# Sabot slugs / rifled barrel on a Browning BPS 20ga?



## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

Does anyone here have experience with a Browning BPS using a rifled barrel and sabot slugs?

I have a BPS 20ga with stock 26" smooth bore bird barrel that I was kicking around selling until the wife pointed out it would make a nice starter gun for our son (in about 10 years) as he's a lefty...

The gun is a good shooter; I have only shot once - 2 rounds of skeet a while back and I broke my first ever 25-straight with it the second round.

I see Browning makes a fully rifled barrel for the BPS 20ga; goes for a paltry $400 on Midway...  20ga BPS rifled barrel

The barrel shown on Midway is a matte finish. The gun itself is a top end BPS with an engraved nickel receiver you could almost use as a mirror. There's nothing matte on the gun; all the bluing is high luster, so the Midway barrel would be a total gloss mismatch...

Thoughts?


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

I would keep the Browning as is, and look for a Remington 870 with a rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount. For a little more than the price of the Browning barrel you can have a deer gun and have the Browning for everything else. Your son will have both.


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

I vote keep it too. I wouldn't jump right on that barrel offer. You can probably find a whole gun for that price, rifled barrel & all.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

i have a browning model 17 pump built back in the 20's.
its become my favorite for squirrel, rabbit, bird, and yes deer.

for most distances, in the southern half of the state anyway, you don't need anything else.

the smoothbore with the cheapest slugs i can buy will drop a deer where it stands. just put the brass bead where you want it to hit and pull the trigger.


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## HTC (Oct 6, 2005)

My daughter has shot her BPS 20 for 4 seasons now and has done great with it. She shoots both buckhammers and Winchester sabots through a rifled choke tube. 

I went with a B-square mount, red dot and rifled choke tube because I was trying to duck the cost of a the fully rifled cantilever barrel until she was older and I knew she was going to stick with it. Also, when she started shooting it at 12 years old she was about 70 lbs, I did not want a hot sabot slug to cause the scope to pop her in the eye. The setup has done well for her and the red dot was easy for her to shoot. She is 16 now and for this coming season I will move her to a scope on top of the rifled cantilever barrel.


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## old professor (Oct 26, 2008)

When I lived down state, I had a Browing BPS in 12 ga with the rifled bbl. I had it scoped and with its prefered brand of sabot sluge it was very accurate! My gun liked the Remington Copper sabot slugs the best but every gun is different.


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

FYI as a price comparison, I just saw a whole Mossberg 500 slug gun on glocktalk classifieds for $240 or so.


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## Ron L (Nov 12, 2000)

If your BPS is a nice shiny high-end model, I wouldn't bastardize it.

As mentioned, you can get an entire slug gun for the cost of the BPS barrel itself. I'd look at the Rem 870, Mossy 500, or the H&R.

[evil voice in your head talking] Go ahead, get another gun.You can never have too many guns. You know you want to. You can always use it too. Your son will love it. You can justify it to your wife as "bonding" with the lad. You'll win the lottery and Megan Fox will come and visit you for dinner. [/evil voice in your head talking]


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

john warren said:


> i have a browning model 17 pump built back in the 20's.
> its become my favorite for squirrel, rabbit, bird, and yes deer.
> 
> for most distances, in the southern half of the state anyway, you don't need anything else.
> ...


Absolutely correct, John. My Granddad used an old Rem model 31 with a 30 inch full choke for years with cheap rifled slugs. He hunted in the UP primarily and always got his deer. Had a front bead and that was it. I still have the gun, doesn't eject shells anymore but it is now a keepsake. Like we all agree, there are scads of good used shotguns set up for deer available that won't take you under. I saw a ton of them just recently at Williams' in Davison.


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