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Thread: First Impressions of a Buck Mark

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cheshire
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    First Impressions of a Buck Mark

    I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago, but have only now had the opportunity to take it down to the club to actually try it out.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/001.jpg

    The overall handling of it was very pleasant, in spite of having ambidextrous grips there is enough shaping to them to feel comfortable in the hand. The automatic safety catch was slightly annoying at times – yes, I did come up on aim and try to fire with it still on – but shooting right-handed, and one-handed, it was fairly easy to reach with the thumb without changing grip too much. The trigger isn’t brilliant but isn’t too bad – it has already had a very light polish and a smear of Moly-GN paste, which helped.

    One point I don’t like is that the breech isn’t accessible with the barrel broken just slightly (as in, all it will open without starting to cock). I think there are advantages in being able to break open the barrel, load a pellet, and then cock and close the gun in one quick movement – that is not possible. Being able to access the barrel easily is also nice – bear in mind the manual shows the barrel being cleaned with it wide open.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/004.jpg

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/005.jpg

    Shooting it – this was at standard 10m target cards – once I had the gun zeroed (ahem) I seemed to be getting pretty much all my shots in the black; actually, mostly in the left hand side of the black. I’d used all the windage adjustment to get just to that point, which didn’t seem quite right. There is a fair amount of play in the barrel pivot (this is only obvious once the gun has been cocked) but that in itself can’t be the issue or the gun would presumably be spraying all over the place? I also tried removing and refitting the entire weaver rail assembly, but there are lugs underneath to ensure it does only sit in the one definite spot, and no play evident.

    On the other hand, elevation adjustment wasn’t an issue, and while a deeper rearsight notch would be nice to improve the sight picture – to my eyes, anyway – I’ll probably persevere with them as is for now rather than be in a hurry to bolt on a red-dot sight. I haven’t anything to fit, but did get a zip-up case that takes the gun just nicely.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/002.jpg

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/003.jpg

    Iain

    Postscript - the obvious comparison to make?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    34,742
    Thanks for this.

    Very interesting and concise write-up.

    Can the foresight be drifted at all for extra windage adjustment?

    I've heard that they're really mild mannered and low recoil?
    THE BOINGER BASH AT QUIGLEY HOLLOW. MAKING GREAT MEMORIES SINCE 15th JUNE, 2013.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Cheshire
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    No adjustment on the foresight blade - it's moulded as part of the barrel outer casing. Thinning it slightly - taking material off one side - would work, if I think the sight picture will still be acceptable.

    More pictures of the construction here (mines now partly stripped, so I'll get my own pictures)

    http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537...ol+Tune-Review

    There is then, altogether, an alloy barrel block into which the steel barrel slides (loosely), covered and held in place by a plastic outer casing, so certainly scope for things not quite being centred throwing shots off to one side?

    Very low powered so yes, very mild to shoot - easy to cock and little recoil, in spite of the low weight. Trigger mechanism is very simple and gives a rather abrupt let-off, but is not trigger-finger painful heavy.

    Iain

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Retford, Notts
    Posts
    34,742
    So, room for improvement, yes.
    But it looks a nice, easy little thing to work on and it's bleddy cheap!
    You often hear of some unforgivable faults on some much more expensive guns, so a little home-fettling to get this one a little better isn't a big deal.

    And it's a pleasant and inexpensive, basic little pistol that puts the FUN into shooting!

    Have fun fettling and plinking!
    THE BOINGER BASH AT QUIGLEY HOLLOW. MAKING GREAT MEMORIES SINCE 15th JUNE, 2013.
    NEXT EVENT :- May 4/5, 2024.........BOING!!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    sheffield
    Posts
    464
    Had mine a good few months now and can't seem to wear it out. I didn't think it would take much hammer (daily use) at the price (£60) but its not missed a beat and I haven't had any probs with the sights. Not done anything with trigger, just got used to it, and on a good day get good groups. I generally start practice sessions on this gun, thinking if I can get a good trigger pull on the Buckmark I'll be ok with other guns! I like it. ATB. Pete.
    Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2000
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    Derby
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    6,499
    Where's it made? I'm guessing China?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cheshire
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    860

    Dismantling the thing ...

