Browning BPS Stalker Price Check

[anapex]

Ok so I did a run of some of the local stores today and came across a 12ga BPS Stalker that looks like it just swam across from the eastern shore through the bay. It looks like it may have been parked but not too much is left. Action is still very smooth though. They want $250 for it with 3-4 choke tubes. That sound about right? or should it be going for less?

 

[M Jager]

If its real beat up I wouldn't buy it.
Used BPSs go for around 300 and up depending on the model if they are in good condition. If its in bad condition I wouldn't go too high on it. Maybe 200 or 220 but thats about it.
Matt

 

[Dave McCracken]

Offer them $200 if you really want it. Caveat, it may have been owned by a slug who never cleaned it. Check the bore carefully, and if it's pitted the best choice is to pass it up.

 

[anapex]

Well the wife ended up going out and buying it for me, guess I'll have to count it as an early fathers day present or something. It's a 12ga BPS Magnum with the Invector Plus choke system. The barrel isn't pitted but it's definitely been reparked as they pretty much erased the markings on the side. The receiver is another story though. The outside has quite a few rust spots, I've cleaned a couple of them up but there's still quite a few to go, and it leaves shiny spots all over the place. It doesn't look like the rust has crept in to the inside though, at least from a cursory inspection which involved pulling out the trigger group. The wife didn't haggle it down any so I guess we may have overpaid but after I get it cleaned up it should at least help it last long enough to get my money back on it. So once I get the receiver cleaned up should I get it reparked or is there something a little more rust resistant that I should get on it? And any idea how much a repark or whatever refinish might cost?

 

[Dave McCracken]

There's some different finishes you can use, including the Phosphate finishes we lump together as Parkerizing, First, though, why not find out how the thing shoots for you? The BPS is a class act.

If it's a keeper, the baked on finishes from Brownell's have been posted here as good. Heck, some folks just use Krilon spray paints. And various companies do "Parking", though you may want to do the whole thing over to make the finish uniform.

 

[anapex]

The only thing I've noticed with it so far is that the stock is a little too long for me to get a comfortable grip on the pump without having my hand over the notch for the bottom ejection. Seeing as how nice it is out today I just may take it over to PGC today. We'll see though.

 

[anapex]

Well I decided to clean this thing better before I take it out shooting. After striping everything down to the bare essentials (except the trigger group) I think the previous owner regularly cleaned the gun....in a mixture of sea water and pineneedles. The bolt, bolt carrier, ejector, and the pump arms were fine but the inside of the receiver had a lot of surface rust. That and there were a ton of pine needles in it. I think the guy who owned it before must have dropped it in a swamp or something while duck/goose hunting and then instead of cleaning it out just decided to sell it. It's been slow going but it is getting cleaner. At least when I'm done I'll have a shotgun I won't care about getting messed up .