Sometimes I just like taking the long way to somewhere new. This review is about my final version of a .22 handgun in semi auto configuration. This Buckmark 5 ½ inch Heavy Contour Barrel URX, Buck Mark Contour URX, 5-1/2" (browning.com) is a dream to shoot and keep shooting.. My mainframe .22 semi auto is an old 5 ½ inch HB S&W Model .41. It has been my NRA Precision gun forever and sets the bar for accuracy in a pistol.
Wanting more of a field gun, I started adding to the fleet with Bill Rugers’ Mark 2. While the barrel was accurate, the grip frame angle and overall looks favoring the German Luger, always bugged me. But it was a lot less money than a Smith 41 and I didn’t mind using it in the field. After a few summers, I traded it off to a LGS at Lake of the Woods in Bremen. So, in between times, I went without a 22 field pistol and did not look back. Until the Ruger 22/45. Now we were getting closer but the round bolt, plastic frame, and difficult mechanics made this thing a PITA. I tricked several out over the next several years putting more in aftermarket products than I paid for the guns. I could go on about my frustrations with Ruger .22 pistols over a 30 year period but that’s what got me to this Browning Buckmark. For a street price of $425 this pistol cured a lot of my qualms.
First, the metal frame is nice however I wish it were steel. The 1911 grip angle is good to have and the frame is slightly smaller to grasp on the URX model. The basepads of the magazines are shaped as to not catch on the fatty part of your hand when ejecting. However, there are less aftermarket grips available for this model in the moment. These grips are from Hogue. Browning BuckMark URX Piranha Grip G10 - G-Mascus Green - Extreme™ Series G10 - Buck Mark URX - Browning Grips - Handgun Grips - Hogue Products (hogueinc.com). I wish that gun designers would stop purposely setting out to make every .22 pistol cheesy in some way or another. A close up shows how the grip to frame connection flows like an afterthought in my opinion. I prefer a clean design, like the 1911 Sometimes, I think gun designers work hard on making the ugliest guns possible. A small thing I know, but still.
This Buckmark needed nothing to make it run and the trigger is sweet right out of the box. The front sight came high enough to regulate elevation by machining down to the right height. Yes the quality steel rear sight is adjustable and I could have just raised them to a higher level, but it is important to me that my guns shoot point of aim with the rear sights most of the way down. That leaves me plenty of room to elevate (more likely for longer shots) and yet retain a natural hold out to 40 yards or so. Also of importance, having the rear sight screw down more makes the sight body more secure for field work as well. Yes, I could outfit the steel front blade with FO, and sometimes I do for SCSA, but I prefer the strong all steel front sight for industrial use in the field. Simply, it ain’t gonna break and a little orange paint am I am good to go.
Putting this gun through it’s paces the last few years has been really fun. While I shoot a lot of open sights, I added a Burris Fast Fire Dot. FastFire™ 3 | Burris Optics. I know dots are becoming as plentiful as Tom Selleck Reverse Mortgage Commercials and I like to play with them from time to time
.
To earn a spot in my lineup, a gun has to work. Simple. This gun works without modifications. Taking this gun apart for cleaning is super easy. Easy removable top strap, square bolt, and one screw for the barrel makes this thing easy to clean as well. Like many, I have a mixed supply of 22 ammo over the years but for serious target work, I stay with CCI Standard Velocity. Standard Velocity (cci-ammunition.com). Now when I need Critter Gitters I turn to Velocitors. Velocitor HP (cci-ammunition.com). Both of these loads work reliably in this Buckmark. The test target shows 5 round groups of this ammo at 20 yards shot just this morning. You will notice that the higher velocity Velocitors print a little bit lower because of the round leaving before muzzle jump. It was a bright sunny but crisp morning at the range with just a small breeze in my face. Target 1 and 2 were CCI SV. Target 3 and 4 were CCI Velocitors. Target 5 was Eley. I will point out, however that target number 5 was some Eley Club I had and I did have 1 stovepipe with this ammo. On target number 1 my second shot was a nice little flyer that I caused by shortening my follow through. The accuracy of this 5 ½ inch bull/contoured barrel is close to my Model .41 and that is good enough for field work.
When you handle guns a lot in training, plinking, competition and field work, balance is a thing. If one does not recognize the balance of his gun in use or it does not matter to him, then the full experience of a well made machine has been lost. This gun balances perfect. If it had a steel frame, the barrel would have to be the equivalent in weight increase to keep such a good balanced feel for this pistol.
