Having a "Gun" Friday - BPS trip / meeting

[TritonGlenn]

I've been speaking with a really nice gentleman about buying a shotgun that I've wanted for a LONG time. I've always admired Browning BPS shotguns, but for the price tag, I could buy 2 Remington 870's or Mossberg 500's, so I always just picked them up, fondled them a little, shed a small tear where nobody could see, and handed them back to the gun counter guy. :lol:



Well... He offered me this Browning BPS, 3" chamber, with Browning Invector + choke system with extra chokes... for (drum roll please....) $250. :blink: It took me about 1.5 nanoseconds to say "I'll take it". That was a month ago. He was going to eventually come through San Antonio, and he offered to drop it off to me. Today was the day. I took posession of my BPS today in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops. It's even nicer than I thought. Fully engraved receiver - pheasants on one side, ducks on the other. The receiver bluing is a little worn, but nothing that can't be redone, and I have the ability and materials. Might even Duracoat it instead. The barrel is a vent rib in excellent condition - it does not need to be reblued at all. The wood is high gloss finished, with a few dents and dings, but nothing I can't either fix or live with. Overall... I got the gun I've always wanted - it's sitting beside my Browning Auto 5 in my gun safe now.



But it doesn't stop there - BPS had the gun that I've wanted to get my son for a while - the Henry Mini-Bolt .22LR. He's getting ready to turn 6, and I've been going over safety rules with him lately. Today was the day. I bought the rifle, and a box of .22's, and they gave us some free range time at the BPS indoor range. It was the first time my son has fired an actual rifle, and to my joy - he not only followed all the safety rules I taught him, but he hit the little target over half the time, which for someone who has never fired a weapon before, I thought was pretty impressive. He was smiling from ear to ear when we walked out. The rangemaster said he was impressed with the way my son handled everything, and that he knew the safety rules when asked.



Great day enjoying the range with my son. And we both came home with a new gun each. I can't wait to take him back out to the range!



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Greg Meyer]

Glenn,



Great news about the BPS. Always nice to fulfill a dream. But, the fantastic news was the rifle for your son. My son got a Chipmunk .22 long before I would buy him a BB gun. Kids might (and some do) think a BB gun is a "toy" and be less responsible. I have always felt that a real gun (or at the very least a pellet gun) was the best first choice. And, I have publicly argued that point for years.



The other point I have always argued is that that first rifle should have an optical sight. Two big reasons. One, it is actually a difficult task to focus on the multiple planes that comprise a correct sight picture for rifle shooting. An optical sight reduces that to one plane. Concentrate then on trigger control and "form". Two, nothing encourages a kid like success and we all know that it is easier to shoot with a scope.



I started my son (and then my youngest daughter...my oldest daughter tried it and had no interest in shooting, despite several tries at encouraging her) with a scope "like Dad's". Then, later we BOTH transitioned to receiver ("peep") sights for real marksmanship training (position shooting at paper targets, not just plinking). When the time is right, for my son that was about 9 yrs old, he got into target shooting with his Chipmunk and liked doing it. That was replaced with a Marlin .22 with good adjustable receiver sights. Today, he is a better than average shooter and has a past experience with formal smallbore competition. Juast a little anecdotal wisdom....

 

[fatrap]

I started my boy with a .22 Wincheste model 190. It's great when they like something that you do. Good luck with the little Henry.



fatrap

 

[Dan J.]

Nothing better than a BPS trip with the son. Kudos Dad!

 

[TritonGlenn]

Greg,

Yeah, I was looking at the receiver of that little gun, and the first thing I noticed is that I couldn't mount a scope on it. But I've looked so hard into buying one of these two (Cricket or Mini-Bolt), that it was time to make a decision. The Mini-Bolt had much better sights on it (some pretty good looking fiber optics), vice the cheap looking peephole sights on the Cricket.



I had not seen other rifles in his size, and I wanted to get him something that fit right from the start.



He likes it - and enjoyed it. That was the most important thing to me.



fatrap / Dan J.,

Thanks for the comments.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Greg Meyer]

Here's a link to the Henry cantilever scope mount for the Mini-bolt... $27.50...



BTW... that is a very nice first gun... I like the stainless components and fiberglass/synthetic stock. I am also impressed with the larger cocking knob and the additional manual safety. Great choice. When I bought the Chipmunk IT was the ONLY choice in a scaled down rifle (not just a shortened stock).
http://www.henryrepeating.com/parts.cfm

 

[TritonGlenn]

Awesome! Thanks Greg! My only concern is the "Simple gunsmithing is required to install." note. I'm wondering if I have to get the barrel drilled and tapped.



My only regret is that I couldn't get one in left handed action. My son is a lefty... just like his mom.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Greg Meyer]

Glenn,



I would imagine that you would need to have it drilled and tapped. Any competent gunsmith can do that... Just a few more $$$$$... Guns are like boats... Money pits!:lol: But, in the end, always worth it...