FN Browning Auto 5 A5 Sweet Sixteen 16 GA IC Semi-Auto Shotgun, 1958 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,425.00

LSB#: WY240730GH008

Make: Fabrique Nationale for Browning Arms

Model: Auto 5, Sweet Sixteen

Serial Number: 8S13007

Year of Manufacture: 1958

Gauge: 16 Gauge, 2 3/4” Chamber

Action Type: Long Recoil Operated, Semi-Auto, Tubular Magazine Fed Shotgun

Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “BROWNING ARMS COMPANY ST. LOUIS Mo. / **- SPECIAL STEEL – 16 GA – SHELLS 2 3/4″” and with a series of Belgian proof/inspection marks. The left of the receiver is marked “Sweet Sixteen” above the flat and “® / BROWNING” above a bust portrait of Browning on the flat. The bottom of the receiver in front of the loading port is marked “8S / 13007”. The right side of the receiver has two Belgian proof marks and an inspector mark. The receiver has Grade 1 engraving. The lifter has been hand-scribed with “R.D.”. 

Barrel Length: 25 1/2″ (65cm)

Choke: Improved Cylinder, Fixed

Sights / Optics: There is a silver-colored bead mounted to a base fixed to the front of the barrel. There are two strips of matting running the length of the barrel and the top of the receiver is serrated for glare reduction.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are a two-piece checkered walnut with a round-bottom semi-pistol grip, finger grooves running the length of the forend, a straight comb and a black hard rubber FN Browning Automatic buttplate. The stocks have some nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is a crack in the bottom-rear of the forend. The checkering is well defined. The LOP measures approximately 14 1/4″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has light wear, mostly at the heel and toe. Overall, the stocks are in Good-Plus condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright. There is no erosion but there is some scattered stubborn fouling. In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 8 or 9 out of 10. 

Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is some odd, patterned wear on the barrel toward the muzzle end. The receiver has scattered light finish wear. There is surface oxidation on the top of the receiver and the top of the barrel over the forend. There is some minor erosion on the lifter. There are a few light nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun is in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.   

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning. The Browning Auto-5 was the first mass-produced semi-automatic shotgun. Designed by John Browning in 1898 and patented in 1900, it was produced continually for almost 100 years by several makers with production ending in 1998. It features a distinctive high rear end, earning it the nickname “Humpback”. It is also an important piece of Browning/Winchester history.

John Browning had previously sold his designs to Winchester for lump-sum payments, turning over all of the patents related to a particular model. Winchester had gotten in the habit of having their engineers and attorneys assist Browning in filing for his patents, in order to ensure that when they received those same patents they would be airtight. Browning’s experiences with Colt and FN had convinced him that he would be better off licensing his designs rather than selling them outright, but when he presented this to Winchester, they refused his terms. This ended the relationship between Winchester and Browning, leaving the patents in Browning’s name.

Browning would eventually license the design to FN in Europe and later to Remington for their Model 11 and to Savage Arms for their Models 720 and 755. These designs went on to be a great commercial success, the first truly successful autoloading shotgun. This Auto-5 was built by FN in 1958 with Grade I engraving on the receiver and tangs. It is a desirable “Sweet Sixteen” model, made in the S-prefix serial range and just a couple of years after the Sweet Sixteen moniker was actually engraved on the receivers. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud