Browning Buck Mark vs Ruger 22

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HAPPYGRANDPARENT

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First of all, all I've done is target shooting with a Buck Mark (in the past was only rifles). My husband passed away, had several guns & I only kept his Buck Mark. I really liked it because of the green light at the end to help me zero in, easy to load, extremely accurate for me. I had only 1 complaint...it would not let me consistently shoot YellowJackets, or any high velocity bullet without jaming after about 10 bullets, then would shoot fine for another 10, then the next 10 it would jam...only the lowest velocity bullets would work consistently. My son-in-law works for the sheriff's dept & their guy took it apart & checked it & said it was fine, but it kept jaming on me. So sent it off to Browing & they said nothing wrong with it. There had to be something that was slightly off. At least I got through my class with it only jaming twice...that should have been a clue then.

My Buck Mark was stolen along with everything but the cleaning items. So I want to replace the gun. I want a .22 that's reliable as I use it for possible invasion at home.

I did go through the class, got my license to carry a gun, practiced at least once per month, etc. But otherwise, I'm not savy about guns. I did try two 9mm (one was the Glock 17) & it did not feel as comfortable, but ok, the bullets were harder to load & I was not as accurate (was told I was probably choaking up because of more kickback). So I decided to stay with a .22. However, the gun shop/target range lean towards a Glock 17 (I think because they have this one in stock-but they said they were both fine guns & basic difference is the width of the barrel). My concern is they don't have one for me to rent to try it out & once I buy it it's mine even if not used. Although on the 9mm Glock I liked the idea that when I put the gun in my hand the safety was off, & on the Browning Buck Mark I liked the green tip at the end of the barrell...made it easier for me to zero in (I never shot outside of the 9 range & mainly in the 10 range with quite a few bullseyes). Also, I don't want to spend a fortune paying for add-ons.

Can anyone give me all the pros & cons, for a female, who will not totally take a gun apart to clean (if that has to be done I'll have a professional do it) but will clean the barrel/chamber/etc. every time after I shoot, & hopefully the easiest to handle & most accurate. If I can only use the low velocity bullets I realize if someone breaks in I would have to shoot until the magazine is empty (& that makes me cringe).
 
Most .22 autoloaders are ammo sensitive. I personally have never had luck with Yellowjackets in any of my autoloaders including my 10/22 Ruger rifle. Both the Browning and the Ruger are fine, reliable guns. Preference is not really mechanical, but personal(as in sights, grip angle, etc.). Rugers are said to be a tad more difficult to take down and reassemble than the Brownings. Since you don't intend to take the gun down, this is a moot point for you. Both my sons have Browning Buckmarks and have had very few jams. Those that were were generally with a certain type of ammo. Their guns seem to prefer Federal or Aguila. Whatever your choice, I suggest you try different brands/types of ammo till you find which one your gun likes and stay with it.
 
The one thing I can say about both of my Ruger MKIIs is that they have never choked on any .22LR ammo I have fed them. Bulk ammo, target ammo, hunting ammo, cheap ammo, pricey ammo.....doesn't matter....bang every time.
 
Sounds like you are already used to the Browning and are confident with it. I've owned both and consider them to be equals in performance. It really comes down to the features you like on each. I slightly prefer the Ruger, but would advise you to stay with the Browning since you are already familiar with it.
 
Neither of my Rugers - MKII and a MKIII have ever had a problem with any kind of ammo.

I've never seen a Buckmark that did not jam.
 
I've never seen a Buckmark that did not jam.
Click to expand...

Here, let me remedy that for you. I'm well past the 4000 round count and it's never once failed to feed, fire, or eject anything I've ever put thru it.
 

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Thank you everyone. Now am a little confused. 1) Use Buck Mark because I'm familiar with it 2) Buck Mark can be ammo sensitive try different brands 3) Never a problem with ammo with a Ruger. WOW! I think I need to find someone that has a Ruger that they'll let me try. If it's not comfortable then I guess the Buck Mark & keep trying different brands of ammo. Does that basically sum it up?
 
I prefer the Buckmark, but the Ruger .22/45 will have the same grip angle, controls and "feel" as the Buckmark, so you won't have to relearn anything.

You can't go wrong with either pistol, in my opinion.
 
My Buck Mark loves the CCI Blazer ammo ans Federal Champion. It will choke on the cheap Remington stuff and most standard velocity ammo. Mine just likes the hotter ammo and functions flawlessly on it. There was definately a problem with your pistol that caused the jams, even though other folks couldn't find it, it was there.

Unlike Dammitboy, I've seen lots of Rugers jam on certain brands of ammo. A friend has an expensive model that jams on EVERY mag and, like your experience, Ruger pronounced it good to go like it is. The triggers on BM's are a lot better than Rugers too.

Just depends on what suits you. If you liked the BM, get another one and be happy.
 
.22 autos are very simple arms that operate on a blow back principle. In short, it's a balance of the recoil force against the mass of the slide and strength of the springs.

Too little recoil (low powered ammo) may not send the slide back far enough to reliably feed the next round.
If you have too much recoil (high powered ammo) it may send the slide back too quickly to allow the next round to feed up from the magazine.

So, the problem with your Buckmark and the YellowJackets was probably not with the firearm at all, you simply needed a stronger spring in the magazine (yes, they wear out over time). A stronger magazine spring would have allowed your next cartridge to snap into place quickly enough to feed reliably.

You shouldn't have that problem with a new Buckmark and new magazine. But, in any case the Ruger .22/45 will have the same controls and lay out as the Buckmark, and either pistol should serve you just fine.
 
