......BPS's................

I got a BPS Hunter few weeks back from a dealer out west for $ 400, used. Looks like either unfired or frequently cleaned or simply low-round count. Just watch dealer posting or EE. Some shooters does not like the bottom-feed and bottom eject (good for both R & L handed shooters) which might be the reason why it sells very slow. Otherwise, a very finely crafted shotgun.
 
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hsatimmy said:
I love the idea of a bps in 10 gauge. Great goose gun and low risk of losing hulls after ejecting.

I would likely never buy new, stick to EE for some savings
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Spend a few extra $ and get the Gold 10 semi. I have owned both and the BPS 10 is a recoil beast unless you like being driven into the muck 6" after the third round is fired then by all means buy one!!
 
My grandfather gave me my first shotgun. A BPS buck special 12. I abused it SO bad when I was younger. Now 30 years later I still have it and it reminds me everyday to take better care of my guns . That said , it still works perfect and is now my 'turkey' gun. I used plastidip (or whatever its called) so I can peel off and still have the original finish underneath.
 

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I prefer a pump over a semi ... and find that Brownings just fit me best. This is why I sold a semi in favour of a second BPS. Prices on EE are a tad high ... but that seems to be the case all around. The best antidote is to not buy ... so the price will eventually drop.
 
Fine guns...................what I object to is not the design, but Browning gun co. They build every gauge on a 12 gauge frame.
I like the 20 and 28 gauges. Well in Browning BPS that means a 7 pound 28 gauge, which is absurd if you use it for upland style hunting. Ditto for the 20 gauge.
They would be treasures if they would be build on scaled frames or at least build the 20 and 28 on a 20 scaled frame.
Compare the BPS to the old Ithaca 37 feather weights which were scaled. 20 gauges weighed a tad under 6 pounds. With the BPS you might as well lug a 12 ga in the field since they are all roughly the same weight.
 
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Gyrfalcon said:
Fine guns...................what I object to is not the design, but Browning gun co. They build every gauge on a 12 gauge frame.
I like the 20 and 28 gauges. Well in Browning BPS that means a 7 pound 28 gauge, which is absurd if you use it for upland style hunting. Ditto for the 20 gauge.
They would be treasures if they would be build on scaled frames or at least build the 20 and 28 on a 20 scaled frame.
Compare the BPS to the old Ithaca 37 feather weights which were scaled. 20 gauges weighed a tad under 6 pounds. With the BPS you might as well lug a 12 ga in the field since they are all roughly the same weight.
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I own a BPS medallion 12ga (3”) and have owed a BPS hunter 12ga with 3/12”. A close friend of mine owns a BPS in 20ga and they are clearly not the same frame. The 20ga was noticeably scaled down in size and weight..
 
Shooting my friends new bps today alongside my 1970s wingmaster..

Can say the bps fits people above 6 foot very well. Spread above is perfect, bottom ejection is great for hunting, especially in rough weather. Royal pain for single shots. Gun isnt as well made as the old wingmaster, cheaper wood, fit and finish not too bad. Gun is pretty heavy but swings nice.

Overall not worth the $900-1000 they want new, but I see them almost new at $600 on the EE all day which is a decent deal. Still think and older wingmaster is a better gun by miles, but anything new is junk compared to old time craftsmanship.
 
Gyrfalcon said:
Fine guns...................what I object to is not the design, but Browning gun co. They build every gauge on a 12 gauge frame.
I like the 20 and 28 gauges. Well in Browning BPS that means a 7 pound 28 gauge, which is absurd if you use it for upland style hunting. Ditto for the 20 gauge.
They would be treasures if they would be build on scaled frames or at least build the 20 and 28 on a 20 scaled frame.
Compare the BPS to the old Ithaca 37 feather weights which were scaled. 20 gauges weighed a tad under 6 pounds. With the BPS you might as well lug a 12 ga in the field since they are all roughly the same weight.
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Definitely NOT built on same frames. All sub gauges use the 20g frame.
 
I just picked up a 10ga bps this week for a very reasonable price
The bps has a long reciever on all gauges. I grew up on an ithaca 37 so the bps is familiar but i prefer the ithaca over any pump
The good thing about the bps 10ga is theyre a gentle giant. The weight soaks up most of the recoil
 
kamlooky said:
I see these fine units frequently for sale on the EE and they do tend
to take a while to sell.
I think they are a pleasing and well built shotgun with lots of pluses going for them.
Don't hear too many issues with them.

