Browning Buckmarks vs. Ruger Mk II 22LR pistols

[SamlautRanger]

Buckmark vs. MArk II rugers in 22LR. Opinions on which is best? I have a Ruger so would like to know how the buckmarks compare. What is the reliability and accuracy fo the Buckmarks compared to the rugers. Thanks.

[MrAcheson]

The ruger will almost certainly be more rugged. It is made of big pieces of solid steel rigidly joined together. The buckmark has more of a modular arrangement held together by the topstrap.

I prefer the buckmark's grip angle and feel to the Ruger, even the 22/45. The 22/45 is too blocky and the mark II is too canted. If you like the hipower's grip, you will like the buckmark. I also find that the buckmarks tend to have very good triggers out of the box.

The Ruger is a Ruger though. As a whole, the buckmark may be a better gun out of the box (and I think it is). However if you want to put the money into it, the Mark II can probably be made the best of both worlds using aftermarket parts.

[Northslope Nimrod]

Yep...What he said. Buckmarks have better grips and triggers....but don't feel as sturdy. I would prefer the Buckmark traits in sturdy Ruger frame. BUT why can't we get regular capacity clips in these darn things!?

[sturmruger]

One big advantage with the Ruger is ability to get so many aftermarket parts.

[No_Brakes23]

How do they compare to S&W's 22a, 41, and Walther's P22?

[Graystar]

The S&W 22a are junk (my personal opinion), the M41 is much nicer than a Mark II but you pay for it, and I don't know about the Walther.

That said, there are over 2 million MarkI/IIs out there for a reason. You certainly would not be making a mistake by getting one.

[Marshall]

Both are nice pistols! I have a Buckmark and would buy it again, never had a problem with it.

[KONY]

BUT why can't we get regular capacity clips in these darn things!?

AFAIK, I think this has to do with the nature of the the 22lr round and reliable feeding. Don't think you can double stack them like the bigger centerfire carridges.

[Matt Sutton]

Buckmark!

http://www.arcomnet.com/temp/shootin/shootin1.jpg

They don't have magazine disconnect safeties, and they don't attempt to write a stinking novel on the barrel.

[dasmi]

Ah, timely thread. I looked at a Ruger Mk. II and a Buckmark last night. Can't decide which I want. But, I have decided I really, really need a .22lr auto...for introducing new shooters to the sport...ya...that's it...

[MrTuffPaws]

Have a Buckmark and have shot the Rugers. IMO, I like the Buckmark far more. Better looking, easier to clean, more and more after market parts coming out, more accurate than I am, and the wife loves it.

[Legionnaire]

dasmi, you, of course, need one of each! That way you can show a new shooter the differences, and each of you can shoot at the same time, and you can let them get a good feel for the differences so when they decide to buy one themselves, they won't have to ask "which is better?" :D

(Buckmark for me, by the way ...)

[P95Carry]

Wish I had a link but - caseydog posted this exact question late part of last year - a search might bring it up. There were a great many Buckmark positive comments as well as those for MkII. He opted to get the Buckmark (we do pin shooting most weeks) and he has been delighted with it.

I have used my 22/45, also with good results - and have added a comp' plus the Volquartsen extractor. I prefer the controls and grip angle of the 22/45 but the MkII is of course very similar. maybe now a MkIII is good because of tapping for mount and, I think now the mag release is also ''conventional'' as against heel type.

I doubt you would be too disappointed with either.


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/22-45_dot2_s.jpg

[P. Plainsman]

Good thread (the topic is a perennial around here), and I think the first few posts nicely covered the strengths of each model.

I have a Buck Mark Plus with a 5.5" barrel and like it a lot. Splendid trigger out of the box, easy to shoot accurately, looks good. I also like the Buck Mark's 1911-style grip compared to more sharply raked grips.

My pistol has lately gotten a bit finicky about chambering the first round; after racking the slide back I sometimes have to give it an extra tap to close it. It then shoots fine. I am not convinced this can't be cleared up with some aggressive cleaning, but thought I'd mention it. I would not be surprised to find that the Ruger .22s have an edge in durability.

I am casually interested in acquiring a second .22, a longer-barreled version for real snotty accuracy, put a red-dot scope on it. I love the looks of the brand new Ruger Mk-IIIs, but like all the new Ruger semi-auto pistols they are flagrantly, annoyingly over-safetied. Bleah. I fear I will have to stick to Ruger's fine revolvers from now on. And I will probably go with a Buck Mark Bullseye or a S&W 41 for my next .22.

