BPS Turkey Gun Project

CoryTheCowboy

CoryTheCowboy

CGN Regular
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Location
A decrepit duck blind in Atikokan, ON
Hey folks,

I missed more shots than I'd care to admit on turkeys this spring and combine that with a bit of boredom, decided I need a dedicated turkey gun. I have an 22" Invector choked barreled BPS that I thought would be perfect for this project, but since it had nice wood for a BPS I was having 2nd thoughts about painting it. (I realize it's not necessary, but why not go all out?) I found a parts gun that I planned to just steal the wood from as it's a bit more plain and has dings. I got it and looked over the receiver and it's an earlier gun with the mag cut off. It's got some minor putting on the outside, but seems okay.

C3hWws2.jpg


For reasons unknown to me, I'm wondering if it would be possible to pull the guts out of the nicer receiver and put it in the ratty one. I seem to cross enough fences and creeks that the mag cut off would be handy if it's not too much trouble to switch the parts over. I'm handy enough to take a BPS down, I'm just not familiar enough with the design to know if anything changed during production?

Any thoughts? Opinions?

Cory
 
savage112 said:
Why are you missing all these shots?Is there any chance it's not the gun's fault?
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That was my question.

I use an out of the box 870 with 23" turkey barrel and turkey choke, dressed up in about 10$ of tremclad BBQ paint. I have fired 8 shots through that barrel. 5 for patterning. I have killed 3 turkeys.
 
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shackleford said:
I think the trigger pull on my bps accounts for a lot of off the mark shots on my patterning board. Never took it apart. No info on web to lighten easily like an 870.
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Explain.

You have "off the mark" shots on the patterning board? What do the patterning boards look like? At what distances do you shoot?

Are you patterning from the same shooting position you hunt from?

I turkey hunt sitting with back against a tree. I pattern the same way. No point patterning standing and free hand if that isn't how you shoot in the field.

Also, tell us about these shots you are missing. What range? Turkey moving or still?

One thing about turkey that I learned this year was that if you don't like the shot, wait. If you sit still and shut up, the turkey will eventually give you a better one.

The last turkey I shot was first spotted 200M+ out. Obviously I am not going to shoot at first sight. 20 minutes later that turkey was shot less than 7m from me, after a good 3 minutes of that tom laying a savage beat down on my jake decoy. All of my birds have been shot at under 20 yards. I just can't imagine missing.

You would have a pretty hard time convincing me your missed shots are a result of a sloppy trigger, but please, give us the details. whats wrong with the trigger pull? have you measured it?

Yes, a dedicated turkey gun is certainly nice to have. Once it is patterned and dialed in nice, a box of 25 shells should equal 25 birds with out much added thought.

Why do you think you need to paint it? Black and wood is just fine for turkey.

If you are a perfectionist like me, then yes, you need to paint it, but thats cause of me, not the birds.

If you need to paint it, its a dedicated turkey gun, so just paint it. If its never going to be anything else, who cares how nice the wood is? The only question is whether or not to strip the wood and paint it nicely, or if you are just going to go the $10 of barbeque tremclad like everyone else.
 
Cameron SS said:
You would have a pretty hard time convincing me your missed shots are a result of a sloppy trigger, but please, give us the details. whats wrong with the trigger pull? have you measured it?
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I shoot $12 Federal Heavy Field Load 2-3/4" 1-1/8Oz #6 shot at 33 yards. The circle is 3" and I call this a miss

20180522_150156.jpg


Would it kill a turkey? I don't know I don't hunt but at <7m Stevie Wonder couldn't miss.
 
More than 12 pellets in the head and neck are generally considered sufficient to kill. over 30 yards is on the longer side for a turkey, I'd say just let them get closer. Another thing to do would be to make sure that you stay low on the stock, I've seen many guys shoot over a bird because their cheek weld is insufficient and the bead isn't where they think it is. That pattern is just fine, maybe switch to different shells. I have a BPS and she works just fine on every bird I've pulled the trigger on, but they've all been within 25 yards or I don't fire. Plus you might be firing on a strutted Tom with his head in profile, which never works as a shot put into the wattles on a bird with his neck outstretched. Don't be aiming for his eye, aim where his neck feathers just start.
 
