Browning BSS Grade II

[Larry the Gun Guy]

I recently found this BSS grade II with 30" barrels and it is a joy to shoot.

[Harry Gietler]

The Best Made Double Barrel Shotgun in the Last 50 years
is the Browning B-SS! No single trigger problems, no ejector problems, no
stock problems, shoot any shells in them, Just Plain Bullet Proof!

Harry

[Double Lab]

Can't say that I've ever seen one. I've been shooting a BSS since the late 80's and they are bullet proof.

[Mike of the Mountain]

I have a 12g BSS. Had a custom stock made for it by Dan Rositter and an ISIS system installed. I use it for crows, waterfowl and box birds. I can shoot Fiocchi Super Crushers out of it and it feels no different than a 20g.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by Harry Gietler

The Best Made Double Barrel Shotgun in the Last 50 years
is the Browning B-SS! No single trigger problems, no ejector problems, no
stock problems, shoot any shells in them, Just Plain Bullet Proof!

Harry

Not quite bullet proof. I've been shooting one with 30" barrels for many years, for ducks and for sporting clays competitions. I had the left barrel opened to what the right was, which is .018". It has digested 1 1/4 oz. steel shot loads, and lesser lead loads, for nearly twenty years.

Why do I say it's not bulletproof? I have shot it off face with the heavy duck loads, on the right barrel. Mine doesn't have a barrel selector so it always shoots the right one first. As most know, the right barrel gets fired much more than the left, on a S X S. So, it is the most likely to go off face, as mine did. It has been maintained properly, cleaned and lubed after each use, so the off face isn't from neglect. It continues on hammering ducks with a .003" shim on the hook.

It's by far the easiest S X S to shoot well of any I've ever used, and I own and have shot a lot of them. I won the AA class in the S X S at the 2010 U.S. Open with this gun.

They are great guns, but they aren't bulletproof, IMO.

Yours appears to be in high condition, Larry. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Joe from MO]

I bought a BSS 12ga last year, and agree that it's probably the easiest SxS to shoot well.

Mine is currently back at Browning getting the stock repaired, as I noticed a hairline crack by the trigger plate.... I believe the wood had softened from too much oil, soaking down into the stock.

They are built like a tank though, not something I'd like to hike 10 miles with chasing birds.

[Double Lab]

Stan;

When I said bullet proof I meant in comparison to other vintage guns of that design. Mine is a non-selective trigger also and I never shot anything more than 1 1/4oz loads out of it at modest velocities. The trigger and ejectors are extremely reliable and to me that's what makes a solid gun. Not the sleekest SxS but comfortable and reliable.

[Stan Hillis]

Quite right, Daryl, on all points. That trigger is perfection, for a single trigger, and the ejectors are trouble free as well. The barrels have to be tough, too. Mine has digested factory steel loads for many, many years with no issues, to the tubes, that I have been able to determine. Oh, how I wish they had made some with 32" barrels!! At one time I was considering having one sleeved to 32", but decided the juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze.

On another note, concerning the 12 ga. BSS, it has the narrowest frame, across the breech balls, of any 12 ga. S X S I've ever measured. Look down on one from the top next time you have a chance and notice just how sleek it looks from the top. Not the prettiest S x S when viewed from the sides, but one of the best suited for sporting clays and ducks I've ever found.

[Pay Dirt]

Good morning Stan.
While 32” barrels would have been great,
I believe the real loss is that Browning never made the BSS in 28 gauge.
The 28” 20’s are a fairly coveted item. A 28” 28 gauge would have been incredible.

[Joe from MO]

Originally Posted by Bobby Cash

Good morning Stan.
While 32” barrels would have been great,
I believe the real loss is that Browning never made the BSS in 28 gauge.
The 28” 20’s are a fairly coveted item. A 28” 28 gauge would have been incredible.

Or a 30" straight stocked 16ga.