Do tell, why isn't there more …….:bigHug:...… for them that is displayed awn'ear?
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People are still pretending Remington makes a nice pump.
 
^That sums it up quite nice.

IMO, lots of the BPSs on EE are overpriced and that is why they are sitting for a while. Three years ago I've bought a BPS at the local CT sale for $649,-. At the same time Browning had a mail in rebate for $50,- and I got $50,- in CT money (Fathersday special).

So there you have a brand new BPS including warranty with 2 boxes of steel shot for $599,-. Maybe a bit more than a 870 Express but the BPS comes with three chokes instead of one and the craftsmanship is way superior.
 
I have an 89 field model same as the stalker today but with the invector choke system .would not part with it for the world . I was 0h so happy to grab the bps buck barrel for it from the ee a couple weeks ago .
 
Garaldtao said:
Unfortunately in the shotgun world, a pump is seen as utilitarian and is only 2nd to a single shot. I watch these European show where they don't really bash pump actions but rather passively look down on them. The English are the worse. Just watch an episode of the Gun Room on pump action and you will see what I mean.

I personally think that the Europeans are envious that an American could invent something so profound that it help changed the course of history or at the very lease, a war. Ironically John Browning also invented the over under, a gun that the English covet but an over under never scared the Germans to the degree where they petitioned for it to banned for use in war.

From what I can tell, pump action shotguns are most popular in North America and as fairly young countries, both Canada and the United States need inexpensive tools for nation building. There isn't a lot of money around when one is first starting out. And at the turn of the 18 century, the concept of old money is really a European thing. So over time, we have gotten use to inexpensive pump action shotguns. I think that the BPS is a quality pump gun but is a bit of a pariah because the pump shotgun niche is dominated by inexpensive, rugged and reliable guns. The finish is a bit better than other pump actions but the question then becomes how much more money could that command and the free market, the answer is, not that much more. The only other thing that Browning has is name recognition but lets be honest, the BPS never had a military contract whereas the 870, 500, model 12 and 37 cut their teeth in some of the greatest battles in history. Don't get me wrong, I've wanted a BPS for awhile but I can't justify the price point when there are so many other inexpensive, well built, battle tested pumps out there. I am a huge fan of Brownings and own everything from 1911-22s to A5s to BPSs which I don't mind paying for but it just seems to me that the BPS for what it is, is about $250 over priced. That the cost of a Tokerav or SKS!
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Garaldtao, speaking as a Brit, I'm not sure that's right. Pumps started off as an American invention with the 1897 being the first real commercial success (Followed on from the 1893 which was the black powder version). However, not long after the 1897, the Browning Auto 5 came about in 1900 and was manufactured in Belgium, in the middle of Europe: Easier to get guns and parts from there than shipped from Connecticut especially as lots of European countries had dealers / importers who were used to dealing with Belgium and particularly FN in Liege for guns.

medvedqc said:
they had an army contract for the french gendarmerie and used in combat zone like ex-yugoslavia and different african countries where the gendarmerie used them but seems the special forces preferred the marine 870 this is where the choice was done after a while. the finish too despite being better had some issues with the sights. alloy seems not to hold very well.

the problem with pump shotgun in Europe is they were banned in most of the countries of UE around 1995. we were all grandfathered for it but cant use it anymore for hunting so thus the reason no buy or love for it and in those days cannot sell it to someone else i had to surrender 2 manufrance shotgun pump actions to the local police station before we left to Canada.
the pump actions shotgun is back on the european market as they are authorized again with rifled barrel at least in France but the lesson learnt the people will not purchas to loose it again.

my 2 pesos on this
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The Europeans have often been funny about pumps. The French certainly control them quite heavily and a semi-auto shotgun (particularly a "hunting" one - longer barrel, not a huge magtube) is less tightly controlled than a pump action. I have a feeling you can't actually use a pump for hunting in France though I'd be willing to be corrected.

As you say, it could be as a result of the WWI experience that continental European countries have legislative hang-ups about pumps. Certainly Belgium and France used to have strong restrictions on civillians owning weapons in military chamberings though largely unwound now. Italy still does I believe so it could all be linked with that.

