Sweet Sixteen.......

Hi guys...(gals).....hope this is accepted on here; I recently purchased a "Winchester Sweet-Sixteen" guage shotgun.....trying to find the year is was made from the serial number. Anyone up on these things? I been looking online but so far haven't found the right site...anyone out there that can help me? (Dont' yell at me please - I know this subject matter is way off the wall) Thanks!

I can't help you, Banjo, but I'll say this! You gotta be waayyy off topic for guns to bother these folks. Matter of fact, you'll likely get folks wanting to take it off your hands! I've got my late brother's Sears single shot 16 gauge he got for Christmas in about '65/'66. Used it skeet shooting when I was 10-13 and some bird hunting. It hasn't been out of the closet for years!

I don't follow Winchester at all, but I have an A-5 Browning "Sweet Sixteen" 16 ga shotgun and I love it.

banjoman09: quick clarification--the usual shotgun known as the Sweet Sixteen is a Browning, not a Winchester. There may be Winchesters that were known as this also, but if what you have is a standard Winchester model 12 in 16 gauge (which, by the way, is still a VERY nice gun) then the chart below might help you to determine its age. If not, please post back the exact model markings your gun has and we may be able to help.
Model 12 serial numbers

Oooops.....my bad....it is a Browning....sorry!

Sorry.....my bad. It is a Browning.......

Now that's a collector! Very nice!

Do you have a site for Browning numbers? Thanks.....

Try this one. It's direct from Browning, though if you really start digging into A-5's you'll notice it does have some discrepancies. Still, it's a good start--let us know what you find out!
Browning A5 dates

banjoman09: in addition to the link I posted above, this one deals specifically with Sweet 16's and contains a good deal more information that may be of assistance to you. As above, I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it might be useful.
sweet 16 dates

#17654-66 is on my receiver..... not at all similar to the numbers on the site you sent to me- of Browning? I bought this off GunBroker...seller was a pawnshop.....he didnt know much about the gun. See what you come up with please...thanks!

I apologize ahead of time for hijacking this post.

Tim V, thanks for the serial number chart. Through it I found out my dad's model 12, 12 gauge is a 1921 model, made three years before he was born. I don't think he knows it's age. He was hunting ducks with it when he darned didn't make it home when the armistice day blizzard hit in 1941. This gun froze up in the freezing rain and he was walking back carrying the ducks he shot when the wall of snow hit.

I apologize ahead of time for hijacking this post.

Tim V, thanks for the serial number chart. Through it I found out my dad's model 12, 12 gauge is a 1921 model, made three years before he was born. I don't think he knows it's age. He was hunting ducks with it when he darned didn't make it home when the armistice day blizzard hit in 1941. This gun froze up in the freezing rain and he was walking back carrying the ducks he shot when the wall of snow hit.

You don't see 16 gauge shot very often. I almost bought a Browning sweet sixteen but it went to guys family member and the last I heard he sold it for all most nothing. My dad gave me a Remington 11-48 in 16 gauge which has very little use and in nice shape.

Not all Browning A-5 16ga. shotguns were Sweet Sixteens. It has to say Sweet Sixteen on the receiver to be one.

Mom gave dad a new one in 53 I have it now. The serial # confirms the story Thanks for the link.

Fixeruper, big blizzard was nov 11 1940. I just finshed reding the book, all hell broke loose, its all storys of the blizzard, bob

Always glad to read about guns, wouldn't think of yelling at you.

Couple quick clarifications--the A5 serial number is typically found on the right side of the receiver, below the bolt release. This is indeed the number you're using, correct? Second, have you looked through the article I linked on Sweet 16 serial numbers. NOT the list on Browning's site? Specifically, there are several other clues there that might help with relative age, such as the country of origin, the address given, the type of trademark used, whether some parts (the trigger and/or safety, for instance) are gold-plated, whether "sweet sixteen" is written in script on the receiver, and several others. As Dodgeit mentioned, while all Sweet 16's are Auto-5's, not all Auto-5's are sweet 16's, though because of their collectibility there's plenty of people who, accidentally or otherwise, will tell you a gun is a Sweet 16 when it isn't.
Read through the article and get back to us, but bear in mind this is a VERY jumbled area, where often not even the experts (and I'll freely admit to NOT being one--I know a bit and have some decent sources but there's just too much info out there for anyone to know it all) can always agree--for instance, the article notes that Browning's own long-time historian felt that some of the early guns were indeed "sweet 16's" based on Browning's use of the word in their marketing when the guns were not in fact marked as "sweet 16's", which is usually taken to be their defining characteristic. Also, any gun with a production run of nearly a century, made at several different manufacturing sites, through two world wars (especially important as Belgium was one of the manufacturing sites) and by several different companies, is bound to have differences and discrepancies in its numbering production documentation.

Yes....the number i gave is infront of the trigger / where it should be. Did that not tell the year? And yes it says "sweet sixteen" on the side of the gun. Thats why I bought the gun.....says also made in "Herstal Belgier" or something like that - my "old eyes" are straining.....with my reading glasses and the print is very fine. Says also "Acier Special" on the barrel..... I did look at your link and I think it is a 1966...as near as I can tell. Thanks so much for your help....looks like the link is helping others also.

Have to ask...is this gun "for sale"

I am glad you were able to find out when you Winchester Model was made. But I would like to add this - It may not be chambered for 2 3/4' Ammo. It could be 2 9/16" If it does not have it stamped on the barrel have a gunsmith check it.
I will enclosed a link for you to read about this. Most shotguns did not go to 2 3/4" till about 1930.

Dave
Untitled URL Link

Thanks Badger Bob.