{
  "apiVersion": 1,
  "kind": "work-order",
  "purpose": "Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification.",
  "firearm": {
    "slug": "browning-bps",
    "name": "Browning BPS",
    "manufacturer": {
      "id": "browning",
      "name": "Browning Arms Company"
    },
    "category": "shotgun",
    "action": "pump-action",
    "calibers": [
      "12 gauge",
      "20 gauge",
      "28 gauge",
      ".410 bore",
      "10 gauge"
    ],
    "alsoKnownAs": [
      "BPS Hunter",
      "BPS Field"
    ],
    "coversAlso": [
      "BPS Hunter, Field, Stalker, and Upland variants"
    ],
    "page": "firearms/browning-bps.html",
    "bundle": "api/v1/firearms/browning-bps.json",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "notices": [
    "Browning Arms Company limits owner disassembly: Magazine cap and barrel only (plus the stabilizing washer and split ring on Deer models).",
    "This work order is written for the Browning BPS. It is reported to cover BPS Hunter, Field, Stalker, and Upland variants — if the firearm on the bench is one of those, check the torque notes: values do not always carry over.",
    "No torque values are recorded for this firearm. Get them from the manufacturer or a gunsmith; do not estimate."
  ],
  "disclaimer": {
    "headline": "Read this before you use anything here.",
    "points": [
      "This is a guide, not an authority. Entries are compiled from manufacturer manuals, technical manuals, published references, and community knowledge. Some of it comes from sources that are not authoritative, and some of it may simply be wrong.",
      "Always consult the manufacturer's manual for your specific firearm and serial-number range. Manufacturers change designs mid-production without renaming the model. The manual that shipped with your firearm outranks anything on this site.",
      "Consult a licensed gunsmith for anything beyond routine field stripping and cleaning, for any firearm you are unsure about, and for any procedure marked as gunsmith-recommended here.",
      "Treat every firearm as loaded. Verify it is unloaded, with the magazine removed and the chamber physically and visually checked, before any procedure in this database. Point it in a safe direction the entire time.",
      "Disassembly can damage a firearm or injure you. Springs are under tension, parts can launch, and reassembling a firearm incorrectly can make it unsafe to fire in a way that is not obvious from the outside. If a reassembled firearm does not pass a function check, stop and see a gunsmith.",
      "Torque values are shown in two groups. Values from the manufacturer or the issuing military are shown as such, with the document they came from. Values reported by anyone else — parts makers, gunsmithing publishers, articles, forums — are shown separately with who said them, how reliable that source is, and their exact words. Those are not specifications. Confirm any torque value with the manufacturer or a licensed gunsmith before relying on it.",
      "Nothing here is legal advice. Firearms law varies by country, state, and city, and some modifications or configurations are regulated or prohibited. You are responsible for knowing and following the law where you are.",
      "No warranty of any kind. Contributors and maintainers accept no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from use of this material."
    ],
    "page": "disclaimer.html",
    "legal": {
      "summary": "Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.",
      "page": "legal.html",
      "notice": "https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown/blob/main/LEGAL.md"
    }
  },
  "sourcing": {
    "confidence": "high",
    "verification": "manufacturer-manual-verified"
  },
  "manufacturerDisassembly": {
    "status": "limited",
    "limit": "Magazine cap and barrel only (plus the stabilizing washer and split ring on Deer models).",
    "statement": "Browning's BPS disassembly is barrel removal only, followed by 'No further disassembly is recommended'; the manual says never to take the gun apart further than explained and to use a qualified gunsmith or Browning's service facility.",
    "source": {
      "title": "Browning BPS Shotgun Owner's Manual",
      "publisher": "Browning",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://www.browning.com/support/owners-manuals/bps-shotgun.html",
      "page": null,
      "pdfPage": null,
      "pageUrl": null,
      "quote": "No further disassembly is recommended."
