MichaelT.

I have 2 browning shotguns I am trying to find info. on.

One is a Browning Sweet Sixteen A5, Belgium made, Rib vent barrel , gold trigger 2 3/4" ... SN# on the bottom of the gun, in front of the trigger guard looks like 6S above then 60853 below it. I cannot place the serial # from browning's web site.

The other is a Browning Full 12 A5, Belgium Made , says something like Browning Arms Company, Ogden , Utah ,.... down the barrell. SN # on the bottom of the gun in front of the trigger guard is 136262. The Browning site says it was made between 1903 and 1939, if I have dated it correctly.

I am trying to find out any info I can to get a good idea of their age and value for possible sale.

Is there anything else I need to look at, or for, to determine age and value?

Thanks,

Michael

mello_collins

The number one thing in determining their value will be the condition they are in. Second is finding someone who really wants one to pay top dollar.

mello

bigcountry

Not sure about the 16, but these guns carry alot of value as you probably know. If in 90% condition, you can easily get over 1500 for the 12. But not sure about the 16. Unless new in a box, its hard to pull over 1500 for these guns.

hunterdeneugene

Brownings website has a section where you can put in your serial numbers and they will give you info on your gun. Go to the website, and then go to services. On the listing is a section for date your gun and it tells how to read your serial number. Give it a try. As far as values,look on gunbroker andtry and find a comprable gun to yours, our get a Blue Book ofgun values .

daleh

Do you want to sale them?
depending on their condition the fact that they are belgium made puts your 16 ga in the years of 1960 to 1973
unless it is chambered for something other than 2 3/4" shells
then you wouild have different gun
Standard Grade Special Vent Rib 16 is worth in normal use field hunting condition unrestored at about $500
If your grade 1 is new in the box it might bring $900 on a real good day
If it is Marked on the Barrel Sweet-16 you can add $100 to the value
only the higher grade A-5s have a highvalue for an auto-loader

your 12ga is another animal
why do you beleive that is an early model? what size shells does it shoot?
If it is an early model you could expect about the same value as your 16
a later model after 1950 brings 25% less.

SwampCollie

Your Sweet was made in 1966. The serial number is somewhat irrelevant. That 6S is all you need to date that gun. From 1958 until 1967 Browning used the last didgit of the year of manufacture followed by a product code (S for Sweet 16, V for Mag 12ga etc). In 1968, realizing the problem of repetition, they started putting the last two didgits in front of the letter. In about 1975-76 they started using they letter/number system that they still use today.

Is there any letters or numbers in front of the serial number on that 12ga? The fact that Ogden, UT is written down the barrel really doesn't tell us much about the gun itself. Almost all of the barrels from the early (50s and back) A-5s have that feature. We need to know what it says on the gun itself. Pictures would help a heck of a lot.

As far as placing value, sight unseen on that 16, it could be from $500 to $1300 of maybe even more if you found the right buyer. What is the constriction on the barrel? Whats the recoil pad made of (should be either hard rubber or buffalo horn), what type of safety does it have? Cracks in the forearm just forward of the receiver? Condition of the metal?

On the 12, I need more information. Might be worth a mint, might be worth $250....

MichaelT.

OK, I'll try to post as much as possible. On the 16 ga. first, then the 12.

There are no cracks inthe wood stock or forearm , that I can find. They are all original. The reciever has Browning written in the middle of the scroll work with a circle and a mans head etched in it. Higher up on the reciever it says Sweet Sixteen. The left side of the barrel says Browning Arms Company St. Louis Mo. & Montreal PQ. It has made in belgium under that. Thr right side of the barrel says special steel 16 gauge shells 2 3/4"
The barrel has the ribbed vent, and the safety is at the back of the trigger guard behind the gold trigger. The buttplate is plastic or bone or something. It's hard, not soft, and says Browning Automatic on it.


The 12 has on the left side of the reciver , up high, FAbrique Nationale D'Armes DE Guerre Herstal BelGique with Brownings Patent DEPCSE under it. The left side of the barrel has Full 12 Special Steel with OKG971 and other proof marks back towards the receiver. Top of the Barrel in front of the receiver is Browning Arms Company Ogden Utah. The right side of the barrel says made in Belgium and the ight side of the receiver is blank except for a few proof marks. The gun is all original and there are no cracks in the forearm or stock that I can find. The butt plate says browning automatic. It is either a plastic or bone or something like that. The safety isthrough thefront of the trigger guard. Above the serial# it has a circle with what looks like FN in it and under the serial # it looks like a small square with a D in it.

And the reason I believe it to be that old is this from the browning web site.

" 1903-1939
First 10,000 shipped to U.S. Marked with "BROWNING AUTOMATIC ARMS CO. OGDEN UTAH-U.S.A." Very few serial number records remain.
Beginning with Serial Number 1 to approximately 228,000. Exact production figures are not available. Year of manufacture on Pre-World War II production is strictly a guess."

But I do not know that to be a fact, I am just guessing at the age by what I have found.

Sixteen ga.











12 ga.










Hope these help.

Thanks for your help.

Paul L Mohr

I sent you a PM

Paul