Falconflyer said:
I don't think the Europeans are envious of American pump guns, they would have imported them in large numbers if they had liked the design just like they did with the over and under.
The use of shotguns in combat was not without it's problems and a lot of armies decided to just stay away from them. For instance, paper cartridges tended to soak up water from rain and humidity and would not cycle through pump actions. The paper was eventually waxed for moisture resistance but then they would stick in a hot gun! Brass hulls worked but they weren't plentiful so problems with paper hulls were not fully solved until the plastic hull became available in the 60's.
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Certainly with wars by the legal term, shotguns are difficult to use - supposed to have single, no expanding projectiles so that even gives problems with slugs. Often when used the militaries of the world term them "police actions" or similar. Certainly in Europe lots of police forces use pumps for applications such as door breaching, bean bags, tear gas etc.

I think pumps just aren't so much part of what shooters use and get introduced to over here. Furthermore, guns are expensive in Europe vs what you guys pay also more legal restrictions so people tend to have fewer guns - and in that, I think semi-autos tend to win out. There is some snob factor about pumps and semi's: Some clay grounds (and more clay shooters) don't like them and will give users a hard time (Alledgedly because it is harder to see if the gun is clear) but that applies equally to pumps and semis. Some game shooters don't like pumps and semi's but there is again a split between those who think over unders are a bit uncouth whereas you should only use a side by side... (I wish I was joking)

Having said all this, I love my BPS...

Scrummy
 
Just purchased a 2017 Version of the BPS in Mossy Oak break up infinity for like 669. Will post pictures when she comes in the mail. Held other BPS's liked the feel and the build quality. So when I saw them on clearance sale at thegundealer I couldn't help myself.
 
In 1978 I went into my local gun shop to buy a 3" Browning Auto 5. After talking to the owner for a few minutes, he asked me if I had seen the new Browning pumps. I said no. He passed me one to look at , and as I was looking it over, he said they came out last year , and , that he had ordered 2 dozen of them but he didn't receive any. So this year , he ordered 4 dozen BPS's and received 20.
There was a substantial price difference between the BPS and the Auto 5 , and I ended up leaving with the pump gun.
On my way home ,I stopped by a friends house and showed him my new gun. He went right to the store and bought one also.
That was 41 years ago , and we both still have them.
Mine hasn't been shot very much since the steel shot regs came out , it being a fixed full choke gun.
I have thought about getting the barrel reamed out for steel , but I have lots of other shotguns to hunt ducks with , so have left it in original configuration. If I ever sell it , I figure the new owner could open it up to what ever choke he wanted , but once done , you cant change your mind and go back to full. LOL I guess I just like to keep things original. I have other older guns too , that all hang out together like theyr in a club . I think they swap stories with each other when the safe door is closed. They do like getting held once in a while , shouldered a couple times , and then wiped down with a lightly oiled rag. I hope I get treated as good when they put me out to pasture. What's the chances of that happening? LOL
 
In the late 1970's, maybe early 1980's, I bought a BPS from S.I.R. mail-order. 3" chamber 12 gauge; 26" ribbed barrel; fixed Modified choke. Was my first step up from a break action Cooey single shot. Mostly used for walking and raising prairie chickens (sharptail) in scrubby pastureland, but easily would hold my own in stubble goose pits with decoy spreads. Took a bit of practice to use the magazine cut-off, but very slick to drop out a 2 3/4" #5 for a 3" #2 as a goose passed overhead, out in the scrub. All lead shot in those days. My son has it now - still a "do everything" shotgun. Haven't hunted migratory birds since steel shot rules came in; today I use 28 gauge over/under for prairie chickens and huns - have both a CZ Redhead and Browning Citori - I find both to be wonderful in that specific role.
 
Scrumbag,

i can link you to the french decree from 29 of june 2018.

to be able to keep your pump shotgun you need a barrel of 60cm for slug and rifled only at least the whole lenght has to be 80cm and no foldable stock plus 4+1 for the mag capacity.

the mag capacity cannot be altered so a gunsmith need to do a fix up if not buy with that fixed capacity.

if for any reason the shotgun cannot be reversed into those new rules you can ask for a shooting license and it will not count as the 12 firearms as a shooter is permitted. if denied you have 3 months to surrender to a gunsmith.

anyway we were authorized pump action shotgun up to 1995 then grandfathered then a law prohibited them, then authorized then restricted them again so you can see why the owners do not want to try to left in limbo again.
 
I just picked up a BPS Micro Midas in a 28 gauge 26" . I really like it so far. Hard to beat for the money. It is a bit heavy at 7 lbs and wish it was on a 20 gauge frame. That would cost a lot more money.
 
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