The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Browning Sweet 16 with Poly choke, do I buy?

BigJimP · November 23, 2012, 10:48 AM

The polychoke is always a negative...reducing value 25 - 50 % in my view...

But a 16ga is more or less obsolete these days as well...with today's variety of shells, its easy to get 1oz shells in a 12ga ( the typical load for a 16 ga ) or even in a 20ga. The days are gone - when the 16ga held that 1 oz niche...and light, and nimble ...and while I get all that ( changeable screw in chokes...and a wider variety of shells in retail changed all that - when we got away from fixed choke guns). Some of my buddies are even loading their 12ga shells down to 3/4 oz ( like a 28ga load ) these days...and 1oz and 7/8oz loads are really common in 12ga reloads.

If you really want an Auto 5 - at least go with a 12ga /in original condition, ideally with a Modified choke so it has some versatility vs the more common Full choked guns I see all over...to maintain some value. The market on 16 ga guns is very very soft....( market on auto 5's in general, is soft in my area too )....some of the used gun shops in my area, have quit taking auto 5's as trade in guns because they just have too many - and they haven't been selling for the last couple of years - unless they're in virtually mint condition.

In my area, in original condition, and in excellent shape ...with no poly choke ...that gun isn't going to sell for more than $ 350. There are just too many shotguns out there today, new and used, with screw in changeable chokes...for this gun you're looking at, nostalgia aside, from being worth much / and they're hard to sell, so I wouldn't just assume you could sell it at all ...

November 23, 2012, 10:48 AM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	The polychoke is always a negative...reducing value 25 - 50 % in my view... But a 16ga is more or less obsolete these days as well...with today's variety of shells, its easy to get 1oz shells in a 12ga ( the typical load for a 16 ga ) or even in a 20ga. The days are gone - when the 16ga held that 1 oz niche...and light, and nimble ...and while I get all that ( changeable screw in chokes...and a wider variety of shells in retail changed all that - when we got away from fixed choke guns). Some of my buddies are even loading their 12ga shells down to 3/4 oz ( like a 28ga load ) these days...and 1oz and 7/8oz loads are really common in 12ga reloads. If you really want an Auto 5 - at least go with a 12ga /in original condition, ideally with a Modified choke so it has some versatility vs the more common Full choked guns I see all over...to maintain some value. The market on 16 ga guns is very very soft....( market on auto 5's in general, is soft in my area too )....some of the used gun shops in my area, have quit taking auto 5's as trade in guns because they just have too many - and they haven't been selling for the last couple of years - unless they're in virtually mint condition. In my area, in original condition, and in excellent shape ...with no poly choke ...that gun isn't going to sell for more than $ 350. There are just too many shotguns out there today, new and used, with screw in changeable chokes...for this gun you're looking at, nostalgia aside, from being worth much / and they're hard to sell, so I wouldn't just assume you could sell it at all ... Last edited by BigJimP; November 23, 2012 at 11:21 AM.