Another tough contender in our pump action comparison is the Browning BPS. The BPS is essentially a direct knockoff of the Remington 870 Wingmaster; however, Browning made a few stylistic and feature changes like: a thumb-operated grip safety on top of the tang, choices of matte black, camo or blued finishes, bottom ejection and loading of shells and some grip textures other than checkering.
We liked shooting this gun and would have loved to hunt with it alongside a Wingmaster for a great shot-by-shot comparison, but the stars didn’t line up for us in that account. Our range tests proved this gun to be very comfortable to shoot. We also found the Browning BPS to be just as reliable and accurate as the Remington Wingmaster by comparison, the only items we found lacking was the added weight of this shotgun and a slightly less durable feel in the synthetic stocks as opposed to the available walnut stocks. The BPS is available in 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410 models.
The bottom ejection is a nice feature and the fact that the safety is thumb operated makes this an ambidextrous gun that is intuitive and really keeps the customer in mind. The “back bored technology” is also interesting; the bore diameter has been increased and is stated to give overall better shot patterns regardless of the choke tubes you use.
BPS magazine capacity varies with different shell lengths. 2 3/4” shells allow four in the magazine and one in the chamber. 3” and 3.5” shells both allow three in the magazine and one in the chamber. Full, modified and improved cylinder choke tubes all come standard.
How does it shoot? Well, a whole heckuva lot like the Remington 870, which is to be expected considering it was modeled after it. An exceptionally well build pump-action shotgun that will get the job done, but unfortunately also includes a price tag that usually comes along with the Browning name as well.