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I just found a Belgium Sweet 16 in a pawn shop for $450. Looked good however, the stock looked funny and sure enough it didn't fit anywhere near as close as it should. Then I jacked it back and it wouldn't release when the button was depressed until about the fourth try. Seemed to me this baby had problems, so I passed. Now I'm wondering if I was just skittish and should try to rehab this baby. any opinions??

mod11rem

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

Wellllllll--No one can really say for sure I suppose but sounds like you passed up $450 worth of trouble to me. A decent Browning shouldn't set you back too much more than that.
Woodcock

I think you're right. there's another one in town for $650 that I could probably buy for 500. I don't know why I want one, I have a perfectly good mod 11. I think I'll save my money and look for a nice double that I don't have anything like. mod11rem

Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 787 Location: Indiana

Your first instinct appears to be the correct approach......sounds like someone else's problems you'd be buying....

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Spend that money on one what works like it should Wink

It's hard to take a gun apart and determine cost to fix.Trust me THAT ONE has some problems--- Twisted Evil

Buy one with no troubles and use the extra money to buy components Exclamation

Thanks for the reinforcement. Your gut feel is generally right in such things. One that has a bolt that won't cycle right by hand right off the bat is probably trouble. I don't like stocks that don't fit either. I'll keep looking. thanks again. mod11rem

Ask the shop owner if he'll stand for the repairs if you buy it at his price. When (not if) he says no, offer him $200. Its got to be worth that much in parts. You can't fish if the bait ain't in the water. What have you got to lose?

I once walked out of a shop with a perfectly good 870 20 ga for $75 a few (well actually, more than a few) years back. All it needed was to have the action bars restraightened a bit from someone leaning on them too much while trying to shuck a stuck shell most likely or some other stupid trick. I sold it the next week to a new club member for $150. He still shoots it and we have been friends since then.

16GG, you're right. the barrel (which was mirror shiny) is probably worth $100 or more and the rest the other $100. I've also got some "trading material" that I've got next to nothing in. The last time I got into a trading deal with guns I ended up with a Mod 19 SW 357mag with target trigger, hammer, and sights (and a set of Pachmyr grips thrown in) that I have a total of $75.00 cash invested and an old 32acp Mauser that was only good for a Mauser pistol collector. The Mauser I got in a trade for some old wooden decoys. The decoys appeared to be hand carved, but I knew they were machine made in the 40's worth about $10 apiece. There were six of them and I kept one. It's a long story, but I got the best end of the deal. I'll go back right after Christmas when they may be more hungry. If I miss it, I miss it, I don't need the gun, but I might be able to fix it cheap and have some more good cheap trading material. If not, I'll just part it out on this site. thanks for the encouragement. mod11rem

Member Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 29 Location: Kansas

07dec05

I just stumbled into this thread. I have a 16 Auto 5 (old but not sweet) that has proved unreliable cycling a new shell into the chamber. It happens just often enough that I can't trust it in a duck blind. Even the heaviest loads occasionally hang up on the lip of the chamber.

I've had a local guy look at it and he thinks its OK. He says I'm softening the recoil and that it needs more resistance from my shoulder to cycle.

Someone else recommended that I send it to St Louis and let Browning look at it. Has anyone done that?

Hagrid

Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 241

Hey Mod11
I have limited Auto 5 experience but pretty deep runs with many other. The other poster offer great advice, if you can talk the seller down by pointing out the problem, you may get a good deal. If not a gun with problems will quickly cost way more then one without.
Many yeats ago I bought a sporterized 8mm mauser for a cheap deer gun. By the time I was done fixing problems I could have had a Ruger 77/win 70/Rem 700.
Well that is not a 16gauge story, you get my point. My gunsmith gets about $40 an hour. Always do the math.
Happy hunting,
16crazy