[tenifglockfin]

I think the Ruger is a better gun, but I like the buckmark.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

I have the S and W 'Victory' and am totally happy. VERY accurate.

Yeah, I've shot one maybe 3 times. It was probably the most accurate .22 pistol I've shot so far. To be fair, I only shot a single Mark IV once for a single magazine. I've heard the right ones are tack drivers. Same with a SR-22. One magazine. All the other .22 LR pistols I've shot I've put probably 100-300 rounds through them:

Glock 44
Taurus TX-22
Ruger Wrangler
Buckmark
Victory
S&W K-frame

 

[Bradley T]

S&W

 

[OXMYX]

I have a Mark II and IV

The new triggers are a joke.

 

[Walk Soft]

I have a Mark2 and a Victory. Victory wins hands down. The Victory is probably the gun I enjoy shooting the most out of all mine. It’s just so easy to shoot accurately. I put a Vortex Venom on mine for a little while and took it back off. It was kind of boring. I would run six or eight mags of ammo through it shooting steel as fast as I can go and not miss once and put it back in my bag. The factory sights at least make it more challenging, not much more though as the factory sights are great.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

I have a Mark2 and a Victory. Victory wins hands down. The Victory is probably the gun I enjoy shooting the most out of all mine. It’s just so easy to shoot accurately. I put a Vortex Venom on mine for a little while and took it back off. It was kind of boring. I would run six or eight mags of ammo through it shooting steel as fast as I can go and not miss once and put it back in my bag. The factory sights at least make it more challenging, not much more though as the factory sights are great.

Yeah? You think it wins against those famous Marks in the former series? I've ONLY shot a Mark IV I believe out of the Mark series. But people make it sound like these older models were the best ever. The S&W Victory does shoot well.

 

[grumpy1]

All great pistols but I prefer the Browning Buckmark out of the three. The Buckmark comes with different frame sizes and the UFX is the best for my larger hands, I have a Ruger Mark 1 and it is terrific but not fond of the more extreme grip angle and the grip is a bit to small for me. If possible try out al three t see if you have a preference shooting one over the other. I replaced the front sight on mine with the Browning fiber optic one, about $23, and love it and super easy to install.

 

[Valmet]

I have the Mark IV Target and it is a fantastic pistol- though $550 sounds high (but I haven’t priced them out lately).

 

[JimmyCat]

If your concern is the aluminum frame then buy the Ruger MK IV Target with the stainless steel frame. I believe the model is 40103. I have the all stainless and I have the 22/45 Tactical that is threaded. Both are tack drivers but I also installed the Volquartsen Accurizing kit in both which gives the about a 2.5lb trigger pull. Can't beat the the MK IV for ease of cleaning not to mention the endless supply of after market goodies. My only regret is Ruger design calls for different magazines for each model. Both of mine have iron sights but I bought a new, spare barrel Mk IV Standard Frame Parts
and set it up for a Vortex Venom. All you do is switch the barrels.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I've shot most of them but this is where I usually land. My Dad liked the 22/45 so much he went looking for one but couldn't find anything in stock so I'm sending him mine. Gives me an excuse to build out the bull barrel with the same Volquartsen trigger upgrade and sites.

 

[g30nut]

I've shot most of them but this is where I usually land. My Dad liked the 22/45 so much he went looking for one but couldn't find anything in stock so I'm sending him mine. Gives me an excuse to build out the bull barrel with the same Volquartsen trigger upgrade and sites.

View attachment 889407

View attachment 889405

I gave my buckmark to my Daddy years ago. It had an aim point 3 on it. He loved that gun so much so I gave it to him. After he passed I brought it back home.

 

[Paul68]

I have the Buckmark, since the early 90's and have put 10's of thounsands of rounds thru it. The pistol is 100% stock and I can put the full 10 round mag in a half dollar circle as fast as I can pull the trigger. It is a very accurate gun and easy to maintain. I recently purchased the Buckmark rifle. It is just as accurate. Open sites on both of them.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

I have the Buckmark, since the early 90's and have put 10's of thounsands of rounds thru it. The pistol is 100% stock and I can put the full 10 round mag in a half dollar circle as fast as I can pull the trigger. It is a very accurate gun and easy to maintain. I recently purchased the Buckmark rifle. It is just as accurate. Open sites on both of them.

Here's the thing though. Doesn't the Buckmark require a tool to takedown to clean? Both the new Mark IV and Victory have an easy one button takedown.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

If your concern is the aluminum frame then buy the Ruger MK IV Target with the stainless steel frame. I believe the model is 40103. I have the all stainless and I have the 22/45 Tactical that is threaded. Both are tack drivers but I also installed the Volquartsen Accurizing kit in both which gives the about a 2.5lb trigger pull. Can't beat the the MK IV for ease of cleaning not to mention the endless supply of after market goodies. My only regret is Ruger design calls for different magazines for each model. Both of mine have iron sights but I bought a new, spare barrel Mk IV Standard Frame Parts
and set it up for a Vortex Venom. All you do is switch the barrels.

