'65 A5 16 GA...Price check

[echo1]

Hi All,

Anyone got a ball park value for a '65, 16ga Standard A5, no rib, very good condition?

Apparently, the guys on the shot gun forum don't know about olden day stuff. PAX

[NapalmCheese]

Without seeing it I'd guesstimate around $400 or so.

The 16 gauge market is weird in that not a lot of people care for or collect 16 gauges, as such there isn't a big market and lots of good guns go for relatively little money.

Is it marked "Sweet Sixteen"? Does it have a gold trigger? If you take the handguard off the front does the band around the magazine have holes in it? I'm guessing no to all of the above since you said it was a 'standard' A5.

What's it choked? If it's not a full choke that increases the value some. Where was it made? Does it have a butt pad or is it wearing the original butt plate?

[Bainter1212]

I recently paid $406 OTD for a very clean '63 Belgian Light Twelve at an LGS. That was a consignment gun though and was underpriced in my opinion.

Condition is everything in this situation. If everything is original to the gun (factory buttplate and barrel) and the condition is indeed VG I think $3-400 would be a fair price.

16 gauge is not easy to find in stores. The best prices are online but you will pay more for it than 12 gauge and will have less options to select from.

It is also a good idea to change out the springs and friction pieces. Midwest Gun Works sells a kit with new recoil, action and mag springs as well as new friction pieces.
These wonderfully reliable guns often have worn out recoil springs because nobody ever changed them out. They never got changed out because the gun will keep working even when the springs are toast.

I have one in 16 gauge and still shoot it, but there is little to no advantage over the 12. Recoil about the same, the only thing better is that you might see a more uniform shot pattern. Keep in mind nobody makes 16 gauge shotguns anymore so if your son inherits the gun he may not be able to get ammo.

Good luck and share pics if you buy it.

[rmfool]

I recently paid 275 for a sweet sixteen 12g and 225 for a magnum

[Bainter1212]

I recently paid 275 for a sweet sixteen 12g and 225 for a magnum

Wow good price!

I am assuming a friend deal?

Would love a sweet sixteen myself.

[echo1]

Without seeing it I'd guesstimate around $400 or so.
The 16 gauge market is weird in that not a lot of people care for or collect 16 gauges, as such there isn't a big market and lots of good guns go for relatively little money.
Is it marked "Sweet Sixteen"? Does it have a gold trigger? If you take the handguard off the front does the band around the magazine have holes in it? I'm guessing no to all of the above since you said it was a 'standard' A5.
What's it choked? If it's not a full choke that increases the value some. Where was it made? Does it have a butt pad or is it wearing the original butt plate?

No, nothing special, not choked (haven't deciphered the roll marks yet), just a nice, old Belgian shotgun in very good condition. Does have a worn out recoil pad, but it doesn't look like the stock was cut.

5 days and not one response from the shotgun guys?? PAX

[NapalmCheese]

I recently paid 275 for a sweet sixteen 12g and 225 for a magnum

No you didn't.

You either paid 275 for a Sweet Sixteen, or you paid 275 for a 12 gauge. You certainly didn't pay $275 for a Sweet Sixteen 12 gauge.

[NapalmCheese]

No, nothing special, not choked (haven't deciphered the roll marks yet), just a nice, old Belgian shotgun in very good condition. Does have a worn out recoil pad, but it doesn't look like the stock was cut.

5 days and not one response from the shotgun guys?? PAX

You might have to take the barrel off to see, but it's just the number of *** on the barrel that indicates the choke constriction.

This will help you out: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthr...el_choke_marki

Basically, it starts with a * and goes up from there. If it's anything other than * that increases the value (so long as everything matches).

So far as 16 gauge goes, ammo is not that hard to find and it's not hard to reload. It doesn't do anything better than a 12 gauge ballistically (other than maybe pattern better, but that's debatable) but the 16 gauge version of many guns (the A5 included) is slightly lighter and smaller than the 12 gauge. To me the 'true' 16 gauge guns tend to feel better so far as weight and balance.

Regarding the shotgun forum:
The shotgun forum doesn't get a lot of traffic and the default setting is to only show posts from the past couple of days or so. As such, unless your post gets bumped on a near daily basis very few people are going to see it. For the most part the shotgun forum gets 1 interesting question every few months that needs to be filtered out from the "Should I get a mossberg 500 or a remington 870" questions which seem to be ubiquitous and never ending. Because of this good and interesting questions often get overlooked. I know I never saw anything about a 16 gauge A5 in the recent past or I would have answered (since I happen to like 16 gauge guns).

