16ga.com ~ View topic - Britgun Sweet 16 no longer on the market.....

you guys are awesome, man, thanks so much for this info, I'm on the hunt for a shorter, more open barrel for my Sweet.......

Duncan

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

I am not aware of the requirements, US or worldwide that set legal standards for chamber length for shotguns. Let me know where I can find them as I'd like to read them.

If there were world wide standards established in 1930 Browning and Fabrique Nationale chose to ignore them. They made no changes to their chambers through the end of production when the Nazis occupied Belgium in 1940. After production resumed FN continued to make short chambered guns, they just didn't market them in the US

SAAMI is an industry trade association. They have no legal or regulatory authority. Compliance is voluntary.

Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 185 Location: Boulder,Colorado

WAIT JUST A MINUTE ! Duncan, you say your SS only has one ring ? I think you're missing a ring ! seems like all A-5's I've ever seen have TWO rings. Jeff, can you help clarify this ?
Schmitty

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

Are you talking about the barrel ring that fits over the mag tube? No--only one on the Sweet 16.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

There are three components commonly known of as "rings".

The barrel ring, is a ring that is welded permanently to the barrel.

On Sweet Sixteens, Light Twelves and Light Twentys it is drilled to remove weight on the early guns, and has an "I" beam cross section to remove weight on the later guns.

The friction BRAKE , is a bronze ring, with a separate spring steel ring wrapped around it. It fits over the mag tube and slows down the movement of the barrel, reducing recoil through the use of friction to disperse energy.

There is one friction ring on all the 16's, and the Light and Standard 12's

The Magnum Twelve has 2 friction rings, of a different design and shape

Finally the second part known as a barrel ring, it is a steel ring, flat on one side and beveled on the other. It is used in conjunction with the friction ring to increase tension on the bronze peice during recoil from high powered loads. It is kept at the base of the spring when not needed.

http://www.browning.com/faq/detail.asp?ID=105

Jeff

One of you kind gents forwarded me a link to that Browning site a couple days ago, and I found I did have the other ring, hiding from me down at the base of the tube against the receiver, I have since moved it up next to the other ring for heavier loads, and figured the whole thing out....I can't wait to try it again, I'm embarrased to say I had it on low load, and was shooting all those "hight brass" shells thru it when I initially whined, and was needlessly whacking myself and the gun!

Thanks for all the help with this, this site is fantastic with all the guys sharing what they know with each other, I have never learned so much, or received so much help from such great guys in my life, thanks a million,

Duncan

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1256 Location: Nebraska

Duncan, that arrangement does make a significant difference. I know the long-recoil guns aren't supposed to reduce felt recoil as much as a gas gun, but they do have a noticeable effect.

We had a squad shooting our skeet league last year, I was pulling and scoring for them, and one guy had an heirloom A-5 that wouldn't cycle 100 percent on his pair targets. I thought he knew about his gun and told him his second birds would have to be counted lost. He said he didn't know what was going on so I took the gun apart for him and moved that friction ring up against the receiver. His gun now worked, but it was very evident the gun was hitting him harder. 2 stations later he wanted it switched back, but his teammates didn't want to lose the score!

I've always heard that A-5's should be run dry and ran mine that way, but wonder if a small amount of lube with the rings set up for heavy loads might make a fine-line compromise for loads that are a little more than bottom-level light.

kgb

I don't want to create any waves. But. Magnum A-5's have 3 steel rings and 2 of the bronze friction rings. At least the latest ones. I keep my A-5 sixteen set at the low position with the steel ring up against the reciever. Never have felt any recoil to speak of. I set the sweet sixteen I just bought and when I put those PMC shells through it, no problem with recoil. I do not use oil on the gun. I clean it and use militech 1. I also take off the stock and make sure everything is clean on that spring. That is one spot that will get dirty and nobody looks at it. If your magazine tube gets dirty, use a cleaner of your choice and lightly go over it with 0000 steel wool. I mean lightly. Then clean off the tube and coat it with militech 1. Clean off all the excess. If the action works as smooth as it should, when out in the field you will notice no recoil at all. You can take that sixteen out all day and even if you shoot magnums(which you don't need) you will enjoy the hunt. My A-5 sixteen has been in the field with me for over fourty years, Damn, that gives away my age.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

oldhunters advice is on target. Clean and very lightly lubed, his mil tec is probably more reliable in thecold than other choices too.

Jeff. I've only got one question. Were the sweet sixteens made befor the second world war 2 3/4" chambers?

Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 265

I can feel the difference in recoil between the heavy and light settings. The felt recoil for me is most severe in my trigger hand. My Sweet 16 recoils less and still throws shells in the heavy setting even whn shooting 7/8 ounce 16 gauge loads. So why should I switch the rings?

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Brit,

No, the Sweets made before the war had short chambers. However there are some around that the owners had modified to accept the longer shells.

Jeff