My BPS is a 1986 Upland Special fitted with a Trulock Turkey choke.
Winchester Longbeard #4.
I’m still on the same box of ammo after 5 birds.
Short barrel BPS is a lethal turkey gun.
 
Loyalist84 said:
More than 12 pellets in the head and neck are generally considered sufficient to kill. over 30 yards is on the longer side for a turkey, I'd say just let them get closer. Another thing to do would be to make sure that you stay low on the stock, I've seen many guys shoot over a bird because their cheek weld is insufficient and the bead isn't where they think it is. That pattern is just fine, maybe switch to different shells. I have a BPS and she works just fine on every bird I've pulled the trigger on, but they've all been within 25 yards or I don't fire. Plus you might be firing on a strutted Tom with his head in profile, which never works as a shot put into the wattles on a bird with his neck outstretched. Don't be aiming for his eye, aim where his neck feathers just start.
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Yes all very true. What I should have said was when CoryTheCowboy does his build, lightening up the trigger may help with his precision. When doing a build, performance should be considered along with appearance.
 
shackleford said:
I shoot $12 Federal Heavy Field Load 2-3/4" 1-1/8Oz #6 shot at 33 yards. The circle is 3" and I call this a miss

20180522_150156.jpg


Would it kill a turkey? I don't know I don't hunt but at <7m Stevie Wonder couldn't miss.
Click to expand...

You got almost 30 pellets on the mark there. Thats a dead bird.

Although Even at 30 yards that pattern looks a little loose. What choke are you running? I would have low confidence that you would not have a few in the meat.
I am also surprised at how many more pellets there are with #6 over the #4 that I use.

As for 7m, there should be no excuse to miss, but it still isnt hard to do so with one or more simple mistakes, like loyalist said with the cheek.

Guys talk about buck fever. Its real. Soon you spot that bird start forcing yourself to breath and reminding yourself of all those little principles of marksmanship and such.
 
Cameron SS said:
You got almost 30 pellets on the mark there. Thats a dead bird.

Although Even at 30 yards that pattern looks a little loose. What choke are you running? I would have low confidence that you would not have a few in the meat.
I am also surprised at how many more pellets there are with #6 over the #4 that I use.

As for 7m, there should be no excuse to miss, but it still isnt hard to do so with one or more simple mistakes, like loyalist said with the cheek.

Guys talk about buck fever. Its real. Soon you spot that bird start forcing yourself to breath and reminding yourself of all those little principles of marksmanship and such.
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These may have been 1-1/4 Oz. But off topic. I would suggest a quality recoil pad for his build as well. I have pre-fit limbsavers on my 870s. Heavy trigger, Buck Fever, or a flinch may be why OP is missing more birds than he cares to admit.
 
Sorry for the late response.

I ended up killing both birds I shot at this year, just took more shots that I would've liked. One was running right at me under 15 yards and the other I honestly think I might've has turkey fever since there were 5 Toms and 4 Jakes in the decoys (and was using a gun I hadn't patterned).

No reason I want to paint it other than just for something to do in the off season. I bought a red dot and have the idea of once I find a load that patterns, just leave it alone. I've shot 5 turkeys and they've all been with blued and walnut guns...just figured a dedicated turkey gun could be came.

I was mostly wondering if anyone knew about swapping parts into the older receiver.

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, it's good reading.
Thanks ,

Cory
 
CoryTheCowboy said:
Sorry for the late response.

I ended up killing both birds I shot at this year, just took more shots that I would've liked. One was running right at me under 15 yards and the other I honestly think I might've has turkey fever since there were 5 Toms and 4 Jakes in the decoys (and was using a gun I hadn't patterned).

No reason I want to paint it other than just for something to do in the off season. I bought a red dot and have the idea of once I find a load that patterns, just leave it alone. I've shot 5 turkeys and they've all been with blued and walnut guns...just figured a dedicated turkey gun could be came.

