Took An Old Friend Hunting ....

When I was 11 years old my father won a Browning Sweet 16 Auto 5 Shotgun. Prior to this time I do not ever remember a gun being in the house. My father was not a hunter - he really like to fish. Shortly before he won the shotgun, I began to get an interest in hunting (small game) and he encouraged me to do so. I would use my grandfathers bolt action 410 and each afternoon during squirrel season I would hitch a ride with my grandfather after he got off work and ride out to their place in the country and go hunting. Would ride back in with my grandfather each morning back into town and get ready for school. I took a lot of squirrels and rabbits with that 410 and the Sweet 16! Actually I liked the Sweet 16 so much that the first shotgun I ever purchased was a Browning Auto 5 Light 12.

I left home within a couple weeks of graduating from High School and never went back. After my father passed away about 10 years ago, I brought the Sweet 16 home with me and it has been sitting in the safe ever since.

About a week ago I was going through the safe looking for my Winchester 101 to have it ready for the MSGO Skeet Shoot on Dec 3rd and saw the Sweet 16 sitting in the back of the safe.

Last Tuesday the wife said she wanted to go squirrel hunting the next day (last Wednesday). I usually just take a 10/22 and help spot squirrels for the wife (she really loves to shoot 'em). However, I decided to take the Sweet 16 out for a reunion. I LOVE THIS GUN!!

I like the engraving part. Also a nice combo you got with the black and red tree rats. Nice reunion as well.

Where yall go?

HEY..... I will give you $150 for it..............

.

Captain I love that gun. You didn't tell me you went hunting with that the other day. I did like the 2 black squirrels. I took one years ago and was going to have it mounted but it got freezer burned and I eventually threw it out. I always thought a black squirrel would make a good looking mount along with a wood duck on a piece of drift wood.

BTW my first shotgun was a sears bolt action .410 then I got a 20gauge/.22lr over under and my brother got a 20gauge sears with polychoke on the end.

they sho are, still today, some fine shooting guns,very dependable,,nicestory too

Thanks for sharing Cap. Great story

Beautiful gun, capt. The A-5 is a classic. I've had several of them but have never shot one. The only one I still have is a 1957 Sweet 16. Sounds like I need to get it out and shoot it. What year is yours?

22lrfan wrote: What year is yours?

According to the Serial # it was made in 1963.

Great story Cap, thanks for sharing

My Dad had one he shot a lot of birds and squirrels with (and me and my brothers took it out when he wasn't going). The 16 guage is a very underrated gun. Will reach out and get a dove or squirrel that are out of range for a 20 and not tear him up like a 12.
That's a great gun to hand down to your grandson (or me), especially with the engraving of your dad's name on there.
That's a nice mess of squirrels, I really love those fox squirrels!

Nice Sweet 16, one of my favorite guns. My daddy had one too, I remember him ordering it from the Sears Catalog and it was delivered to the house. His had a vent rib barrel on it. It was his dove and squirrel hunting gun.

very nice.capt

Great Story... I have never seen a Black squirrel.. just all these pesky grey tree rats...

Nice gun and great story! I love the 16s!

I really enjoy stories such as the one you posted - thank you for sharing

Made me wanna go tree rat hunt'n

I'm betting they came from somewhere close to the MS river. They're all fox squirrels but you don't usually see many of the black ones unless you're close to the river and the reds have more of a white nose and ears.

The engraving on the receiver states:

H.F. Woodall
1st Place Manager
United Gas
1963 Air Conditioning Campaign

SubGunFan wrote:HEY..... I will give you $150 for it.............. .

Sorry, SGF, this would be the very LAST one to depart this address ...

dhollis51 wrote:Where yall go?

Mahannah WMA just north of V'Burg off Hw 61.

JohnHeiter wrote:I'm betting they came from somewhere close to the MS river. They're all fox squirrels but you don't usually see many of the black ones unless you're close to the river and the reds have more of a white nose and ears.

Yep -- about all you see close to the river; especially in the hardwoods. Have shot black ones at Mahannah WMA, Twin Oaks WMA, Shipland WMA, and also in Delta National Forest. The wife really likes to shoot the red and black so we go over that way when we can.