

Think I have a few shells for it - shells were probably made in the 60s. Does kick hard, I remember that. Not worth the shipping to sell off. It does look great as a wall decoration.

I bought one for dove hunting. Local walmart always has some #6 in stock. If I want to drive to an academy they have a wider selection available. It may be a regional thing but I've never had trouble finding what I needed for it. The only thing lacking locally is cheap target loads.

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I love the 16 Gauge.

I have one, and it's a Remington 11-48 auto. Good, good shotgun. Unfortunately, it has a PolyChoke. Every else about the gun is very good, and it's a very early production. I love Remington shotguns, and I have my eye on a very nice 16 Gauge 870 with a vent rib.

I thought Kmart got out of the ammo business years ago?

Great cartridge! You can find shells, usually a few more bucks than the same 12 gauge shells. Buy a couple boxes at a time. Check the stock length as a great number of sweet sixteens have been cutdown over the years for youngsters to shoot. This really lowers the value and stocks are hard to find.

I picked up a CZ Ringneck in 16 gauge a couple years ago to round out my shotgun collection and always wanted a side-by-side. Got a few grouse with it that fall. Not a real fancy gun, but for the money is a nice side-by-side unit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps8cff405d.jpg

My father had a single shot HR in 16, and that was the first shotgun I ever shot, so always had a sweet spot for it.

The shells aren't as common, but if you don't shoot a lot of clay pigeons with it, you'll be able to find hunting loads without too much trouble at most gun stores.

Is that a "Sweet Sixteen?" Man, those were prized guns back in the day. I remember they had that engraved on the receiver. The "Sweet Sixteen" was a lightweight version of the A5. There are also standard 16 ga A5's.

If it's a Sweet Sixteen, and the price is reasonable, I'd be tempted to buy it and worry about getting ammo later. They do still make 16 ga shells, you just might have to look harder to find them.

My grandfather had an old double barrel 16 gauge that would knock your shoulder off. I miss that gun.

If its a sweet sixteen I'd buy it regardless. I have a 12ga A5 from the late 50s that belonged to my grandfather. They are neat shotguns.

I've got a Winchester Model 12 in 16ga and would love to have a Browning A5, especially a "Sweet Sixteen". :cool:

Here's mine it's actually a Savage Model 720 16 ga made in the late 30s. I really like the 16 ga. I always look for a couple boxes of shells at every gunshow I go to.http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/.../sav-16001.jpg

They did around here.