For many years now, the Browning BPS has
been regarded by many, including myself, as the finest pump
action shotgun on the market. Long regarded as the best pump gun
ever built, the venerable Winchester Model 12 was indeed
a very good shotgun, but the BPS is even better. Before you
Model 12 fans try to have me locked up for heresy, you had best
compare that old Winchester with a new BPS. The BPS is built out
of better steel, with a smoother action and twin action bars. I
really despise a crossbolt safety on the trigger guard, and that
is where you will find the safety on a Model 12, but the BPS has
the safety on top, right where God intended it to be on a
shotgun. The Model 12 has side ejection like just about every
other magazine shotgun on the planet, but the BPS ejects right
out the bottom, straight down, which makes it truly
ambidextrous. Also, bottom ejection is very good in a crowded
duck blind, as the spent hulls are not hitting the shooter to
your right side, but are falling at your feet. Bottom ejection
on the BPS leaves the sides smooth and solid, where no sand,
grit, rain, or snow can get into the action of the shotgun. My
purpose here is not to besmirch the fine reputation of the Model
12, but just to show that the BPS is even better. For some
reason, the Browning BPS is often overlooked in favor of other
pump shotguns on the market. The reason for this is unclear. It
could be that shooters and hunters might think that with the
name “Browning” attached, that it might be too expensive,
but that is just not the case with the BPS. Compare the price of
the BPS to a Remington 870 with similar features, and the BPS
usually has a lower price. Compare the BPS quality to any other
pump gun made, and the BPS is really a good value.
Built from solid steel with a walnut or
synthetic stock, the standard BPS is a cut above other pump
guns, and the BPS is also built in many different gauges and
configurations to suit the needs of any shotgunner. Introduced
this past January at the 2008
SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, this special Grade III
16 gauge BPS shown here was an instant hit. Browning took orders
for these at the show, and we put in an order for one
immediately. This is one of the most beautiful pump shotguns
ever built. It has a nickel finished solid steel receiver,
engraved with ducks on one side and pheasants on the other.
Built on a 20 gauge frame, the sixteen handles like a twenty and
hits like a twelve. Well, almost. The sixteen, while not as
popular as either, does strike a nice balance between the twenty
and twelve gauges. The sixteen gauge was once very popular in
the US, and seems to be making a comeback. At the very least,
Browning is supporting this fine gauge, as is CZ-USA.
The wood on the Grade III BPS is some very
good-looking walnut, cut checkered and oil finished to a
pleasing yet subdued sheen, very fitting for a hunting gun. The
blued steel is nicely polished, and looks great, much like the
finish of years past instead of the matte blued finishes applied
to most pump guns on the market. The barrel has a prominent
raised ventilated rib, and the top of the receiver has a solid
rib that raises to meet the barrel rib, for a more integrated
look. The barrel, which measures twenty-six inches in length on
this BPS, comes supplied with three screw-in choke tubes of
full, modified, and improved cylinder constrictions. This Grade
III BPS is also available with a twenty-eight inch barrel. The
tubular magazine holds four shells, for a total loaded capacity
of five, and a plug is included to limit total capacity to three
shells to comply with hunting laws while in pursuit of migratory
birds.
I got to do no hunting with the new BPS, but did
get to try it on targets. For me, the BPS just feels right, and
points where I look. I am no expert shotgunner, but I know what
works for me, and the BPS fits me just fine. It patterns well,
and when I bring it to my shoulder, my left eye is looking right
down the middle of that rib. Upon firing, the action works as
smooth as silk. The BPS balances right at the front of the
ejection/loading port, and the gun’s seven and one-quarter
pound weight feels even lighter.
As mentioned above, the BPS wears twin action
bars, machined from steel, to provide what is perhaps the
smoothest pump action available. While looking like a shotgun
that might be found on the rack of a well-heeled gentleman
wearing a dandy sport coat with perfectly executed leather
patches on the elbows and a crooked pipe hanging from his mouth,
this Grade III BPS is within the budget of most of us common
folk, with a MSRP of only $834 at this date, which is only about
fifty bucks more than a standard blued/walnut 870. For that
extra fifty bucks, you get an engraved nickel receiver, bottom
ejection, smooth operation, a top tang safety, and the Browning
name. Seems like a bargain to me. This is a very limited edition
shotgun, made in only one batch for 2008 only. Check with your
Browning dealer for availability.
For more information on this BPS and the full
line of Browning products, go to www.browning.com.
For the location of a browning dealer near you,
click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.
Jeff
Quinn
For a list of dealers where you can
buy this gun, go to: |
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