I was mostly wondering if anyone knew about swapping parts into the older receiver.

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, it's good reading.
Thanks ,

Cory
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Herein lies the reason.....I assume like most turkey hunters you are running a specialized super tight constriction turkey choke combined with a shotshell with a payload large enough for a backhoe? At under 15 yards you’re firing a missile. There isn’t enough spread likely to completely cover a pie plate. Combine that with a moving target and turkey fever and this issue is not the gun but the person behind the gun. If I knew my shots were going to consistently be that close I’d be shooting an IC choke and taking full advantage of a shotguns best attributes. If I were located where I could hunt turkeys I’d be taking my over/under with and putting an IC in the bottom barrel and F in the top. If the bird hung up at 30+ yards I’d flick the selector to F and let him have it with a heavy payload of #6 shot in the beanie!
 
the spank said:
You call that a miss?? What do you want, the pellets hitting in a single file row dead centre?!
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Haha Im a card shooter I'd like it to be somewhere in between. Have to be able to count individual holes. I think there is a better concentration of pellets about 2" left and 2" down from my point of aim(centre of circle). I think its from the trigger pull I jerked it a bit maybe. Maybe it was scope parallax. Maybe it was a clump of pellets stuck together from sitting on a warehouse shelf. Maybe a butterfly flapped its wings in New Mexico...
 
shackleford said:
Haha Im a card shooter I'd like it to be somewhere in between. Have to be able to count individual holes. I think there is a better concentration of pellets about 2" left and 2" down from my point of aim(centre of circle). I think its from the trigger pull I jerked it a bit maybe. Maybe it was scope parallax. Maybe it was a clump of pellets stuck together from sitting on a warehouse shelf. Maybe a butterfly flapped its wings in New Mexico...
Click to expand...

Turkeys aren’t cards or paper. Thats a dead bird!
 
Don't know if it helps you but Boyds have got a firesale on at the moment with various BPS parts in it. Slightly difference stock fit maybe?

Scrummy
 
CoryTheCowboy said:
Sorry for the late response.

I ended up killing both birds I shot at this year, just took more shots that I would've liked. One was running right at me under 15 yards and the other I honestly think I might've has turkey fever since there were 5 Toms and 4 Jakes in the decoys (and was using a gun I hadn't patterned).

No reason I want to paint it other than just for something to do in the off season. I bought a red dot and have the idea of once I find a load that patterns, just leave it alone. I've shot 5 turkeys and they've all been with blued and walnut guns...just figured a dedicated turkey gun could be came.

I was mostly wondering if anyone knew about swapping parts into the older receiver.

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, it's good reading.
Thanks ,

Cory
Click to expand...

Cory I don't know if the parts interchange but do know the first time you take a trigger out of a BPS and try to reinstall it is not for the faint of heart
Once you do one it is somewhat OK but suggest you watch a few video's first and ideally have someone show you the procedure
I was like 35 year fixing guns when I took one out of a 10ga BPS I won't tell you how many hours it took me to get it back in and how many curse words and cuts on my hands since that receiver is some sharp
Now yes I can do them quicker but not the first time. I find they either fall back in place or get ready for a battle
Cheers
 
3macs1 said:
Cory I don't know if the parts interchange but do know the first time you take a trigger out of a BPS and try to reinstall it is not for the faint of heart
Once you do one it is somewhat OK but suggest you watch a few video's first and ideally have someone show you the procedure
I was like 35 year fixing guns when I took one out of a 10ga BPS I won't tell you how many hours it took me to get it back in and how many curse words and cuts on my hands since that receiver is some sharp
Now yes I can do them quicker but not the first time. I find they either fall back in place or get ready for a battle
Cheers
Click to expand...

Lol yeah the BPS can be a bit tempramental when going back together .I have found a long thin dental pick to be of great help for reaching in under the trigger group to push the shell latches back to allow the trigger group to drop down in to place as it is what holds the shell latches in place .I have had a couple post 98 BPS and now have a pre 98 . The internals of the pre 98 don't look any different than the post 98 guns but that is not to say there is no differences .
 
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