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Auto 5 sweet sixteen???

old single shots
Today i picked up a Browning auto 5.The receiver is sn 45xxx and marked in scroll on the side (sweet sixteen)According to the sn the gun was made in 1927,but according to what i have read,the sweet sixteen was not made before 1936.The barrel is 28" matted rib with the St. Louis address.It has what appears to be an original round knob buttstock and hard rubber buttplate marked Browning Automatic with FN in the center Above the sn on the receiver is the letter S.What do i have?????
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • Rembrandt
    You are correct, Sweet 16's weren't introduced till 1936. There is a lot of confusion regarding "serial numbers" and actual numbers produced. Many of the records were destroyed during WWII. I wouldn't put much faith in the 1927 date...Val Browning (John's son), said there were inconstistencies with the records prior to the war.


    P.S. The letter "R" stands for the regular 16, "S" stands for Sweet 16 model. The First 10,000 guns were marked with the St Louis address....after that the next ones were marked Browning Bros. Ogden, Utah USA. Choke markings were spelled out and no code markings were used at this time.
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  • old single shots
    Rembrandt-Really appreciate your reply.Could you venture a guess as to the d.o.m. of this gun?Also,would you say the barrel address and buttstock-buttplate seem correct for this period gun.They appear to me to be correct.Thanks.
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  • hunter7737
    If there is an s in front of the serial number 45xxx, the yom is 1956. Look at the serial number again. Maybe 4sxxx, then it would be 1964.
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  • old single shots
    Hunter7737-The S is printed above the SN,not part of it.
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  • Rembrandt
    Since your's has the St Louis address, I'd guess it's one of the first 10,000.....probably late 1930's?? Since the war started in 1939 and priorities were for war production guns, could be 1936-1938.
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  • old single shots
    Once again--Thanks.
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  • hunter7737
    I believe your gun was made in 1956. The St. Louis M.O. or St. Louis Missouri adresses were used until 1968. Then changed to St. Louis, Missouri and Montreal P.Q. The pre WWII A-5 16ga. would have a 2 9/16" chamber.
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  • hunter7737
    Sorry, that adress was used until 1958 not 1968.
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  • Rembrandt
    Check the choke markings, this should tell you if it was pre or post war. Pre-war choke markings were spelled out and no code markings (stars) were used at this time.
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  • dcj10
    According to the 23rd Edition Blue book, the 1956 production of the Sweet Sixteen was # S41001-S62000.

    dcj10
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  • old single shots
    Thanks to everyone for the info.It now looks like the gun was probably made in 1956.The matted rib barrel is marked with 2 stars.(mod choke)
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