I've always liked the Rugers. Then I picked up a Buckmark for $150 w/rebate. I can't go wrong with either.

Love the short barreled Ruger Mk2 with fixed sights. But it won't shoot with the Buckmark.

Then there's THIS

Which do you like to shoot the most?

I love the MKII Ruger’s and I love the 22/45s when they work but I find myself recommending the Buckmark more often than not. They just flat work and shoot great.

I consider Huntsman’s and similar in a class by themselves.

I fell into the Ruger MK II camp early and own several, but I am yet to hear anyone give anything but high praise to a Buckmark. Our gun club owns half a dozen Buckmarks for use in its classes. I have shot several of them, and they are as advertised. I am more accustomed to the Rugers, simply because I own them. I can't say that I shoot one brand better than the other. For anyone in a shopping dilemma, get the one you like best at the best price. No wrong answers here.

Here's a pic. (Second from the bottom isn't mine--a buddy and I just put our guns together for the pic).

Love those slab sides!

Have had both. Like both. Neither less accurate than the other. Get whichever speaks to you. Unless you can get the Huntsman instead.

Ruger have II, III, IV

It tickles me that I bought the Buckmark (counting the rebate) in 2020 for the same price as the Mark2 in the early 90s

For pure fun it's the fixed sight Ruger, for me

If I wanna shoot fancy tight it's gonna be the Browning.

But I don't have the target model or heavy barreled Rugers

Yet...

I like the safe aspect of my Rugers better than my Buckmark. You can unload the chamber with the Ruger while the safety is on whereas on the Buckmark you have to disengage the safety.

YMMV

I have a Ruger MK II Government Model that I love but the Buckmarks are excellent pistols too, you won't go wrong with either one.

Both are excellent. Bought a Buckmark last year, I think they have a better trigger out of the box and I like the fact the slide completely opens up and provides access in the event of a misfeed/jam.

Have since put a TK trigger on 'er.

Have Ruger MKII, MKIII Browning Challenger and Buckmark. all shoot pretty good but don't hold a candle to the S&W mdl41........and I was a dummy and sold my 41 several years ago,now they have more than doubled in price. more than I'm willing to pay

I've shot a couple of model 41s. Great target pistols, but they never excited me for field or plinking use.

I actually confiscated a 41 off a guy years ago after he threatened his neighbor with it. I never saw court on it and have no idea what happened to it.
Being arrested and losing a model 41 at the same time qualifies as a legitimately bad day. I remember the pistol way better than I do the guy, but I recall thinking he seemed to be a decen t sort.
Maybe he got a lawyer and got the thing back?

I recently bought a Buckmark, and it is fitted with a red dot sight. The trigger on this pistol is one of the best I have ever pulled, on any handgun. Accuracy is phenomenal, as well. My son has a 22/45, also a very good pistol, but the trigger simply does not compare to the Buckmark.

Most of my friends own a Ruger of one mark or another. They're all solid pistols to shoot. If one came around in good shape for a few hundred bucks I'd probably buy it. With that out of the way, the old Buckmark plain jane model I've had for thirty years is absolutely the last pistol I'd ever sell. It shoots so well and runs so reliably it's hard for me to justify buying another 22 pistol. That's not to say I've not done it, just that I'm still not sure why.

I shoot the bull barrel marks the best, struggle with the tapered barrels for some reason. I'll buy about everyone I run across in the 200 range.

I like a buckmark, have two, about to put a tacsol solution on my main one.

Ran a across this in a pawnshop awhile back, 1987 with browning holster. $225.

Put me in the Ruger camp. The Browning would start jamming after a box when it got a little dirty.

The two Rugers we own are flawless.

I’ve had two Ruger Marks and still have one. I’ve not had any trouble with them except when I take them apart and put them back together. Both shot pretty good.

I’ve had two 41’s, a long and a short. I much preferred the short barrel and did not mind taking it out in the woods. So easy to clean. I also like the mag release better. It’s my favorite even tho I don’t currently have one.

The only experience I’ve had with a buckmark was with a friends gun. We were shooting at a dueling tree and his jammed, but he hasn’t said anything about it since so am guessing a good cleaning took care of it.

I started out with Ruger’s. My first one was a Standard that cost 37.50. I have 3 mark 2’s now.
I also have a 41 with the 3 different barrels. There maybe something better out there now but it’s to late to change.
Hasbeen

I only have experience with one model 41, but it was pretty finicky about ammo. It suffered misfeeds with the same loads that ran perfectly in my Ruger and Buckmark. Loved everything about it otherwise.

What do y'all think of the S&W Victory? That seems to be the only other pistol in this classic configuration general/field use category available these days - available meaning walk into a store and buy one new, not talking about Challengers/Nomads/Woodsman/High Standards on the used market.

