Browning BPS opinions?

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Guvnor

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Anyone have any comments on the browning bps pump gun? Seems like a nice gun..I like the bottom ejection.

Also the manual states you dont ever have to take apart the action for cleaning. Just remove and clean the barrel and put a drop of oil on the action bars. This seems too good to be true...a gun you never have to take down and scrub?

Is it as well regarded as the 870 and mossberg 500?
 
The BPS is a nice pump gun indeed. The design is years old and well proven. The BPS is used a lot by left handers who don't want the ejected hull striking them in the face. Mine is a couple of years old and was made in Japan. I am sorry to say the workmanship and finish is better than my U.S. made 870, 1300, and 1100 guns.

The BPS is not operation friendly for shooting trap at the range. It can be done and I have shot trap with mine once or twice. Loading one shell at a time and then cycling it into the chamber is a little more cumbersome to do 25 times with the BPS than say an 870. The BPS is very similar to the Model 37 Ithaca in design. The BPS is a little heavier than the Model 37 which appeals to me. The weight keeps the recoil down to an acceptable level for me.

Yes you remove and clean the barrel as normal, and the rest of it you wipe out with a rag for the most part. The receiver disassembly is a little more complicated, and that's why you should not take it apart regularly. Being a pump gun, there isn't any powder and gas residue that coats everything like in say a gas operated semi automatic. Most of it can be wiped clean while the bolt is pulled back.

The BPS is not indestructable, but neither are the other choices. Your grandkids can still be using it about a 100 years from now if you treat it well and keep it clean.

Good luck!
 
I had three of them, and never had the first problem. I think they are well made guns, but I greatly prefer the ergonomics of the 870. I really did not like having to load a single round thru the magazine after shooting the gun empty. Way quicker to get that fourth shot with an 870. They also feel quite different. It always felt to me like I had to reach further for the fore end, but that was just an illusion, because I measured it.
I spent considerable coin on one 10 gauge example having the barrel overbored, forcing cone lengthened, and had the receiver machined down a little, and got the weight down a little over a pound total. By far the best handling 10 gauge I ever saw. If they had not come out with the better alternatives to steel, I would probably still be shooting it.
If you like the feel of it, I don't think you will go wrong getting one.

I took mine apart down to the last nut and bolt several times after dunking in salt water, and after figuring out the shell stops the first time, it wasn't so bad. If you get some 0.005" shim material to use as a shoehorn it goes a lot easier, or you can buy the Brownell's tool.
 
The first gripe of most is that the BPS is heavier than the similar but still lefty unfriendly Ithaca 37. They are right that it is heavier but the top tang safety, superior fit and finish, smoother action, better feel all around, and just a plain great value compared to the 870 makes it a winner in my book. The Ithaca is better balanced but they have never quite fit me right with what I would call awkward stock dimensions.
 
So if you keep the gun clean then you'll never have to tear it down? Even after several years and a few thousand rounds?

Thats great if its true...
 
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So if you keep the gun clean then you'll never have to tear it down? Even after several years and a few thousand rounds?

Thats great if its true...
Click to expand...

Thats great then because it would take several hundered years and a few hundred thousand rounds.
 
I love my BPS. Very smooth action and it points extremely well for me. It's a completely ambidextrous shotgun, and bottom ejection can be useful for ejecting shells directly into the bucket at the range.

The BPS is not operation friendly for shooting trap at the range. It can be done and I have shot trap with mine once or twice. Loading one shell at a time and then cycling it into the chamber is a little more cumbersome to do 25 times with the BPS than say an 870. The BPS is very similar to the Model 37 Ithaca in design. The BPS is a little heavier than the Model 37 which appeals to me. The weight keeps the recoil down to an acceptable level for me.
Click to expand...

The BPS Trap models have a selector switch (S/R) that lets you load a shell directly into the chamber.
 
Well I have never taken down my BPS 10 gauge. I have had it for about 15 years. However I don't shoot it much because it costs so much to shoot.
The BPS is one shotgun I will probably never sell.
 
I have a 12 gauge BPS. If you are looking for a high quality pump shotgun, the only other gun to look at is the 870 Wingmaster, not the Express models. If you're a lefty it's the only decent pump action on the market. I would say that quality is far better than the 870 Express or Mossberg 500 and is in line with the 870 Wingmaster. In my opinion, the action is smoother than any other pump that I've ever seen, including the 870 Wingmaster. I really like bottom ejection. The shells land in a pile in front of you, not on the guy next to you in the duck blind or in your face if you're a lefty. I also like the top tang safety and the location of the slide release.

I agree with the other comments that single loading the BPS takes more effort than an 870, but I think that this is easier on the trap models and I don't think that it's that difficult, but that said, if you want to compete in trap or skeet, you should probably save some extra money and get a used over/under.

The BPS is quite a bit heavier than 870. Depending on the shooting that you are planning on doing, this could be good or bad. I think that the extra weight helps reduce recoil and even out my swing.

In my opinion, the Wingmaster looks better than the newer BPS Hunter models, but in my area, Wingmasters go for $150 more than a base model BPS and the BPS is still a good looking gun, far better than the 870 Express or Mossberg 500.

