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Browning BPS Stalker 10ga

7K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  baltz526 
#1 ·
Recently put a used one on layaway. Always wanted one Adam pretty happy with the price. Just looking for general info on the gun. Who's got one? What ya use it for? What loads do you like for coyote and Canada geese? That's what I'll be using it for a few hunts a season prolly.
 
#3 ·
I had one as a back up to my Mag-10 but sold it after a couple of years. Recoil was OK as it was a heavy gun but that was about the only positive for me.

The stock was thick and clubby to me, much like a Beretta 390 only more.

I also did not care for bottom loading as it is not as easy nor fluid was with a side ejecting gun. One could get a fourth shot off pretty quickly with a side ejection gun which can be handy finishing off a cripple or bagging an extra bird in a close flock. Many times I took a goose with that fourth shot and a few of those times it was the only geese I took.

The gun is a solid one but not something I personally prefer. It is nothing against the BPS as I feel the same towards the Ithaca 37 and the Remington Model 29. I do have a fondness for the Remington Model 10 but that is for nostalgic reasons rather than practical.

I forgot to mention loads.

For waterfowl I use BB and BBB steel for ducks, geese, cranes, and the occasional swan. BB is a great pass shooting load for ducks which does a good job of anchoring them. #2 steel is a bit too dense at close range and seems to run out of steam at longer ranges leading to more cripples than I like. #1 steel, when I can find it, is also a great long range duck load and a very good snow goose load. I have a few boxes of T shot stashed that I'll use as a third shot when hunting cranes. The pellet count is less than I like but it seems to do a better job on cripples than the smaller shot.

I don't use the 10 ga much for coyotes or turkeys as it is heavier than my 12 ga guns to hold in shooting position for extended times. The times I've used it, lead BB was good for coyotes and lead 4s for turkey. 2 ounces of lead 6 will reach out a ways on crows and is often a surprise for those that learned the effective range of a trap load of 7 1/2.
 
#4 ·
I have been shooting one since 93. Truelock sells very good chokes for them. The best Steel shot is the Federal 1 1/2oz in BB or BBB, The other good one is the Remington 1 3/8oz Sportsman in BB. The Remington hull is better for reloading. Reloading is almost mandatory for the 10ga if you shoot it often. The bottom eject is its best feature. It drops its empty's at your feet where the autos toss them many yards out into the lake or marsh. Not good for a reloader. Mine is a 30" barrel. Perfect for pass shooting. When strictly pass shooting geese. I shoot BBB. Ducks and geese. B or #1 steel. All my reloads run 1500 to 1700fps. BBB work ok at 1450fps the standard Federal 1 1/2oz velocity. The work a lot better at 1600 to 1700fps.
 
#6 ·
baltz526 said:
I have been shooting one since 93. Truelock sells very good chokes for them. The best Steel shot is the Federal 1 1/2oz in BB or BBB, The other good one is the Remington 1 3/8oz Sportsman in BB. The Remington hull is better for reloading. Reloading is almost mandatory for the 10ga if you shoot it often. The bottom eject is its best feature. It drops its empty's at your feet where the autos toss them many yards out into the lake or marsh. Not good for a reloader. Mine is a 30" barrel. Perfect for pass shooting. When strictly pass shooting geese. I shoot BBB. Ducks and geese. B or #1 steel. All my reloads run 1500 to 1700fps. BBB work ok at 1450fps the standard Federal 1 1/2oz velocity. The work a lot better at 1600 to 1700fps.
Totally agree with that i think the remington hull is better for reloading
 
#7 ·
I agree that the Remington hull is a good one but I wouldn't call it the best. A lot depends on what you are loading & the environment you use it in. I reload the 10 in 3.5" & 2 7/8" in most every 10 ga. hull that has been around since the 70's, including all brass turned (machined) hulls. I don't shoot steel but have reloaded hevi shot, bismuth, tungsten matrix, nice shot & of course lead. I am fond of Federal hulls & the Win. plastic base hull w/ brass heads. I don't know what is currently available but all my hulls have brass heads. The old Win. paper & pollyformed hulls with paper basewad had brass heads but that is about the only good thing I can say for them! My stash of 10 ga. hulls dates back to the 80's & I don't anticipate needing more in my lifetime. I do plan on sticking around to shoot a few more birds & catch some more fish before I check out!
 
#8 ·
In hulls for the 10ga We can get once fired for reloading by buying new and shooting them. Begging other 10ga shooters to save their hulls. Buying hulls on the rare occasion one of the suppliers get some. Federals have good data, But if they get wet, They are garbage due to the paper base. Cheddite hulls are not the best due to their weakness. Winchester drylok hulls are short, Not a true 3 1/2" more a 3 1/4" though some Winchester premiums are longer. The Remington hulls have a plastic base so if they hit the water, You can dry them and use them, The are a strong hull, They fit a full length 10ga wad and are a full length hull. Though some need trimming because they are over 3.480" after firing. The max length that work in the Gold. With the Federals having the best factory load for the best price, That hull is the most common and if you can keep them dry, they load great.
 
#9 ·
I bought 500 or so of both the Federal paper base & Remington plastic base hulls some years ago from Precision Reloading. There is at least two versions of the Remington hull. The load data mostly dictates the hull. I shoot a sxs 10, actually 4 of them, which makes taking care of empties a lot easier. One is a L.C. Smith with 3" chambers which gets cut off 3.5" hulls after they no longer take crimps for the longer loads or the solid brass ones. I bought 100 Win. Plastic Base cases about the same time with brass heads from ebay. I may be wrong but I believe Federal sold some of their high density loads with their all plastic hunting hulls. I think I may have some. The Federal paper base hulls have brass heads. The 10 ga. hulls are the only Federal hulls with brass heads that I can remember. For me, rust is more of a problem than water. A shell gets exposed to spray & dampness much more often than it gets dunked in water while duck & goose hunting. Yes you can clean & dry a REM hull & reload it again but if it is salt water, you need to be sure all salt is cleaned off & do something to protect the metal!
I don't have a need for more volume in the hulls as I reload only Hevi Shot (the original stuff), bismuth & lead. I also have some tungsten matrix (loose shot) & Nice Shot but no steel. Steel takes up considerably more space. I am thinking of trying "Frog Lube" to protect my steel head hulls. It is said to be great stuff.
 
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