Posted: 7/22/2010 7:56:06 AM EDT
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I have an S&W 22A with 5.5" bull barrel. It doesn't balance that well for me. What should I do?
1. Buy new grips and a 4 inch barrel for S&W 22A 2. Trade in S&W 22A towards Browning Buckmark. Get Tactical Solutions PacLite 4 inch bull barrel later. |
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I have a couple of the S&W .22s and like them very much, other than the difficulty in having them threaded. That said, if you want the Buckmark it's a great pistol IMHO. I still prefer a Ruger, personally, but I recently picked up a Buckmark Camper Whisper (factory-threaded) and like it quite a bit...  |
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James,
how the gun balances for you might be something quite personal. I have shot all kind of rimfire pistols and there are some that I prefer for certain applications but that does not mean that it will be the same for the next guy. Nothing beats first hand experience; join a league and try the guns of other shooters, or go the expensive way of trading and purchasing guns. |
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Quoted:
I have an S&W 22A with 5.5" bull barrel. It doesn't balance that well for me. What should I do? 1. Buy new grips and a 4 inch barrel for S&W 22A 2. Trade in S&W 22A towards Browning Buckmark. Get Tactical Solutions PacLite 4 inch bull barrel later. Like this? 
Balance is a personal perception, but everyone who shoots this think it's damn near perfect. IIRC, this is a Trail Lite, I think the Pac Lite is the Ruger version. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have an S&W 22A with 5.5" bull barrel. It doesn't balance that well for me. What should I do? 1. Buy new grips and a 4 inch barrel for S&W 22A 2. Trade in S&W 22A towards Browning Buckmark. Get Tactical Solutions PacLite 4 inch bull barrel later. Like this? http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w160/sdrct/DSCN0260-1.jpg Balance is a personal perception, but everyone who shoots this think it's damn near perfect. IIRC, this is a Trail Lite, I think the Pac Lite is the Ruger version. Nice Buckmark! Pac Lite's are for Ruger 22's. |
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Trade it for the Buckmark. Between the two, the Buckmark is by far the better gun. In what way(s), exactly? Not only is the fit and finish of a Buckmark better but the amount of customization you can do with a Buckmark outweighs the Smith any day. Trigger work on the Smith is a pain and yields very little improvement to an atrocious trigger. The break of the Buckmark out of the box beats the best trigger job on a Smith and after a few minor adjustments and possibly some polishing; the Buckmark trigger is great yielding nearly zero creep and an even crisper break. The balance of the Buckmark is much better IMHO and the availability of parts makes it a great gun for those who are going to shoot a lot. Having gone through a couple Smiths, replacing parts was a pain compared to the Buckmarks. IMHO the price difference between the Smith and the Buckmark was well worth it considering the number of rounds I have put through the Buckmark with no need to fix the gun when compared to the hassle and down time at the range with the Smith. |
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Hmm... I own several of both (and many others, of course) and always considered the differences you describe as marginal, at most (fit and finish on my 22A and 22S are excellent; my latest Buckark, the Whisper above, is a bit rough... but it is also based on the entry-level Camper line), but I also shoot my Rugers much more than either of those so I haven't encountered breakages and long-term issues such as you mention above. If I set my favorites aside and shot both of those more I'd probably encounter much of the same that you have. But there is no doubt in my mind that you are correct about parts availability and aftermarket support favoring the Buckmark –– the S&Ws have never enjoyed the popularity of the Brownings opr Rugers and have changed models/designs much more often, so there is very little in the aftermarket world uniquely for them. Thanks for the well-thought-out reply!  |
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having owned both . I own a couple of Buckmarks and no smith 22a. The smith was worn out and rebuilt by Smith free then sold. The buckmark is a much better gun I would be interested to know how many rounds it needed to be worn out and how accuracy and function were affected by it. |