Ergonomics are different, I agree with whoever said that the BPS feels longer than the Wingmaster, even though I have laid them down side by side in the store and the differences are only slight. It all comes down to whether you shoot right or left handed, what feels better for you, what type of shooting you are doing, and your budget. I don't think that you would be disappointed with either the 870 Wingmaster or the BPS.
 
The BPS in 12 Gauge is one heavy SOB. Actually, so is the 20, for a 20.

For duck hunting, I suppose that's a plus. Less shoulder bashing, smooth swing. It does handle well.

For upland hunting, I'd look at the similar Ithaca 37. It doesn't have the tang safety (bummer), but it's a much lighter, also great-handling shotgun.
 
I regularly shoot trap with a BPS. To single load I just turn the gun over after ejecting the empty, push the forend forward about 1/2" and put the new shell directly into the chamber.

I'm right handed so I hold the gun at the receiver with my left hand and use my left thumb to push the forend while reloading with my right hand.
 
The BPS is very similar to the Model 37 Ithaca in design.
Click to expand...

:confused: Other than that they both eject from the bottom of the receiver, how are the Browning BPS and the Ithaca 37 shotguns similar in terms of lock-up, action bar(s), safety, action release, etc.? Just curious. I have both and I'm not seeing much in the way of similarity between these two fine shotguns.
 
The BPS is smooth, and very well built, but I won't grant it's any smoother or better than a Wingmaster. The Express is a whole different gun. And don't forget the Wingmaster is also available in a left handed version.
If you have handled and shot a BPS and you like it, go for it.
 
I shoot a .410 BPS at skeet fairly often. It is just as slick as the best Wingmaster I've ever owned.
Whether I'm loading one or two cartridges at the skeet field, I load the BPS with the action back
the first cartridge goes in between the "fingers" through the ejection port ready to ride into the chamber; then close the action.
If I 'm loading a second for doubles the next cartridge is loaded into the magazine.

No problem.

BTW the BPS will eject the empty into your hand just as easily as any side eject shotgun.

Single Stack
 
I have a 12 and 20 and love them. The bottom eject reminds me of hunting with papaws ols ithaca, which I still have, it just spends more time in retirement now. Prefer the BPS over the Remington. They seem to fit me better than the 870's. Won't trade or sell them, will be passed on someday.. Only complaint I have about it, as some others have said, is that it is heavy when compared to some of the other models. Sometimes that is a plus, sometimes not.
 
I am a bit surprised at the bit about never cleaning the action. After 32 years of ignoring my Ithaca 37's action, I was astounded at the amount of crud contained in the action when I disassembled it for cleaning. Of course the Browning suggestion is supported by the fact that I never had any problems and found no sign of corrosion...
 
A few of the guys I shoot trap with have the Trap version. I really like the heft it comes with and really good feel. I have not tried using one during session but they don't seem to have any trouble loading on the range. It's just like anything.. do it a few times and you get the hang of it. People said the same thing to me when I showed up with my Remington 1100 auto with a shell catcher. I've never had a problem and can load probably faster than the break-open guys.

Side note with good and bad points.
Bad.. my buddies BPS trap showed up with a bent rib and the reciever was not the grey/silver finish it shows on the websites.

Good news.. he called Browning and they said to send it in. The gave him a new gun with an inspected rib, grayed the reciever, put upgraded fancy wood on it, and gave him a fitted hard case for it. All free of charge. Now that is service!!
 
I absolutely LOVE the ergos of the BPS and despise the 870 since I'm a lefty shooter. The Browning seems to fit me well right out of the box, too. I don't own one, yet, a shooting buddy does and it's a wonderful, well built shotgun and I plan to get one in the future with a camo finish on it, someday. It'll be a 3.5" gun or a 10 gauge, not sure yet. I will waterfowl hunt with it, mostly geese, but also ducks. I sorta think of my Mossberg as a budget BPS, tang safety, good lefty ergos, FAR superior to any 870 for a lefty. But, the BPS is one slick pump gun for sure. I've used the 37 Ithaca in the past, very nice gun, but not as lefty friendly as mentioned above. Crossbolt safeties suck. Even if I could reverse the safety, I'd rather have a tang safety. It's just more natural to me, probably due to the fact that my doubles have it and I'm used to a tang safety on shotguns and working a safety with my thumb on my rifles. My Remington rifles and my Savage 110 don't have crossbolt safeties. Why is it that most shotguns do? It's a cheap way to design a safety, I guess, but the Browning isn't cheap. It's a step up over your run of the mill Wingmaster, let alone Express.

Oh, I'd take the cleaning the action comment with a grain of salt. I hunt in tough, salty, wet environs and I have learned, though experience, to strip the thing at the end of the season for a thorough cleaning. If all I did was dove hunt with it, I might not even pull my Mossberg or Winchester apart, but hunting ducks in the salt marsh requires better hygiene.
 
Another thumbs up for the BPS. I have the 12ga with a 26" bbl and I love the thing. I am not a fan of the 870 with its location of the action release and safety, but wanted something a little fancier than the Mossy 500. The BPS tang safety and the action release on the trigger ala Mossy 500 just feels right to me, and the wood and blueing are gorgeous. I know everybody fits into a gun different then another, but the BPS fits me and pointing/leading/shooting this SG are very natural for me.
 
i was about 10 minutes lat eaon a 20 ga BPS at a screaming price a few years ago. ii'd buy one in aminute at a good price.

870 leftys are available.
 
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