NRA Gun of the Week: Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen Shotgun

by
posted on June 10, 2017

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

Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog right-side view nickel-plated gun revolver with black grip
Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog right-side view nickel-plated gun revolver with black grip

I Have This Old Gun: Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog

Many eagle-eyed NRA members viewing the 1993 Western “Tombstone” no doubt recognized the Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog so deftly welded by actress Joanna Pacula, portraying Big Nose Kate, during a contemptuous card game between Doc Holliday and Ed Bailey.

Medal Of Honor Marine Receives Henry Repeating Arms Tribute

Henry Repeating Arms presented a Spirit of the Corps 250th Anniversary Tribute Edition rifle to Maj. Gen. Livingston for going above and beyond the call of duty on May 2, 1968, during the Battle of Dai Do in Vietnam.

Preview: Duramag 1911 DS Magazines

Duramag’s 1911 DS Magazines are compatible with numerous 9 mm Luger-chambered 2011-style handguns on the market.

Colt Monitor: The FBI’s “Fighting Rifle”

In the years between the World Wars, a rare variation of the Browning Automatic Rifle proved its reputation as an effective, devastating automatic rifle for combat between the country’s lawmen and its outlaws.

The Armed Citizen® May 19, 2025

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

Report Shows Inventory, Prices Have Dropped At Firearm Retailers

Nearly all gun and related gear inventories at retailers dropped in the last 12 months. So have most prices paid at the counter, according to the year-over-year comparison detailed in the latest RetailBI report.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.