Buckmark or 22/45?

T

twoblink

New member
OK, I've asked this a while back, and I'm sure a lot of people ask, so I thought I'd throw it and get all your feedbacks again..

I want a .22 pistol, I like, fun (SUPER CHEAP!) to shoot, and something I would carry on me for trailing.. That being said, the two obvious choices are:

Ruger 22/45
Browning Buckmark

I don't like the Ruger MkII's because I don't like the fact that the mag release is on the bottom, I had my gf shoot that for a while, but then she started thinking that every gun had the mag eject on the bottom. So no MkII's. I like where the controls are located on the 22/45, and it's durability and reliability.

What I hate about the 22/45... the grips!! I thought the trigger was a bit mushy but I can always get that fixed. The grips aren't interchangable, and are not the most comfortable to shoot on a long term basis.

The Buckmark has good ergonomics, and I like it. But I can't find(at least I haven't seen) a lot of aftermarket stuff for it. Also, I don't know about the reliability of it, (not so much I'm questioning it, just I don't know of someone personally that owns one).

So please give me feedback. I hope this isn't a vi or emacs debate...

Thanks.
Albert
 
Twoblink,

I was asking myself this very same question just yesterday. I did some research here and on deja.com, and finally decided on a Buckmark. The only bad thing I've read about it is that it requires a hex wrench to dissasemble, and the top screws tend to back out without some blue locktite.

The only other additional problem, which you brought up is a lack of accessories. Although I don't much care about aftermarket doodads, apparently quality holsters are about impossible to find. This might be an issue if you want to hunt with it or take it camping.

Now for the good news. After taking it home and lubricating it, I took it to the range yesterday and it was great :d. It's much more accurate than I am (which is not saying much). In the 200 rounds I ran through it I had one FTE, which I attribute to normal break in problems.

bkm...
 
Two blink, I do not think you will be disappointed with the BuckMark. I like the Ruger Mark II better but not by much and you do have a point about the magazine release. The 22/45 would be my last choice.

As for accessories, what did you have in mind????

Buy an inexpensive Uncle Mike's holster for hiking and camping and don't look back. My grandsons and i all have one and they have worked fine for years.


PigPen
 
I know this is the semi-auto forum, but I have to ask: Does your gun HAVE to be a semi-auto? I have a Ruger Single-Six, and have been nothing but happy with it.

Of the two you listed, I would go with the Buckmark.
 
Tough call ... both are great guns. The trigger on my Buckmark feels lighter than my 22/45 - but I still shoot my 22/45 better than my Buckmark (but then again, my friend shoots my Buckmark better than my 22/45 - so it just goes to show you that both guns are capable of being shot well). The 22/45 is much nicer to field strip and clean and seems more rugged than the Buckmark. That being said, it sounds like you are pretty much set on a Buckmark, so go for it - you won't be disappointed.
 
My 22/45 will shoot more shots before the dirt gets to it than my Buckmark will. Most of the year before last, I shot a brick a Saturday w/the 22/45 and it just kept going. My Buckmarks usually only go 300-400 rounds before they start to bog down. My 22/45 will shoot any ammo except the steelcased Russian junk, my Buckmarks are a bit more finicky. My wife's Buckmark micro will only function w/high velocity ammo, preferring Thunderbolts over everything else. This goes back to point 1, since Thunderbolts are filthy.
Since not much ruins the fun more than a malfunctioning gun, and .22's are mainly a fun gun, my .02 goes to the 22/45.

If it's at all possible, I'd recommend buying both. The 22/45 usually goes for a little over $200.00, and the Buckmark Camper is about the same.
 
Ruger 22/45

The Ruger 22/45 has been my choice. After years of shooting a MK II, the 22/45 was a natural. I got the 4 inch version and its great for hiking, camping and just general plinking. Great at the range too! There are aftermarket grips by Hogue available which slip over the standard grips. It makes the grips thicker and the gun easier to hold for target work. The Buckmark is also a good .22. You can't go wrong with either gun.

Pilot
 
As far as aftermarket, I was thinking like a new trigger, and sights. If I get a 22/45, I'd probably get some Williams Firesights for them. I like the 3 dots that look like they glow. Also, I like the buckmark triggers better, but I'm sure a little Volquartsen trigger job, and the 22/45 will be superior in trigger to the buckmark...

So currently my vote is leaning towards the 22/45... Now Stainless or blued?

I think the 22/45 looks great in stainless...

