Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen Review

BROWNING A5 SWEET SIXTEEN REVIEW
-INTRO
The Browning Arms Company is at it again; the relatively new A5 Sweet Sixteen is their most recent edition to their historical series of shotguns. In the late 1800’s American Frontier, John Browning (arguably the World’s foremost weapons pioneer) created this company to market his non-military weapon designs.

Fast-forward nearly 150 years and Browning is still among the most innovative firearm manufacturers, especially in the shotgun department. In fact, many of his designs and inventions have been utilized by competing companies, including Colt and Remington. Nevertheless, Browning Co. has evolved and is currently one of the major firearm and sporting goods producer in the country.
Although the Sweet Sixteen may resemble the older iconic Auto-5, Browning made some serious transformations for the new model. Even though they may have kept some of the older features, the Sweet Sixteen is undoubtedly a fast, versatile, and modern shotgun. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, hunting was a rite of passage for kids like me. Most of us were Boy Scouts, avid hunters and frequent campers; consequently, I was raised around Browning products. Based on my experience with the new A5, I think it would’ve made a great addition to my pheasant and waterfowl hunting trips. Let’s take a closer look at the Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen to see how impressive it actually is.

-BUILD
The best way for me to describe the new A5 is: slick and imposing. The polished black receiver and beautiful glossy walnut stock combined with its commanding (nearly) 50” length, empower the Sweet Sixteen to stand out from a mile away. Even though this may not be Browning’s finest firearm, I’ve got no legitimate complaints about the shotgun’s build. They’ve made tons of adaptations to ensure the A5’s durability, and it’s worked wonders.

The receiver is built from a resilient lightweight aluminum alloy, ultimately making the new model much lighter than its predecessor. Everyone knows that shooting a shotgun can take a toll on your body; so in order to minimize recoil, Browning incorporated the modern Inflex II Technology recoil pad. Additionally, to facilitate overall handling and cleanliness, the A5 comes with hi-tech Invector-Double Seal interchangeable choke tubes.

These advanced components have threads by the muzzle and a brass seal which block out dirt and fouling gases, ultimately keeping the threads remarkably clean. Just because the Sweet Sixteen is built well, doesn’t mean it’ll perform accordingly. Let’s check out its specs and performance to see if it shoots as well as expected.
SPECS
• Gauge: 16
• Barrel Length: 28”
• Overall Length: 49 ¼”
• Chamber Length: 2 ¾”
• Choke System: Invector-DS Flush
• Stock Material: Turkish Walnut
• Barrel Material: Steel
• Receiver Material: Aluminum Alloy
• Trigger Material: Alloy
• Recoil Pad: Inflex 2 (Large)
• Mag Capacity: 4
• Weight: Approx. 5.5 lbs.
• Front Sight: Fiber Optic
• MSRP: $1,699.99

SIGHTS
One of the more impressive features of the Sweet Sixteen is the advanced sight system. A red fiber-optic front sight is set near the muzzle, while the white brass bead rear sight is placed mid-barrel. This dynamic duo enables the shooter to take full advantage of the long sight plane, thus providing a positive swing and follow-through. When hunting fast game, these sights could be a real game-changer.

PERFORMANCE
The major concern of any shotgun’s performance is recoil. I figured the new A5 would have a ridiculous kick-back, especially considering the fact that Browning took off a lot of weight from the original model. Nevertheless, the recoil was actually quite manageable; all the force generated by each shot gets distributed evenly through the steel bolt, barrel extension and the advanced recoil pad. I was actually impressed by the fast cycling ability of the Kinematic Drive System on the Sweet Sixteen. However, keep in mind that it only cycles 2-3/4″ to 3-1/2″ shells.

When hunting game, especially birds, you gotta have a gun with quick and accurate shooting. I found the A5’s huge sight plane to be tremendously helpful in quicker target acquisition and more accurate shooting. Additionally, as expected with any Browning product, the advanced engineering delivers great results. The ingeniously constructed Sweet Sixteen has reduced shot deformation and provides uniform shot patters even at long ranges. At the end of the day, it seems like all of the A5’s performance upgrades merely mitigate their shortcomings. Having to significantly compensate for issues like recoil and accuracy, the Sweet Sixteen comes out as an average shotgun.

-CONCLUSION
The most important thing I learned by using the Browning Sweet Sixteen is that looks can be deceiving. This new A5 shotgun has a really high price tag, but ultimately doesn’t perform nearly as well as it should, especially considering how expensive it is. Overall, I was unfortunately disappointed with it; I had high expectations, considering Browning’s great reputation. All things considered, it’s not a firearm I’d ever pay for. Worse than that, the A5’s build is remarkable on paper, but I’m skeptical of how it actually holds up over time in the field.

Browning was extremely confident in the Sweet Sixteen’s durability, so much so that they provided a 100,000-round guarantee against premature wear. Regrettably, I’ve already heard of several cases of owners having broken stocks after only a few hundred rounds. I don’t mean to bash the A5; it really is an above-average firearm that has the potential to be a great hunting shotgun. Nonetheless, it’s an expensive investment for a gun that may not be as good as Browning professes. Either way, it’ll make a great display piece.

Sam is a gun enthusiast and writer for Gunivore.com.