    }
  },
  "recalls": [],
  "shopTier": {
    "tier": 3,
    "group": "shotgun",
    "rating": "Pew-Takedown editorial rating (1 easy – 3 hardest), not the manufacturer's",
    "reason": "About 63 keyed parts (82 rows) on a bottom-eject pump that owners widely describe as miserable to put back: the loose spring-strip shell stops block the trigger group and fall into the receiver unless held aside with shim strips, bolt, carrier and ejector arms must be juggled into position to go in through the bottom, and the carrier wings must land in the slide-arm rabbets. Browning itself says not to strip it.",
    "confidence": "medium",
    "partCount": {
      "value": 63,
      "kind": "line-items",
      "covers": "Browning BPS parts list (28/20/12 ga Hunting and 12 ga Game Gun), 63 key numbers with variant rows; the Game Gun/Buck Special list (p. 14) left out",
      "basis": "manufacturer-parts-list",
      "source": {
        "title": "Owner's Manual, Browning BPS Pump Action Shotgun, 12, 20 & 28 Ga. Models and Game Gun Models",
        "publisher": "Browning",
        "reliability": "primary",
        "url": "https://archive.org/download/gunmanual_Browning_BPS/Browning%20BPS.pdf",
        "page": "13",
        "pdfPage": null,
        "pageUrl": null,
        "quote": "62 Trigger Stalker Model"
      }
    },
    "painPoints": [
      {
        "issue": "The spring-strip shell stops are not staked, so when the trigger group is rotated in they block it and fall into the receiver; the workaround is to hold them aligned and slide thin metal strips alongside the trigger group as a jig.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Browning BPS take down (now re-assemble)",
          "publisher": "Accurate Reloading Gunsmithing Forum",
          "reliability": "anecdotal",
          "url": "https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/445104952",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The spring strip shell stops are not staked in place. When you try to install the trigger group they block your way, and usually fall out inside the receiver."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "Bolt, carrier and ejector arms have to be fiddled into one position before they will drop out of, or go back up into, the bottom of the receiver.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "BPS Disassembly",
          "publisher": "City-Data Forum (Guns and Hunting)",
          "reliability": "anecdotal",
          "url": "https://city-data.com/forum/guns-hunting/957806-bps-disassembly.html",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "I had to fiddle with the bolt, carrier and ejector arms to get everything in the right position for the bolt and carrier to drop out of the bottom of the receiver."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "On reassembly the carrier 'wings' must sit in the rabbets on the slide arms, and the trigger group refuses to go in with the trigger in the energised position; owners describe the job as a big pain.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "BPS Disassembly",
          "publisher": "City-Data Forum (Guns and Hunting)",
          "reliability": "anecdotal",
          "url": "https://city-data.com/forum/guns-hunting/957806-bps-disassembly.html",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The \"wings\" on the carrier have to lay in the \"rabbetts\" on the slide arms."
        }
      }
    ],
    "minutes": {
      "strip": 60,
      "rebuild": 95,
      "basis": "estimated",
      "note": "Strip of barrel, slide arms, trigger group, bottom-eject bolt/carrier/ejector arms and top-tang safety; rebuild much longer because the loose shell stops must be held aside with shims as the trigger group goes in.",
      "source": null
    },
    "stripScope": [
      {
        "assembly": "Barrel / magazine",
        "removes": [
          "magazine cap",
          "barrel",
          "magazine spring and follower"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Receiver",
        "removes": [
          "trigger group pins and trigger group",
          "spring-strip shell stops (fall out)",
          "slide and action arms",
          "bolt, carrier and ejector arms (out the bottom)",
          "top-tang safety and plunger"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Bolt",
        "removes": [
          "firing pin and spring",
          "extractors"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Stock",
        "removes": [
          "recoil pad",
          "stock bolt"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "hardware": {
      "pins": 13,
      "springs": 12,
      "detents": 1,
      "basis": "counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given)"
    },
    "specialTools": [
      {
        "tool": "Thin metal shim strips (e.g., cut aluminium can)",
        "usedFor": "Holding the shell stops aside while the trigger group is rotated in"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Punch set",
        "usedFor": "Trigger group pins"
      }
    ],
    "fitOnRebuild": [
      {
        "check": "Shell stops seated and working",
        "why": "They are not staked; misplaced stops cause double feeds that lock the gun up.",
        "source": {
          "title": "Browning BPS take down (now re-assemble)",
          "publisher": "Accurate Reloading Gunsmithing Forum",
          "reliability": "anecdotal",
          "url": "https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/445104952",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The spring strip shell stops are not staked in place."
