Browning Buckmark Pistol

It is no secret that my 22 pistol of choice is the Ruger MKII. A major contender for the MKII's place of prominence though, is the Browning Buckmark. The Buckmark is preferred by many people because it feels more like a "real" pistol. The frame is CNC machined 7075-T6 aluminum. The controls are where one would expect, and the Buckmark's trigger is uniformly crisp.

Like the Ruger, a wide variety of sights, grips and barrels are available for the Buckmark. Unlike the Ruger, the serial number of the Browning 22 pistol is on the lower portion of the gun, the grip frame. This is fortunate, as it allows a variety of barrels to be mail ordered without going through a FFL holder. The design of the pistol is deceptively simple. When the grips are removed, most of the action can be disassembled by hand. Detail stripping the Buckmark is a cinch.

The Browning Buckmark is a boringly reliable shooter. It is as accurate as the shooter firing it, a no excuses gun. It will digest a wide variety of ammunition without a hiccup.

Little features like the recessed crown make for a slick package on the Browning. There are only two things that I do not care for on the Buckmark. The first is the scallops on the bolt that contain the grasping serrations used to open the chamber. The scallops make the bolt more difficult to lock back than it has to be. The other is the wire ejector. The ejector works well enough, but I just wish there was a more substantial part for that role.

All that said.  I now own a Buckmark.  And after putting a Trail-Lite barrel on it from Tactical Solutions, it may be the finest .22 I have ever shot.