[P95Carry]

P. Plainsman - caseydog has found that lube is important - re that chambering deal. A small app' of oil helped but it dissipated too quick. He has now lubed with a judicious amount of a grease .. something slick (gun-slick?) - darned if I remember! This keeps things much better.

I must say too - my 22/45 does not like getting too ''dry'' ... tho it is awful easy to just go on shooting and never do anything to it!!

[AZ Jeff]

For all you Buckmark owners, I have a question:

Can the Buckmark be dry-fired extensively without damage to the pistol in any way? I know the Ruger can, but I am curious about the Buckmark............

[Igloodude]

My wife shoots a Ruger 22/45 and my stepdaughter shoots a Buckmark Micro in our bullseye league. I've seen no problems with either of them, but I'm not tempted to shoot either of theirs instead of my Model 41. ;)

[P. Plainsman]

P95 -- thanks for the tip; I hoped someone would chime in.

Think a good dose of Break Free on the rails would work? I keep my SIG lubed with that stuff.

AZ Jeff -- I can't speak from experience but I sure don't dry-fire my Buck Mark.

[Flashpoint]

A little off subject, but I'd like some insite as to how the Trailside plays into the mix. :)

[Babalouie]

I had a Buckmark and I loved the trigger and grip but... I absolutely couldn't stand the serrations and top slide design. It was so difficult to pinch the slide hard enough to get the slide back without my fingers slipping off. It was so annoying I sold it and was sorry I hadn't bought the ruger.

[OtG]

AZ Jeff
For all you Buckmark owners, I have a question:

Can the Buckmark be dry-fired extensively without damage to the pistol in any way? I know the Ruger can, but I am curious about the Buckmark......

If you remove the firing pin assembly, you can. It's pretty easy, as it's part of the basic cleaning procedures.

There don't seem to be many good .22 snap-caps, and this is even safer, if anything (can't shoot anything when the firing pin assembly is sitting on your desk in front of you!).


Just don't lose it.

[Ala Dan]

I have a Buckmark Classic Plus SE, with a green TruGlo fiber optic front
sight, 5.5" barrel, and rosewood laminate grips. Its the new model that
is offered to Browning's full line and medallion dealer's ONLY. We got 3
of 'em, and I was fortunate to latch on to one! :) :uhoh: :D

BTW, I would not dry fire a Buckmark with the firing pin assembly in
place, cuz its strikes the rear of the barrel making a small but nasty
divot.

[Matt Sutton]

I've found that a used diabetes blood meter test strip placed between the breech face and bolt makes a great cheap dryfiring tool. One strip can absorb several hunderd strikes in my buckmark before replacement. They are thin enough that the bolt is still in battery. My breech face is still as good as new.

Babalouie,
You must have had an older Buckmark. The current ones have "ears" on the bolt very simillar to the Rugers. The serrations are basically cosmetic now. My friend has an older Buckmark without the ears, and I agree it makes it hard to pull back.

[MrTuffPaws]

No, you cannot dry fire a Buckmark without pinging the barrel. Get some dummy rounds.

[rockstar.esq]

The dry fire question is a good one! I have had two Buckmarks (still have one). This one I bought from a fried who didn't believe that dry firing would hurt a gun. The firing pin was mushroomed when I got the gun, :fire: (it still shot and cycled great) and the recoil buffer was literally gone. The top strap screw was jammed into the barrel. All things considered, it was a mess. However, I had a gunsmith completely rebuild action for under $50.00! That included all the recoil spring and snap ring, the recoil buffer, firing pin, and new topstrap screws! I would say it is a conservative estimate that I have personally shot in excess of 5000 rounds since the repair work without any problems to speak of. The main thing I have against these guns is that the screwed on topstrap is prone to loosening up after around 400 rounds. I carry a hex wrench with me at the range to keep it tight. If any of you know where I could get a conversion kit to 17M2 I'd like to hear about it.

[P. Plainsman]

Fair number of people mention the same glitch, with the Buck Mark's top screws working loose. Have not experienced it myself. My gun's at about the 2000 round mark.