How is the trigger and accuracy? I've only examined one and it felt okay in the hand but the looks always turn me off.

I think Hunts has a Victory, maybe he will see this and chime in.

Chime, chime......
The Victory is good. Even better with TK goodies....

I grew up shooting the original Ruger Mk 1 5.5" bull. The 22/45 always felt better to me, but I never got around to leaving the Mk 1. I mostly shoot a Victory these days, generally with a Dead Air Mask. Pretty it is not, but I enjoy it. Had the kids out on Sunday burning through some Automatch in quiet mode. Got it last summer and have only had one stovepipe thus far.

Plastic internal bolt parts in a Browning...no thanks.

My Ruger MkI's & MkII's have served me well.
Ruger MkIII's are JUNK.
Ruger MkIV's are for mechanically challenged idiots that are not smarter than a hammer strut.

My S&W 41's have served me well...but prefer certain ammo.

S&W Victory grip frame is designed for woman.

WOW lots to disagree with here

One neat thing about the Ruger Mark IV is that you can buy a barreled receiver cheaply and have two pistols for some 10% over the price of one.

Start with a Ruger Standard Model.




About 20 seconds later you have a Ruger 5 1/2" Target model. That brand new target upper cost $40 from Volquartsen and if I had been smart I would have bought their "bare bones" target upper without sights for $25. Their trigger accurizing kit was a good bit more but I only had to buy one.

Way cool, Jim

But please show a link to where these can be found? I didn't see them anywhere on the Volquartsen page

On the Home page the link is about halfway down on the very right, at least on my screen. It's a picture of a 10/22 bolt with the word "Clearance".

Volquartsen clearance page


I don't see the individual bare bones 5.5" barrel (no sights) offered for $25 but you can get three of them for $50.

I've had all of the Ruger Mark's.

The Mk 3's are not junk. They had the ridiculous and potentially troublesome (mostly in the mind of us gun guys) loaded chamber indicator (LCI). Which was easily removed, and either just left out or replaced with a blank to fill the hole. Regardless, I was never fond of it, kind of like I can not warm up to S&W's with the integral lock.

I shot & cleaned my Rugers so often that disassembly/assembly was no issue. Therefore I looked at the Mark 4's as a solution to a non existent problem, but got one anyway because of the ambidextrous safety. The takedown feature is well done and worth the change, takes but a few seconds. Now instead of running my Ruger until it gets sluggish, I pretty much at least pull it apart and wipe it down after every session.


John, here's a picture of my Series 2, Woodsman.


Jerry

Why, the Ruger MkII Target 6-7/8...






GR

+1

Just picked up a mid 70,s Br Buckmark the plastic buffer fell apart on disassembly replacement parts very hard to find or discontinued, main spring parts or complete assembly no one has any?

I picked up my first Browning last week. Seems to be well made. We'll see how she shoots in a few weeks as we head to the east coast for a couple of weeks.

Have two Ruger mark 2 stainless 5.5 bull barrel targets that I've had a long time. Probably my most shot pistols. Both have had volqueson (sp?) Competition trigger kits and other parts installed. One currently wears a leupold 2.5x8 scope. Other wears a holosun green dot reflex sight.

Have two Brownings. One is a 5.5 field target. Other is a bullseye.

Have two Smith and wessons. A victory and a 622.

I think any of them will likely shoot much better than the average shooter and would be comfortable taking any out squirrel or rabbit hunting.

I have a Mark I that sat in a dresser drawer since about 1975. Got it working ok after several cleanings and a lot of tweaking on the magazine. Finicky about ammo, and the magazine has to be inserted just so or the rounds get tipped up and won't feed feed. Shoots nicely after that. Wish magazines were more available.

They Are

Oh dear.

That’s vintage.

Would love to hear how it shoots.

how bouts some pre-vintage vintage.....?

I prefer the Buckmark compared to the Mk3 Ruger I had. Much easier to maintain and good to go out of the box. I haven’t tried the Mk4 Ruger though

I have a Mk III 5.5” bull and a basic Buckmark that I recently scoped with a Burris 1x. They both funtion very well. I shoot the Ruger better with irons and the Btiwni g wants to shoot bug holes with the scope. They both outshoot me and are a lot of fun.

Both great Pistols. I have to say I prefer my Buckmark.

My only gripe with the two Buckmarks I’ve owned is the safeties are so stiff you must use your left hand to put the gun back on safe. The one I still have is a 5,5” target model which is very accurate. I sold the handy and totally reliable 4” gun. In retrospect I could’ve disassembled it and fixed the issue with some file and polish, but I was so irritated with it that I just moved it along.