Buckmarks, rails, and threaded barrels

S

Slimjim9

New member
I'm thinking I want a Buckmark as a tinker platform, fun gun, maybe squirrel hunter, possum killer, etc. I rented one similar to this last night:
http://www.browning.com/products/fi...-production/buck-mark-plus-practical-urx.html

It didn't have the rail but did have the URX grip and the fiber optic sight. I usually don't like finger grooves but something about this one felt really good to me. Accurate, solid, great trigger. (FWIW, I also tried a Walther PPQ but didn't like it nearly as much - trigger not as good, not as accurate for me, and this one kept spitting brass back at me which the Buckmark didn't.)

It seems like I could do a lot with this like put a red dot or swap out the grooves with something like these: http://www.browning.com/products/fi...-production/buck-mark-plus-practical-urx.html

And if the HPA passes (or I get tired of waiting for it to), I could put on a threaded barrel like this:http://www.tacticalsol.com/trail-lite/trail-lite-4-threaded-barrels

Or could I? Would I lose the stock rail by putting on the TacSol barrel?

BTW, I am aware of the factory threaded model: http://www.browning.com/products/fi.../buck-mark-field-target-suppressor-ready.html

But that's a different grip frame. Which I may be OK with or maybe not. Probably the smarter option as a finished product but less tinker potential.

Any thoughts?
 
I have the 5.5" standard model that is about 20 years old. I decided to tinker with it a few years ago and swapped the barrel for the full bull barrel of the target model and added the top rail and an optical sight. They are great guns and I doubt you would be disappointed with it. There are a ton of parts on Browning's website, but it was a bit confusing when I was ordering my parts. They certainly don't subscribe to Glock's minimalistic parts approach! :eek:
 
Your factory rear sight, or a pic rail will work with the TacSol barrel. I dont know all the different models, maybe there is one that the rear sight wont work on, like the one that has the long upper rail that has both front and rear sight all in one, but all the regular Buckmarks are fine as far as the Tacsol goes.
 
Over the years, I've never thought enough of the Browning Buckmark pistols, to actually own one. I've worked on quite a few, but never thought much of a .22 rimfire pistol with an aluminum grip frame. And, just because it's a "Browning" there was no magic intrigue involved with that brand.

When the Contour versions first came out, I ordered one for a customer. Once that pistol arrived, I immediately liked the heft of this pistol, but the aluminum grip frame, I'll just need to put up with.



Hopefully, this spring I'll get some time to do ammunition/accuracy comparisons between this Buckmark and several of my Ruger Mark pistols with 6 7/8 ths inch barrels.
 
I've had my Buckmark Camper a couple of years now. It's a really fun gun and very accurate...even with the bulk ammo. The only modification I made was to add a Hi-viz front sight.
BrowningBuckMark.jpg
 
@weblance - thanks. That's what I wanted to know.

@SGW Gunsmith - I like the look of the Contour but lean against the full length rail since I might want to swap out the barrel at some point

@snubbyfan - yeah, I'd probably start with an FO sight and get a red dot at some point
 
SlimJim9... if you're still looking, consider one of the new 2017 Buck Mark models. Many of them come with the adjustable rear sight AND a nice rail which would not prevent you from swapping on other barrels.

I have a Classic Plus Rosewood Buck Mark that I want to keep stock, didn't want to convert it for suppressor, so I picked up a 2017 Buck Mark Practical and ordered a TacSol Trail-Lite 4" threaded barrel to go on it. I think it will make a stellar suppressed Buck Mark! I got the Trail-Lite 4" threaded barrel rather than buying the Buck Mark with the 5.5" factory threaded barrel because I want to keep the barrel length very short due to adding the suppressor.

Here's the 2017 Practical:
38456803596_bcacb5e96b_o.png


And the Trail-Lite barrel (temporarily posed on my Classic Plus Rosewood.) The bottom rail is removable. By having the rail on the top strap and the ability to have another rail under the barrel, I may use a green Crimson Trace laser under the barrel and/or a RDS optic on the top rail.

26736894509_cd5e1f49a4_c.jpg


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Mine is my most accurate handgun. The sights and trigger are excellent. My only complaint is that the hex screws want to loosen up sometimes, so I check them every time I clean it.
 
Here is mine. I did a thread on renewing it. A few parts for the older series are no longer available. But the new style buffer will fit the older series.
I found a new short slab barrel for it, so it can be both 4" and 5.5 with a barrel change.
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The Browning Buckmarks are in my opinion, the most accurate factory pistol available at an affordable price that was ever made. I've owned dozens of target pistols over the last 45+ years and none have even come close in accuracy. That includes two SW model 41s and a slew of High Standards. When I was shooting IHMSA Silhouette I owned three of them and shot some remarkable scores with them. At the Region 1 shoot in 1990 (91?) I shot 9x10 shoot-off targets at 100 yards with open sights and the targets were rifle silhouette chickens. Those targets are about 1" in size. I believe that record was never broken. I also used those Buckmarks in Sportsman's Team Challenge in the handgun events for almost ten years and won or placed at every match. I shot many 60x60 scores in IHMSA matches with them. As an aside, they had over a 100,000 rounds fired through the two I used most often and other than springs and bufffers never had a breakdown. Scoped and shot off sandbags they would shoot almost exactly as well as my Anschutz Exemplar at 50 yards. Unless Browning dropped the ball after the 1990s, these are stellar handguns.....and affordable as well.
 
Look for old post on Buckmart . . .

Look for a post called "Range Report on Buckmark Contour 7.25" in Feb of 2016.

I've had my Contour 7.25 for over a year now and it is one of my favorite guns to shoot. Squirrel hunting, plinking, range fun . . . it's all good.

Life is good
Prof Young
 
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