NRA Gun of the Week: Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen Shotgun

by
posted on June 10, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Making its debut as the Automatic-5 in 1903, Browning’s A5 is a classic. But the current model is not your granddad's Auto-5. The current Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen, while it retains aesthetic cues that memorialize that original, long-recoil action, is built on a scaled, 16-gauge receiver, and utilizes Browning’s Kinematic Drive system. A rotating bolt engages the recesses within the 28” barrel’s receiver extension when in battery. And a tubular magazine feeds the aluminum receiver up to four shells. A pistol-grip-style stock and fore-end made from walnut is gloss-finished over a dark wood stain.

Visit browning.com for more information, and watch this week's NRA Gun of the Week video hosted by American Rifleman's Kelly Young.

Specifications:
Manufacturer: B.C. Miroku (Japan)
Importer: Browning US
Model: A5 Sweet Sixteen
Action: inertia-operated, semi-automatic shotgun
Gauge: 16; 2 ¾” chamber
Receiver: aluminum; black-anodized finish
Barrel: steel; deep-blued finish
Trigger: 5-lb., 12-oz. pull
Magazine: tubular; four-shell capacity
Sights: fiber-optic pipe at muzzle, white bead mid-barrel
Stock: walnut, pistol-grip-style
Weight: 5 lbs., 8 ozs.
MSRP: $1,700

Latest

Federal Premium 7Mm Backcountry Artv 1
Federal Premium 7Mm Backcountry Artv 1

Behind Federal's 7 mm Backcountry Cartridge

In 2025, Federal Ammunition introduced its new 7 mm Backcountry cartridge, which operates at higher pressures than any previous commercial ammunition offering.

Review: Spandau Arms RL

The Remington Model 700 lives on in the form of this RL bolt-action rifle produced in Turkey by Huglu and imported into the U.S. by Spandau Arms.

NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Applications Open

The NRA is accepting applications for the 2027 NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award from junior shooting sports participants who demonstrate active involvement in their communities and in shooting sports.

The (Not So) Gray Man: Tips to Avoid Tacti-Cool & Blend into the Background

Being a true "gray man" is not flashy. It won’t get you followers or likes or nods from across the room. What it will get you is something far more valuable in the real world: freedom of movement. Reduced attention. Lower probability of being selected, targeted or remembered.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 28, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

How to Accurately Measure a Gun Barrel's Length

Measuring the actual length of a barrel might seem like a simple task, but there's an industry-standard (and legally required) method to accurately measuring the length of your firearm's barrel.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.