Hello - I believe I have a 1956 Browning Sweet Sixteen. It is in great condition, just wanted to verify what I have before going to far along with the gun. It has the "Sweet Sixteen" etched in with the scroll work - and the serial number begins with an "S" and then "614XX". From the posts I can find, that seems to place it in the 1956 range? The barrel has "Made in Belgium" on one side, and "Browning Arms Company St. Louis Mo." on the other. I can post images if there are other ID marks that may help - are there any locations to obtain manuals on the gun - for care / breakdown / manufacturer suggestions etc? Thank you
Congratulations on your-new-to-you Sweet Sixteen. Looks like you've done some research already -- I agree it's from 1956. This is my best resource for checking dates: http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940941/serialization-date of manufacture.pdf The Owner's Manual (for the Light Twelve -- close enough) can be downloaded from Browning: http://media.browning.com/pdf/om/auto5_light_om_s.pdf And the Field Service Manual can be downloaded from Midwest Gun Works: http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/ctgy/browning-auto-5-parts MGW is also where I go for parts. Both Art's Gunshop and Midway USA have some excellent videos on the Auto-5. Here is a link to Art's: http://artsgunshop.com And if you are interested in the history behind your shotgun, you'll want this book: http://www.fnbrowning.com/#!browning-auto-5-shotguns/ef7a2
Thanks so much! Here are some pics. It seems I am missing some of the locking screws, need to check Dad's cleaning bag/box or get from a dealer.
Nice looking gun. You'll need extra thin blade screwdrivers to install those locking screws, or any screw on an Auto-5. MGW sells a set by Grace, but Brownell's has a cheaper set of just the tips. Art spends half of his first video showing how to make your own, but I'll leave that stuff to the real 'smiths.