Hello folks, One of my first posts but I thought this interaction was interesting so I thought I would post it. For the last 20 years or so Ive been (and still are) an avid militaria collector from the US Civil War through WW2. Recently I came across a big collection that I bought (yes it was expensive) and I asked if there were any guns (Luger, P38s, 1911 or even a P35) but no luck.. He came out with this nice over under and a sweet 16 browning. I have learned that the over under 20 gauge is a superposed and the 16 is kind of rare. Anyway not being a big shotgun collector (or not at all) I found a local range and took them out. I had never done sporting clays.. Tons of Fun.. The range master took note of my guns and really gave me a ration of "you know what"... He said "Son, these are in way too good a shape to shoot" and basically ordered me to use one of his and to put mine away. He said these as collector guns are worth thousands...That got my attention!. The over under serial is 25174 and the 16 is S 46239 Back in the office he showed me a thick blue book that the over under was a superposed made in the early 60s and the 16 was from the 50s. Something about the rare combination of dark wood, elevated vent and something about the knob below where you put you hands to shoot. Granted the pics are not that great but I cant really see anything wrong with either one... So I decided to post here and see what you all think.. Keep in the safe..shoot.. or find out the real deal?.. thanks Disbo..
Due Diligence is what I would offer... a comprehensive appraisal at least. Others will weigh in here...I'm sure. Beautiful Score on a Fantastic Shotgun my Friend... Thanks for sharing...
Your Sweet Sixteen was made in 1955. In excellent condition without the original box it might be worth $2000. A brand new shotgun might cost about the same, so if you want to shoot your own gun it’s not like you’re defacing a priceless artifact. I know less about the Superposed. According to the NRA Museum serial number 25174 was made in 1962. In 1963 a prefix was added to the serial number and the numbers may have started over. Your picture appears to show a letter prior to the number. http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940941/serialization-date of manufacture.pdf
Congrats on the nice Brownings. Me personally, I’d shoot them ( at least some ). Neither are NIB , so shooting them isn’t going to reduce their value. Both are VERY well made and your not likely to wear either out. Who knows, you might just find that it fits you Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Whether to shoot it or not is a matter of personal preference - KyBoB's comments are accurate and I agree. I have 65 year-old 'used, in excellent condition' guns that I shoot........and Love it! Most people don't know much about them - I suspect this applies to the person at the gun club that made the comment. I commend him for recognizing that both guns may be considered valuable.......although 'Collectability' (and one's desirability criteria) typically dictates value, and an owner/collector's choice of whether to shoot a particular gun or not. Your Superposed is in very nice condition and if it is a 28" bbl example, will bring more than a 26.5" model in the current market mainly due to condition, desirability, lack of availability, and other factors. Rudolph31 is correct.......YoM = 1962. The addition of the alpha-numeric gauge/year code occurred 'in' 1962 when the 12ga serial number sequence reached #99999. Then 12ga serials started over with #1 followed by S2 (S=12ga / 2=1962). At that point, serial numbers on the 20's, 28's, and 410's remained in their production sequence, and the gauge/year code suffix was also added. The gauge/year code 'V2' for the 20ga was added roughly around sequential serial number 25677 according to my sources. Interestingly, the alpha-numeric 'codes' were first adopted in 1959 with the introduction of the 28ga and 410, as a prefix (then reversed as 'year/gauge' code) to the serial number.........thus a 1959 28ga 'code' was 9F followed by the serial number, and a 1959 410 'code' was 9J. This order was changed in 1962 with the addition of the gauge/year suffixes to the other 2 gauges, and the codes for all gauges became suffixes to sequential serial numbers. Another such change occurred in 1969 with the 2nd 100,000 turnover in the 12ga sequential numbers. Browning's response to year designation changes was an interesting progression of events (to me). Congratulations on the very nice Superposed and Auto-V acquisitions! Thanks for sharing them with us! 'le petit poisson'
I was gonna ask how you like the 16? I’ve got the itch for one , and now that I’m a Grandpa, I’m thinkin a Sweet Sixteen is warranted. My old 12 is getting heavier by the year. KyBoB Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Agree with what has been said! I'm not a shotgun expert, or appraiser, but I know I'd be proud to own (and shoot) what you've got here. Your club guy was paying you a compliment, albeit slightly aggressive in his approach. Your gun to decide, not his.
