I know there are a few shooting dopers here and I need some advice on my next firearms purchase. I want to get a fairly high end .22 target pistol. So far I’ve narrowed it down to a High Standard Victor or S&W 41. I’ll probably get used in either case. The .41 is still made and as for the “new” High Standard pistols I’ve heard some varying reports on how good they are. I’d like something where both sights are mounted to a top rib on the barrel so the Browning Buckmark target model fitst the bill but there are some issues with the one I already own. You can’t remove the slide for proper cleaning without removing the screws that attach the barrel and rib and in my experience the screws never stay tight once they have been removed. I’ve cleaned the screw holes with acetone and used blue locktite but the damn things still come loose.
Mods, could you please move this to IMHO?
Hmm. I don’t have any problem with the screws on my Buckmark Target SE and have absolutely no reservations about recommending it to a discriminating enthusiast such as yourself. The rosewood grips on it are spectacular. And I don’t mean just pretty, they’re spectacularly functional, too.
I’ll state at the outset that I’m the wrong guy to go to for advice on pistols, because I don’t own any and I’m really not interested in them.
That said, I have to agree with UncleBeer. I shot a friend’s Buckmark with the target bull barrel and it was the most comfortable and accurate .22 I’ve ever fired. Hell, the gun shot about eleventy-jillion times tighter than I could. Takedown was a bit of a PITA, but it was worth it in my opinion. Good, reliable, accurate gun. I didn’t have any problems with reassembly either.
Maybe you just got a lemon. Like I said, I’m the wrong guy to offer advice, but maybe you should give Browning a second look.
On the other hand, you could ignore this post entirely and listen to people who know better. I’m a shotgun guy. Period.
If you ever want advice on choosing a skeet gun I’m right here. I like skeet.
Saturday I almost bought the 5.5Target Model but was a bit annoyed that the front sight is a round pin. That’s fine as long as the hood completely shields it from light but when that isn’t the case the shape can cause inconsistent sight picture and POI. They had a regular field model which has a patridge front sight but no hoods but one of the grip panels had a big chip missing from it.
The buckmark I have now is officially my wife’s. It’s a standard model but I’ve replaced the sight base with a Weigand weaver type scope base and mounted a BSA red dot. That’s why I wanted the target model with the full length rib. The only serious complaint I have with the one she has is the slide doesn’t have protruding cocking grips. I can rack the slide easily but she has long fingernails and has a much harder time with it. The slide is a gunsmith part so replacing that wouldn’t be a good investment over trading to a newer gun.
I own a Beretta U22 Neos. I can’t recommend this thing enough. Especially for a starter. Affordable, reliable and extremely easy to clean. There’s a barrel screw you operate with your fingers to take the entire barrel off. It takes about 220 seconds to have it ready to clean.
Plus the top of the barrel is designed to accept eith a scope or a laser. If you’re looking for a fun little pistol, buy one.
Forgot the link.
http://berettausa.com/product/product_pistols_main.htm
Another minor but neat thing you can do is get a different grip with neon accents. Looks really neat.
My new(ish).22 target pistol, I went a little overboard
http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=164134&sort=7&thecat=998&password=
Unclviny