        }
      },
      {
        "check": "Carrier wings in the slide-arm rabbets",
        "why": "If they are not, the action will not cycle correctly.",
        "source": {
          "title": "BPS Disassembly",
          "publisher": "City-Data Forum (Guns and Hunting)",
          "reliability": "anecdotal",
          "url": "https://city-data.com/forum/guns-hunting/957806-bps-disassembly.html",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The \"wings\" on the carrier have to lay in the \"rabbetts\" on the slide arms."
        }
      },
      {
        "check": "Function check: safety, trigger/sear release, disconnector and feeding with dummy rounds",
        "why": "Standard after any detail strip; a mis-assembled sear or disconnector can double or fail to fire.",
        "source": null
      }
    ],
    "assessed": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "videos": [],
  "configurations": [],
  "tools": [],
  "phases": [
    {
      "id": "clear",
      "title": "Clear and make safe",
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 1,
          "instruction": "Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger."
        },
        {
          "n": 2,
          "instruction": "Push the tang safety to the safe position."
        },
        {
          "n": 3,
          "instruction": "Press the action release and pull the forend rearward to open the action.",
          "partsFreed": [
            "Chambered shell, if present"
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": 4,
          "instruction": "Cycle the action repeatedly, catching each shell as it drops from the bottom port."
        },
        {
          "n": 5,
          "instruction": "With the action open, look up through the bottom port with a light to inspect the chamber and magazine tube.",
          "warning": "There is no side port. Use a light."
        },
        {
          "n": 6,
          "instruction": "Physically confirm the chamber is empty and clear all live ammunition from the work area."
        }
      ],
      "videos": []
    },
    {
      "id": "disassemble",
      "title": "Disassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "title": "Field Strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure: open the action, visually inspect the chamber, and put the safety in the ON SAFE position."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Place the slide in its forward position."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Unscrew the magazine cap and remove it.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Magazine cap"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "On BPS Deer models, first remove the barrel stabilising lock washer and split ring from the magazine tube.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Barrel stabilising lock washer",
                "Barrel stabilising split ring"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Holding the receiver in one hand and the barrel in the other, ease the barrel forward off the magazine tube and out of the receiver.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Barrel"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Stop here. Browning states no further disassembly is recommended — the forend, action slide, bolt, and trigger group all stay in the gun.",
              "warning": "Browning's standing notice: never take the firearm apart further than the owner's manual explains. It is a finely fitted mechanism and you may permanently damage it by disassembling the inner mechanism assemblies. If more is needed, it goes to a qualified gunsmith or Browning's service facility."
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refinish",
      "title": "Refinish",
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "Magazine cap",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 3
        },
        {
          "name": "Barrel stabilising lock washer",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 4
        },
        {
          "name": "Barrel stabilising split ring",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 4
        },
        {
          "name": "Barrel",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 5
        }
      ],
      "manufacturerPartsList": {
        "parts": 82,
        "scope": "\"Parts List: Browning BPS Pump Action Shotgun\" for 28, 20 and 12 ga Hunting models and 12 ga Game Guns. Part numbers are from the 12 ga column; 20 and 28 ga numbers are in notes. The Game Gun/Buck Special list (p. 14) is left out."
      },
      "partsDiagrams": [],
      "materials": [
        {
          "component": "Receiver",
          "material": "forged steel",
          "finish": null,
          "appliesTo": null,
          "note": null,
          "source": {
            "title": "BPS Pump-Action Shotgun — Overview",
            "publisher": "Browning",
            "reliability": "primary",
            "url": "https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/bps/overview.html",
            "page": null,
            "pdfPage": null,
            "pageUrl": null,
            "quote": "The receiver is precision machined from a solid block of forged steel."
