Bottom ejecting shotgun mechanism.

[Felenari]

Does anyone know where I could look up a diagram or something similar on how a browning bps shotgun works? I've always liked the idea of a bottom ejecting shotgun but I can't find anything showing in detail how it keeps the next shell from dropping out after ejecting the old one.

Anyone have one of these that they'd be willing to video the cycle of?

[Screwball]

Similar to the Ithaca 37...



The work is done with those two fingers.

Unloaded shotgun, those are sitting as shown when the action is open. You can take a shell, lay on those or push it down (pushing the fingers to the top of the receiver). When the bolt is closed, shell is chambered and fingers are above the bolt.

On ejection, the bolt pulls the empty out... and at a certain point, the fingers eject it from the shotgun.

If a round is in the magazine, once the fingers are down (as pictured), a shell ejects on top of them. When you close the action, they pull it in line with the bolt, and the bolt chambers it. Again, with bolt closed, the fingers are all the way up to the top of the receiver... ready for ejection/loading.

Hopefully that is a good explanation for you. The BPS is based on the Ithaca, but I think you’ll get more results looking at the Ithaca.

[osbornk]

Just look at an Ithaca 37 or one of their many clones. Many of the Chinese made shotguns are clones of it. My neighbor has one and it shoots beautifully.

[Felenari]

Tyty. That's a perfect description of what order it functions in. I want to build a shotgun in a year or two with a similar design.

[jaguarxk120]

The Ithaca patent number is 1849982. If you look it up it has all the drawings and
a description of the operation of the gun.
This shotgun was originally designed by John Browning. He was the worlds greatest
gun designer ever!

[Felenari]

Thanks Jaguar. I'll do that. I didn't know you could look up patents like that.

[NHSHOOTER]

I once owned a Ithaca 37 20 ga, best little pump gun I ever had..Killer on woodcock here in NH..

[Virginian]

If they hadn't had to wait for Remington's patent rights to expire, it could have been the Ithaca 35.

[Lucas McCain]

There is a magazine stop that works in conjunction with the fingers that lets 1 cartridge out and stops the next one in the magazine.
The very early production BPS had a selector on the exterior of the magizine. It allowed you to shoot single shot or repeater. Allot did was stop the forearm a fraction of an inch from coming all the way back and it prevented any cartridges from coming out of the magizine.
It’s really nice for taking a live round out of the chamber, it allows you to change the cartridge in the chamber with out unloading the magizine. It also allows you to unload the magizine with out cycling the action. That is a real safety feature.
The later production of the BPS done away with this feature, and I have never seen it on a Ithaca 37.

[Virginian]

That was the trap model BPS that had that feature.

[Virginian]

I had 3 BPSs and not one ever missed a beat, but I could never warm up to the bottom loading feature. Always seemed more cumbersome to reload to me. Also, the reach felt longer, even though it really wasn't. Never was a fan of the feel of an Ithaca.

[jaguarxk120]

Don't most if not all repeating shotguns load from the bottom.

There are a few that have a removable magazine.

[Virginian]

Most popular pumps let you throw the first one in the ejection port. Hunting with a plugged magazine, it leads to a faster fourth and/or fifth shot.

[Lucas McCain]

Virginian; trap models may have the magizine block feature. I have never seen a BPS trap gun. I got mine new the first year or so that they were produced. It was a 3” mag hunting shot gun. No high combed stock or an elevated rib. It sure didn’t look like a trap gun. Maybe I got lucky, hard to say.