If you were looking to restore or otherwise have it worked on I can make a suggestion. Art's Gun Shop does fine work but you must be explicit with them. I sent a 3-shot 16 gauge A5 to them to have the hand guard/fore end restored and the rest of the gun cleaned up with a new recoil pad fitted. They called me and told me they couldn't save the hand guard/fore end but they had one they could work on that would fit and look nice. I told them to replace it but that I wanted the old one back. They ended up tossing the old one and putting the new one on. This is rather disappointing to me since the old fore end was marked 'Browning 3-shot' and the new on is not. The old one was serialed to the rest of the shotgun and the new one is not. The rest of the work they did was stellar. So, be very explicit in your request if you decide to send a gun their way.

[Bainter1212]

No you didn't.

You either paid 275 for a Sweet Sixteen, or you paid 275 for a 12 gauge. You certainly didn't pay $275 for a Sweet Sixteen 12 gauge.

Good catch. All I saw was "sweet sixteen" and didn't see the other part.

The only store local to me (Norcal) that has affordable 16 gauge #6 and #7.5 shot ammo is Dick's.....and it is a buck or two a box more than 12 gauge.
I picked up a case of #7 1/2 "Herters" from Cabelas for a good price around Christmas.

[NapalmCheese]

Good catch. All I saw was "sweet sixteen" and didn't see the other part.

The only store local to me (Norcal) that has affordable 16 gauge #6 and #7.5 shot ammo is Dick's.....and it is a buck or two a box more than 12 gauge.
I picked up a case of #7 1/2 "Herters" from Cabelas for a good price around Christmas.

Interestingly enough I find 16 gauge in plenty of Wal-Marts. More interestingly, I find non-lead 16 gauge at Mel Cotton's (local sports/outdoors store in San Jose). If I didn't reload and/or could use steel shot I'd buy a box every time I went in. While the 16 isn't cheap, it's not worse than any other 'subgauge' gun.

[Bainter1212]

Interestingly enough I find 16 gauge in plenty of Wal-Marts. More interestingly, I find non-lead 16 gauge at Mel Cotton's (local sports/outdoors store in San Jose). If I didn't reload and/or could use steel shot I'd buy a box every time I went in. While the 16 isn't cheap, it's not worse than any other 'subgauge' gun.

Wow. I have looked and looked in local Walmarts and never seen 16. Must be a regional thing.
The 16 gauge I have has a barrel that supposedly won't hold up to steel anyhow. I only bust clays anyway so not too big of a deal at this point.

[echo1]

You might have to take the barrel off to see, but it's just the number of *** on the barrel that indicates the choke constriction.
This will help you out: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthr...el_choke_marki
Basically, it starts with a * and goes up from there. If it's anything other than * that increases the value (so long as everything matches).
So far as 16 gauge goes, ammo is not that hard to find and it's not hard to reload. It doesn't do anything better than a 12 gauge ballistically (other than maybe pattern better, but that's debatable) but the 16 gauge version of many guns (the A5 included) is slightly lighter and smaller than the 12 gauge. To me the 'true' 16 gauge guns tend to feel better so far as weight and balance.
Regarding the shotgun forum:
The shotgun forum doesn't get a lot of traffic and the default setting is to only show posts from the past couple of days or so. As such, unless your post gets bumped on a near daily basis very few people are going to see it. For the most part the shotgun forum gets 1 interesting question every few months that needs to be filtered out from the "Should I get a mossberg 500 or a remington 870" questions which seem to be ubiquitous and never ending. Because of this good and interesting questions often get overlooked. I know I never saw anything about a 16 gauge A5 in the recent past or I would have answered (since I happen to like 16 gauge guns).
If you were looking to restore or otherwise have it worked on I can make a suggestion. Art's Gun Shop does fine work but you must be explicit with them. I sent a 3-shot 16 gauge A5 to them to have the hand guard/fore end restored and the rest of the gun cleaned up with a new recoil pad fitted. They called me and told me they couldn't save the hand guard/fore end but they had one they could work on that would fit and look nice. I told them to replace it but that I wanted the old one back. They ended up tossing the old one and putting the new one on. This is rather disappointing to me since the old fore end was marked 'Browning 3-shot' and the new on is not. The old one was serialed to the rest of the shotgun and the new one is not. The rest of the work they did was stellar. So, be very explicit in your request if you decide to send a gun their way.

Thanks for some clarity. I've noticed that the shotgun questions seemed to be in a parallel universe with the semi auto guys. Mostly "tactical" this or that.

I don't have any plans to do anything to it except attend to the recoil pad and the butt stock needs shimmed or ?? There's a little play. I thought I give this one a go. It's clean and doesn't have the hideous looking adjustable choke. Nicely balanced and a little slimmer than my Light Twelve. PAX

[rmfool]

sorry new to the a5 shotgun. the third one I didn't buy was the sixteen and was a little mixed up.