Albert
 
This is probably going to be against the grain, but I would recommend blue. My blued 22/45 seems so much smoother than my Stainless MarkII, it's a night and day difference. I like the way the stainless looks compared to the blue, but I'm glad I went the blued route with the 22/45. The bolt on my Mark II has a *frosted* look to it, due no doubt to it's reaction to the stainless reciever. The bolt on my blued 22/45 looks as shiny as the day I bought it,,,,30K+ rounds later. The Mark II has only a few thousand rounds, certainly no more than 10K.
 
I recently bought a Buck Mark and really like it.

The only problem I had - and I have not heard of anyone else experiencing this - is that one of the Allen screws would not loosen. I ended up breaking the little wrench that comes with the gun then broke the screw. The gun is now at Browning to remove what's left of the screw. The gun is under warranty, but I'm not sure if Browning will take care of this at no charge.

It's very unlikely that this will happen to you, but I would recommend that you let your dealer remove both screws before you take the gun home. Might save you a lot of aggravation.

However, the gun is a real pleasure to shoot.

Manny
 
Ok to dryfire Buckmark?

Manny 99,

I had a similar problem with one of the screws on the Micro Buckmark I bought a couple of months ago. Luckily after an overnight soak in Kroil and by tapping the top of a Chapman allen insert while gently turning it with a wrench, it came free.

When I replaced them I used blue LocTite and didn't tighten them as much as the factory did.

Here's another question for you Bucky owners:
Is it ok to dry fire a Buckmark? It looks like it has a good solid step to the firing pin, just so it's not allowed to reach the chamber. Anybody know? I don't feel like disassembling mine and measuring it right now.
 
I have no experience with the Buckmark, but my 22/45 eats whatever I feed it, all day long! The factory trigger is a little mushy, but overall a nice, cheap little plinker. :)
 
Albert, the 22/45 stainless steel handgun came-out on sale at Turners for $230. Sale last until Feb 14, 2001. This 22/45 comes with target sights, 4" bull barrel, and two 10rd. mags. Sale start on Thursday. Later.

Ed
 
I just picked up a Ruger 22/45 w/5.5" stainless bull barrel last week, and shot about 250 rounds through it on Sunday. "IMPRESSED" is an understatement. I was using Remington Golden Bullets in a 550 round pack from Wally World, which isn't that high quality round of a round to begin with, and was goofing with the Ruger, doing defensive drills on a silhouette target. At 7 yards, I put all 10 shots into the same ragged hole at the top of the x-ring, doing double taps. At 17 yards, I put all ten into the same ragged hole, opening it up only slightly, again with double taps. At 25 yards, I drew a black dot on the "head" of the target just a bit larger than a golf ball, probably around the size of a cue ball - and with double taps, kept them all in the black. I was pretty darned astounded at this point! Then I put the target at 50 yards and started shooting 5 shot groups off a bench with slow, deliberate fire - the groups started opening up a good bit, but two groups really stood out - the best group had three shots cloverleafed, with the fourth and fifth shots at 10 and 3 o'clock - but you could cover the whole group with a quarter. The next best group was one ragged hole, but was more like a horizontal string - however, all the bullet holes were touching.

This kind of performance, was, for me, amazing. I've never shot a handgun as accurate as the little Ruger. I've never had any experience with the Buckmark, but I know firsthand what the Rugers can do. Mine makes me look like I know what I'm doing! :-)

Also, I found cleaning the gun to be a breeze. Easy to take down, and easy to put back together. Looks like a rock solid design, as well.

My vote is for the Ruger all the way - but now I have to start customizing it.....

Good Luck!

AL
 
I bought a 22/45 512 about a year ago. Absolutley no problems at all. At first I thought that the take down and reassembly was difficult. Now I can do it with my eyes closed. It is very accurate. I can keep 10 shots within a 3 inch circle at 75 feet freehand no support. There are tons of aftermarket things you can do to it. Only thing I did was replace the trigger and stone the hammer/sear junction a little. With over 10,000 rounds through it I am waiting for something to break.
Fun to shoot and cheap too, 550 rounds of Remington from WalMart for $8.97.
 
Yeah, I think the difficulty of take down/reassembly of the Mk2 is overblown. I did it with instructions once, now I can do without.

I ran 300rnds through my new 5.5" barreled 22/45 last Saturday and can report not a single failure of any kind. I can't say I got quite as good of results as Al, but I was getting thumb-sized groups at 7 yds, offhand, with an old perscription.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top