Getting one of these extremely rare original factory issued guns at a standard gun price is a trophy in itself. The popularity and success of the Sweet Sixteen from 1937 through 1947 earned it a permanent place in Browning marketing as the 1948 engraved “Sweet Sixteen.â€� 1947 is also the only year the 3 shot 2 ¾ 16ga was marketed in the USA. It is also the last year of the non-engraved sweet sixteen. This is the first year of standard production of the 2 ¾ inch chambered 16 gauge. These are among the rarest of the A5 Sweet Sixteen but are priced as standard 16 gauge A5s in value guides. This is the “unmarkedâ€� Browning, era of the Sweet Sixteen.
#BLGIUM MADE BROWNING SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
****1940 – 1953**** "A" Prefix American made Browning by “Remington Arms.â€�ġ947 Post war Belgium made “X Prefix Series.â€� No serial number distinction between the Sweet 16 and the Standard 16 gauge A5. No serial number distinction between the Sweet 16 and the Standard 16 gauge A5s. Barrel Rib four possibilities in 1937: none, solid (hollow) rib, ventilated rib with X posts or matted finish for Sweet Sixteen (SV page 9Cool Barrel Ring as before or drilled with three holes on the barrels of Sweet Sixteen Safety Gold plated (Sweet Sixteen only) Trigger Gold plated (Sweet Sixteen only) Misc. *1937* Introduction of the “Sweet Sixteenâ€� sale to the public. Browning’s bust between “TRADEâ€� and “MARKâ€�ġ936 The "Sweet Sixteen" was released but limited to a test market. Last shipped before the outbreak of WWI was SN 19642.ġ915 to 1918 No production due to German occupation of Belgium during WWI.ġ923 Barrel Address (US market) BROWNING ARMS COMPANY OGDEN UTAH BROWNING’S PATENTġ929 Ventilated barrel rib (as an option) and barrel address change.ġ930 Barrel Address (US market) BROWNING ARMS COMPANY ST LOUIS MOġ932 Introduction of the three shot Auto 3 with shorter magazine tube and shorter forearm marked “Browning 3 Shotâ€�ġ934 Receiver legend Now with BROWNING and John M. SNs 3201 – 15000 were invoiced between 1st Jan. Browning informed me the gun left the factory in 1955.ġ910 to 1914 There is only vague info about 16 ga SNs in SV (page 74) for the time 1910 to 1914. I found what I thought was a very early 1948 Sweet Sixteen based on the serial number. Other factors need to be taken into consideration to properly date your gun. I took the liberty to use the Calandar Year Jan. Details about dates, transitions, exceptions, and other nuances can be found in the Shirley/Vanderlinden book, Browning Auto 5 Shotguns. These dates were gleaned primarily from Sauerfan's timeline and the Shirley/Vanderlinden book. The serial number and dates are approximations only. I decided to share it here since this is where much of my limited knowledge came from.
I compiled this quick reference serial number guide for dating 16ga Browning A5s and the Auto 5-3 Shot, by serial number.
A common mistake I have seen in many, many, gun shops and online sites is to assign the 12ga serial number date to a 16ga. Browning 12ga numbers began with number 1 in 1903. This guide is for the Browning A5 16 gauge only.
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