[RF vs CF]

I'm the same, try to be consistent on the patterns and not fall into the traps. We do a custom stage every month and on that one, I just go with a solid pattern. On the standard eight, I do the same order as my CF.

Same order here also. I used to shoot LH being right eye dominate (although I can use both hands). Now due to arthritis in my left hand I decided to permanently change to RH shooting. But I still prefer starting plates from the left end which I did when shooting only LH. I can shoot from either end but for SC I tend to favor KC's shooting sequences as I seem to shoot faster scores his way.

[Buckmark + TacSol 5.5 or 7.5?]

I think I finally talked my better half into trying out shooting - and maybe even a little competition. Steel challenge is the perfect venue. So,

I just ordered a used 5.5" Buckmark.

But I can already hear what the first impression will be: "it's heavy!"

So, for Steel Challenge, which TacSol length barrel is preferred? 5.5" or 7.5" ???

Since I started shooting seriously last year I've done a little experimentation although I have not finished all of it.

I started with a TS 7.25" on my Browning first, then had a local gunsmith bore out a Volquartsen V-Comp and mated that to the TS 7.25. I used that combo for steel and bowling pins during 2009 with various red dots. I switched to a TS 5.5" threaded with one of their 34 hole comps over the winter and shot that this year so far. That combo is so light that the gun transition speed is faster than most shooters that have tried it. While the muzzle flip is low that kind of comp causes the barrel to wiggle a little so grip is very important for fast followups. I'm thinking of trying the V-Comp on it this weekend to see if vertical ports change the characteristics of the recoil action.

I actually liked the longer 7.25" barrel. I was considering getting another Buckmark to make an iron gun with that but happened to win a Ruger 22/45 at the Ruger Rimfire event in NC so made an iron sight gun out of that instead. I use an Allchin low profile mount with polymer C-More red dot currently.

[Can 9*21 be used as .38SuperComp?]

My experience was the opposite. I have had a few infiltrators(38 supercomp and super) get in my 9x23 brass, went thru the dillon OK but lock up the gun every time.

mildot

My experience also. Had a few people at my club matches that picked up my brass and mixxed in a few .38 Super cases on me before I started checking them religiously. They went through my Lee 9mm dies I use fine. I don't have a case gauge (never seen one in 9x23) so I use my barrel. But I did not test all the rounds from some runs and it turns out they get stuck in my chamber about 3/4 of the way in. Also a couple of used 9 Super Comp cases I have will also not chamber as cleanly as I like. But based on a few member of my club with open 38 Super guns those guns will chamber and fire the 9x23 fine.

[9x23 Brass manufacturers]

Take one of each cases and fill with powder and then weigh each one to see the difference.

I shoot 9x23 with a rare Bul M-5 IPSC. However due to physical limitations I do not shoot IPSC, IDPA, or USPSA. Can't move around that well, so steel matches are my thing right now (including .22 matches).

I spent a couple years shooting Win factory ammo (124 Silvertips) and saving the brass. Now I'm reloading. I found a good load for steel right off at 5.6g of Unique pushing 125 Rainiers. However a couple of weeks ago a friend whose family shoots pro sold me a lot of 9x23 brass, about 1500 rounds worth all new. 1100 were primed (SRP) Win. brass and the other 400+ was Starline. Starline brass used to say "9 Super Comp" as CorBon used that in their hot loads as was noted above. Current Starline 9x23 is marked "9x23 Comp". The sellers told me the internal design of the Starline brass was changed to facilitate the use of 147g bullets, which can't be used in the Win. brass. From that I assume they changed the inside taper to allow a longer bullet. I have not measured the difference between the three types of brass in powder capacity as yet.

[Steel Challenge 9mm load - which bullet?]

Right- I started shooting .22LR a couple

of months ago for steel matches. Now I have

two guns for it. Ruger Mark III with C-More,

and a Browning Buck Mark with iron sights!

Funny I have just the opposite. A Buckmark with a C-more and a 22/45 with iron for club matches, Steel Challenge and Ruger Rimfire Series.

[20 Round for 229?]

Ya just for fun lol

I don't know about 20 rd. mags but I have 14 (Sig) and 12 (aftermarket) rd mags in my collection that are for my P229 Sport. These are 40S&W/357Sig mags.

[Slide racker for a Buckmark]

Title 'bout sez it all.

If you have an earlier model Buckmark (pre-2001 I think, like mine) you have the slide without the ears that make racking it much harder than the newer ones. The new slide uses new internals that make cleaning the firing pin area much easier. I uses about 85% new and different internal parts including a much longer lasting recoil buffer made from MHD polyethylene and not the cheaper plastic of the older model.

I considered making my own racker but I did not want to add any more weight to the slide without knowing if I could shave any off.

[Browning Buck Mark]

Hello: Read up on how to do the spring flip mod and enjoy a 2lb trigger for zero dollars I like the Buckmark better than the Ruger 22/45. Thanks, Eric

I grew up in Albuquerque, although at 63 it's been quite a while. When my parents were alive we lived in the NE heights after my father retired from the USAF.

