The Browning A5 is, to my eye, a bit dated in the looks department. That squared off hump screams “Gramp’s gun!” But based on the number of them that they sell each year, not to mention Dan’s insistence that I “embrace the hump”, I imagine I’m in the minority with that assessment. New for 2016 is a 16 gauge version of the venerable A5 . . .
Those who feel that 16 gauge is the perfect balance between the knockdown power of a 12 gauge and the shoot ability of a 20, feel free to start rejoicing now. Having never shot a 16 gauger in the entirety of my life, I was pleasantly surprised by both a mild recoil impulse and the pure destruction it wrought on clay pigeons. The mild recoil can be attributed to both the load itself, but also to the A5’s proven recoil operated Kinematic inertial drive system.
In the limited shooting I did today, I found the A5 to run reliably and cleanly while spitting death at approaching clays. It didn’t, however, do well on the springing teal stage. Or perhaps that was your writer. Either way, you can pick up Browning’s Sweet 16 A5 for a (relative) song, a dance, and $1100 MSRP.