So I ordered a Ruger MkIII 22/45. Long story short, I got a Browning Buck Mark instead. Not really sure if I am happy it worked out this way or not as I'm pretty sure that I would have been just as happy with the Ruger, but I digress. (not looking good guys, I got off track less than three sentences in!) 
So yeah, the Buck Mark. You'll notice that I am using the correct spelling of the pistol; it is a Buck Mark, not a Buckmark. It came all nicely wrapped up from the retailer and under all the wrapping was this:
Inside that was this:
and this:
This is a new one for me... I don't know if you can read the card due to the small picture size, but it's summed up by saying that some jurisdictions require spent casings to be sent to the PD in a sealed envelope. Doesn't really say why but I'm guessing that it would be used to rule out your gun if it was suspected to have been used in a crime. (Doesn't sound so sinister if I put it that way, huh?
)
It comes with only one mag, but I sprang for a second one as one is never enough. The gun itself is rather hefty for a .22 I found. It has nice sized grips though and when you hold it in a shooting stance, it feels almost like you're holding a "real" gun thanks in part to a ".45" styled grip angle.
I find the thumb rest to be a bit "in the way" for my hands, but it could simply be that I'm just not used to it.
One major flaw with this design is that it cannot be field stripped without tools. Fortunately, if you have one of those fancy tooth scrubbing thingies, a good cleaning job can still be had without taking it apart.
But yeah, I know, you're gonna take it apart anyway, right? OK, first, use the supplied allen key to remove the two top screws holding on the slide "bridge" (for lack of a better term):
The "bridge" is made out of plastic. I would have liked this to have been metal, but whatever. I don't exactly know how I got the gun apart, but I did. The interweb told me (there were no instructions in the manual other than "take it to a qualified gunsmith"... yeah right! ) that I was supposed to first remove the firing pin assembly and then lift the slide off; but there was no way that I could figure to do it without using some sort of tool that would scratch everything up. So I somehow managed to pull the slide back, grasp the rod from the front, pull the whole slide assembly up and forward a bit which let the white plastic buffer fall out and then the whole slide assembly lifted off. At that point the firing pin assembly came out rather easily.
Slide assembly:
Slide with firing pin assembly out and recoil buffer:
Internal mechanisms:
Putting it back together wasn't nearly as difficult as taking it apart, but since I've discovered that one can clean it without taking it apart, I bet it's gonna stay together for a very long time. As for cleaning, the instructions say to clean from the muzzle, taking great care to avoid damaging the crown. In the event that I need to use a bronze brush on this, I will take that to heart. Until then, a bore snake through the chamber a few times will keep it clean enough for me.
I heard from an unconfirmed source that dry-firing is not recommended with this gun, but I had my doubts. So I took a thin slice of paper, inserted it between the firing pin and the chamber and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, so I inserted a mag and tried again. Yes, it had a magazine disconnector safety thingy. Boo. But the paper was completely unharmed. So unless it is possible to damage the firing pin without it hitting the chamber face, you should fine if you want to practice at home.
I didn't feel like practicing at home, I wanted to shoot it!
So off to the range I go. I bring three of the most commonly found rounds in this area: Dynapoints, Xperts, and the 333 Bulk Pack stuff. I also brought a few Stingers Just for fun.
The Xperts shot the worst and were the only rounds to give me problems. At least 5 FTE and multiple stove pipes with this ammo. Accuracy was so-so, but not great.
The 333 Bulk Pack stuff came in second. No malfunctions other than a few duds, but that's to be expected with bulk ammo. Accuracy was way better.
But it was the Dynapoints that kicked both their butts. No malfunctions and great accuracy to boot! Here is a target shot thirty times at 25 yards:
I shot about 500 rounds this afternoon, so I bet you're guessing that my thumbs hurt from loading the mags. You'd be guessing wrong. If you have a Ruger MkI, MkII, MkIII or a Buck Mark of your own, you owe it to yourself to get one of these:
It is called the "Ultimate Clip Loader" and is available from a a few different sources. I got mine from steve4ultimatesales.com for $22.75 USD shipping included, so it's not like it's expensive.
It works like this -
First, drop in some ammo in the storage compartment; it'll hold about 50 rounds:
Slide the lid shut and shake it a little bit. The rounds will drop nose first into a slot along the bottom:
Tilt the "Clip Loader" about 45 degrees so the rounds stack up on each other:
Insert magazine (don't know where the "clip" part comes into play... ):
all the way up (you may need to shake it a little if the rounds hang up):
And viola! A full magazine:
Quite simply the greatest invention of all time!