I like the stainless better. But, even at $550 that Mark I saw is just at the limits of what I'm willing to spend for a .22 pistol. The stainless and some other models are in the $600 range I think.

Will the aluminum frame be reliable? And is it any better than the polymer marks?

 

[DrewBone]

Here's the thing though. Doesn't the Buckmark require a tool to takedown to clean? Both the new Mark IV and Victory have an easy one button takedown.

Incorrect. The earlier S&W model 22/A-1 model, not the newer S&W SW22 has the one button takedown. As shown below, the SW22 "Victory" pistol model shown on top requires the removal of the (black) screw seen beneath the frame just ahead of the trigger guard for disassembly, but the model 22A-1 shown below it can be disassembled by pushing in the black button seen in front of and above the trigger guard:

 

[RisingPhoenix]

Incorrect. The earlier S&W model 22/A-1 model, not the newer S&W SW22 has the one button takedown. As shown below, the SW22 "Victory" pistol model shown on top requires the removal of the (black) screw seen beneath the frame just ahead of the trigger guard for disassembly, but the model 22A-1 shown below it can be disassembled by pushing in the black button seen in front of and above the trigger guard:

Ah okay, sorry, someone had told me that. I don't own one. So then, is it true then that only the Mark IV has the easy one button take down, of the three? I honestly don't want to have to unscrew something to clean, especially if I was traveling or out in the wild with it.

 

[grumpy1]

Here's the thing though. Doesn't the Buckmark require a tool to takedown to clean? Both the new Mark IV and Victory have an easy one button takedown.

You only need a hex wrench to remove the top strap on the Buckmark which is held on by two bolts. There is also a bolt holding in the barrel but you don't need to remove that for cleaning if you don't mind cleaning the barrel from the muzzle or using a bore snake which can also be done without removing the top strap. I have removed the top metal strap once to clean my Buckmark just to see what was involved while the rest of the time I clean and lube it with the bolt locked back as the manual recommends. There is no doubt it is easier to take down the Ruger Mark IV series, but the Backmark for me is simple enough.

 

[Toocool45]

I have the buck mark. Its a great gun. Very reliable pistol for a 22 LR. I even bought spare parts for it when i bought it, the only part ive used is the rubber recoil buffer. And its had tens of thousands of rounds thru it. Still looks great too. I dont have the other 2 models. But, years ago my friend and I would shoot together (he had a ruger22/45) and there was no advantage to either pistol. Both guns would shoot amazing groups at times. My buckmark has shot 5 shot groups handheld at 25 yards of 1" a few times. Stock, just cheap ammo. I have looked at the S&W your looking at its pretty nice. Read test reports on it and its extreamly accurate. I really dont think you could go wrong with any of the 3 listed. But if i was to get one it would be the victory. Out of those on the list.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

I have the buck mark. Its a great gun. Very reliable pistol for a 22 LR. I even bought spare parts for it when i bought it, the only part ive used is the rubber recoil buffer. And its had tens of thousands of rounds thru it. Still looks great too. I dont have the other 2 models. But, years ago my friend and I would shoot together (he had a ruger22/45) and there was no advantage to either pistol. Both guns would shoot amazing groups at times. My buckmark has shot 5 shot groups handheld at 25 yards of 1" a few times. Stock, just cheap ammo. I have looked at the S&W your looking at its pretty nice. Read test reports on it and its extreamly accurate. I really dont think you could go wrong with any of the 3 listed. But if i was to get one it would be the victory. Out of those on the list.

I'm leaning towards the Victory as it's only $50 more than the buckmark, is stainless steel, looks slightly nicer, and has fiber optic sites. Basically, worth the extra $50. And, it's $100 less than the Mark IV in question.

 

[Bren]

Easy decision for me: Ruger is the only one I would consider. I am not a fan of Ruger as a company and the only Ruger products I would own are their single action revolvers and .22 semi-autos, but their .22s can't be beat in the price range.

I have been shooting .22s competitively since 2017, when I started shooting Bullseye and when I go to a major match, the only low dollar .22 on the line, among serious competitors, will be Ruger (commonly shooting against high-dollar guns that cost 10 times as much) . For my first .22, the Army Reserve team issued my a Ruger MK II, which I later replaced with my own MK IV 22/45 Target. For less than $350 (the .22/45 costs less than the regular MK IV, due to the polymer frame) I got a .22 that will hold its own in competition. I have since built a 1911 .22 with a Marvel upper that will hold 3/4 inch at 50 yards and most recently bought a S&W Performance Center Model 41, but I won't be selling that Ruger.

Besides the accuracy of the Rugers, it is also easiest to find parts, accessories and gunsmithing services for Rugers, because they have been around and are used by more serious shooters.