Slight variationon the should I buy a mkii vs buckmark

[greyling22]

I have a mkii with a paclite barrel and vq internals, and I run it suppressed. Love it. Had a Ruger Mk in some form or another forever. I'm a big fan of them.

I also have a mkii stainless gov target. Great gun, but I kind of wonder why I have it. I always reach for the suppressed one instead. I have the option to trade it for a buckmark standard stainless and $75 in cash. I have never had a buckmark, but they feel amazing in the hand.

So the question is, is the buckmark worth trading "down" into? Do they feed cheap ammo very well?

 

[springer99]

I wouldn't trade a Mk II for a buckmark even-up, let alone with a cash adder. Feeling great in the hand, doesn't count for much as I fell for a SIG Mosquito for the same reason.

 

[greyling22]

no, I would get the cash, not them.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Buckmark feels great but the controls are not good for me. The safety in particular doesn't work well for me. Thought I would love it but don't in the end. So, see if you can handle it more before you jump.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Ain't no way I would make that trade if the MK II is a stainless Govt Model.....6 7/8" and says Government Target on the side?

 

[chicharrones]

Buckmark feels great but the controls are not good for me. The safety in particular doesn't work well for me. Thought I would love it but don't in the end. So, see if you can handle it more before you jump.

Yep, the safety goes off just fine, but flicking it back on . . . well, the leverage point is wrong unless you shift your thumb.

It's a quirk I wouldn't want on a carry gun, but I'm okay with considering it's a target/plinking gun.

 

[greyling22]

For sure it's an gov target. I have the box and papers and factory target.
I'm left-handed so thumb safeties or lack thereof are really of no use to me. I can't use them how no matter how they are designed.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Nice guns. I have a blue Govt and will pickup a stainless to go with it when I stumble across one.

 

[bannockburn]

Have always been a big fan of the Ruger Mk.II. Never had much interest in the Browning Buckmark, though I have heard great things about them from other owners. The Ruger Mk.II with a 5 1/2" bull barrel has the best feel, handling qualities, and balances perfectly for me. Accuracy with Wolf Match Target ammo is amazing!

 

[Varminterror]

Would you outright sell the Ruger? Whenever you're considering a trade, that's where I start - would you sell it? Meaning you simply would not have it in your life. If you're willing to sell that particular Ruger, but only currently want to have a back-up 22LR pistol behind your Suppressed Ruger, then you're justifying for yourself the ownership of "something," and the Buckmark might make sense - however you'll find yourself with a different feel than your primary, which might not be of consequence, or might be a deal breaker...

If you can decide whether you would sell that Ruger, or if you even need a back-up, then a guy can look at what the market value on both items involved in the trade might be. Like others have mentioned, the cash is going the wrong way, as your Ruger is worth more than the Browning.

Personally, new price on a Buckmark should be around $525 for grey/silver/stainless models, figure $450 used, suck off that $75 cash differential, and you end up with $375 - that's assigning $450 to a used Buckmark and $375 to a used Mark II. That's a GREAT deal on a Mark II but NOT even a good deal on a Buckmark, so again, you're not really giving your pistol enough value. If I were wanting a Buckmark just to try it, used at $450 or new at $525 would not be a high enough cost to preclude me from just buying it. If I found I liked the Buckmark and no longer wanted the Ruger, I'd sell the Ruger... If I found I preferred the Ruger, I'd resell the Buckmark... If I found I didn't need either, I'd sell both... If I later realized I did, indeed, want either of them, then I'd buy it, because they're readily available on the market... A decade later if I wanted one or didn't want one, I'd buy or sell it... We don't swear before God, 'til death do us part when we buy a pistol - it's a commodity product, not a marriage.

 

[milemaker13]

I think he said the cash was going to him. He would trade the Ruger for the Browning & $75.

 

[sequins]

Absolutely don't do the trade. The Ruger MKII is the last one before they added the internal lock and as a result it's a premium product much like the smith and wesson old revolvers. You can buy a new buckmark any time for very little money.

 

[bassjam]

I don't know the value of a MKII Government so I can't speak as to the value you're getting/losing on trade. But I do have both a MK I Target and a Buckmark, and I consider them both equal as far as accuracy and reliability goes. Actually the Buckmark may be slightly better with reliability; I can let it go a little longer between cleanings before it starts giving me issues. For plinking, I slightly prefer my Buckmark and tend to grab it when shooting, and my 10 year old daughter prefers the Ruger, so it works out for us when we shoot together.

Other's have mentioned they don't care for the safety on the Buckmark. I'm the opposite, I don't really care for the safety position on the Mark I and find it more difficult to engage than the Browning.

As long as you find a cash exchange that works out for you on the trade, I say go for it. Like you said, you don't often shoot the Government model. The Mark series and Buckmark are the 2 that are most commonly compared, so curiosity alone would push me to want to own both for awhile. If you find you don't like the Buckmark, you can probably sell or trade it for what you'll have in it.

 

[edwardware]

I wouldn't sell a MkII, unless you can't pay the mortgage, or you have more MkII's than you will grandchildren.

 

[k4swb]

They couldn't even pry a stainless Ruger Government model MKII out of my cold dead hands.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

They couldn't even pry a stainless Ruger Government model MKII out of my cold dead hands.

Exactly....If the OP were talking about a common, run of the mill 5.5" MK II, I would say make the swap if it makes you happy.

 

[greyling22]

I'll probably keep it then. Unless there had been a great groundswell of opinion that a buckmark was superior in some way I was planning on doing so anyway. Thanks guys.

PS: I'm only in the Ruger for about $250. I don't often get bargains, but this was one for sure.

 

[Saleen322]

The Target Government is the premier Mark II. I prefer the steel frame of the MK II over the Buckmark alloy frame. I would rather have the Ruger. Now if the Browning in trade was a Medalist, that would be a completely different story.

 

[Varminterror]

They couldn't even pry a stainless Ruger Government model MKII out of my cold dead hands.

Mine isn't a Gov't, but my (first) stainless 6" Mark II is getting buried with me. My kids and grandkids can have any of the other Mark Series pistols, this one ends with me!