reassembling a Browning Buckmark

[bukMarkster]

Specifically the rear-sight base.

Finally got a pair of those star (lock) washers from Browning (also a brand new recoil spring assembly) and though the gun's never fired better since I bought it I did notice after nine mags through it the site base was so loose it nearly fell off.

Makes me think I didn't assemble it right.

Only exploded view I can find of my gun, it shows those sight-base screw lock washers going in UNDER the site base so that's how I assembled it. Seems weird to me but what do I know?

Also, the illustration I have doesn't show which way the washers go on. Are the points of the stars facing down or up?

Any of y'all ever done a refit on a recoil spring assembly under the rear site base of a Browning Buckmark?

Thanx for the width,
bmkstr

 

[toivo]

Washers go on top of the sight base, star points facing up.

Are you having trouble getting the recoil spring in? IIRC, you can put the front end in and then use a hooked pick or similar tool (if you have one) to compress the spring while you slide the rear part in.

Rimfire Central has a really good Browning forum -- check out some of their stickies for general info:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17

 

[wrc]

My Camper and other Buckmarks I've handled have had the washer cupping the screw between the screwhead and the sight base. They don't help much for keeping the screws from backing out, though. Use loc-tite every time.

 

[toivo]

I would be careful with the Loctite -- use the purple. I had a bad experience with the blue: the screws locked in so tight that I had to take the pistol to a gunsmith and have them drilled out.

 

[loose noose]

I use the blue, never had a problem getting any screw removed.

 

[bukMarkster]

Y'all are great for responding so promptly and thoughtfully.

OK washers on top of the site base and points facing up; thanx for that!

Recoil spring wasn't super easy to install but I just used my gnarly thumbnails. Seating the back end buffer first, I used my nails to compress the spring enough to slip the front recoil spring guide into place.

And thanx toivo for the rimfire central site; can't be on too many buckmark forums.

WRC, your loctite advice is noted; after getting over my bias against putting anything like that on my gun, I have used blue loctite on that rear site base screw just so I could fire more than ten rounds without having to re-tighten it.

When I disassembled it for the install of the new recoil spring assembly and those new lock washers, it just took a bit of torque from a fat-handle screwdriver to come out so I'm not nervous about loctite anymore.

One curious note and I'll try to post a snap: that front screw on the rear site base doesn't want to sink in like it used to before I got these star washers. It is a thicker screw than the rear one and as those washers are both the same size it makes sense that its larger shaft would choke on that small washer and not go down all the way--but it sure looks wrong poking up like that.

What do y'all think?

 

[OldBrownDog]

On my Buckmark Camper the front and rear sight base screws are different lengths. Not to insult, but any chance you mixed the two up? Longer one goes to the the rear on mine.

 

[bukMarkster]

Hey OBD you gotta try harder than that to insult me. (I'm the one who was trying to put those lock washers UNDER the site base, remember?).

Yeah the front and rear screws are noticeably different in length--and though I don't wanna draw that rear one out to confirm it now that it's loctited in, I'm pretty sure they're different diameters too.

But I did get the long one in back and shorty in front; the new lock washer just isn't letting the front one penetrate. Think it's cause that screw has a little shoulder at the top of the threads.

 

[rondog]

Just so you know - Midway has tons of parts for Buckmarks, no need to order parts direct from Browning. Lots of accessories too. I virtually rebuilt mine from Midway.

Oh, I replaced that entire rear sight assembly with one that has both a fully adjustable rear blade and a picatinney rail on it. And a fiber optic front sight. So I can either use the red dot sight, or take it off and use the others.

 

[toivo]

I use the blue, never had a problem getting any screw removed.

I probably used too much -- another thing to be careful of. I feel safer with the purple.

 

[bukMarkster]

Uh, rondog I do appreciate the tip but I gave up on midway first time I logged on there.

If I was desperate and couldn't find parts anywhere else--but why else would I pay twice Browning's list for the identical part?

Long as I'm dissing, I avoid sites that don't post shipping charges up front and make you create an account; that kind of predatory e-commerce style is so last-decade.

 

[wrc]

WRC, your loctite advice is noted; after getting over my bias against putting anything like that on my gun, I have used blue loctite on that rear site base screw just so I could fire more than ten rounds without having to re-tighten it.

I hear you on that. My Buckmark is my every-time gun for the range, and it was just infuriating. I'd carry a hex key to tighten it every hundred or so rounds.

Eventually I experimented and figured I only needed to give it a full breakdown and cleaning every 3-600 rounds, so I invested in a tube of blue loc-tite. Less frustration all around. My in-laws didn't believe me when I got them their Buckmark, but after a couple of trips to the range they started doing the same.

Great gun, great trigger, really tolerant of garbage ammo...but what a design flaw with those screws.