OH thank all of you so much. I do have a problem with what I call a double action triger & if the Ruger has that then it would take time & more practice to get use to it. But the spring comment interests me - I had no idea. For about 6 months I had very little jams, then it was consistent. I am so glad to know about this as it could have saved me a lot of wondering if to every get a Buck Mark again.

(I've learned one thing...never have your house remodeled & have you gun locked up in anything that's movable & only locked with a store bought lock that you may have forgotten to lock when you got up that morning. One person can't watch everybody. But at least I had the serial number & was able to report it to the police.)
 
I'll this for my Ruger 22/45 -- it eats anything. I buy whatever brick of ammo is the cheapest. It's had all sorts of stuff run through it without issue.
 
My wife shoots her buckmark regularly with federal bulk ammo. It will fail to eject on occasion, but usually only if its been through several magazines without any cleaning. For hunting small game she uses CCI velocitor, and has yet to have any issues with function with that ammo.
 
My Buckmarks (both of them) were 100% reliable with Federal 550-round (or 375-round, same cartridge) bulk-pack ammo found at Wal-Mart. I sold one to finance another purchase, and my oldest daughter and her husband have claimed the second.
 
The BuckMark is the way to go

I've previously owned a Rugger MK.II, and while it was a very good gun, it did have it's preferences for certain brands of ammo, especially CCI.

I've also owned a Buckmark for at least 25 years, and I've put probably 10K+ rounds through it. I can probably count the failures to extract or feed on one hand. I honestly don't remember when I had my last failure.

I used to feed it a steady diet of bulk ammo made in the Philipines (I had a case of 10K rounds), and when that ran out, I bought Federals in bulk and now Winchester SuperX bulk stuff.

I think I've taken the gun apart maybe 3 times during it's life. I usually just clean the barrel, the battery area, and lubricate the slide, maybe a drop of oil in the firing pin and the extractor claw area, and the occasional drop of oil around the trigger. The only modifications the gun ever got was a new pair of grips this past year. Oh yeah, and it still looks like new !



The BuckMark is the most reliable, accurate, and probably the best gun I own, with the possible exception of my .38spl Colt Officers Model Match.
 
Nice BM. Mine didn't even have a scratch on it & looked good as new, but my husband bought it May '09, exactly 1 mo. before his demise & he said it was a fun gun to shoot. I wish I still had it as he shot every day 27 days (4 days in hospital=31). It's wonderful everyone wants to help me, I feel honored. Thanks again everyone. And keep in mind, I'm completely open when it comes to suggestions (son-in-law works to many hrs & has his own family & kids in sports so he can't help much, so it leaves me to learn & know what I need to know about the 22s)
 
I just picked up this one with threaded barrel. Put about 100rds down range so far and am very pleased with it.

BUCKMARK.gif

Not sure I would want to use it for HD....maybe one of these....my wife has no problem with the recoil.

P30.gif
 
Is the HK as easy to load as the BM? I was told the palm size had lots of recoil & yet you say your wife has no problem with that. I also have extremely weak wrists & can't pull a strong slider back, is this one about as easy as a BM? Using a 9mm if I needed it for self defense would mean not shooting as many bullets - but I have to be able to handle it easy especially under pressure if someone was breaking in my house.
 
The one I posted has the medium backstrap and side panels....it has smaller ones.

It's not as easy to rack the slide as BM, although my wife who is not a super woman can do it. But with the first mag, you got 16 rds of 9mm read to go to the target.

Same adage....best thing to do is handle one or any gun you decide on.
 
A 9mm is going to take at least 15 to 18 pounds of pressure to retract the slide, since that it is the strength of the recoil spring holding the slide forward.

A locked breech .380 will have lighter springs, but the slide is smaller and more difficult to operate.

You might also want to consider something like a Ruger 10/22 rifle which is very light and compact. A .22 isn't an ideal defense weapon, but with this rifle you can also get an extended magazine holding 30 rounds. 30 rounds of .22 will discourage any intruder!
 
A locked breech .380, such as the Walther PK380, would definatly be a bit easier to rack the slide on. Something to consider, too, is that the buck mark slide is a little different in how it is gripped to rack its slide. My full size 1911 is easier for me to grasp and rack the slide on than that of the buckmark, so really, it would be best to keep an open mind about the gun design, and handle as many as you can before making a desicion.
The buck mark in 22LR would be better than nothing, but if you are interested in personal defense, and open to other calibers, there are many choices that would be better suited to your purpose. The most important part is making sure that you are comfortable with whatever you decide on, and practice.
 
If your Buckmark is anything like mine try a drop of oil on each side of the slide mine tends to run better when its properly lubed.
 
HAPPYGRANDPARENT said:
Is the HK as easy to load as the BM? I was told the palm size had lots of recoil & yet you say your wife has no problem with that. I also have extremely weak wrists & can't pull a strong slider back, is this one about as easy as a BM? Using a 9mm if I needed it for self defense would mean not shooting as many bullets - but I have to be able to handle it easy especially under pressure if someone was breaking in my house.
Click to expand...
If you do decide on a 9mm, here are a couple of things to consider.

1. Loading the mag. Don't kill your thumbs, use a magazine loading tool. I use the UpLula loader. It's very easy to use and saves your thumb, especially for that last round which is usually a pain to force in.

2. Racking the slide. I don't know how you do it, but I see lots of people at the range fulling the slide back with their fingers, sometime holding the gun with their weak hand and pulling with their strong hand. I think that's the hard way. Hold gun in your strong hand (right, left, whichever), then grab the slide with your other hand over the top (the palm of your hand is on top of the slide, and your thumb and fingers are on the side), then "push" the slide back. You will have much better leverage and it will be a lot easier to rack. If your pistol has a exposed hammer, you could also cock the hammer first, before racking the slide, just make sure you have the safety on, and your finger off the trigger.
 
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