The method of providing blowout preventer shear rams which will shear pipe then provide a face-to-face compression seal comprising providing an upper shear ram having an upper shear ram blade and a pipe lifter, providing a lower shear ram having a lower shear ram blade, and a pipe lifter, providing a face-to-face seal, moving the upper and lower shear rams into the bore towards one another, shearing the pipe in the bore of the blowout preventer, engaging the upper sheared portion of the pipe with the pipe lifters, lifting the upper sheared portion of the pipe with the pipe lifters to a position above the face-to-face seal, engaging the face-to-face compression seal to effect a seal across the bore.