Browning BPS and Ithaca

[Oconeeguy]

interested in experiences and opinions regarding Browning pump shotguns and Ithaca. Have seen pretty good deals on Ithaca guns (mostly well used Model 37 featherlight), but very few BPS shotguns around . They look similar in that they are both bottom-eject. Both feel great when shouldered.

Also, anyone ever heard of threading a 28 inch Ithaca Mod choke barrel to accept a turkey choke? Suggestions as to an appropriate choke for that setup?

[FullChoke]

I still have the first gun that I ever owned, a 12 gauge Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight Deerslayer with the rifle sights. It has the cylinder bore barrel and was really designed to shoot deer slugs. For many years it was my only gun and I pushed it into turkey hunting service with several disappointing results. I wanted to make it into a dedicated turkey gun, so I sent it off to Briley Gunworks in Houston where they tapped the barrel interior and fitted it with one of their extra full turkey chokes. At that time, there were very few aftermarket choke tubes available, so I felt great just having one. I used it successfully for several years until I replaced it with a BPS Stalker with a full array of choke tubes.

I like the fit and feel of both guns, the biggest difference is the weight of the two. The Ithaca is light and would kick pretty rough, the Browning is a heavy chunk of steel that is able to absorb felt recoil really well.

Hope this helps.

FullChoke

[R AJ]

I have owned and shot both in 12 gauge . The 2 3/4" Ithaca in magnum buckshot kicked harder than the 3" BPS . As stated above, the BPS weight is heavy to some but when shooting the mac daddy shells I prefer the BPS.

[30_06]

The Ithaca 37 is the finest pump shotgun ever made hands down. The BPS is a fine shotgun. The Ithaca is all steel, hand fitted parts, and made in the USA, the BPS is not. The Ithaca has the safety behind the trigger, the BPS has a top tang safety.

You can find or purchase new both the Ithaca and the BPS in turkey hunting configurations. My current Ithaca Turkeyslayer 12ga shoots 3" shells, and came with a fixed 24" ported barrel with a .665 choke.
You can thread a barrel for chokes on an Ithaca (or any other gun for that matter).

Both will give you good patterns so I say shoot whichever you like best, my choice is the Ithaca.

[delta hunter]

I have no experience with ithaca, but bps is my favorite. I own 870, mossberg 835, and bps. Bps is by far my favorite.

[fountain2]

If you are from south ga, u have a great option very close by.  Sumtoy customs can do the work to the bbl for threading and choking it for ya

[Oconeeguy]

contact info for Sumtoy ?

[Oconeeguy]

Thanks for the PM info Fountain2 ! We are in that neck of the woods from time-to-time

[allaboutshooting]

interested in experiences and opinions regarding Browning pump shotguns and Ithaca. Have seen pretty good deals on Ithaca guns (mostly well used Model 37 featherlight), but very few BPS shotguns around . They look similar in that they are both bottom-eject. Both feel great when shouldered.

Also, anyone ever heard of threading a 28 inch Ithaca Mod choke barrel to accept a turkey choke? Suggestions as to an appropriate choke for that setup?

The BPS is a proven design, works exceptionally well, has the proven Invector+ barrel system and has a very tight, weather resistant receiver design, with bottom ejection, as you noted. It's has an all steel construction.

The Ithaca gun has an excellent reputation, although the company has been bought and sold several times. There have been a few model changes and design changes over the years along with the ownership changes. The thread type for chokes has also varied and there are at least 3 different ones, depending upon who made it and when it was made. That can limit your choice of chokes.

Both guns have loyal followers and both are good guns at least in my experience. It's just a matter of choice and which one feels best to you.

Thanks,
Clark

[R AJ]

contact info for Sumtoy ?

Sum Toy Custom Chokes
Glennville, Ga.
912-237-4360
Ask for William

[richieii]

been eyeing both, the bottom eject is very attractive when your left handed and my son(my hunting partner) is not.

[decoykrvr]

I've killed turkeys w/ both a Browning BPS and several different Ithaca Model 37's.  In 1983, I had Mark Bansner cut-off a 30" barrel to 25", sleeve it internally w/ a .665 id choke and lengthen the forcing cone.  To date it is the only shotgun which I've found which shoots the Federal Heavyweight loads extremely well.  I hunt almost exclusively w/ an Ithaca Turkeyslayer mounting a Nikon VSD red dot and Beartooth comb, and a .660 Indian Creek tube and Hevi-13, #7's.  I seldom hunt w/ 31/2" shells which negates any advantage of the BPS which is heavier, not as well balanced, and not as slick as my Ithaca model 37's.  I like to run-n-gun and the Ithaca is so light that I've even quit using a sling on the gun, which keeps the gun in-hand and has contributed to the killing of several birds over the years that would have been iffy if my gun had been slung on my shoulder.