I have an integral Buckmark. Nothing wrong with it as a gun, but it didn't really save on length. That said, it's not the dumbest $200 tax stamp I've bought. If I had to do it over again I probably would've just bought another threaded .22 silencer.
My other integral is a CZ 452 rifle. I like it a lot better as an integral, since it really has an ~11" barrel inside and the permanently attached silencer body makes it not an SBR. It saves on length and looks like a bull barrel instead of a silencer.
Well... I was persuaded. Bought a SiCo Warlock 2. Light, cheap, and I don't shoot enough .22 that I am stressed about cleaning the aluminum baffles.
Next just have to make my .22s able to accept the can.... looks like Faxon sells threaded 10/22 barrels for pretty reasonable prices. Am somewhat tempted by the Tac Sol SBX thing, even if it's a touch ugly, though with the Warlock being so light I don't know if I mind the idea of it being on a 16" barrel.
The .22 pistol I think you are correct, just going to flip my 22/45 for a more modern Mk IV or buckmark. I never bought more than the 2 magazines that came with the gun so not invested in the 22/45 platform as a whole.
Faxon is on my no-fly list. Multiple bad parts and overall, it appears their CS is so inundated with crap that they can't keep their heads above water far enough to do the job. Take a clue from the number of online/YT reviews where they first got a barrel that didn't shoot well and it was replaced with one that was OK. My first one had a screwed up crown. The replacement had the last 8-10mm of rifling all f'ed up. It appeared to have been done by a rotating pilot bearing on the lands while cutting the crown. It took about a year for them to have any part I was willing to accept as a second replacement in stock.
The cheapest option is probably to just buy a threaded 10/22 and sell the one you have.
I picked up a TacSol barrel for a Buck Mark for ~$165 shipped. Slap it on the cheapest Buck Mark on GB and you're GTG.
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Not another dime.
Hmmm good to know. Will dodge the faxon then. I'll chat with the girlfriend as the 10/22 is her gun, even though for totally, purely, 100% unselfish reasons I'm willing to pay for the upgrades
Are the buckmark barrels swappable with minimal tools? If it's something I can do at a desk in 5-10 minutes then I'm game otherwise I'd rather just pay to buy a gun with a threaded barrel. Also want some sort of common optics mounting system (Pic is fine) so I can throw a holosun on it easy.
Seems like a threaded Ruger or Buckmark with a pic rail is only ~ $550, not sure how much I'd save adding those features to an older gun.
Super easy to swap barrels. Two hex screws pull the top rail, another hex holds the barrel to the frame. I solvent clean the screw and frame to get the copper anti-seize out and replace it with ZDP (zinc dust petrolatum) so the copper can't get a galvanic cell going with the 7075 aluminum frame.
Check the frame for burrs in the barrel seating saddle. I've found them in several guns. Removing the burr theoretically might help it seat more securely and therefore shoot more accurately.
Lots of OE and aftermarket options for a Weaver or Pic top rail. I might even have a spare aftermarket rail.
The only real differences between Buck Marks are barrel, rails and grips. Frame and action are all the same. So you can buy the cheapest Camper model on GB and add what you want to it. I do like to go through them and deburr all the moving parts. Browning stopped drilling a hole all the way through the frame to allow you to punch out the upper trigger pin, so you'll need to drill that if you want to take the trigger out on a newer model, but it's not a big deal.
I need to do a full write-up on what I do to Buck Marks one of these days.
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Not another dime.