    Depending on what you want to do, it may or may not be necessary to remove the grip. This is a one-piece, rubber wraparound design; removing the two small screws (one either side) allows it to be prised apart slightly and pulled off forward and away from the frame – note that there are a few pins moulded into the frame that the grip fits over as well as the screws holding it in place.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/007.jpg

    Looking at the trigger mechanism still in place (and the receiver removed) the sear can be seen, and also the front end of the safety catch, on the interior of the action – this is knocked by the cocking link to push the safety back on (safety is off – fire – in this picture).

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/008.jpg

    The three steel pins passing through the frame that hold the trigger mechanism in place can now be removed; the rear two that hold an alloy sub-assembly (the frame is plastic) containing the sear and safety catch – the sear spring tends to stay attached to its locating peg in the frame. The forward pin is the trigger pivot, note that there is no separate trigger spring.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/009.jpg

    (These pins, and some of the others on the gun, are splined at one end to grip, so be sure to tap them out from the other end.)

    Looking closer at the safety catch, here shown engaged, shows how it works – the see-saw lever on the side of the alloy housing is pushed out at its rear end, forcing the forward end in to block movement of the trigger. Moving the safety catch down pushes the rear in, allowing the front end to move out of the path of the trigger.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/010.jpg

    The receiver, containing the piston and spring, is held to the frame by two small screws at the front, one on each side, and a third passing down through the weaver rail behind the rearsight. The fourth screw, at the front of the rail, merely holds it to the receiver – as I’ve already mentioned, there is no play here.
    This can all be done quite safely as the mainspring is still contained and nothing flies loose. A screw is visible holding the end cap from beneath, or so I thought – wrong. Carefully removing that gave a little bit of movement to the end cap, but no more. There is, in fact, also a steel pin passing vertically through the block, protruding out of the receiver to act as a locating peg for the rail. Possibly with the screw removed this pin can be tapped up and out, but I’m afraid that’s as far as I went – surrendering only too readily, I’ll admit.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/011.jpg
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/012.jpg
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/019.jpg

    A closer look at the piston shows it to be alloy, with just a small insert for the sear face. The cocking linkage pushes against the alloy shoulders either side of this. The factory lubrication regime seems to be a healthy dollop of grease.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/013.jpg

    The plastic barrel shroud is held in place by a pin, about halfway along, and the small screw at the rear above the breech, which also holds the barrel catch in place. Removing these allows the casing to slide forward, exposing the cocking linkage, barrel and their pivot pins. The foresight should be a separate part, but isn’t coming away on mine – no great loss, in any case.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/020.jpg
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/016.jpg

    The alloy barrel block sits over a bar extending forward from the receiver, with just a plain steel pin acting as the barrel pivot. There does seem to be a bushing or insert for it to pass through in the bar. A similar steel pin connects the cocking linkage to the barrel block, where there is also a small plastic guide block.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/021.jpg
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/015.jpg

    Once these two pivot pins are removed, the barrel assembly will come away from the receiver and also the barrel – the steel, rifled barrel proper – will come away from the barrel block. Note how the barrel is reduced in diameter to give clearance around the barrel pivot and cocking linkage. It is not, though, the actual pivot pins at these points that hold the steel barrel in place (although the foremost pin, which passes through the outer casing, does to some extent).

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/014.jpg

    The cocking linkage is quite interesting. The left hand side is formed by a steel plate, which just fits onto the right hand side, an alloy casting, with a pivot pin (for the intermediate link) between them at their forward end. These two pieces are not fastened together but are merely held in place by the fact that they, inevitably, inside the frame. Note how it is the left hand side, in steel, which knocks the safety catch on when cocking.

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/017.jpg
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Mark/018.jpg

    Iain

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    sheffield
    Posts
    464
    Thanks for the dismantling post Iain KD. You've clearly gone to a lot of trouble for the benefit of others. Im sure it will be useful for those of us who own the Buckmark. ATB. Pete.
    Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    2,060
    Very useful information Iain. I recently recently bought the Buck Mark (at the prices from Europe it would be rude not to). The trigger was so heavy I thought the safety was still on

    I bought a spring off the bay having virtually the same characteristics as the original trigger spring, cut it to the same length, then clipped a little bit off. The result was a lighter, more manageable trigger, but still safe (with the knock test). Although not the lightest trigger, for such a simple mechanism it is surprising consistent and relatively creep free.

    My pistol is running at an average of 310 fps with Hobby or Geco; but it is considerably more consistent with Hobby.

    It is a ridiculously easy pistol to cock (working around the front sight), and very smooth at that, which makes it a pleasurable plinker. I find the safety is very well positioned for a right hander.

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