Finally bought a Sweet 16.

I won the auction today, about $25.00 less than my bid. It looks to be a nice one, let me see if I can post some pics.

Crap, photobucket just isn't cooperating.

Anyway, the shotgun looks pretty nice, it's a 1970 model with the "sharp grip" (is that the term?) and with a vent rib barrel. That's what I really like. It has a slight bit of corrosion but the stock looks great from what I can tell from the pics provided. It's a full choke, which is a must-have for me, as I'll hunt squirrels with it.

Unless I come across an alloy Hi Power, it'll be my only gun buy this year.

I nearly put a 1972 Sweet 16 with a matted barrel on layaway, but the payments the guy wanted were just too high for me at that time. This shotgun rather makes up for that and I prefer a vented rib barrel anyway.

I'm happy.

*And I barely made it home in time to bid! I do not have an Iphone and my welding teacher didn't want me bidding online with his office computer. I made it home with about 10 minutes to spare!

I don't know if Photobucket or Browningowners has changed, but I've had to change the way I post pictures. I used to copy and paste the IMG Code but now I have to paste the Direct Link into the window opened on this site by the photo icon. Funny but all of the pictures I've posted the old way are still there. And IMG still works on other sites.

Congratulations on your Sweet Sixteen.

Nothing with posting pictures changed here...both ways work for me.

Congrats on the WIN...!!

It may be my iPad and iPhone, the trouble started about the time the operating system was updated. So, from my iPad:

Didn't work. Next I'll try from my "mainframe".

OK, it's Apple products causing the problem.

Thanks guys.

The Sweet 16 has a following like the Luger........even guys not into guns will mention it. My dad is one of those.

I just cannot get photobucket to actually fully load up.

Rudoloph31,

1). Is that a DC3 cockpit?
2). Is that your DC3?

Yes, it's a DC3 but it's not mine. In the 80's I flew for a commuter airline that had a dozen of them. This is one of them years later with modern radios -- we still had the old remote tube radios that when you changed frequencies you heard clicking noises behind your seat. At least you did on the ramp with the engines off.

That's great! It's such a graceful and durable plane with a rich history. Did you get to fly one ever?

I've seen a few pass overhead and I have always been able to recognize the engine sound first. I once saw one at the tarmac at the local airport, it was all silver with its nose pointed skyward........I read in Pilot magazine that "if the [author] had the money, a DC3 is what he'd buy and fly around the country in."

Yes, I went to that airline because I wanted to fly DC3's. I ended up with about 1000 hours in it, 750 in the left seat. It turned out that it was just as much fun as I thought it would be. A lot of adventures. A lot of hearing loss...

Actually it wasn't much of a "win" guys as the seller appears to have lied on the listing. He had flawless stock pics but when I received the shotgun, the stocks were damaged. I emailed him three times before he replied, he used personal insults, and never could explain the damage. Here is a slideshow. He refused a discount.

He has offered to pay for the whole thing (after I threatened him with a mail fraud filing & gunbroker exposure). Here are some pics. Should I return it? Total cost to me was $1,300.00 Sweet 16's are so hard to find where I am, especially in full choke. How much would Art charge to fix the stock damage? Any guess?

http://s345.photobucket.com/user/exposedscams1911/slideshow/

My two cents, for $1300 that shotgun should be near perfect. I'd send it back. I'd say it's an $800 gun. Also, although you like it, the full choke hurts value. How many guys were you bidding against?

I actually prefer the full choke. I have been in contact with Art's Gun Shop and I agree, it will be sent back if it can be. The seller offered to take it back, making a full refund including shipping. I sent him an acceptance email yesterday but I have not received a reply. I will give him week and then post the above linked slideshow to the gunbroker feedback and begin a post inspector mail fraud charge. *I will not send it back unless I have the full refund in hand first.*

I believe I was only bidding against one guy there at the last. Does that show how unpopular full choke is? Perhaps, but that is of no concern to me. Did it indicate the seller himself was driving up the bidding price? There is no way to know. He is clearly a crook, so anything is possible.

Thank you for the input Rudoph31, it greatly helped me decide what to do. Sweet 16's are very rare where I live and going to gunshows isn't really an option with my schedule.

A while back I wanted a new-condition Auto-5 with a Poly Choke. I was able to get one for a great price because Polys decrease value. So do full chokes. If they ever repeal the non toxic shot rule, their popularity may return.

I have bought many guns on Gunbroker and have had only positive experiences. I'm sorry that yours wasn't, but it's still the best place to find the gun you want. I have found that many guns are often wildly overpriced. I ignore those. One way to get a bargain is to consider a Cutts or a Poly Choke. Both work. Keep looking.

Yuck, those muzzle growths are not attractive! They may work fine and for 3 gun I would look for an A5 with one, but not for hunting.

I don't waterfowl hunt and lead shot is all I buy.

I have had three bad experiences on gunbroker (including this one), most of the sellers on there are very good to excellent to deal with. Several have gone "above and beyond" in packing and description.

Thank you for the support man, this crook, hopefully, I can have some impact on and I am going to try.

Update: the seller has gone back on his offer of a refund, no surprise there. I have informed him via email of my intention of legal action (what can be taken, if any) and I have linked an updated version of that slideshow posted above to the feedback section of Gunbroker. I also supplied my email address in case anyone reviewing his feedback wished to see what sort of emails the man liked to send.

I'll contact his state's attorney general and the USPS postal inspector since I paid him through the US mail. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Good Luck Brother...damn shame people have to be such scumbags.

If he misrepresented the gun on Gunbroker, I would go beyond bad feedback. They must have dispute resolution there. Or he may get kicked off the site.

You'd be surprised then Rudolph31, Gunbroker will do little to nothing. Read their regs on that sort of thing. The only time they will get involved is if you didn't receive your gun at all or it was a different gun than what was advertised. Even then they will do little. I've had this happen twice before, but this time I am doing something about it.

Emails from the seller accused me of doing the damage, he did not reply until advised of legal action would be taken, and then he resorted to personal insult. I asked a question three times by three different emails and he never answered it. I posted my email address to the feedback in case anyone wanted to read the seller's replies. Hopefully he'll have to delete his account once people view the slideshow, I linked it into the feedback section. *And all this I warned him I would do if he refused to work something out with me. He declined that and offered a full refund, including shipping, but when I accepted, he backed out of that as well.