Need opinion on a shotgun

J

jk2paintworx

New member
I have been looking for a 12g for coyote for awhile and mostly looking at Mossy500s. While I was in a pawnshop I came accros a Browning BPS Wild turkey fed model with a 24" barrel, Full camo and removable choke for $350. It seems to be in great shape and being a Lefty I am very pleased to see that it is bottom eject and rear tang sefety.
But.... I failed to pay attention to whether or not it is 3 1/2" or just 3".
What do you guys think about the BPS? And is it necessary to have a 3.5" capable shotgun for Coyotes? I am not sure my shoulder will want to deal with 3.5 inchers, but are there good coyote loads in 3" or will I be wanting to man up and shot 3.5"??
How much recoil do the Dead Coyote loads hit with? I had a shoulder surgery on my left shoulder last year and wondering if I should really be getting into shotgunning? Are there good recoil pads that make it less of a impact? I grew up shooting trap and hunting upland birds but never really got into the "Big Stuff".
 
If you have shoulder problems, I would say save your money and get a gas gun. My sbe2 takes 3.5 shells, but shoots dead coyote 3" shells best. But for turkey it likes 3.5 better. That's the nice thing about a 3.5" gun, they take everything. However, it's not always needed to go with the longer shells. The BPS is a great gun, especially for lefties, which I am too. Im sure you can put a Sims recoil pad on it and it will help with felt recoil, but if it was me I'd keep saving for a reasonably priced gas gun. Look at a mossberg 935, it has a top tang safety that is great for lefties and the pattern great. Good luck
 
Thanks guys. I do remember shooting the Remingtons growing uo that the 1100 had less recoil than the 870 but the 1100 was quite a bit heavier too. Was kind of a trade off and I always went lightweigh for bird hunting. How much of a difference is the weight and recoil between a Semi auto and the pump guns?
 
Bps are usually on the heavy side so chances are a semi will be lighter. There can be substantial difference between a semi and pump depending on the gun. 1100's are known for light recoil. If you can the new versa max is known for very light recoil and with the remington rebate offered till the end of the month you can get a sportsman model real cheap
 
BPS has a good rep. 3" loads have been doing the job for a very long time. I prefer Limbsaver pads.
Ultimately an autoloader is very nice to have but there again pumps have been doing the job reliably for much less money.
 
I have had a couple different BPS shotguns and have always been happy with their performance.

As far as 3 1/2" goes, I use 3" shells for coyotes even when using my 3 1/2" shotguns. When legal I use #4 buck or Hevi T shot, when I cannot use those I use one of the #2 Hevi waterfowl loads. Never had problems with any of them.
 
I had the 500 for years.Decent gun but I traded it in for the 835 which I like far more.The BPS is about as good as it gets as far as pumps go.If I were to get a semi I'd probably go with the Versa Max.From what I read they had some issues early on but have sorted things out.
 
I looked at the versa on Buds website and they are out of my price range unless I found a used one. Also doesn't look like they have a Turkey style gun with a short barrel. I am hoping to not have a right hand eject shotgun either. My Dad (also a lefty) had a hang fire while shooting a right hand 870 when I was a kid and I remember it being a pretty bad situation that could have been much worse. The bottom eject BPS seems like a good gun and will let me decide what I am really looking for and if I even use a 12g for coyote.
 
At that price, I don't see how you can go wrong given your needs/wants. Granted, I'd offer then $300 for it, but that's just me. You know it's a pawn shop so they gave pennies on the dollar when the bought or loaned on it. They probably gave $100 for it and certainly no more than $150.

The answer to do you need a 3.5 inch is this: Not only do you not NEED one for coyotes, shoot a couple of rounds of 3.5 inch out of a pump gun and you won't WANT one either. They'll beat you like a redheaded stepchild through that gun. Beyond the recoil, 3.5 inch shells are tougher to find, and I question weather there would be any substantial advantage to a 3.5 over a 3. So that's that settled.

The only downside to the BPS beyond the weight, is that the specific turkey configuration will have a limited market if you ever decided to sell it. That's probably why it's priced where it is as that seems cheap for a pawnshop. The pawn brokers here are always asking silly money for guns, I go in there only occasionally just to see that they still have the same overpriced guns they had 6 months ago. But if you can get a reasonable deal, go for it.

Grouse
 
Mr. Grouse nailed it.

Forget the 3.5" loads. Buy the BPS. They're wonderful guns and will last for years with minimum maintenance.
 
Well.... I own it. Seems like a well built gun, maybe overbuilt?? After I finished all the paperwork on the BPS I noticed a Mossy9200 with removable choke,Cool fiber optic front/rear sight setup and 26" or 28" barrel for $219 He said I could swap it within 30days if I want. It seemed lighter and being auto should have less recoil?? And $100 less But its right handed and not nearly as cool lookin as the NWTF BPS. I paid $320 for the BPS and it comes with Turkey Full Choke. Should I go with the 9200?
 
i use a rem 870 youth 20 gauge chambered for 2.75" or 3" and also a rem 1100LT 20ga. chambered in 2.75" only. imo if ur carrying only a shotgun go with a 3.5" 12 gauge. If ur carrying both shotgun an rifle go with a lightweight 20 gauge. The 20ga. will handle everything up to 40yrds. anything over that i go with my rifle. If i was carrying shotgun only i would go with 3.5" with a specified coyote built choke tube to be able to reach out beyond 40yrds. I have a 12 gauge with a dog pounder choke tube and have made shots out to 60yrds. some reviews of the choke claim u can reach 75-80yrds with 3.5" loads, but imo thats really getting out there for a shotgun. I also reload my own shotshells and have been able to tailor my loads to suit my type of hunting. I often mix up duplex loads using #4Buck and #2 lead bird shot. seems to be a good combo for me and the areas i hunt.
 
3.5" shells are neither fun or necessary.

I'll admit it - unless there is adrenaline or excitement when shooting a 3.5 load, I don't like what is about to happen.
 
i really like the 20 gauge youth model guns. they are extremely light weight and easy to carry. generally short over all length and though i dont do it much they can even be shot one handed if need be. the recoil is non existant. they are just a pleasure to shoot imo. i find myself using the same 20 gauge for wing hunting also. come to think of it im back to using 223 for rifle and 20 gauge for shotgun....the same exact combo i started out with 28 years ago. all these years of trying to shoot big caliber guns and i find myself back where i started. plus i feel confident with those two cartridges, something i never really had with the previous firearms i owned that kicked the snot out of me.
 
Originally Posted By: fredhorace77i really like the 20 gauge youth model guns. they are extremely light weight and easy to carry. generally short over all length and though i dont do it much they can even be shot one handed if need be. the recoil is non existant. they are just a pleasure to shoot imo.

Your experiences are WAY different than mine. I've been shooting shotguns for over 45 years and every "youth" gun I've handled kicked like a mule due to the light weight. And the 20ga guns were the worst of the flock.
 


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