A redneck safety push rod for a Browning BSS double

[J-Bar]

My Browning BSS side by side 12 gauge jammed during a cowboy action shooting practice session; it would open but the hammers would not fall. Removing the buttstock revealed the safety push rod had popped out of position. The gunsmith who set this gun up for competition (not me!) reversed the safety push rod, which prevented the safety being automatically reset to “safe” when the gun is opened. He must have shortened the rod a bit which allowed it to slip out of position. With the safety push rod not properly positioned, the connectors get trapped under the sears and do not allow the gun to be fired. In addition to moving the safety rearward, the push rod also pushes the inertia block rearward, allowing the hammers to cock and fire.

I decided I could not trust that rod during a match so I cut it out and replaced it with my own creation. I am not a gunsmith. I did not want to disassemble all those frightening little parts, and I did not want to send it to a real gunsmith and be without this backup shotguns at fall matches. And at the time, I could not find a replacement part. So I fashioned a two-piece safety push rod from a 6-32 rod and a coupling nut from the hardware store. Total cost about $6.

There is a 1/2” stub of rod on the left side of the nut that engages the part that moves to the rear when the lever breaks the gun open (maybe called the locking bolt... best guess from Numrich’s parts diagram and I am not an expert on nomenclature). I had to dress down the rear part of the rod so it would fit through the hole in the safety lever, and then trim it’s length so it would engage the inertia block properly, But with trial and error and a few cuss words I got the jury-rigged rod in place, and it works fine. I shot a six stage match with this gun yesterday with no malfunctions.

Thanks to another High Road poster, I later learned about Jack First Gun Parts and have ordered a replacement safety push rod from them. (Finding parts for an out of production gun is a challenge!). But as long as my redneck solution works, I’m going to leave it in the gun and save the other rod in my parts drawer.

Photos: In the first photo the original rod is above and parallel to the q-tip. My redneck creation is in the second photo. Experimenting can have poor outcomes, but once in a great while a guy gets lucky!