[cookekdjr]

They are both great guns. The Buckmark has better ergonomics (far better) and a better trigger. It will reliably cycle subsonics without any break-in at all. The Ruger is built like a tank and has after-market parts galore.
To be honest, for a low-cost competition gun I'd get a Trailside. However, as an all-around gun I bought a BuckMark Bullseye. Like all other BuckMarks, it points like an extension of your hand, and is handsome to look at. I've had zero problems with it.
You can't go wrong with any of the three.
-David

[XP1900]

Can the Buckmark be dry-fired extensively without damage to the pistol in any way? I know the Ruger can, but I am curious about the Buckmark......

Yes you can. the firing pin on the newer buckmarks stop a short of the barrel. slide a piece of paper in between the bolt face and the barrel. dry fire, you shouldn't have a cut in the paper from the firing pin. this only on the newer buckmarks.

buckmarks are much better than a ruger anyday.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

"Fair number of people mention the same glitch, with the Buck Mark's top screws working loose."

Red Loc-Tite fixes this.

I have a Buck Mark much like Ala Dan's. Love it.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

I had opportunity to purchase any of the plinking/target .22's in the last few days. Anything from a Neos, to Buckmark, Smith, Ruger Mark II & Mark III.

Today I bought another Mark II. This one a Target stainless slab side.

Yes, out of the box the Buckmark has a better trigger. But for less than $12 you can install a spring kit from Trapper in the Ruger. I personally think it's every bit as good as the Volquartson spring set. Then add a Volquartson Trigger. While the inards are out, just take a little off the sear and polish with a dremmel tool. (carefully!) If you mess it up, You can get another from Ruger or elsewhere quickly. There just aren't that many after market parts for the Browning. Don't get me wrong, the Buckmark is a fine pistol for the price and every bit as accurate as one would expect. Most of "us" can't shoot as well as the plinkers really can. (if you take time to test different ammunition)

As for some of the features of the Buckmark, The Ruger Mark III and 22/45 have the side mag release button, a loaded chamber indicator. I'm not sure that the Buckmark is available in stainless. (the whole gun). The Mark II & III, and 22/45 Target models are drilled/tapped and come with a scope mount and rings.

I chose the Ruger. Just personal preference. Take down is different than any other plinker. But field stripping requires no tools. And once you learn how it works, it's a snap process.

How's the Trailside. I hear from fellow Bullseye shooters that they feed anything, but one in seven has a trigger the big guys need help pulling. Be very selective when buying one. They are accurate though. The Magazines for the Ruger are the cheapest, and still made of metal. The Trailside mag prices are out of this world. (The word Hammerli must have something to do with that.) My new Ruger came with an extra mag.

-Steve

[c_yeager]

AFAIK, I think this has to do with the nature of the the 22lr round and reliable feeding. Don't think you can double stack them like the bigger centerfire carridges.

Well you CAN do it, but noone really wants to since there isnt much of a reason to do so. A lot of hicaps for the Ruger 10/22 are out there and there have been a couple of hi-capacity .22 handguns. My dad has an old Grendel .22mag with 30 round magazines (fun thing to shoot when it works).

10 rounds is the normal capacity for both of these firearms since long before the ban. A 10 round magazine makes sense in a target pistol since most target shooting involves 5 or 10 round strings.

The screws on the top strap working out, and the failure to chamber the first round seem to be the two most common Buckmark problems. I have had both of them. The screws backing out seems to have solved itself, I suspect that enough grit has gotten into the threads to allow the screws to lock in a little better. The chambering difficulty seems to be solved simply by cleaning and lubricating the pistol.

[Randall53]

I feel the Ruger is of better quality than the Buckmart IMO, both are excellent however in the areas of accuracy and being fun to shoot.

I have a Buckmark Camper I purchased for around $275 NIB and it's a much better pistol than the Walther P22, which I also own. My P22 has been a real headache because of problems from day one. It's going back to S&W Monday. It's a fun gun to shoot and accurate, but I feel it's a cheap made firearm compared to the Buckmark Camper and the P22 cost me more than the Camper. I have a BSA Red Dot sight on the Camper and it's very accurate.

[MrAcheson]

The P22 at my gunshop is a piece of junk too. It is so bad that it breaks when people are just handling it. God help someone if they actually fire the thing. I don't think my shop will actually sell it because of the trouble they've had with it.