Can the tube be extended on my My OLD Browning?

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1SOW

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I'm using a family inherrited Browning Sweet 16-Belgium made in approx. 1955. It has the factory variable choke. It has also never failed in over 50 +years use by family for small game, pheasant and quail.

I am NOT smart on shotguns, and this may be a dumb question, BUT:
I occassionally shoot some three-gun "locally".
I know it's NOT the right gun for steel, but I can shoot very competitively with it locally. The gun is fast and easy to shoot accurately. I'm not looking for another shotgun.
My big problem is being limited to matches that favor "5" rds max., 4 in the tube +1 in the chamber.

Can the tube on THIS gun be extended to hold +2, for seven total?
Does anyone make an extension to fit this old Browning Sweet Sixteen?
Where would I start to look?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Choate used to make mag extensions threaded for Brownings, far as I know they stopped making them years ago. And I only ever saw them for 12 gauge. But check with them just in case...

Never saw anyone else with Browning magazine extensions, but there might be some out there.

A reminder, just in case - you can't use barrel clamps on a long recoil shotgun, and long mag extensions REALLY need clamps, especially in an active situation...
 
AND in the spirit of Dave McCraken (RIP):
You will wreck the balance on that Sweet 16 and it won't be sweet anymore.It is a hunting masterpiece FWIW.:banghead:
 
IF you are going to be competitive in your three gun, you will want to add another shotgun for that purpose and leave your 50 year family heirloom in the condition it originally came in so it can be passed down after you in that same manner
 
Fred, I thought of that and hoped a +two would be short enough to float securely, maybe not. Thank you for the info---I'll check it out. Maybe an A-5 will have the same threads IF available in 16ga.

The Browning Is a family heirloom and WILL be passed to my son before too long. It's 'value' has zero to do with money.
In the meantime it is a great shotgun and not a mantle decoration..
Oneounceload, I shot against Ted Bonnet and tied a few months ago shooting two strings of 5 plates. Made my day/month---way fun.
It will be shot maybe three times/year in 3-gun plus a practice run beforehand.
Gordon, Mag extensions come off. The gun remains.
 
I seriously anyone makes one for a 16 but it shouldn't be that hard to make one.
 
A friend at local shooting range made a suggestion that might just work.
I now hold 4+1, which means I have no make-up shot with 5 steel plates. Miss one and goodbye, have a nice day.

The friend suggested finding another end cap for my tube and modifying it to just add "1" extra round by welding on a tube just long enough (3"?)
This would give me one make-up shot for a miss. My son's a certified welder.:D

Unscrew the mag cap, screw on the the custom +1 cap and have the spare round I need. Screw the original back on and I'm back to stock condition.

What do you think? Should it work? What about the spring length--too long for +1? hmmm
 
I have made my own in the past by taking a magazine cap and turning out the inside for a proper fitting tube. (as previously mentioned) Not all that hard to do . Just make sure the tube is the same size as the gun has and that the transition into the extension is smooth.
 
Yes, brownells sells a comp-n-choke that screws in the end of your threded barrel, or a company called Graham percision chokes will make one for you.
 
I have an old Browning Auto-5. I wouldn't do that to that gun. I'd buy another gun that holds more.. like a Benelli or somesuch.
Maybe you could handload some funky 2" or so shells or something.. I don't know about that though!
 
I have an old Browning Auto-5. I wouldn't do that to that gun.
Click to expand...
I understand your choice, but it's not my choice. It has no affect on the gun.

I found a new tube cap at Numerick's for $25, and Only the end of the "tube spring" will travel into the short extension. I think it'll work for +1 round. That allows one miss and a make-up on 5 plates---good enough.

Thanks for all your replies. I'll post results when I get it all together.
 
1SOW, that's what I'm talking about. It shouldn't be hard to make a tube that will replace the endcap. Easily changed back and forth.
 
publius, thanks.
I have the tube now, and just waiting for the cap. My son will TIG the the tubing to the cap, but I'd like to get the hole cut in the cap done on a lathe. THAT, I haven't worked up yet.
 
Why stop at one round? Didn't you want plus two, to begin with?
Click to expand...
After looking at the measurements, the spring should be long enough to reliably feed another shell, but two shells (5.5") is doubtful. I know I could fab up more spring, but the gain isn't that significant.
One spare will give me the insurance shot I don't have now.

I bought a foot of aircraft tubing that even matches the bbl color. Setting it (12"of tubing)up on top of the existing cap "looks" really good. Honestly, like it belongs there!
I'd just be tempted to try making it a real comp. gun, and I don't think thats a good idea for my son's future inherritance.:D
 
I put a 2-shot extention on a couple of 20 gauge 870s I have. The kits came with a new spring but I found the factory spring still worked just fine. Both have been 100% for years and years. The kit springs were so stiff it was almost impossible to get the last round in the mag.
 
Kernel, thanks for the encouraging experiences.
I have some experience with pistols, but shotguns are new to me.
I'm getting the "bug" though.:D
 
Using light springs in repeating shotguns is not a good idea.

Some people buy new pump guns and have problems with the gun not feeding shells from the magazine.
They assume the gun is defective.

What's actually happening is that they're trying to operate the gun very fast and the stock sporting magazine spring doesn't have enough tension.
When they fire the gun the shells slide forward in the magazine tube under recoil inertia and they're operating the action before the shells are pushed back into the feed position by the spring.
Result is, the action is already closing before a shell can be fed from the magazine.

This is why the Remington 870P Police guns with 4 shot magazines have stronger magazine springs then the sporting guns have. It's to insure that even if the action is operated very fast and with buckshot loads, the spring will be strong enough to force shells back into the feed position.
This inertia caused mis-feed would likely be even worse in a semi-auto fired with heavy shells.
 
dfariswheel, Thanks for the heads up. I'll test it thoroughly and make adjustments or changes as needed before any matches.
I'm considerably older than the Browning, and my springs are winding down too. I probably can't give it the exercise it's capable of with # 7 1/2 and #8 1oz. loads.

It IS still running the original mag-spring. A new stock spring is inexpensive, and Wolff has been my friend with pistols for quite some time. I LIKE that the original spring still seems to have what it takes to run. We'll see.:D
 
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Well, Got the cap, my practice range owner is a shotgun guy and got the new cap top machined to the inside diameter of the tubing I bought.
I made a tube end cut to just fit the inside diameter.
My son did an "invisible" weld on the 4" tube forward end cap.
He did a great weld where the tube sits on the new threaded tube cap.
I manually loaded 6 rds and ejected them smoothly a couple of times, but needed live fire to confirm full function.

I went to the range this morning and put an empty 1 gallon plastic water jug on the 16 yd line. I fired as fast as I could and hit the jug with the sixth shot before it hit the 27 td berm.
It fired as smooth as silk.
I loaded up again, moved the jug back and repeated the test.

Looks good! Feels Good! SHOOTS GOOD!

Life is good.:D Big thanks to all for the suggestions and experiences.
I've sanded with 400 & 600 grit carborundum and painted it carefully with two coats of Rustoleum semi-flat black since this pic was taken.
S4300064.jpg
 
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Thanks Delta. It was fun to do and have it run smoothly.
I've known a few other Deltas. Any relation?;)
 
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