over the years, have handled a few. some are stamped made in japan. some are stamped assembled in korea from parts made in japan, etc. have never noticed a difference in quality. some have wood better than others. some have selective trigger. otherwise, all the same...

what has been your experience?

I had an early 20 gauge with pistol grip and single non selective trigger.Got a sporter later that had single selective trigger.They are well made guns but too heavy for me. Bobby

My straight-gripped 12-g has 28-inch barrels that were opened to 10- and 15-thou and handles steel shot without problems. Does equally well with Brenneke slugs and the selective trigger has never doubled. It's a machine.

They do have trigger problems. Easy fix though.

The selector on mine is a bit tough to move but that started after I bent the stock. Was not an easy job, given the through-bolt but it worked.

They are a piece of crap. Overpriced, hard to shoot well with MOI like a black locust fence post, kick like a horsefly bit mule, ejectors constantly breaking, wood cracking, ribs popping loose and regulated about like two Red Ryders strapped together. The 30" barreled 3" chambered ones are the worst.

Best advice I can give is to rid yourself of them ASAP. I hate them so much I am willing to assist anyone trying to get rid of them quickly. I vow to take the sorry things to a duck swamp somewhere so they will never cause you troubles again.

P.M. me.

SRH

They aren't particularly light, certainly not compared to their Japanese competition the SKB (thinking the Ithaca imports). But they do have mechanical triggers, which solves issues you can have with the inertia variety.

wow stan: never heard that before...are you pullin our leg again?

anybody else out there have stan's woes? I mean as far as the bss is concerned...

what I was specifically wondering, is if anyone has experienced any difference in quality between the Japanese assembled guns and the Korean assembled guns?

Had mid 70s 26" 12ga with non-selective trigger and would not buy another especially at current prices. The gun cost me $500 ca. 1990. If you must late production sporters (straight grip/ large splinter forend is the way to go. If you can stand less ornamentation no ejectors and prefer double triggers Charles Daly 500 or Montgomery Ward 500 are the way to go. These have lighter barrels so they actually offer better handling quality.

I have Japanese and Korean BSS guns in my safe. The Korean ones suffer from poor wood assembly. Screw holes in the wood are poorly drilled. The metal work is identical. My understanding is that the Japanese did not farm out any metal work to Korea. Just the assembly of the wood. I think it was an experiment that only started with some very basic work. I don't know who passed that along to me but it was likely a member here.

chuck: thank you. anybody else?

Regarding the trigger. I have shot tens of thousands of rounds thru BSS guns and the only trigger issue I ever encountered was traced to some tinkering by an unqualified wannabe. He had intended to "slick up" the trigger by polishing on parts of it. The parts he polished rounded the corner of what I call the disconnector and allowed it to double. A simple mill file cut the corner sharp again and it hasn't missed a beat since. My opinion is that the BSS trigger is the best design I've encountered but it takes up a lot room in the works.

Hi all, my son now has my old BSS Sporter in 20ga. This was my first good double after having a few Savage/Stevens SxS's. It has 26" bbls, SST and is a later model (the Korea/Japan one) and I had Carlson install their choke tubes in her. I gifted it to my son who shoots it very well. This one weighs in at 6-8 kind of heavy for a 20, but not to bad. The wood on it is nice, not a fence post or knock your socks off stock, but not bad. The fit and fitting is quite good and the bluing has held up very well for the amount of use it's gotten. Never had one problem with her in any way, including the trigger which has never doubled, balked or failed to select.

IMHO a very good gun (at least the one my son has).

Best!

Greg

Agree with Jaeger on the non-BSS Miroku guns (Daly, and Western Field sold by Ward's). Much less expensive than the equivalent BSS, although they're not the sleepers on the market they used to be (thanks to websites like this one!)

I have both a 20 box lock and a 12 side lock BSS, both made in Japan. Both have truly nice wood and both handle and perform flawlessly. Both have 26 inch barrels, but the 20 actually weighs just a bit more than the 12. I have used both on pheasant, chukar and quail. If I had to choose between the two, although I would prefer the 20 gauge, I would choose the 12SL just for its weight and handling. I do have an Ithaca/SKB 280E that handles as well if not better than the BSS 20 but it is choked tighter and I have just never had them opened. On doves, it is a killer. Next to my Merkel the two BSS's are my favorite SxS's in my safe. Of course, I do have a Gold Label that handles and shoots well also, but BSS 12 and the Merkel are my two best handling SxS's. Bottom line - I am quite pleased with my BSS's!!!

PS

BTW Stan, you really had me going when I read your post, until of course I detected the decidedly "tongue in cheek" slant to your post that was identified by your magnanimous offer to take them off Ed's hands!!!! Sly. Very sly!!

PS again.

I forgot to add that both mine are Japanese guns.

Actually, I had not forgotten. Old age!!

Roughly month ago I looked over 12ga 28" straight grip 'Sporter' in top shape (little or no use) at gun shop/pawn shop called Dance's Sporting Goods. It's 3" gun but do not know where it was assembled since I had Daewoo assault rifle in past and have no doubt Korean capability of making guns. If anyone wants Citori-A&D mutant it's probably still in the rack. I can't see anyone local dishing out $2000 for one. I say if you want clays gun buy vertical gun if you want horizonall game gun buy BSS SLE or something else.
Personally if I was stuck on Browning name and wanted something with BSS ble handling I would buy fixed choked Citori in top shape of $1000 or less.

I also have a twelve and a twenty in the Citori also Jagermeister. Those are my primary pheasant guns and have been for some time now. Both of them are straight gripped Upland Special models and handle (for me) like a dream. I am one of those who happens to like the 24 inch barrels. Good recommendation!!

Just having a little fun, Perry. My BSS guns have all been Japanese, but my 30" 3" chambered gun may well be the last shotgun I would sell. It's not the prettiest, the rarest, the oldest, and certainly isn't the most valuable. But, it's the one that breaks the most on the sporting course and kills ducks like it's a part of me. Dead nuts dependable single trigger and ejectors, and handles the recoil of 1 1/4 oz. duck and crow loads like it's nothing. And it shoots where I look. What more could I ask of it?


SRH

I've had both models and I didn't noticed any difference in quality. But I never looked for differences either.

Adam

I would say you have a keeper Stan!! The same goes for my BSS 12 SL and my Merkel 147EL. Those will still be with me on my last day here. All others are "negotiable"!!! Well, maybe the Gold Label will remain with the other two?!

I've had a 12 ga. since 1985, a 20 ga. since the mid '90s, both SSTs, both Sporters. The 20 is marked something like "ASSEMBLED IN KOREA FROM JAPANESE COMPONENTS". The 20 stock is lighter colored than the forend and slab sawn, not a good looking stock. The 12 developed an "optional" extractor quirk -- spent shells are merely elevated unless the barrels are pushed open very firmly to the max, then will eject. I had Briley's install choke tubes a long time ago, and asked them to fix the ejectors, but it was no easy fix and I decided not to put a lot of money into repair -- can't remember the details.

Jay