Browning BPS Upland Special (20ga.)
Kim du Toit
February 25, 2003
12:00 AM CDT
As the War On Terrorism continues apace, more than a couple of people have written to me to ask what gun I would recommend to them—as their first firearm for home-defense purposes.
If you live in Bush Country (ie. a Red state or county), well, the world is your oyster, and a simple perusal of the GGP Index Page will yield a host of options.
But what if you live in one of the People’s Soviets, like New York, Chicago or San Francisco?
Here, the answer may be a little more problematic, because the bastards who control these little Workers’ Paradises tend to frown on gun ownership for personal and property protection.
However, they’re always reassuring people that “sporting” firearms are safe from their little grubby, gun-grabbing paws (they lie, of course, but that’s a story for another day).
Nevertheless, let’s look at one of these “sporting” firearms: the Browning Pump Shotgun (BPS) in its 20-gauge Upland Special incarnation, with a 22” barrel:
Now, this is a bona fide hunting piece—especially in the “duck” caliber of 20ga. This is not some scary-looking stainless-steel, chopped-off Mafia lupara. This is precisely the kind of gun the politicians like Al Gore are talking about when they wish to reassure you.
Even better if you have a membership for Ducks Unlimited, and a subscription to Field & Stream magazine. Remember, if ever you have to defend yourself in a courtroom because you wasted some lowlife who broke into your New York apartment, the scumbag prosecutor will not be able to make any points with the jury in painting you as a “wild-eyed vigilante” if your gun is, oh so clearly, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, a sporting piece.
Just don’t empty the 4-round magazine into the goblin unless you absolutely have to, and do not reload to finish him off. For some unknown reason, this creates a negative impression on urban juries.
The vanilla BPS Upland Special sells for less than $450, secondhand. (The “Citori” and “Gold” models are considerably more expensive, about $850 - $1,850.)
Oh, and as for ammo, try the “environmentally-sensitive” steel shot stuff, like the Winchester Xpert type:
That should do the trick. On those pesky errrr ducks.
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