Yes, several thousand dollars, and lot’s of Rugers later, it took me a long way to get to this new gun.
Good Shooting.
Wanting more of a field gun, I started adding to the fleet with Bill Rugers’ Mark 2. While the barrel was accurate, the grip frame angle and overall looks favoring the German Luger, always bugged me. But it was a lot less money than a Smith 41 and I didn’t mind using it in the field. After a few summers, I traded it off to a LGS at Lake of the Woods in Bremen. So, in between times, I went without a 22 field pistol and did not look back. Until the Ruger 22/45. Now we were getting closer but the round bolt, plastic frame, and difficult mechanics made this thing a PITA. I tricked several out over the next several years putting more in aftermarket products than I paid for the guns. I could go on about my frustrations with Ruger .22 pistols over a 30 year period but that’s what got me to this Browning Buckmark. For a street price of $425 this pistol cured a lot of my qualms.
First, the metal frame is nice however I wish it were steel. The 1911 grip angle is good to have and the frame is slightly smaller to grasp on the URX model. The basepads of the magazines are shaped as to not catch on the fatty part of your hand when ejecting. However, there are less aftermarket grips available for this model in the moment. These grips are from Hogue. Browning BuckMark URX Piranha Grip G10 - G-Mascus Green - Extreme™ Series G10 - Buck Mark URX - Browning Grips - Handgun Grips - Hogue Products (hogueinc.com). I wish that gun designers would stop purposely setting out to make every .22 pistol cheesy in some way or another. A close up shows how the grip to frame connection flows like an afterthought in my opinion. I prefer a clean design, like the 1911 Sometimes, I think gun designers work hard on making the ugliest guns possible. A small thing I know, but still.
This Buckmark needed nothing to make it run and the trigger is sweet right out of the box. The front sight came high enough to regulate elevation by machining down to the right height. Yes the quality steel rear sight is adjustable and I could have just raised them to a higher level, but it is important to me that my guns shoot point of aim with the rear sights most of the way down. That leaves me plenty of room to elevate (more likely for longer shots) and yet retain a natural hold out to 40 yards or so. Also of importance, having the rear sight screw down more makes the sight body more secure for field work as well. Yes, I could outfit the steel front blade with FO, and sometimes I do for SCSA, but I prefer the strong all steel front sight for industrial use in the field. Simply, it ain’t gonna break and a little orange paint am I am good to go.
Putting this gun through it’s paces the last few years has been really fun. While I shoot a lot of open sights, I added a Burris Fast Fire Dot. FastFire™ 3 | Burris Optics. I know dots are becoming as plentiful as Tom Selleck Reverse Mortgage Commercials and I like to play with them from time to time
.
To earn a spot in my lineup, a gun has to work. Simple. This gun works without modifications. Taking this gun apart for cleaning is super easy. Easy removable top strap, square bolt, and one screw for the barrel makes this thing easy to clean as well. Like many, I have a mixed supply of 22 ammo over the years but for serious target work, I stay with CCI Standard Velocity. Standard Velocity (cci-ammunition.com). Now when I need Critter Gitters I turn to Velocitors. Velocitor HP (cci-ammunition.com). Both of these loads work reliably in this Buckmark. The test target shows 5 round groups of this ammo at 20 yards shot just this morning. You will notice that the higher velocity Velocitors print a little bit lower because of the round leaving before muzzle jump. It was a bright sunny but crisp morning at the range with just a small breeze in my face. Target 1 and 2 were CCI SV. Target 3 and 4 were CCI Velocitors. Target 5 was Eley. I will point out, however that target number 5 was some Eley Club I had and I did have 1 stovepipe with this ammo. On target number 1 my second shot was a nice little flyer that I caused by shortening my follow through. The accuracy of this 5 ½ inch bull/contoured barrel is close to my Model .41 and that is good enough for field work.
When you handle guns a lot in training, plinking, competition and field work, balance is a thing. If one does not recognize the balance of his gun in use or it does not matter to him, then the full experience of a well made machine has been lost. This gun balances perfect. If it had a steel frame, the barrel would have to be the equivalent in weight increase to keep such a good balanced feel for this pistol.
Yes, several thousand dollars, and lot’s of Rugers later, it took me a long way to get to this new gun.
Good Shooting.
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