Here is what I found out about the sear springs in the Buckmark. The ends of the spring can be one of 2 configurations, one with the ends in the same plane and one with the ends forming a shallow V. The ones with the V will give the most reduction, close to 1/2 while the one with the ends in a straight line will reduce it only from about 20-35% when you do the Heggis flip. The straight spring is more common now or the correct one in older guns. If you go to someplace like Midway you will find 2 springs listed, one for the Buckmark rifle/pistol and one for the Buckmark Varmint/Silhouette pistol. I got both and it appears the one that is currently available in the V shape is the latter of the 2. However since I'm using the Browning trigger with the adjustable overtravel it is hard to tell what the actual reduction is.

[Browning Buck Mark]

Sounds remarkably like the Buckmark I started with. The answer is yes to steel competition. While I have a 9x23 1911 clone and a comped Sig 229S in 357SIG I really love shooting my Browning Buckmark racegun. I currently shoot my own club matches and travel to shoot Steel Challenge and Ruger Rimfire Series matches. Mine started out as my wife's bullseye target pistol. As she eventually became more disabled I inherited her guns also. I used to use a S&W 22S as my target gun. However when I decided to start shooting seriously I took a look at what I needed and what I had and the S&W had few parts available to mod it. Top 3 guns in rimfire are the S&W 41, the Ruger I/II/III/22-45, and the Buckmark. A race built 41 will set you back close to $2k. You can build a race Ruger or Browning for less than $1k, and maybe less than $600 with parts from Volquartsen and Tactical Solutions. Since the biggest cost is the initial gun and I had the Buckmark I went with that. Now it has a TS alloy lined barrel, rail, and comp, Browning adj trigger, C-More optic, and some internal massaging (but no real gunsmithing work yet). It is the lightest rimfire race gun you can build of the 3 most popular guns. That means it can do the fastest target transitions, if you can keep up with it. As for cycling time I think it may be slightly slower than the Ruger or S&W but that is without doing any mods to speed it up. I've tried using a longer heavier alloy TS barrel with a modified Volquartsen steel comp on it also. That combo was steadier but with slightly slower transitions. At this time my stage times are already under that combo so lighter is faster and better. At the last Ruger Regional event I did (the first one I did so far) I had the fastest time overall on 1 stage and second in 4 others out of 7 with the pistol. I shoot only CCI 40g Mini-Mags in competition (TS recommendation) although CCI Blazers are the same ballistically.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you consider it I also won a Ruger MK III at that event. So I'm going to slick that gun up and compare the 2 side by side at my club events. Some of my friends shoot Ruger raceguns and one has a spare Tac Sol upper for a Ruger that I can get to even up the mods.

Having shot my friends guns I still prefer the Buckmark due to the lighter weight and the smaller grips that fit my hands better.

[What Brand of 22 are you Shooting?]

Stock Buckmark w/Tac Sol 7.25 barrel, machined out Volquartsen V-Comp, adj trigger and currently a modified TruGlo dual LED holo. But I have a C-More on the way. Works good with Fed 550 as practice ammo and CCI MM 40/36 or Win SS RN 40 as match ammo.

[.22lr semi-auto pistol comparison]

I started Bullseye with an S&W 22S.The one thing I can say about it is will digest anything that you can find. Did not like grips though

My wife bought a Buckmark for the same purpose. Her small hands fit it better. However with her using it stovepiping was an issue due to her physical problems. Once she stopped shooting due to medical problems I got to use it on a regular basis.

Now the Buckmark has evolved into my rimfire steel racegun. Can't say enough about how well the gun performs. I like it better than my friends Ruger raceguns although they are very close in match trim.

There are other guns out there that will work but if you go to just about any competition about 75% or more of the rimfire pistols will be either Rugers or Brownings.

[22 caliber for steel]

What is a good gun and setup to shoot steel in the 22 cal division. Or if you have any good websites that have guns or info that would be great.

From what I've seen the main guns are about 45% Rugers, 30% Brownings and the rest are mostly a little of everything else. Probably the S&W 41 is the one that stands out from the rest. The first 2 are on top because they also have the most aftermarket parts available for them.

[22 caliber for steel]

Anybody have any experience with a recent S&W 22A?

I use a 22s as my backup gun to my open class Buckmark. It just has the stock 5.5" barrel which I've cut down the top rail to mount a comp on it. It is kind of heavy but it feeds everything and is easy to clean. It is a slightly older model. The main drawback to the 22a/s is the lack of aftermarket parts. If you want a barrel it will be an S&W. Only factory grips are available.

I'm a hair slower with it than the Browning, mostly due to weight I think.

[What Brand of 22 are you Shooting?]

I use my wife old Buckmark and added a TS 7.25 barrel, modified Volquartsen V-Comp, adj trigger, TS rail, and currently a red/green TruGlo holo sight. Too cheap to buy a C-More yet and the green is much easier to pick up on bright days. It handles the recommended 40g Mini-Mags and Federals real well but hates several others. My backup gun is my old bullseye gun, a stock S&W 22s that I've modified to take a Volquartsen V-Comp and has a no-name holo that was on the Buckmark previously. It's heavy but it feeds anything.