          }
        },
        {
          "component": "Stock",
          "material": "composite",
          "finish": null,
          "appliesTo": "composite-stock BPS models",
          "note": null,
          "source": {
            "title": "BPS Pump-Action Shotgun — Overview",
            "publisher": "Browning",
            "reliability": "primary",
            "url": "https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/bps/overview.html",
            "page": null,
            "pdfPage": null,
            "pageUrl": null,
            "quote": "The composite stock features a straight heel section that makes it easy for a gunsmith to shorten the length of pull 3/4\" and refit the recoil pad."
          }
        }
      ],
      "note": "The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks \"factory fit\" should not be swapped or reworked."
    },
    {
      "id": "reassemble",
      "title": "Reassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "reassembly",
          "title": "Reassembly",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Follow this sequence exactly. Browning flags steps one and two as the ones that must be done in order.",
              "tip": "The carrier has to be lowered before the barrel extension will enter the receiver, and only this sequence lowers it."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "With the magazine cap off, depress the slide release button and pull the forearm completely rearward."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Hold the stock and receiver horizontal with the ejection port facing DOWN, then push the forearm forward until the rear of the forearm is even with the front of the receiver.",
              "warning": "Do not squeeze hard on the open rear end of a wood forearm. Too much pressure can split the wood.",
              "tip": "Ejection port down is what lets the bolt hold the carrier low enough for the barrel to go in."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Glance through the bore and confirm it is clear of obstructions before the barrel goes on."
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Insert the barrel extension into the receiver and move the barrel rearward, guiding the barrel guide ring over the magazine tube. Check that the barrel tab — which projects from the rearmost rib post on top of the barrel — aligns with and enters the recess in the front upper surface of the receiver."
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "On Deer models, slide the barrel stabilising split ring back onto the magazine tube with the bevelled surfaces of the split ring and the guide ring matched, then place the lock washer on top of the split ring."
            },
            {
              "n": 7,
              "instruction": "Replace the magazine cap, then cycle the action several times and perform the function check."
            }
          ],
          "instruction": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "torque",
      "title": "Torque",
      "coverage": "none-recorded",
      "manufacturer": [],
      "reported": [],
      "notes": "The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: \"Tighten the screws snugly, but do not overtighten.\" (Browning BPS Shotgun Owner's Manual) \"Turn the screws clockwise to tighten. Do not overtighten the screws.\" (Browning BPS Shotgun Owner's Manual)"
    },
    {
      "id": "function-check",
      "title": "Function check",
      "checks": [
        "Verify the shotgun is unloaded — chamber and magazine tube — before each step.",
        "Cycle the action fully. It should run smoothly without binding and lock closed.",
        "With the action closed and the hammer cocked, engage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.",
        "Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.",
        "With the hammer down, confirm the action will not open until the action release is pressed.",
        "Load two dummy shells into the magazine and confirm they feed and eject cleanly, one per cycle."
      ],
      "videos": []
    }
  ],
  "troubleshooting": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "n": 1,
      "id": "browning-arms-company-530863",
      "title": "Browning BPS Shotgun Owner's Manual",
      "publisher": "Browning",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://www.browning.com/support/owners-manuals/bps-shotgun.html",
      "accessed": "2026-09-14"
    },
    {
      "n": 2,
      "id": "browning-bps-parts-manual",
      "title": "Owner's Manual, Browning BPS Pump Action Shotgun, 12, 20 & 28 Ga. Models and Game Gun Models",
      "publisher": "Browning",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/gunmanual_Browning_BPS/Browning%20BPS.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-09-27"
    },
    {
      "n": 3,
      "id": "browning-specs-c1456d",
      "title": "BPS Pump-Action Shotgun — Overview",
      "publisher": "Browning",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/bps/overview.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-03"
    },
    {
      "n": 4,
      "id": "tier-917d28b0",
      "title": "Browning BPS take down (now re-assemble)",
      "publisher": "Accurate Reloading Gunsmithing Forum",
      "reliability": "anecdotal",
      "url": "https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/445104952",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    },
    {
      "n": 5,
      "id": "tier-cb081975",
      "title": "BPS Disassembly",
      "publisher": "City-Data Forum (Guns and Hunting)",
      "reliability": "anecdotal",
      "url": "https://city-data.com/forum/guns-hunting/957806-bps-disassembly.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    }
  ]
}