So overall, love the gun, glad I got it; kinda curious what the Ruger would have been like but whatever, maybe next time.
Matthew
So yeah, the Buck Mark. You'll notice that I am using the correct spelling of the pistol; it is a Buck Mark, not a Buckmark. It came all nicely wrapped up from the retailer and under all the wrapping was this:
Inside that was this:
and this:
This is a new one for me... I don't know if you can read the card due to the small picture size, but it's summed up by saying that some jurisdictions require spent casings to be sent to the PD in a sealed envelope. Doesn't really say why but I'm guessing that it would be used to rule out your gun if it was suspected to have been used in a crime. (Doesn't sound so sinister if I put it that way, huh?
)It comes with only one mag, but I sprang for a second one as one is never enough. The gun itself is rather hefty for a .22 I found. It has nice sized grips though and when you hold it in a shooting stance, it feels almost like you're holding a "real" gun thanks in part to a ".45" styled grip angle.
I find the thumb rest to be a bit "in the way" for my hands, but it could simply be that I'm just not used to it.
One major flaw with this design is that it cannot be field stripped without tools. Fortunately, if you have one of those fancy tooth scrubbing thingies, a good cleaning job can still be had without taking it apart.
But yeah, I know, you're gonna take it apart anyway, right? OK, first, use the supplied allen key to remove the two top screws holding on the slide "bridge" (for lack of a better term):
The "bridge" is made out of plastic.
I would have liked this to have been metal, but whatever. I don't exactly know how I got the gun apart, but I did. The interweb told me (there were no instructions in the manual other than "take it to a qualified gunsmith"... yeah right! ) that I was supposed to first remove the firing pin assembly and then lift the slide off; but there was no way that I could figure to do it without using some sort of tool that would scratch everything up. So I somehow managed to pull the slide back, grasp the rod from the front, pull the whole slide assembly up and forward a bit which let the white plastic buffer fall out and then the whole slide assembly lifted off. At that point the firing pin assembly came out rather easily. Slide assembly:
Slide with firing pin assembly out and recoil buffer:
Internal mechanisms:
Putting it back together wasn't nearly as difficult as taking it apart, but since I've discovered that one can clean it without taking it apart, I bet it's gonna stay together for a very long time. As for cleaning, the instructions say to clean from the muzzle, taking great care to avoid damaging the crown. In the event that I need to use a bronze brush on this, I will take that to heart. Until then, a bore snake through the chamber a few times will keep it clean enough for me.
I heard from an unconfirmed source that dry-firing is not recommended with this gun, but I had my doubts. So I took a thin slice of paper, inserted it between the firing pin and the chamber and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, so I inserted a mag and tried again. Yes, it had a magazine disconnector safety thingy. Boo. But the paper was completely unharmed. So unless it is possible to damage the firing pin without it hitting the chamber face, you should fine if you want to practice at home.
I didn't feel like practicing at home, I wanted to shoot it!
So off to the range I go. I bring three of the most commonly found rounds in this area: Dynapoints, Xperts, and the 333 Bulk Pack stuff. I also brought a few Stingers Just for fun.
The Xperts shot the worst and were the only rounds to give me problems. At least 5 FTE and multiple stove pipes with this ammo. Accuracy was so-so, but not great.
The 333 Bulk Pack stuff came in second. No malfunctions other than a few duds, but that's to be expected with bulk ammo. Accuracy was way better.
But it was the Dynapoints that kicked both their butts. No malfunctions and great accuracy to boot! Here is a target shot thirty times at 25 yards:
I shot about 500 rounds this afternoon, so I bet you're guessing that my thumbs hurt from loading the mags. You'd be guessing wrong. If you have a Ruger MkI, MkII, MkIII or a Buck Mark of your own, you owe it to yourself to get one of these:
It is called the "Ultimate Clip Loader" and is available from a a few different sources. I got mine from steve4ultimatesales.com for $22.75 USD shipping included, so it's not like it's expensive.
It works like this -
First, drop in some ammo in the storage compartment; it'll hold about 50 rounds:
Slide the lid shut and shake it a little bit. The rounds will drop nose first into a slot along the bottom:
Tilt the "Clip Loader" about 45 degrees so the rounds stack up on each other:
Insert magazine (don't know where the "clip" part comes into play...
):
all the way up (you may need to shake it a little if the rounds hang up):
And viola! A full magazine:
Quite simply the greatest invention of all time!
So overall, love the gun, glad I got it; kinda curious what the Ruger would have been like but whatever, maybe next time.
Matthew
