Browning Buckmark or Taurus 990 Revolver

[sigbear]

I had a Ruger MKIII and shot my buddies Sig. Mosquito many times and I found neither one was very reliable and I just got tired of trying everything, CCI ammo was the best and jamming issues were less frequent but still there.

I really want a reliable .22 handgun and am considering either the Browning Buckmark ($340, or Taurus 990 .22 Revolver ($390).

I am leaning toward the revolver for reliability but would prefer a reliable semi-auto if there is one.

If you have either of these what are the pros & cons?

Sigbear

 

[Quoheleth]

Buckmark.

No comparison.

Now, if you want a .22 revolver, a used Smith or a new Ruger SP101 in .22 would be much safer bets. Taurus are iffy on QC.

Q

 

[rule303]

I like Taurus revolvers, but the rimfire models seem to have a high percentage of issues. If you want a revolver, save a bit more for a Smith or Ruger. The Buckmark is a good pistol, but in general I wouldn't consider it to be more reliable than a Ruger MK, every rimfire will have its own preference for ammo.

 

[Ala Dan]

BuckMark

"a man of the cloth [Rev Jon] couldn't be wrong~!!!!!

Or, if a revolver is in your future- look for a Used but not Abused S&W
model 17, 18, or 10-shot 617. .22 caliber Colt Diamondbacks are scarce
and expensive~!

 

[Walkalong]

I have no idea about the 990, but the Buckmark is a great gun.

 

[Quoheleth]

Thank you, Dan, my friend.

Regarding a Buckmark's reliability, there are two things that mess mine up: Remington Turdbolts and an extremely dirty chamber.

I run my Buckmark dry with no lube and I run it hundreds and hundreds of rounds between cleanings. I only clean it when I need to - and assuming I'm not shooting Remmy ammo, I know I need to clean it because it starts hanging up.

Q

 

[MCgunner]

Taurus makes excellent quality revolvers, I own 3 that are tack driving accurate and well built revolvers, but the DA on their .22s that I've tried is stiff. The DA is fine, but the Buckmark is an awesome pistol. Do you want a revolver or auto? Are you going to actually USE the DA for some odd reason on the .22 revolver?

I have a nice little Rossi .22 revolver. I'd go with the Browning, though I also have a nice Ruger Mark 2.

 

[MCgunner]

Remington Turdbolts

Yeah, my Ruger don't like those much, either. Cleaning is optional, though, at least for a while. I never strip the thing, just clean what I can reach. Stripping is a bit of a pain on it. I stick with Federal Lightening for cheap plinkin'. CCI is great, but a bit more expensive when Federal does fine. I get an occasinal misfire with it, but not often. My Rossi revolver fires EVERYTHING reliably. I think it's the big, round floating firing pin on the thing, gaps in priming can't escape it. I love that gun for its accuracy, too, a 4" kit gun that puts 'em into 1.5" off the bench at 25 yards with irons. I get 1" groups at 50 with the Ruger, but it's got optics on it, cheating. It seems to be a VERY accurate pistol, though.

 

[Lothar]

I can't speak about the Taurus, but I own a Buck Mark Hunter. Regarding reliability, not counting a very few misfires that were almost certainly due to dud ammo (they had good firing pin impressions), I have a 0.1% malfunction rate (down to 0.04% if I stick to Federal 525/550 bulk ammo, which my gun likes especially well). The trigger on a Buck Mark is fantastic out of the box, and even better for many people if you flip the sear spring around (Google the "Heggis flip"). It also has a much better hand feel than the Ruger MkIII, to me anyway, and is just as accurate if not more so.

Get one, and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

 

[ForumSurfer]

My buckmark eats anything I throw at it...even the notorious "golden bullet." With a run of the mill 22 autoloader, I'd stick with buckmark, ruger 22/45 or ruger mk whatever.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I have a Buckmark. I feed it Federal brick ammo and it eats it up. Out of about 1500 rounds it has jammed on me about 3 times, and that may have been due to under powered rounds, not the guns fault. The only thing I don't care for about it is that the back screw on the topstrap works it's way loose. If you watch it though, it isn't a problem. You could put a drop of Locktight on it too, since completely disassembling this gun is almost never needed.

I can't coment on the Taurus. I'll not own one, or have one in my home. I've had too many bad experiences with Taurus guns, and horror stories on the internet seem to mirror my own experience. I'd recommend extensive research into any gun you intend to by, and the company that makes it. The internet is a powerful tool. Take advantage.

 

[Taurus_9mm]

I own the 970 which is identical to the 990 save for two fewer shots. It (along with my Ruger 22/45) sees a lot of range time and is a lot of fun to plink with. It's accurate, locks up tight and feels good in the hand, better now since I've replaced the factory ribber grip with an offering from Hogue.

 

[weregunner]

Actually this is kind of an apples versus oranges comaprison.

The Buckmark is an excellent and accurate pistol and the Taurus 990 is an excellent example of a .22lrf revolver.Either model will give sterling service.

I own a 990 and Ruger MK.III and a Ruger MK.22/45 MKIII. Both are excellent single action rimfire pistols.

These are two different types of firearm and two totally different trigger types and styles.

If one is used to mainly semi-auto pistols then the Buckmark would be a good choice. The Browning can be a understudy gun to other larger centerfire pistols.

The steady,smooth double action trigger pull all the way directly back until it breaks and smooth trigger follow through are paramount in shooting the revolver well. It takes much practice,dedication, and time to become proficient at it. Lots of dryfiring with snap caps for practice is suggested to get the hang of things.

If you have revolvers already, then the transition will be simpler than for a pistol only shooter. It's not to say that the revolver cannot be mastered. Just that it takes more for most shooters to get things just right.

The 990's trigger pull is a bit heavier than a center revolver's trigger pull, but it is crisp and lighter than smaller framed .22lrf revolvers. I also have a Taurus 94 with 5 inch barrel.

.22lrf revolvers have heavy and gritty trigger pulls as a rule.Granted, there are a few exceptions. Very few.

I had to work with the 94 to get a lighter trigger pull ,but not with the 990.

Accuracy with a Buckmark will be a bit better than with the 990. Both guns are usually more accurate than their owners.

I own both many pistols and revolvers and have found the Taurus lines of firearms to be very good choices. 17 Taurus revolvers and 3 Taurus pistols are in my battery. So are Glock,SIGs,Beretta,Rugers, Springfield XD, and a host of other handguns.

Go and handle, maybe shoot as many as possible and pick which gun meets your needs and wants the best. It's what fits you that matters.

 

[PapaG]

Buckmark or a Ruger auto....if you had trouble with the Ruger, you are definitely in the minority.

 

[NWcityguy2]

A 22 revolver by its very nature will need a stiff trigger pull to generate enough force to set off rimfire cartridges consistently. I had a Taurus 94 for a while and it really helped my technique, I wouldn't recommend getting a revolver over a semi unless you specifically want to work on improving your double action trigger pull.